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Yes, welcome back Bridget – we’ve missed you! bridget_night wrote:About a year ago some sister missionaries came to visit an inactive Mormon friend of mine who lives in Denmark. He did alot of research on the net about lds church history which contributed to his leaving the church. But, he was always kind to the missionaries and fed them regularly which most members did not. When the sisters asked why he left the church, he asked them if they knew about Joseph Smith’s other wives and that he was married to women whose 1st husbands were still alive. These young sister missionaries knew nothing about Joseph Smith having other wives and were shocked. When the young missionaries come to my house on occasion to try and reactivate me they also ask why I left. I tell them I do not want to shake their faith and would rather not talk about it.
On one hand I am concerned about missionaries going through a crisis of faith, because I know how hard that is and how it shakes your world. On the other hand early church leaders have things like:
J. Reuben Clark: “If we have the truth, [it] cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.”
George Albert Smith: “If a faith will not bear to be investigated; if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak.” Journal of Discourses, Volume 14, Page 216
John Taylor: “I think a full, free talk is frequently of great use; we want nothing secret nor underhanded, and I for one want no association with things that cannot be talked about and will not bear investigation.” Journal of Discourses, Volume 20, Page 264.
The past 20 years I have I have not experienced this. Questioning or seeking answers outside of the standard works was not allowed and is why my husband and I stepped down from our callings. It will be interesting how this plays out. But, I do believe God can turn all things for our good.
Excellent post Bridget! Excellent!!!
A while ago we had someone on the site who was approaching this site the way a TBM would approach a naive nay-sayer. I remember the way many of the veteran members responded. They helped the missionary understand the common history many members share (to the extent there is a common history, a we are diverse), their experience in the church, and the approach of STayLS to helping members stay active. I could also see myself responding with advice about how to approach less active people in their wards, and to broaden their perspective in a positive way, without detracting from their faith.
Thank you all for your responses to me. It is nice to be missed by the way!! Just a quick update on myself. My husband and I are still active in the United Church of Christ here in Port Orange, Florida. We really like the great sermons our pastor gives and how he relates the gospel to our every day lives. We also like that this is a gay affirming church and have made friends with two gay couples in the congregation as well as with the associate pastor who has a lesbian daughter. This associate pastor used to live in Salt Lake city and has many lds friends. Four months ago she asked me to teach the new adult Sunday School class with lessons that are relevant to what is happening in the news each week. I have really enjoyed teaching that class. I am also friends with a woman in that church who has a Mormon daughter that has a gay grandson. Her daughter is in denial about her gay son and I am helping this woman to understand what her daughter is going through with my book. A group of us have lunch together every Sunday, right after church. We have also stayed friends with many people in the old Nazarene church we attended for two years when we first moved to Port Orange 3 years ago. Because I still have many friends and family members that are strong lds, I try to find all the things I like and can agree with them on about the lds church. My husband and I have not had our names removed from the church membership and there are still many teachings we love about the lds church. We are not hostile to the lds church, even though we cannot believe it is the one and only true church anymore. So many members seem to believe you loose the spirit once you leave the church and that they are the only ones who have the Holy Ghost with them as a constant companion. I found this, not to be true. I have met so many wonderful Christians who have the Holy Spirit with them often. My husband and I are active in working local soup kitchens in these other Christian churches and helping out with their Vacation Bible school weeks as well as other activities. We do not miss the lds corporation that it became for us and often lacked the spirit. It felt more like a letter of the law type church for us, so we are happy we left. Nevertheless, Mormonism will always be a part of me having been raised in the church and been on a mission most of my life. I still hope alot of the lds teachings turn out to be true as I cannot agree with all the evangelical teachings. But, I no longer fear or worry that God is upset with us leaving the church unlike so many of my family members are. I truly believe God looketh upon our hearts.
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