Seattle Ute

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

what if you felt God moved you to become a Catholic? Is that not possible? How can we expect converts to come to the LDS church if we don't allow for all things, in which God might direct us?

I kind of feel the same way. I can't see how any other religion could satisfy my spiritual needs. I know there are good aspects to other religious traditions, but can't see myself going from believing in stuff like the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, eternal families, eternal progression, etc., to believing what most other Christians believe about heaven, which sounds boring to me. I think one of the reasons the hard core evangelicals can't stand us so much is because our vision of the hereafter is a heck of a lot more appealing than theirs and it makes them mad.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

I will be the first one to admit it publicly...

If I ever left the Church.......Sex-o-Rama!

It would be a freakazoid of epic proportions. Even Caligula would blush.

Agreed. It would be a race to see how soon I could have been with 100 women. A friend bragged to me about three per night.

[MikeWaters]

I have a friend who as a Mormon was extremely connected to LDS things, and I mean extremely. As much as I am going to say without revealing his role.

He is now a Baptist. And says he enjoys his liberal Baptist congregation much more than he enjoyed LDS stuff.

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Agreed. It would be a race to see how soon I could have been with 100 women. A friend bragged to me about three per night.

Not unless my wife was onboard with it. I'd still be committed to my family even if I was no longer committed to my faith.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by El Paso Coug

You have a very practical approach, which I try to have as well. Your approach is to extract the good from any situation and leave the bad. I think that it would be very hard for someone to say that there isn't an enormous amount of good things relating to the LDS Church, regardless of whether you are a believer or not. It's hard to argue that the LDS Church won't make an individual a better human being and doesn't teach excellent life principles.

I think that the bitterness comes from "the only true church" claim. If you are taught to believe that the LDS Church is the only true church, that it's the only place where God's true authority is found and that God can only give revelation to the LDS prophet and then the Church makes you swear your life to it when you are 19 (at least for active males), I can see where someone would be bitter if you determined that those extremely serious claims regarding salvation were false. It would be hard to simply walk away from that and just say, "well, it's not true and I'll go find another religion now", when you have lived your life thinking you were following the only true path to the celestial kingdom. The fact that you lived a productive and wholesome life and were taught some really good principles along the way is great, but it doesn't change the gravity of the discovery regarding true salvation (at least where it's not found).

I would speculate that the bitterness comes not from the realization itself, but from the fallout of that realization. Assume your entire social and familial world revolves around the church and its literalness (true for most of us who aren't converts). If one day you decide it isn't true, what do you do with that information? For so many it leads to disaffection from family, loss of contact with friends, divorce. Creekster is right, you can't ever really leave the church. Not unless, I would add, you were a convert and even this is it tough. I think that if you concluded you had been sold a bill of goods and you lose the life you had including many of the people as a consequence that could surely make one bitter. That is where I read Seattle as being but maybe I am wrong.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by creekster

I disagree. I think satatn would work more from the inside, leading you away with comfort, never making you feel like you were making a break. Su is what he is. We all know it. If you are seduced by his pitch it is because you want to be.

Are people being serious about SU's efforts? I honestly have never considered him actively engaged in persuading people away. If that is his purpose, he seems to have a very poor track record. Has anyone fallen away because of SU's vitriol?

I view SU in the same vein as The Great Gazoo....always hanging around saying stuff, arguing with people, causing mischief, unwelcome back on his home planet of Zatox, big head, etc.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I have a friend who as a Mormon was extremely connected to LDS things, and I mean extremely. As much as I am going to say without revealing his role.

He is now a Baptist. And says he enjoys his liberal Baptist congregation much more than he enjoyed LDS stuff.

None of the other stuff would really matter, as hedonism is more self-gratifying, than self-denial.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

Are people being serious about SU's efforts? I honestly have never considered him actively engaged in persuading people away. If that is his purpose, he seems to have a very poor track record. Has anyone fallen away because of SU's vitriol?

I view SU in the same vein as The Great Gazoo....always hanging around saying stuff, arguing with people, causing mischief, unwelcome back on his home planet of Zatox, big head, etc.

To be fair, SU doesn't want Creekster's or your soul.

SU is a big game hunter.

[TripletDaddy]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Agreed. It would be a race to see how soon I could have been with 100 women.

You would be like the Wilt Chamberlain of Cougarguard.

[creekster]

Originally Posted by TripletDaddy

Are people being serious about SU's efforts? I honestly have never considered him actively engaged in persuading people away. If that is his purpose, he seems to have a very poor track record. Has anyone fallen away because of SU's vitriol?

I view SU in the same vein as The Great Gazoo....always hanging around saying stuff, arguing with people, causing mischief, unwelcome back on his home planet of Zatox, big head, etc.

To be clear, I do not think that is his purpose. I think he is just what he is, which is my point. If anyone is attracted to it, it is becasue they want to be.

Waters is going to have to grant a second user name to SU, becaseu there will no longer be room for both he and his ego on one name after reading this thread.