LogGrad98
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I think he is mad I returned his random neg rep with some random neg rep of my own.
Reasons you left the LDS church.
- Thread starter Beantown
- Start date
I think he is mad I returned his random neg rep with some random neg rep of my own.
And it was only to neg the **** out of Trout. How dare you.
unluckyseventeen
Well-Known Member
I'm sure I'm quite late to the party as this is now on page 11, but I left because the whole idea of religion doesn't really make any sense to me. I think people label "god" as whatever they don't actually understand, so building a religion around that seems silly.
Some aspects of religion in general I'm sure have good causes, but I think it actually does more damage than good in many respects.
Some aspects of religion in general I'm sure have good causes, but I think it actually does more damage than good in many respects.
And yet in my life my "religion" is a strong foundation for me.
It makes sense to me, and adds to my life enormously.
The people are not what we all hope they will be, but I have also met some of the best people that can be found as well.
I don't think it's a belief in God, or something better that causes any sort of harm to anybody or anything.
I think it is people that do so for various reasons.
It gives me something better to shoot for, than just live, take what you want, and die.
The principles, and ideas (truths) I learn as part of the LDS church make perfect sense to me, and feel good at the same time.
I don't expect people, even many church members, to get it but I would feel empty without the church.
Not the church itself, but the principles, truths, purposes, ordinances, teachings, or the feelings.
Yes I feel good when I help other people. I feel good when I read the scriptures. I feel good when I attend church meetings not just to pass the hours, but to learn something, or help someone. I feel good when I pray, not only to ask for something, but in thanksgiving. I feel good when I listen to General Conference with the intent to get something positive out of it. I feel good when I stop on the side of the road to help someone in need, whether it be to change a tire, or to give them a ride somewhere. I feel good when I help someone on the street asking for something, whether I know they need it or not... even if they could do that every day for a living. I feel good when I truly live the things taught in the LDS church, not just for show, or because it's a sort of nice place to be... but when i live it when nobody else is watching. I feel good that I know for myself I can pray and God will hear my prayer, and I feel good to know for myself that I have a relationship with a Savior I have not yet met in person in this life.
Go ahead and say I can't prove it, or that it's make believe...... I don't have to prove it to you. I have already proven it to myself, and that's all that matters to me.
It makes sense to me, and adds to my life enormously.
The people are not what we all hope they will be, but I have also met some of the best people that can be found as well.
I don't think it's a belief in God, or something better that causes any sort of harm to anybody or anything.
I think it is people that do so for various reasons.
It gives me something better to shoot for, than just live, take what you want, and die.
The principles, and ideas (truths) I learn as part of the LDS church make perfect sense to me, and feel good at the same time.
I don't expect people, even many church members, to get it but I would feel empty without the church.
Not the church itself, but the principles, truths, purposes, ordinances, teachings, or the feelings.
Yes I feel good when I help other people. I feel good when I read the scriptures. I feel good when I attend church meetings not just to pass the hours, but to learn something, or help someone. I feel good when I pray, not only to ask for something, but in thanksgiving. I feel good when I listen to General Conference with the intent to get something positive out of it. I feel good when I stop on the side of the road to help someone in need, whether it be to change a tire, or to give them a ride somewhere. I feel good when I help someone on the street asking for something, whether I know they need it or not... even if they could do that every day for a living. I feel good when I truly live the things taught in the LDS church, not just for show, or because it's a sort of nice place to be... but when i live it when nobody else is watching. I feel good that I know for myself I can pray and God will hear my prayer, and I feel good to know for myself that I have a relationship with a Savior I have not yet met in person in this life.
Go ahead and say I can't prove it, or that it's make believe...... I don't have to prove it to you. I have already proven it to myself, and that's all that matters to me.
GVC
Well-Known Member
So instead you live, do what you have to do to secure your eternal reward and die? Both approaches seem amazingly selfish to me. There are other options.
pickledXgrandma
Well-Known Member
I will tell you what i hate. Going to church and having the bishop bring an 8 year old to the stand that was recently baptized and then say how proud the bishop and his family are that he decided for himself to get baptized. Hes 8 f****** years old. The most gullible of ages. You raise any 8 year old in a religion and he will get baptized to that specific one.
GVC
Well-Known Member
What?
religions can be man-made, probably is in some aspects generally. "A man's reach should exceed his grasp". I'd say it makes for a better man to try to reach out. Or pray. Or search for "God". According to Jesus, per the report of the New Testament, it is a promise that if we seek we will find. . . . something. . . . . better for the seeking. Actually, it says we can "know", but obviously this is not something that will pass peer review in the Journal of American Psychiatry or somesuch research publication, and nobody else needs to have some jackbooted government thugs disciplining you if you just don't give a flying crap.
People will generally be whatever they are, warts, wishes, beliefs, prejudices and all. "Let sleeping dogs lie". Mark Twain spoke personal truth in making it "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, but if there is much at stake, you'd better get a newspaper to do it. " This, historically, is the mission of our mainstream media even today, but Twain made his fortune telling lies for stock manipulators around the Comstock.
Another way to approach the idea of religion is to realize that people exercising their preferred imaginations is just everyday ordinary life. But what could be actually worthwhile is asking for the actual truth.
So I quit attending because I was making a nuisance of myself with no-no questions. But seeing how useless it is, maybe I'll start going again.
People will generally be whatever they are, warts, wishes, beliefs, prejudices and all. "Let sleeping dogs lie". Mark Twain spoke personal truth in making it "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, but if there is much at stake, you'd better get a newspaper to do it. " This, historically, is the mission of our mainstream media even today, but Twain made his fortune telling lies for stock manipulators around the Comstock.
Another way to approach the idea of religion is to realize that people exercising their preferred imaginations is just everyday ordinary life. But what could be actually worthwhile is asking for the actual truth.
So I quit attending because I was making a nuisance of myself with no-no questions. But seeing how useless it is, maybe I'll start going again.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. This one caught me by surprise though... I've been an LDS member all my life and I've never heard anyone say that.
There is a general opinion among Mormons on the question of dinosaurs though, right? I can't remember what it was exactly. Something about death perhaps? They believe dinosaurs existed, but that things didn't die back then?
I've always heard that the earth was formed with existing matter and that dinosaurs were probably part of other worlds. It gives me a chuckle.
GVC
Well-Known Member
Since I've jumped into this thread already, I may as well tell my story briefly. Joined the church at 14 in '96, went to BYU, served a mission, went back to BYU, taught at the MTC, got tired of trying to believe in something that didn't really make much sense to me and left. The end.
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
In past centuries, not necessarily Mormons, but Christians, some preached that the fossil record was god's "trial runs."
Personally, I think god created these things cuz he could! Dinosaurs rock! I only wish that we could get enough dino DNA to at least recreate them somewhat like Jurassic Park!
I've also experienced members talk about the collective earth theory... That earth was created from parts of different worlds...
Meh
GVC
Well-Known Member
And Trout, as much as I appreciate the posrep, it would be so much better if you just came out of hiding and joined the conversation.
I don't think I have an angry approach to the church, I just have an issue with people who regurgitate Sunday school ******** like "It gives me something better to shoot for, than just live, take what you want, and die". Statements like this read as extremely ignorant, condescending and dismissive to me (if you'll permit me to be redundant). If Jazzspazz was just trying to say he's an especially selfish person, who'd be an unrepentant hedonistic ******* without Jesus, I apologize if I responded harshly.
I'm not one to beat around the bush. I recall a visit my parents got from their home teachers when I was visiting them one weekend in Washington (shortly after I stopped attending church, my parents stopped attending). The home teachers asked why they stopped going to church, and they tried to be diplomatic, talking about politics, ward culture, other activities they preferred, etc. When they asked me, I just told them I don't believe in Jesus. I don't want those smiley ****ers, with their pastel polos and khakis, coming back to give me a lame spiritual thought, thinking I'm just going to get over whatever offended me enough to make me leave and come back to church some day. Mormons need to understand that not all people who leave the church do so because they were offended or want to sin. Just more Sunday school ********.
I don't think I have an angry approach to the church, I just have an issue with people who regurgitate Sunday school ******** like "It gives me something better to shoot for, than just live, take what you want, and die". Statements like this read as extremely ignorant, condescending and dismissive to me (if you'll permit me to be redundant). If Jazzspazz was just trying to say he's an especially selfish person, who'd be an unrepentant hedonistic ******* without Jesus, I apologize if I responded harshly.
I'm not one to beat around the bush. I recall a visit my parents got from their home teachers when I was visiting them one weekend in Washington (shortly after I stopped attending church, my parents stopped attending). The home teachers asked why they stopped going to church, and they tried to be diplomatic, talking about politics, ward culture, other activities they preferred, etc. When they asked me, I just told them I don't believe in Jesus. I don't want those smiley ****ers, with their pastel polos and khakis, coming back to give me a lame spiritual thought, thinking I'm just going to get over whatever offended me enough to make me leave and come back to church some day. Mormons need to understand that not all people who leave the church do so because they were offended or want to sin. Just more Sunday school ********.
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