I was at the Recovery from Mormonism bulletin board today, and something new hit me. Maybe it's just a phase of my recovery, but I really don't like how many people on that board generalize all their complaints by laying the blame on the church. Not that I think the church is innocent. But these people are taking a single incident, by a single member, and calling that proof of how messed up the church is.
For instance, a guy who is trying to get a new computer system is being screwed by the mormon guy he hired to build it. The tech has used pirated software, and uses the cheapest parts at the highest cost. So this [exmo] guy tells his mom what's going on, who then proceeds to tell him: "See what happens to you when you don't go to church! You have yourself and your awful attitude towards the church to thank for the mess you're in!"
Ok, it sucks that he's getting ripped off. He made a poor choice when it came to his needs, but oh well. And the mom is retarded for using anti-logic like that. But really. Is it the church's fault? Not really. When I was my very most true-believing Mormon, I wouldn't have been like that. People are sometimes just really dumb. That's all.
So I visit the Recovery Board less and less these days. I'm finding other outlets. And I'm feeling better about my choices and future. Amen.
4 comments:
Okay, you're not very dumb. The guy wasn't using that incident as proof that the church is messed up! Just relaying a story. That board is FULL of stories but only a small percentage can really be categorized as trying to "prove" the church isn't true. Most of them are just anecdotes about why they are glad they're not mormon anymore. That's all. Could you read MORE into a simple story. BTW, this is your brother. Try to figure out which one! Oh, and another BTW: that guy's mom is AWESOME for being completely logical.
Gotta argue about SOMETHING...
Did you look at the title of the post? Here it is to refresh your memory:
"Mormon logic on God's wrath is pathetic! Get a load of THIS!"
Mormon logic? That is an all-encompassing statement which is not true. My logic (when I was Mormon) may have well been f-ed up, but it wasn't as dumb as that guy's mom. Maybe it was...
Hey La, I know how you feel.
I didn't read the post in question so I can't comment on it, but I know that there's a certain tendency on RfM to argue that Mormonism is the root cause of all evil, when a lot of problems people talk about there are merely tangential to Mormonism or exacerbated by it rather than caused by it.
I don't really let it bother me though since I think it's a natural for most people at a particular stage of leaving Mormonism to feel that way. They're trying to figure out which of their problems were actually caused by Mormonism and which weren't, and RfM is a sounding board for the process.
It's one reason why I think it's useful for old-timers to stick around the board some for balance because they have a little more distance from Mormonism and hence are often more laid-back about the whole thing.
RfM, as a sounding board, makes it all too easy to just shoot and aim, instead of being a little more reserved in a response. Knee-jerk reactions are commonplace. I'm not a hypocrite here - I've had my own moments and I've had many comments deleted.
I go through phases where I'll read a lot on RfM, but then the same issues get recycled and I get bored. Blogs are one outlet. I'm a news hog, so that's another outlet. Mormonism IS tangential to my life, but I have friends who are in it or leaving it.
LA - I admire your honesty and bravery. Your blog name and goal of self-discovery is courageous.
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