Joseph Smith's Handwritten 1832 First Vision (This photo is also in Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Compiled by Dean Jesse, Deseret Book, 2002, p.17) Joseph Smith's Handwritten 1832 First Vision (click to enlarge) Typescript Return to: Evolution of the First Vision and Teaching on God in Early Mormonism By Sandra Tanner Re: am i the only one? Posted by: SusieQ#1 ( )Date: December 18, 2011 02:36PM You need a receptive audience if you are going to share info about Mormonism that is not the party line as a believer. At first, I too wanted to share what I knew. But it was disaster. There are no official rules about leaving, or staying in the LDS Church. We can expect some opposition as we are in essence, leaving our "Tribe." Leaving is going to be difficult on some level for most people. We can minimize the outcome of those difficult situations by how we deal with them. I often quote this statement as I have found through experience and observation that it is, indeed, very true. "The individual has always had to struggle to resist the tribe. --Nietzsche
Stevebloor's Blog | The Barefoot Bearded Cornish Pisky Re: Why I use the term: Tribe as the best way to understand Mormonism. What that means, and why it's hard to leave. Not everyone takes the same view. This is mine, and why I think it works well. About the Cult word.All religions are cults. But the word is not a pejorative like it is used here very often. I'm a purist when it comes to words. Cult:Results (Merriam-Webster)1. formal religious veneration : worship2. 2 system of religious beliefs and ritual also its body of adherents3. 3 religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious also its body of adherents4. 4 system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator - health ∼s5 a. 5 great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book)especially such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad. the object of such devotion. a usually small group of people characterized by such devotionMerriam Webster. That would make all religion a cult, by dictionary definition. I do not use the term: cult re: Mormonism anymore than I would for Lutherans, Catholics, Jews, Muslims,Buddhist, etc. --Nietzsche Life is short.
Letter to my ex-bishop To my ex-Bishop, I appreciate your letter. You say that you’ve been exiled for six years and that you have struggled with a lack of significant service and friendship. I have to wonder based on what you have said, that it seems you only search for social acceptance in a very small arena. I will relate to you the things that have come to mind after I had read your letter. I have not had lack of service and friendship issues. David Bednar in conference said that 99% of people who leave the church or have issues and questions about church history were offended by members. When lifelong members who were taught all their lives that the church was persecuted for no good reasons other than trying to live the gospel isn’t true then this new data learned by the member is what offended them. It is offensive when members who have done their research see the current RS/PH manuals that the prophets seem to be monogamists! You mentioned Faith. These things do not need faith. All truths are useful! 1.
Is cult too strong a word to describe Mormonism? Posted by: Edwood ( )Date: October 16, 2011 10:47PM So when does a religious organization step over the line from being simply a church to a cult? While it may be true that some mainstream churches display some characteristics of a cult: a strong authoritarian streak, subtle (or not so subtle) forms of psychological manipulation etc. a cult will display pretty much all the characteristics. I believe Mormonism has them all: 1) Reliance on a strong charismatic, authoritarian figure who uses that authority to exploit and take advantage of his or her followers and who cannot be questioned or challenged. 2) Call for total obedience and conformity. 3) Complete identification of the individual with the cult. 4) Psychological manipulation such as love bombing, peer or group pressure, the threat of exclusion or loss of community (excommunication or disfellowshipment), sales techniques to gain converts. 5) Elitism, we are the elect.
Article Did Emanuel Swedenborg Influence LDS Doctrine? by Craig Miller Born in Sweden in 1688, Emanuel Swedenborg claims that at the age of 57 he was visited by the Savior and commanded to write the inner meaning of the scriptures and to explain life awaiting man after the death of the physical body. Emanuel Swedenborg=s teachings, discussed later in more detail, are startlingly recognizable to the student of LDS theology. Large portions of what many consider to be unique teachings of the LDS Church are found in the Swedish mystic=s writings. Swedenborg shows us that God has his hand in many aspects of human history and is mindful of more than just his LDS children. A Brief History of Emanuel Swedenborg Swedenborg was an eighteenth century renaissance figure, who investigated and wrote extensively on areas ranging from scientific and philosophic matters to engineering and political economy. After his formal education at Uppsala University, at the age of twenty-two, Swedenborg began to travel. 1.
A short list of the issues that lead me to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (in no particular order) Problems with the content of the book of mormon - a few examples of things off the top of my head: 1) Nephi hearing voices to chop off Laban's head (murder). Getting no blood on himself and fooling Zoram to steal the plates. The impossibility of the brass plates even existing at all (the old testament was compiled yet, scholars agree that much of Isiah quoted in 2nd Nephi wasn't written until after 600, bc), no such thing as brass back then, no other copy of those compiled writings in existence anywhere. 2) Jacob would have needed to be approximately 80 years old when Enos was born for the timelines to work. 3) The Jaredite submaries for a full year with all the food and livestock and staying together, etc. is completely unworkable. 4) Lamanites as forefathers of everyone living on the American Continent - or even a portion. 5) Horses, chariots, elephants, wheat, gold, etc. 6) Nephi & 22 people recreating Solomon's temple plus metalurgy, plus a whole bunch of other things.
Are we the most outspoken because we believed it the most, and it hurt us the most? Posted by: mre ( )Date: February 21, 2012 01:51AM I am going to say yes. As a long time lurker and infrequent poster, I am probably one of the less outspoken members here, and having looked at people who I know have left the church personally and on this board I truly think the OP is on to something and that the OP is correct. First, a bit about myself: I always sort of believed in the church. That said, I don't have a lot of hatred towards the church. However, in the case of some people I know, my parents included, they spent YEARS in the church. For one: They researched a lot more than I did. They came to this site, and I honestly don't know if they posted or simply read the stories on here, but I know it was a huge comfort to them. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that the people who have been effected most by something are often the ones who are going to have more reason to speak about it, which is exactly what the OP is guessing at.
LDS Church: Name Removal Instructions from the Mormon Church Warning: If you live with people who are members (parents, a spouse, siblings or a roommate), they will almost certainly be told about your resignation. If family members live in the same ward or stake that you do, they will probably hear about your resignation. Getting Started On this site you will find a sample resignation letter. When you resign, you can use that letter exactly as it is, you can edit it to fit your own tastes, or you can simply write your own letter. The first paragraph of the sample letter is the most important paragraph. BEFORE you send your letter, be sure to read ALL of these instructions and the section called THE PROCESS. If more than one person in your family is resigning, you can include all the names on one letter or you can write a separate letter for each person. If you're having your children sign the letter, you might want to skip having it notarized since taking everyone to see a notary might be a hassle you don't want to deal with. Mailing it Remember:
A look inside as City Creek Center's completion nears SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake Chamber says $5 billion have gone into the revitalization of downtown Salt Lake City, and a major part of that is soon to open in the new City Creek Center. The project is nearly finished, and H. David Burton — presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the man who has overseen City Creek from the beginning — anticipates the center's Mar. 22 grand opening will be just that: grand. "Every time I come over here, I think about the vision President (Gordon B.) Hinckley had for this endeavor," Burton told KSL News in a recent interview. "We're well on our way to see a revitalization of the environs of the Salt Lake Temple and downtown Salt Lake." More than a decade in the planning, and the man whose life has been consumed with the building of that vision is pleased. "We feel terrific," Burton said. The partnership with Taubman, Inc., he says, has been incredibly good. "Even more than that," was Burton's reply.