Is it possible for Chapel Mormons to post on the Internet?

[_Bond...James Bond]

On this crazy thing called the Internet, information is pretty much unlimited. Sure one site may provide a certain set of facts, but another site is just as likely to provide a different set of facts. The odds are that eventually you'll run into something you didn't expect to find out. Sometimes it's lies, and sometimes it's the truth. Most of the times it's something inbetween. But if you go looking for information, odds are you'll find more than you originally thought was out there.

I think most everyone would agree that "control of information" has lessened in the past 10-15 years that the Internet has existed. As more and more people get connected to the Net, you have to believe that more and more people will become informed about things they previously had less information about. Concentrating on the religious issues brought about by this "Information Revolution" we're currently a part of, I have to ask if "Chapel" Mormons (or any part of a religious sect that's more traditional) can survive on the Internet? Can "Chapel" religious anythings avoid the possibly damaging stuff their ancestors weren't previously exposed to? I don't think so.....one trip to google and typing in "Joseph Smith" may produce some "anti" (read: truth speaking) site....and as many people know, it's all down hill from there for some people.

Just a thought,

Bond

[_harmony]

On this crazy thing called the Internet, information is pretty much unlimited. Sure one site may provide a certain set of facts, but another site is just as likely to provide a different set of facts. The odds are that eventually you'll run into something you didn't expect to find out. Sometimes it's lies, and sometimes it's the truth. Most of the times it's something inbetween. But if you go looking for information, odds are you'll find more than you originally thought was out there.

I think most everyone would agree that "control of information" has lessened in the past 10-15 years that the Internet has existed. As more and more people get connected to the Net, you have to believe that more and more people will become informed about things they previously had less information about. Concentrating on the religious issues brought about by this "Information Revolution" we're currently a part of, I have to ask if "Chapel" Mormons (or any part of a religious sect that's more traditional) can survive on the Internet? Can "Chapel" religious anythings avoid the possibly damaging stuff their ancestors weren't previously exposed to? I don't think so.....one trip to google and typing in "Joseph Smith" may produce some "anti" (read: truth speaking) site....and as many people know, it's all down hill from there for some people.

Just a thought,

Bond

I'm married to a Chapel Mormon. It would never occur to him to google anything related to the church. Why would he? He already knows everything he needs to know. In the almost 40 years that I've known the guy, he's never once questioned anything to do with the church... never. Not once. I suspect there are millions like him.

[_Polygamy Porter]

The MGF(moregoodfoundation) is attempting to do this.

Flood the internet with many tiny pro Mormon sites in an attempt to get those to show up first in the google search.

It is futile at best. Most of their sites are typical lies told to scare members about exmormons and secure the members..

Danny stands behind this effort so much so, he put his own testimoany on the MGF website.

[_Bond...James Bond]

I'm married to a Chapel Mormon. It would never occur to him to google anything related to the church. Why would he? He already knows everything he needs to know. In the almost 40 years that I've known the guy, he's never once questioned anything to do with the church... never. Not once. I suspect there are millions like him.

Is your hubby a big internet user?

I think the younger crowd (I know you're young and will kick butt for many decades to come, but I'm talking about people younger than yourself, say 35 or younger.....alright I put my foot in my mouth ;) who have grown up with the Net will continue to become bigger and bigger internet users....and the Mormon Critics will continue to try to spread their message.

[_Bond...James Bond]

The MGF(moregoodfoundation) is attempting to do this.

Flood the internet with many tiny pro Mormon sites in an attempt to get those to show up first in the google search.

It is futile at best. Most of their sites are typical lies told to scare members about exmormons and secure the members..

Danny stands behind this effort so much so, he put his own testimoany on the MGF website.

I've heard of this group....but I'm not familiar with their whole mission statement or what they're trying to do or whatnot. But I do think it's futile to try to hide stuff on the Internet. I mean what's next? Wikipedia is evil anti-mormon?

[_moksha]

I suspect Mormons will increasingly use the internet as time goes by. They have been using computers for work and Church activities for years now. Their kids use the internet for playing games and they too will be able to use it for learning about the Church.

[_Blixa]

I've seen plenty o' chapel Mormons over on MAD. That's what makes it such a schizo/interesting place.

[_Yoda]

I don't think so.....one trip to google and typing in "Joseph Smith" may produce some "anti" (read: truth speaking) site....and as many people know, it's all down hill from there for some people.

You make a good point here, Bond...but I think it applies more to those who, for whatever reason, have already started to doubt.

Chapel Mormons like my husband and Harmony's husband have no doubts. Therefore, as Harmony stated, they're just not interested in Googling Joseph Smith.

My husband uses the Internet all the time. He uses it for work. He used it all the time when he taught Gospel Doctrine. He actually has a very solid gospel knowledge.

The things that bother me simply don't bother him. His view about the whole polygamy issue is that you don't have to practice it to be exalted. You have to accept the principle, but no one is going to force you practice it in the next life. This is simply something that he has faith in because he doesn't think that Heavenly Father would do that. And he doesn't have any interest in having any other wives but me, so he thinks my worries are silly.

He's aware of the conflicts in Mormon history, but believes that there are simply things that we'll be more privy to in the next life that will allow it to all make sense, and to not worry about it right now. The basic principles of the Church are: no drugs, no alcohol, no pre-marital sex, etc. They are good basic principles to raise a family by. His whole family has grown up in the Church, and his uncle is a GA. Even if the Church is false, he doesn't view it as a dangerous cult like PP and Merc do, so why risk family relations over the issue?

That's more or less his stance, and that's the stance of a lot of chapel Mormons I know.

[_Inconceivable]

Great discussion, Bond.

A little less than two years ago I went to the stake president to discuss my troubles. I started out by telling him, "I know I've always been told not to study what some people consider deep darks and I've gotten myself into trouble.." What was interesting before we went any further in our conversation was his remark, "where does it say in any scripture or doctrine that you aren't supposed to study such things? I have never seen such remark.".

When I mentioned that some information came from sites on the internet that did all the work and simply pointed me to the information found in Mormon written books (including the Ensign, D&C, Book of Abraham, original Book of Mormon, Geneology historical record, JD's, History of the Church by BH Roberts etc), it struck his interest. In fact, being in his attorney's office, he went on the computer and we looked at some things on Wikipedia. At that point it did not occur to him that there was such a great amount of troubling history. At that point I had only read books by Mormons.

He even gave me, "Believing History" (Bushman) and "Take head that ye be not Deceived" (Winwood), to balance my studies and correct any disinformation (I thought both books were a joke).

Now, fast forward about 2 months to stake conference. His 25 minute talk consisted entirely of quotes from the GA's concerning the dangers of seeking the truth from unauthorized sources etc.

Well, the bell had been rung and I was already a casualty.

What got me started down the rabbit hole was an innocent question regarding whether or not Joseph (my hero) and Emma (the hym book and relief society founder) had any surviving children.

[_Inconceivable]

Let me tell you what kept me from looking for so many years.

Embellishment and differences of opinion

Until a few years ago it was always about the Spaulding Manuscript, Masonic handshakes and the disagreement over belief concerning poligamy, modern scripture, prophets and revelation etc. Most of this could be filtered down to a matter of opinion/belief. The "anti's" always seemed to embellish their work as well so it was simple to discount any truth they were conveying. That's why I paid little attention to the Tanners and Brodys of the world. They were so pissed at being on the outside that they added a lot of conjecture to their information. When I look back, I would swear that many of the rediculous anti stuff could have been published by the church just to keep us from looking into the real truth.

Angry people

Then there was always that quote:

"People will leave the church but they will never leave it alone"

I find an entirely different meaning to this quote now.

I also found it easy to discount a person's anti point of view because there was no sense of peace in ther conversation. They bore this angst that pervaded any conversation concerning their disolution with the church. In this light, Poligamy Porter and Mercury were that type of people that testified to me that the church was true. I wasn't angry and they certainly were. Whatever it was that they were selling, it certainly wasn't peace. I was much more comfortable to be led by the peacefulness of the spirit.

Following the Spirit

Interesting that the spirit has so much of the same charactoristics as a flaxen cord. I just wasn't able to make the distinction while being an active member. I now look at this scripture in an entirely new light as well:

21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice.
22 And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the
founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with
a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.
23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 26:21 - 23)

Anti's were hiding the real reason for disaffection

And lastly, anti Mormons always had to be hiding something that they were unwilling to repent of. I saw so many examples of this over the years. One of the strongest examples was the incident where a friend of mine returned early from his mission early accusing the brethren of baptising for numbers sake. A month later he got married in the temple to his high school sweetheart. Another week and he confessed he was a practicing homosexual. Seeeee??!

It wasn't always sexual sin that anti's were hiding. Sometimes it was as inocuous as a little drink, refusal to pay tithing or just digging a pit for their neighbor.

This whole paradigm is so different now.

(sorry for the long post)