John Dehlin Stake President update 8/23/14

[_Bazooka]

Dealing with Dehlin is honestly endless drama. ENDLESS.

This does seem to be a recurring theme.
The drama of exiting the Church -> the drama of rejoining the Church -> the drama of exiting the Church....repeat.
The sad thing is that, on this faith roundabout that John seems to be on, he uses other peoples experiences to achieve his gratification. As I recall, a number of people were seriously upset when John engaged with them, sought out their stories to create his following and then tossed them aside because he woke up one morning and felt like having a drama about rejoining the Church.

This may not reflect the reality, but it is certainly how I perceive events to have played out.

I think he is definitely a calculating user of other people.

[Guest]

This does seem to be a recurring theme.
The drama of exiting the Church -> the drama of rejoining the Church -> the drama of exiting the Church....repeat.
The sad thing is that, on this faith roundabout that John seems to be on, he uses other peoples experiences to achieve his gratification. As I recall, a number of people were seriously upset when John engaged with them, sought out their stories to create his following and then tossed them aside because he woke up one morning and felt like having a drama about rejoining the Church.

This may not reflect the reality, but it is certainly how I perceive events to have played out.

I think he is definitely a calculating user of other people.

Fundamentalist mindsets feel the need to divide the world into two camps: the holy and the evil.

My guess is that if you dug deeply into the lives of [real name deleted], [real name deleted], or John Dehlin -- you would find both good and bad.

If you want to know what it's like to work with me, don't ask the people who worked with me for a year. Ask the people who have worked with me for 5-10 years, like Dan Wotherspoon, Natasha Helfer Parker, Brian Johnston (StayLDS), Bill Bradshaw, Carol Lynn Pearson, etc. They know me best, and they still call me a friend.

[real name deleted] is blinded by her own demons. So is [real name deleted]. We all have faults, but none of us are devils...or angels. Myself included.

[_Bazooka]

This does seem to be a recurring theme.
The drama of exiting the Church -> the drama of rejoining the Church -> the drama of exiting the Church....repeat.
The sad thing is that, on this faith roundabout that John seems to be on, he uses other peoples experiences to achieve his gratification. As I recall, a number of people were seriously upset when John engaged with them, sought out their stories to create his following and then tossed them aside because he woke up one morning and felt like having a drama about rejoining the Church.

This may not reflect the reality, but it is certainly how I perceive events to have played out.

I think he is definitely a calculating user of other people.

Fundamentalist mindsets feel the need to divide the world into two camps: the holy and the evil.

My guess is that if you dug deeply into the lives of Anne Peffer, Corey Kilpack, or John Dehlin -- you would find both good and bad.

If you want to know what it's like to work with me, don't ask the people who worked with me for a year. Ask the people who have worked with me for 5-10 years, like Dan Wotherspoon, Natasha Helfer Parker, etc. They know me best, and they still call me a friend.

[real name deleted] is blinded by her own demons. So is [real name deleted]. We all have faults, but none of us are devils...or angels. Myself included.

My opinion is not based on what I've read on this thread.

[_SteelHead]

All the "he said", "she said", I said drama.... All the competing stories and claims for starting this or that. Whee..... I wonder if the secession wars after Joseph Smith's death looked like this?

The common thread of it all?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxgRUyzgs0

So many people competing to belong to some group so they can define their identity through affiliation, so many otherrs competing to lead. It seems the heart of Mormonism, sheeple and the alpha sheep. Threads like this reinforce my decisions to be a loner.

[Guest]

I remember my aunt religiously following every tidbit of news about princess Dianna. I would think, why would anyone care enough to follow the lives of a bunch of silly rich folk. But Mormonism is all about this, worship the celebrity, and for those with such inclinations, try to become one.

We are a silly race to have developed such an obsession with celebrity.

Religion from the time the first priest declared himself a mouthpiece for what ever deity, establishing a priesthood has a strong element of celebrity worship, live vicariously through your obsession about some celebrity, and strive to become one.

[Guest]

My opinion is not based on what I've read on this thread.

I'll say it again. If you want to know what it's like to work with me, don't ask the people who worked with me for a year. Ask the people who have worked with me for 5-10 years, like Dan Wotherspoon, Natasha Helfer Parker, Brian Johnston (StayLDS), Bill Bradshaw, Carol Lynn Pearson, etc. They know me best, and they still call me a friend.

And if you want to know if [real name deleted] (Rosebud) tells the truth....again, ask them. They know everything (everything) that transpired while [real name deleted] was working for the Open Stories Foundation...and they will be able to tell you what's true, and what's not true.

[Guest]

but it was an Open Stories Foundation project from start to finish -- and I was deeply and significantly involved from start to finish.

I think that if someone were really to spend the time to investigate, it would be found, in general, that [mormonstories] both tightly controls projects he won't claim to own and that the people doing the real work on the projects [mormonstories] often takes credit for wouldn't give him any credit at all.

Circling the Wagons was founded when I met with Joseph Broom and Doug Balls at Maddox restaurant and we decided to create the event together. Just ask Joseph Broom and Doug Balls...we originally referred to it as "Gay General Conference." Then I asked [real name deleted] (Rosebud) to help organize/run the event -- but it was an Open Stories Foundation project from start to finish -- and I was deeply and significantly involved from start to finish. ----- could never have made CTW happen without the Open Stories Foundation, and vice versa.

well thank god she got you to change that name. why is CTW carved out of Open Stories Foundation?

[mormonstories], Rosebud makes a very valid point about you controlling projects that you will not claim to own. you have done that with the content at Mormon stories and it appears to be the case now with the Mormon Mental Health Association. I notice that you are funding the MMHA in some way, but your followers are advertising or claiming for you that you are not involved in the group. At the same time that they are saying you are not on the board, you are conducting a conference with natasha parker - who is part of your MMHA. if anything, what is happening today is consistent with what Rosebud is suggesting, yes?

contrary to what people suggest, i have no problem with you making a buck. make a million, mate. have at it. but why the obfuscation about what you are doing and how you are doing it? honestly, even if you are not trying to be in the leg-breaking/faith-crisis and crutch/faith-healing businesses at the same time, you sure as hell are creating the impression of wanting to be in both. and now, mixing in the mental health business with your constant media drama, along with the crises and crutch businesses, seems like a lot of conflicts. it is probably inevitable that you would step on a few toes or betray a few people from time to time.

[Guest]

John, Rosebud makes a very valid point about you controlling projects that you will not claim to own. you have done that with the content at Mormon stories and it appears to be the case now with the Mormon Mental Health Association. I notice that you are funding the MMHA in some way, but your followers are advertising or claiming for you that you are not involved in the group. At the same time that they are saying you are not on the board, you are conducting a conference with natasha parker - who is part of your MMHA. if anything, what is happening today is consistent with what Rosebud is suggesting, yes?

contrary to what people suggest, i have no problem with you making a buck. make a million, mate. have at it. but why the obfuscation about what you are doing and how you are doing it? honestly, even if you are not trying to be in the leg-breaking/faith-crisis and crutch/faith-healing businesses at the same time, you sure as hell are creating the impression of wanting to be in both. and now, mixing in the mental health business with your constant media drama, along with the crises and crutch businesses, seems like a lot of conflicts. it is probably inevitable that you would step on a few toes or betray a few people from time to time.

[real name deleted] (Mayan Elephant),

Natasha is the chairman of the board of the Open Stories Foundation. She started the MMHA as an Open Stories Foundation project (with the board's blessing) and eventually her plan is to spin it off as its own foundation. There is absolutely ZERO anyone is hiding here. Right now with internship I am simply too busy to be directly involved -- I couldn't even make the opening conference. Anyone who has any questions about the MMHA can ask Natasha. There is no news here. Just email her. Mormon Therapist. She's awesome, and she's all over the Mormon Internet.

[real name deleted] -- your gift is trying to create perniciousness where there is none. You are like a leech -- the attention you draw is from other people's good work...but you have no work of your own to speak of. You just tear down. I'm not aware of anything positive or significant that you've ever built within Mormonism over the past 10 years. I wish you had something positive/constructive to actually contribute to Mormonism.

And [real name deleted] makes a completely invalid point. Just ask Brian Johnston (StayLDS), Dan Wotherspoon (Mormon Matters), Natasha Parker (Mormon Mental Health), and Daniel Parkinson (Gay Mormon Stories, No More Strangers blog) how tightly I control their efforts. ASK THEM.

The point is completely invalid...if you care about facts/data. If you feed off of slander and innuendo...well...that's a different situation entirely.

[real names deleted] - My suggestion to you both is that you find a way to contribute something valuable to the world....vs. spending your life tearing down others. It's a really sad and pathetic way to live a life, it seems to me.

And yes...we're all sick of the John Dehlin drama. So please give it a rest.

[_mormonstories]

All the "he said", "she said", I said drama....

For the record -- [real name deleted] and [real name deleted] are the initiators of this drama.

If I don't respond, their slander stands. If I do respond, I'm accused of drama.

Such is Internet life. If you don't like it, you can always turn it off.

[_Molok]

All the "he said", "she said", I said drama....

For the record -- [real name deleted] and [real name deleted] are the initiators of this drama.

If I don't respond, their slander stands. If I do respond, I'm accused of drama.

Such is Internet life. If you don't like it, you can always turn it off.

Well, I guess you and DCP have something in common. You both possess incredibly fragile egos that can't handle someone, somewhere, talking bad about you on the internet.