DiscussMormonism.com

Seriously, Making fun of others on either side is not helpful. The one thing I agree with Tapirman is that we are all people doing the best we can. I don't know why we feel the need to insult one another. Maybe it makes us feel better about our own insecurities.

I am seriously tired of all the insults around here. It really wears on my soul.

Many people have come here to disagree with us without offending. Speaking simply for myself, your posts offend me because you ascribe certain behaviors, motivations, and thought processes to people like me. Not surprisingly, all of these things you place on me are quite unflattering. Hence, it would be correct to state that your posts are condescending and insulting. I'm not sure why you would be surprised that we would take offense at condescension and insult.

As I've stated before, Internet Mormonism is a last-ditch method to retain faith in Mormonism once the facts can no longer be swept under the rug.

This seems to me to be the heart of the matter. If the facts haven't turned against belief in things LDS, the dichotomy makes no sense. In Kuhnian terms, you seem to be arguing that many of us have reached a crisis of faith and have had to radically shift our belief paradigm to accommodate new and troubling evidence. Simple put, we were once all "chapel Mormons" who can no longer make that work.

I tend to be very wary of trying to categorize people into two camps: life is far too complex for such broad distinctions. If your thesis is to be understood by the examples in your bulleted list, I'm inclined to believe it's a false dichotomy based on extremes I have never seen in the church.

beastie wrote:My opinion is that you gall certain MADdites due to this past history itself. They praised you, you were one of them, then you betrayed them. (I know you didn't really betray them, but I believe the True Believers of MAD have so completely enmeshed their identities with the church that it feels like a personal betrayal nonetheless). You also reveal their own hypocrisy every time they chastise you today for "nannyism". Betrayal, exposure of hypocrisy... a heavy combination for the True Believing Maddites.

Runtu wrote:I just reread the threads revolving around my descent into depression. Just a few days before my birthday in 2005. Should not have read that.

Doctor Steuss wrote:

Runtu wrote:I just reread the threads revolving around my descent into depression. Just a few days before my birthday in 2005. Should not have read that.

I kept a "journal" during one of my dark times (portions of which ended up being published). I haven't read it in a long time because it brings back too many memories.

I hope you're doing better.

Polygamy Porter wrote:Sweet jezus J Cat!


Poly G. Porter is the same today as I was back then as one Joe Palmento! or was it Yowzaa, or.... I had many stinky sock puppets back then...

Runtu wrote:

Polygamy Porter wrote:Sweet jezus J Cat!


Poly G. Porter is the same today as I was back then as one Joe Palmento! or was it Yowzaa, or.... I had many stinky sock puppets back then...

I liked you then and still do now.