I stand all amazed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Pressler
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865626822/Spiritual-journey-leads-3-term-US-senator-to-LDS-Church.html?pg=all

This guy joined the church last year. He was elected a US Senator in 1978 and re-elected in 1984 and 1990; but defeated in 1996. Please don't turn this into politics. Just pointing out that a former US Senator converted into being a Mormon.

There are whole slabs of stuff that 'investigators' and even lifelong LDS don't know about the church. It is only when they find out some of the information we discuss on this board that they have cause to rethink their membership.

Is interesting that the Morg likes to parade high profile conversions around. Here's a scripture fitting them: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 6:1.

Yeah, I know, it was mistranslated and should have read: "Practice your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have more tithing money to build shopping malls."

People tooting their own horns are in good company...

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."


Gotta let the world know how great the church is!!!!

WTF, Dawg! I didn't know you was a King James Translation type-of-guy! I should have known better. You are truly, my friend, a light for all of us! None of this out, out, brief candle business. Stay strong, stay health, and remember, masturbation helps prevent prostrate cancer.

Boner, that's one of my favorite Bible passages. I refer to it when I explain to my TBM wife (and others) why I don't give testimony. If I'm going to talk to or about God I'm gonna do it in private.

Well said. There are so many people here that I wish I knew better. I cracked up about your post wanting le pisseur on your grave!

What I'll need, is a sin eater!

Boner, I feel the same about wanting to know RFMers better.I always look for, and read, whatever you and Elderolddog have to say - and it often cracks me up. We are left to imagine what other board contributors look like, how old, what gender etc. When I first read your stuff, I imagined you as a cool young dude in his twenties..... now I find you're middle-aged with grown kids !

Slammingsam, if your S/N is a tribute to Mr. Snead, we simply must meet! Are you in SoCal?

I have a Masters of Humility degree, which I got at the Institute of Higher Humility.

So there!

Celebrities leave the church too. They just don't bother to resign most of the time. Aaron Ackhart, the co-pilot in Sulley, is a returned missionary and BYU graduate.

Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was raised mormon. Mitt Romney was her Stake President. Her mother had a life-saving abortion for medical reasons. Their Bishop approved. But Mitt showed up at the hospital and tried to stop her by claiming she was about to commit murder. Later Eliza's mother cornered Mitt on the topic when he was running for public office on a pro-choice platform. He told her the Bretheren sanctioned it because otherwise he couldn't win the election. The whole story is easy to find through google.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2016 02:28PM by azsteve.

Well, what do you know--this was the first I've heard of this. Only, it wasn't Dushku who had the abortion, but another woman named Carrel Sheldon.

http://jezebel.com/5851050/the-curious-case-of-mitt-romney-an-abortion-and-eliza-dushkus-mom

What an asshole.

Not to assume what OP meant (like maybe the guy was stupid or codependent or crazy, or maybe he's better off).

But I think joining the church and leaving the church are both WAY more complicated than just finding out Joseph Smith had sex with the babysitter in the barn.

Actually, how someone responds to the above or whatever other "anti" allegation is sort of a litmus test of the net of all factors influence him/her.

Someone who is highly influenced or even dependent and codependent on LDS family, friends, community, culture, etc., and/or someone who has existential epiphanies caused by exposure to LDS "doctrines"(describing myself here)...has an intrinsic bias against the assertion that Joseph Smith fucked the babysitter in the barn.

They have an automatic resistance to "anti", insomuch that they ignore it, brush it off, rationalize it, or "disprove" it. Or, more typically, they fault the messenger for being anything from a contemptuous liar to simply a dupe who hasn't done his/her homework.

My point is that people are still converting to the church like they always have DESPITE what we "know" about the church being a fraud. It was always called a fraud.

Practically ALL Mormons know that there are those out there who believe the church is a fraud. They have general or specific reasons why they disagree (they are wrong of course, but they think we are wrong of course).