Christian tropers, join together!

I have a hazy recall someone said something about that - maybe here, maybe in another thread - a good while back (over three years ago, about). Something about how there isn't a sizeable enough portion of known Mormons amongst tropers for a separate thread to have sufficient justification and something on the side that there were some practicing Mormons here long ago, but they parted ways with the site.

Just my hazy recall, though.

Oh well that's a shame

Maybe someone better in the know can fill in? Or correct me?

Btw I'm curious to how accurate you think the "mormonism is a cult" meme is

The same could be said of all religions, to be honest.

...I'm sorry, I had to.

Edited by madface7 on Jan 6th 2021 at 12:34:02 PM

I'm casually lds but converting to mainline Christianity is not something out of the question for me due to my disagreements with some of my faith's teachings (homosexualitybeing a sin and infallibility of it's leaders) and agreements with others (Faith and good works equally important for getting into heaven, avoiding sex outside of marriage, importance of free agency, and that people who died before they got baptized won't be punished)

Currently I'm just reading my scriptures and praying to see what's true and works for me but I will NOT give up the idea of a God who exists and loves me, (unlike most others my age)

Yeah the Anti-Gay stuff is a big reason why I'm no longer Catholic, that and the lack of women Priests well at lot of things. So I understand you on that front.

I'll see what my local baptist ministry has to offer

Question: does baptist Christianity have 8 be age of accountability like in Mormonism

Edited by The_MJP on Jan 6th 2021 at 6:34:45 AM

I think it depends on the Baptist church.

The local church is autonomous, and thus decides its own rules. There can be a lot of variation between them, even in the same denomination.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2018/may/21/the-pope-says-god-made-gay-people-just-as-we-should-be-heres-why-his-comments-matter

Hopefully the leaders of my own faith can come this conclusion as well

Though I infer the only reason change towards lgbt acceptance has been so slow in most faith's (and my lds one especially) is that they probably won't change any policies unless, A): they are certain it truly came from God instead of their own biases or social pressures and B): approval is unanimous among the leadership (in my case, President Nelson, his two counselers, and the Quorum of the twelve apostles)

https://www.vox.com/2014/4/28/5659984/only-30-percent-of-kids-raised-as-atheists-stay-that-way-as-adults

Also is anyone else tried of 'nones' (atheists and agnostics) insisting their lack of belief is set in stone and that those who become believers later in life weren't real non-believers to begin with.

Because when I Read CS Lewis's early pre-conversion works I totally get the impression that he was a Christian-in-denial.

Edited by The_MJP on Jan 7th 2021 at 11:04:40 AM

I get that feeling from atheists/agnostics too. Honestly, the ones I've known all seem to have some kind of contempt at any religious upbringings they have. And speak badly of them. So much anger at something they supposedly don't believe in

Edited by MatthewLMayfield on Jan 7th 2021 at 9:11:13 AM

And people wonder why an atheist president is bad for religious freedom.

Granted I'd gladly vote for an atheist president as long as they are sane, care about America and the less fortunate and have a good religious freedom record, but still.

On another subject, who do you think atheists "hate" more: Christians, Mormons, or Muslims?

(In the sense of, who is the biggest punching bag of internet atheists who still haven't figured out Richard Dawkins is a douchebag?)

Edited by The_MJP on Jan 7th 2021 at 11:06:17 AM

It seems like Christians get the most shade from atheists. And speaking of LGBT people, I am baffled about people's attitudes going against Christians VS. Muslim countries. I know there are people like the Westboro Baptist Church who definitely give Christians a bad name, but for the most part, all they'll do is pray for them. Compared to Muslim countries (I'm not saying all Muslims are like that) where they get executed for being gay. Christians praying for an LGBT person is so bigoted but executing gays is just "part of their culture". That's a Double Standard if there was one

My first impression of atheists were your stereotypical edgy, anti-theistic ones, so I used to not be able to stand them. Although, I was a teen with poor social skills, so my online personality wasn't much better.

After meeting some in real life, I find I get along fine with most of them.

Edited by Count_Spatula on Jan 7th 2021 at 1:24:06 PM

I was not under the impression that anybody thought executing gays was part of Muslim culture but yeah the LGBT community does need to directly address their oppression in Muslim countries more.

Also just to get this out of the way. I don't pray for gays to become straight, I'm of the "if-it-were-a-sin-it-would-be-a-choice" mentality when it comes to the LGBT and I think the "avoid casual/premarital sex" thing can easily apply to them just as it does to straight Po F's.

Also also coming back to my question. It has been my observation that Mormons tend to get to most scorn from Anti-theists cause their "burning in your bosom" act-based-on-promptings approach was basically the opposite of the typical "Facts and Reality" approach of Atheism.

For the record I stopped believing in creationism a while ago (and I've yet to meet a member of my ward who thinks evolution is 'evil') and the LDS equivalent of the pope is a former heart surgeon (and was good at what he did). So it's not like we're a bethel-esque "science is of the devil" type of church.

Also also also, My people are truly sorry for giving you Glenn Beck and Orson Scott Card

Edited by The_MJP on Jan 7th 2021 at 12:28:15 PM

I've heard that from a few non-Christians. They don't want to eat at Chick-Fil-A because of the company's stances, but when it comes to the Muslim countries, I get told "it's part of their culture" or "that's in those countries". If you're supporting the community, support them outright. Don't pick and choose your enemies.

I mean I would think it's a matter of interrogating the dominate culture where you are first. And like even as a Christian I'm also Aro Ace and if a Straight Christian brings up Muslims also discriminate against LGBTQ people I'm going to take them as dodging the question. It's a "Attend to the mote in your own eye, before the speck in another"s thing.

It's possible to disagree about choices without being a jerk on the process, but how many figure out the truth and grace thing?

So for your services, what’s the ratio of hymns compared to contemporary music? For me, it’s about 50/50.

actually the reason so many atheists/agnostics feel so much anger towards their own upbringings is because they were abused.

lds sacrament meetings are 100% Hymns we don't sing anything written after 1954 in our meetinghouses

I know some did. But some don't.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-complementarian-men-do-more-housework/

I found something interesting about Complementarian men doing more housework than those who sporadically go to church. It's kind of an interesting find. Now I can see Ned helping Maude/Edna around the house. Seriously, despite these recent episodes showing him in his fundie form again, it would be nice if they actually show some positive stuff as well.

Edited by firewriter on Jan 11th 2021 at 11:12:13 AM

And in turn, many of those who "think" and (dis)believe as they do will abuse the current and future people that come from them. They will raise people in households run in bizarre and dysfunctional ways that will scar and traumatize oncoming generations. They will redefine any word and phrase that implicates them in any wrongdoing and dismiss any claim of improper treatment and conduct as merely slander, baseless rumors, "but they're worse", or even "they have it coming".

Just as those they break away from and accuse of wrongdoing have done.

The overall amount of abuse in the world will not subside simply because that which they claim to be progress is accepted and abided to by larger and larger percentages of people in the world, if that percentage is truly growing and not just the result of re-definitions of terms and faults and biases in data gathering methods.

Do I believe and agree with many of the accusations lobbied at Christians? Yes, at least the bare facts in regards to them. Even the histories we tell ourselves acknowledge this, and just dismissing those wrongdoings demands the ignorance of the past 2k years. The McCarrick report has been released for all to see.

Do I think things and people are truly better outside of the faith? No. The last 300 years more than disprove that notion. Bare observation of things as they are now disprove that notion.

Welcome to a fallen species. "If God is good, then why x, y, and/or z?" Because no one, least of all a truly greater-and-greatest-in-every-way-that-matters entity, is obliged to misuse and abuse their power, knowledge, presence, and creativity just to fulfill another being's ideas of right and wrong, regardless of how much tragedy and suffering lead to those ideas.

Christ said that following Him wouldn't be easy, we are liable to suck at it, and golly gosh does that bear out. And there ain't gonna be any mind-controlling on us from any of Him just for our convenience.

That's a lot of weird things to assume about some people.