Comments on: Losing My Religion http://usureason.com/2009/losing-my-religion/ Utah State University Rational Evolutionists, Atheists, Secularists, and Other Naturalists Fri, 18 May 2012 14:37:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Kimi http://usureason.com/2009/losing-my-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-35 Kimi Wed, 19 Aug 2009 06:07:05 +0000 http://usu-shaft.com/?p=88#comment-35 Thank you for the advice. My next letter is going to be a lot stronger, and probably a bit less polite. I am not too worried about them telling my family. I already let my parents know I intended to put in my letter. They obviously weren't happy, but they were still really good to support me. I am really lucky to have such an understanding family. The thing is, I don't like the idea of some church official in a pressed suit and a fake smile calling up my poor mom and reminding her of what I have "done to the family". And I never want to see her cry over my soul again. Thank you for the advice. My next letter is going to be a lot stronger, and probably a bit less polite.

I am not too worried about them telling my family. I already let my parents know I intended to put in my letter. They obviously weren’t happy, but they were still really good to support me. I am really lucky to have such an understanding family. The thing is, I don’t like the idea of some church official in a pressed suit and a fake smile calling up my poor mom and reminding her of what I have “done to the family”. And I never want to see her cry over my soul again.

]]> By: Happy_Heretic http://usureason.com/2009/losing-my-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-30 Happy_Heretic Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:10:31 +0000 http://usu-shaft.com/?p=88#comment-30 Yes... What Stephen said. Don't let it bother you. They send the paperwork to your local bishop, who in turn, must complete his forms and forward that to the Stake President, and then back to the records dept. for final eraser marks. Corporations and dictatorships always have to mire the process down with paperwork. Mostly it makes them look stupid. So, just sit back and wait for your next letter (the good one). If it takes longer than two or three more weeks, post here again and I will give you Greg Dodge's direct number in the records department. Yes… What Stephen said. Don’t let it bother you. They send the paperwork to your local bishop, who in turn, must complete his forms and forward that to the Stake President, and then back to the records dept. for final eraser marks. Corporations and dictatorships always have to mire the process down with paperwork. Mostly it makes them look stupid. So, just sit back and wait for your next letter (the good one). If it takes longer than two or three more weeks, post here again and I will give you Greg Dodge’s direct number in the records department.

]]> By: Enkidu http://usureason.com/2009/losing-my-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Enkidu Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:51:20 +0000 http://usu-shaft.com/?p=88#comment-27 They *do* have one hold over you . . . they can tell your family, and I wouldn't put it past them. If that was important to you, you should have simply stopped attending. As things stand now, you need to decide how your family is going to hear this news. As painful as it might be for you to do the talking, do you trust the Mormon church to speak for you? They *do* have one hold over you . . . they can tell your family, and I wouldn’t put it past them. If that was important to you, you should have simply stopped attending. As things stand now, you need to decide how your family is going to hear this news.

As painful as it might be for you to do the talking, do you trust the Mormon church to speak for you?

]]> By: Stephen Peterson http://usureason.com/2009/losing-my-religion/comment-page-1/#comment-16 Stephen Peterson Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:43:58 +0000 http://usu-shaft.com/?p=88#comment-16 As for the letter you sent to SLC to be removed from the LDS records. I would highly suggest that you send a letter directly to the bishop of the ward where you reside. Make sure the letter spells out that you do not need to attend any meeting with him or any other church officials and that if they delay taking your name off their records that you will go public with it to the local newspaper and cause them much grief. Also in your letter make sure that you are addressing explicitly how much you do not believe their doctrine, principals, or for that matter, your belief in a god. When I did this I explicitly told them that Joseph Smith was a fraud and not a prophet, god did not exist, jesus christ was not the savior of the world and possibly never existed, and that their stance on homosexuality was extremely immoral. A strongly worded letter is the only way you can get your true motives across to them. Good luck! As for the letter you sent to SLC to be removed from the LDS records. I would highly suggest that you send a letter directly to the bishop of the ward where you reside. Make sure the letter spells out that you do not need to attend any meeting with him or any other church officials and that if they delay taking your name off their records that you will go public with it to the local newspaper and cause them much grief. Also in your letter make sure that you are addressing explicitly how much you do not believe their doctrine, principals, or for that matter, your belief in a god.
When I did this I explicitly told them that Joseph Smith was a fraud and not a prophet, god did not exist, jesus christ was not the savior of the world and possibly never existed, and that their stance on homosexuality was extremely immoral.
A strongly worded letter is the only way you can get your true motives across to them.
Good luck!

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