First Estate

@stackerco You actually get a lot more than you give. Prove me wrong

If a widow giving away her last dollar (or a man selling his car to pay tithing) is something we should encourage… Then what would exploitation even look like?

There is no other message that could be shared in general conference, more relevant to what we need to hear, than what is being shared.

@stackerco I’m glad I’m not told what to do in all things like a mindless AI robot. But I am also glad prophets can speak guidance as authoritative voices who speak the will of God. There is nothing to parse out in my mind

General Conference today. Where prophets and apostles might sometimes speak the word of God and might sometimes speak their own opinions and it’s up to you to figure out which is which. Yet I’ll be watching.

@pimomormon I paid 10% then spent 3900 on a venue. I guess I’m not a cheapskate

Temple marriages aren’t free. In order to get through the doors you need a recommend. In order to get a recommend you need to pay 10% of your income (or lie about it)

@pimomormon They died spiritually that’s why the savior was needed

God said Adam and Eve would “surely die” the same day they ate the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve almost lived (according to the Bible) for a thousand years. And we’re told that god tells the truth?

@stackerco That’s where the lamanites came from?

@firstEstateKLB It all is an extension of the mound builder myth.

LDS apologetics have made a mess with the Lamanites. How can you say DNA doesn’t work and skin curse doesn’t mean skin … then still identify Lamanites by dark skin? What then is identifying Native Americans, Central & South Americans and Polynesians as Lamanites?

@Salt_n_Smoke To think there needs to be an ancient verse for everything. You tell me why you don’t get that yet

Dude says God commands polygamy. I asked him where, show me verses.. Then I get called a lazy learner. This is a church that twists Gods word to fit their narrative. #lds #BoM

@stackerco The lamanites

@firstEstateKLB Theory on what?

@tnsampson2 @MattTestifies Same with the average teen travel baller. I guess it depends on what you worship that differs

@MattTestifies Mormons get so involved in their church that any criticism of it becomes personal criticism. I've seen Masons act the same way. Be interesting to see the average weekly schedule of a Mormon teen. Might be illuminating.

When even the guy who killed a man doesn’t want to hear your ex-Mormon monologue, you’ve made hating the Church your whole personality.

@stackerco If only there was a way to know truth for ourselves 😅

@firstEstateKLB I don’t need proof of things like God. I do need things to not run contradictory to the evidence we do have though.

I lost my faith because I didn’t have enough faith. This is quite obvious. I am more convinced by public scholarship, history, archeology, Egyptology, linguistics, science, etc. than in the church and its apologists’ claims. So I guess have more faith in the world than I do the Restoration

@TRAnderson7 I hope so because this is really making me think about my own mortality

@Ubermensch1938 @Bar_tolmi That’s exactly how I picture it ha ha ha

@firstEstateKLB @Bar_tolmi

I've read it. Many times. It's still false.

@Bar_tolmi The weird part is that being critical takes far less brains than being constructive.

A practical Latter-day Saint guide for dealing with dissenting opinions on X. Person criticizes the Book of Mormon? Answer: You've never read it. Person claims to have read it? Answer: Liar, false intent Person criticizes tithing? Answer: You are a Judas who wanted to sell the ointment for money. Person criticizes the Prophet? Answer: You're not a prophet but he is. Person wants to see the gold plates? Answer: Sign seeker and adulterer! Person criticizes the lack of evidence for the Book of Mormon. Answer: But the 11 witnesses! Answer: God hid the evidence so we would have faith. Answer: Nahom, always Nahom. When that fails, see "tell them to pray about it." Disclaimer: I'm not LDS

That’s awesome man, I love your testimony. Same here, by the time I got to third Nephi, Jesus ministering to the people in the Americas, I had no doubt it happened, the record was true, and had a deep sense of love for the savior. My comment was directed to people who really haven’t read it, but say they “read through it“ and think it’s not true

Not me. I started reading it cover to cover. I knew it’s truth long before I got to Moroni’s challenge, but took him up anyway. I had no religion, so no reason to pick one up, no risk of betraying another. The Book is the Word of God, written by Prophets. It opens the Heavens.

@Bar_tolmi Ah cool

@firstEstateKLB I was raised Mormon.

@Bar_tolmi Probably have. That must mean you are an ex member. But my memory isn’t holding right now.

@firstEstateKLB I've read it many times, but I think we've had this conversation before.

@yDYR0OHR5h13004 @Derek_Rumpler @stackerco And studied the Bible that wasn’t my question but it’s all good

@firstEstateKLB @Derek_Rumpler @stackerco You can't read I answered it typical Mormon cult follower can't read for themselves

I just started writing my immediate free-flow thoughts on Mormonism and where my mind is: The Book of Mormon is an obvious reflection of Joseph Smith’s lived-in world and culture and experiences. Stories of the Gold Plates come across as an obvious forgery and trick and scam. Joseph had beautiful theology and common sense ideas to fix Christianity Joseph’s theology also comes from other sources that influenced him, and he wasn’t original. Maybe an inspired syncretist. The church has been dishonest with its history, handling finances, leadership decisions. Prophets have taught doctrine that is now denounced by prophets. Makes prophets pointless. The LDS church has whitewashed history and the narrative. The coverup is worse than the crime. Although I think most church leaders do it for reasons they think are good. The church has had net good impact to the world and its members The church also causes harm to some of its members Polygamy & priesthood ban have zero good excuses and show no prophetic insight. The “restored Gospel” isn’t reflective of ancient Judaism or Christianity. Some of the Book of Mormon is beautiful. Some of it is like ramblings of a 12 year old. Most of the D&C is bizarre and irrelevant and reflects leadership manipulation. Some of the D&C is absolutely brilliant. Book of Abraham is the clear smoking gun of Joseph not being a prophet. Book of Abraham and Book of Moses are also brilliantly created, although simultaneously not literal and borrows heavily from sources around Joseph’s time. When Joseph died the church was left to pick up the pieces and nobody captured what Joseph started. If Joseph was a prophet, what remained is apostasy. Christianity experienced the same thing after Jesus died. Christianity picked up the pieces and dropped the ball too and then created something brand new. The LDS church prophets are clearly not prophetic. Some good spiritual leaders and some terrible. There is no evidence for the Book of Mormon to be literal history. All apologetic attempts at this fail miserably and drove me further away. The church creates bad apologists because it forces people to dismiss evidence by saying to do so is to exercise great faith. The gospel topic essays admitted to what I used to argue against, cherry pick information to justify it, and are overall dishonest and i still cant get over it. The distrust I have for church leaders and the organization makes me have disgust for all other religious organizations. Probably unfairly. Critical scholarship void of religious interpretation is the only way to understand scripture. Coffee is extremely harmless and absolutely insane I used to think it was evil. Now it’s a routine for my wife and I every Saturday morning. Early coffee shop date before kids wake up. Many people I know have blown up their lives after leaving the church. Not because it’s true but because they don’t have the tools to handle life without the church. This haunts me. The church is especially good at the ward level and community and it’s extremely hard to replace that piece of it. Although it also makes a tough society where I can’t say what I think. Perhaps I should steelman Orthodoxy and Catholicism and see if they are actually legit … no. I don’t think any Christianity reflects Jesus. Maybe I can be an agnostic Mormon/Jesus follower Approaching 50 years old and figuring out spiritual life going forward for me and my family … I wish I had the faith crisis at 25.