Mormonism<\/a> is hurtful \u2013 listen to the critics. Validate their experiences, don\u2019t diminish them. Don\u2019t blame their trauma on their faithlessness.<\/span><\/p>\nInvalidating people who are really struggling with religious issues tends to increase their self doubt and hopelessness. They feel broken and alone for not fitting in with the indoctrination.<\/span><\/p>\nI would recommend that you Dan Peterson recuse yourself from any such conversations in the future. Your own talk shows that you have the smell of blood on your hands if not the stain.<\/span><\/p>\nSpeak to struggling members leaving the JW or Christian Science or other faiths also being disrupted by the Google age. Mormon bitter apostates are no less traumatized.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I suppose that I\u2019ll respond to it here, since I can\u2019t recall whether or not I responded directly to its author and since it expresses sentiments that I\u2019ve encountered more than once. \u00a0(I won\u2019t bother with the hyperbolic claim that I have blood on my hands, nor with the unreasonable demand that I should never again enter into discussions of the merits or demerits of my church and faith.)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
First of all, yes, it\u2019s important to respond to earnest and suffering people\u00a0with as much charity and sympathetic understanding as one can muster. \u00a0That, I think, goes without saying for any serious disciple of Christ and, for that matter, for any reasonably decent person.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having said that, I don\u2019t think that listening to critics is the only thing that one must do in determining whether Mormonism is \u201churtful.\u201d \u00a0Don\u2019t the voices of those who seem to be satisfied with their Church membership count, as well? \u00a0And don\u2019t we need to try to sort truth from falsehood? \u00a0Might some sociological and statistical and other data not be useful?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the height of\u00a0a messy and angry divorce between two people who have been one\u2019s good friends, it would seem to me to be unfair and unwise simply to take\u00a0at face value the complaints or allegations of one spouse about the other.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Talk of \u201cvalidating,\u201d and of not \u201cinvalidating,\u201d the experiences of people who claim to have been hurt seems to me a reasonable request if it signifies taking them seriously and responding empathetically. \u00a0If, however, it means that one must believe everything such people say and grant its complete accuracy without question, then it strikes me as a form of emotional blackmail and as remarkably cavalier and indifferent toward truth.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
To take a dramatic parallel: \u00a0There are, of course, genuine rapes. \u00a0And rape is a terrible crime. \u00a0Moreover, rape victims have often, historically, been treated with cold and wounding skepticism. \u00a0I should hardly need to say that such responses are horribly wrong. \u00a0On the other hand, not every allegation of rape is true \u2014 and those who are accused of the offense are also entitled to a fair hearing and to justice.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 I\u2019m delighted that we\u2019re rapidly approaching the debut of the Lee Groberg film\u00a0Joseph Smith: American Prophet, which is a substantial revision of the 1999 PBS film, also directed by Lee Groberg, titled American Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith: \u00a0 https:\/\/vimeo.com\/226371146\/3599537230 \u00a0 Happily, those who have created this new film were able to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>