Search found 414 matches

by Ghost
Sat Oct 08, 2022 11:52 am
Forum: Support
Topic: TBMs who turn to" Real Christianity"
Replies: 19
Views: 1754

Re: TBMs who turn to" Real Christianity"

Similar to what RubinHighlander said, when I stated discovering issues with Mormonism I immediately skipped past that and instead tried to find the deepest layer I could question. Christianity and then theism in general. I can entirely understand someone arriving at another set of religious beliefs ...
by Ghost
Wed Sep 21, 2022 3:15 pm
Forum: Staying Faithful
Topic: Fantasy has its place
Replies: 11
Views: 18912

Re: Fantasy has its place

Yes, I thought Urth was kind of an unnecessary sequel, interesting in parts and maybe a little too out there in others. Maybe I would feel differently were I to read it again. (It's been many years.) I probably don't honor Wolfe's legacy as faithfully as I could, as I almost never eat Pringles. Jack...
by Ghost
Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:26 am
Forum: Doctrinal Discussion
Topic: Outer Darkness
Replies: 3
Views: 559

Re: Outer Darkness

I once had an institute teacher who shared scriptures to support the view that everyone, probably even Satan, would eventually be given a chance to progress. I wonder if the LDS leaders who spoke against progression between "kingdoms" were doing so with the same attitude expressed in D&C 19, attempt...
by Ghost
Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:11 am
Forum: Staying Faithful
Topic: Fantasy has its place
Replies: 11
Views: 18912

Re: Fantasy has its place

Severian The Book of the New Sun is my favorite science fiction work. I don't read nearly as much fantasy as I did as a kid but I still read a fair amount of SF. One thing I liked when I was in high school was Orson Scott Card's science fiction take on the Book of Mormon (the "Homecoming" series). ...
by Ghost
Tue Sep 06, 2022 4:46 pm
Forum: Support
Topic: How do you stay sane and grounded?
Replies: 12
Views: 1533

Re: How do you stay sane and grounded?

Someone on NOM many years ago said something I found insightful. It was along the lines of learning to see Mormon culture as an anthropologist observing from the outside might. That's not always possible when being directly confronted by family or something like that, but maybe it is in some cases. ...
by Ghost
Sun Sep 04, 2022 9:15 am
Forum: Doctrinal Discussion
Topic: Describing the "Mormon" God.
Replies: 13
Views: 1583

Re: Describing the "Mormon" God.

I've never been comfortable with the idea of calling myself "atheist" or even "agnostic," regardless of how far I might actually lean in those directions. But one term that resonated with me early in my faith transition and still does is "ignostic." Even within a particular movement, Mormonism or an...
by Ghost
Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:27 am
Forum: Support
Topic: Naïve Realism
Replies: 4
Views: 832

Naïve Realism

I heard a discussion on the radio yesterday of the term "naïve realism." This is the belief that if another person had all the information you do, they'd see things the way you do. This struck me because I remember having a thought very similar to this as a missionary. If only the people I talked wi...
by Ghost
Wed Jul 27, 2022 3:36 pm
Forum: Doctrinal Discussion
Topic: Losing our Eternal Families
Replies: 10
Views: 1734

Re: Losing our Eternal Families

I remember thinking about Section 19 as a missionary and realizing that's why it made sense to say "the immortality and eternal life of man" but I didn't think to extend it to "eternal" families. That one may be more difficult to pin down language-wise because there's so much less mention of it in s...
by Ghost
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:46 pm
Forum: The Coffee Shop
Topic: "Joseph Smith and the Mormons" Graphic Novel
Replies: 3
Views: 857

Re: "Joseph Smith and the Mormons" Graphic Novel

Okay, the book arrived today and I read it in one sitting. It's something like 450 pages but it's a comic so that's possible. The first thing I'll say is that the hardcover edition is very attractive. I think it might be going for a sort of first edition Book of Mormon look, and it even has a built-...
by Ghost
Fri Jul 22, 2022 12:04 pm
Forum: Support
Topic: Nephew Temple Wedding
Replies: 6
Views: 1116

Re: Nephew Temple Wedding

It's not quite the same thing, but I've had a well-meaning family member recently suggest that I go to the temple again. And that made me think about how we talk about such things. Kind of funny how "visit the temple" sounds like just taking an evening to go somewhere, but really it's shorthand for ...
by Ghost
Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:55 am
Forum: The Coffee Shop
Topic: "Joseph Smith and the Mormons" Graphic Novel
Replies: 3
Views: 857

"Joseph Smith and the Mormons" Graphic Novel

This sounds like it could be a fun read. I probably should have waited to hear whether it's any good but I'm a big fan of (non-superhero) comics and I couldn't resist pre-ordering it. So I will find out next week whether it's any good. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2022/07/17/graphic-novel-approac...
by Ghost
Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:47 pm
Forum: The Coffee Shop
Topic: Mushrooms and Mysteries
Replies: 75
Views: 12330

Re: Mushrooms and Mysteries

I would do that if I lived in or near Utah, but no. I am almost certainly visiting Utah at some point this year, though. Since I no longer voraciously consume Mormon-themed podcasts, the one I now listen to more regularly than any other is Sam Harris's Making Sense (formerly Waking Up). And he's had...
by Ghost
Mon Jul 11, 2022 4:41 pm
Forum: The Coffee Shop
Topic: Mushrooms and Mysteries
Replies: 75
Views: 12330

Re: Mushrooms and Mysteries

I've been curious about this stuff for as long as I can remember. My attitude eventually just became that I hope it becomes legal before I die so I can try it because I'm probably too risk-averse to ever try it otherwise.

Thanks for creating the thread. Interesting info.
by Ghost
Fri Apr 22, 2022 5:20 pm
Forum: Support
Topic: He Has Teleported
Replies: 20
Views: 3617

Re: He Has Teleported

John Shelby Spong once related a conversation with Carl Sagan in which Sagan said that if Jesus ascended at the speed of light and continued at that speed, he'd still not have left the Milky Way galaxy. Joseph Smith gave us further insight into the mechanics of teleportation when he said that a "con...
by Ghost
Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:07 am
Forum: Doctrinal Discussion
Topic: Families Floating in Hereafter
Replies: 19
Views: 6514

Re: Families Floating in Hereafter

It's also interesting to speculate on the exact mechanism of that separation. Presumably, if someone were to try to make an unsanctioned visit a family member they could not be threatened with physical harm. Is it just too far and you don't get a space bus ticket? Or is it another dimension you can'...
by Ghost
Thu Nov 11, 2021 8:03 am
Forum: Support
Topic: Why does religion exist?
Replies: 12
Views: 3893

Re: Why does religion exist?

Good discussion. I think it's interesting to think of the question of why people want/need religion separately from the question of why religion exists in the first place, though there is of course some overlap. It can serve different purposes depending on your role in it. But fundamentally, I think...
by Ghost
Wed Oct 27, 2021 2:26 pm
Forum: Support
Topic: The Assumptions
Replies: 8
Views: 3459

Re: The Assumptions

It was certainly the case for me that I didn't realize exactly what could be questioned. Or maybe I did on some level but didn't allow myself to really entertain the thought. Maybe it's important that certain fundamental propositions seem "obviously" true because if they are not obvious then they ar...
by Ghost
Wed Oct 20, 2021 1:28 pm
Forum: Support
Topic: Identity
Replies: 15
Views: 4688

Re: Identity

I've just recently used the phrase "raised Mormon" for the first time in a couple situations, explaining that my remaining ties are primarily family, culture, and intellectual interest. Like Red Ryder, I find myself using the chameleon approach. I've asked myself at times whether that's an honest an...
by Ghost
Tue Sep 21, 2021 5:03 pm
Forum: Support
Topic: Why is the Mall dying?
Replies: 6
Views: 2050

Re: Why is the Mall dying?

I stopped going to malls when the video game arcades disappeared. If my local chapel installed a Dig Dug or Bubble Bobble cabinet, that might bring me back to church at least occasionally.
by Ghost
Sun Sep 19, 2021 7:06 am
Forum: Staying Faithful
Topic: Maintaining Some Degree of Connection
Replies: 2
Views: 18131

Re: Maintaining Some Degree of Connection

Isn't it funny how we (or at least I) used to talk about the pandemic ending? Anyway, while I didn't attend any church meetings in 2020, I have a couple times in 2021. But never my own ward, only while visiting friends or family in other places. It's interesting to hear typical talks again that remi...