What makes NOM special.

[2bizE]

I enjoy having friends I can listen to and share my thoughts with. We are all at different levels of disaffection, but we all understand what each of us are going through. It lifts my spirits that I am not alone in his struggle.

[StarbucksMom]

I agree that Reddit is pretty chaotic. Honestly, I couldn't even follow it. So I landed on Mormon Discussions, and they were so nice to us.

I think that the silver lining in all of this is that we got Zadok back.

[oximormon]

Im happy to back on NOM, I really missed it over the last few weeks.
I really dont enjoy reddit too much, I lurk occasionally but like others have already said too much vitriol and too fast for my liking.

Im glad to have Zadok back,his wry sense of humor and wisdom will be a welcome addition.

As to the question at hand, what makes NOM special, for me its the people here, the sense of family/camaraderie, the respect for each other even with the many differing beliefs and points of view.

Im happy to see so many of my fellow nommies here again (especially some of the oldies), the familiar avatars, wit, humour, and wisdom to help keep us all sane as we travel along this path.

Oxi.

[achilles]

I've wondered about what the Emu was up to from time to time.

[EternityIsNow]

What is special for me, I always learn something here. Sometimes about church history. Sometimes about what is happening in the wards and branches. Often about how to address the challenge of living among TBMs while being a post-TBM.

[Can of Worms]

Thank you to those who created a new NOM. I'm fairly new - joined in April or May and it was helpful as I made the final - and long coming - decision that I didn't belong in the LDS church. I had lurked on Reddit a bit before joining NOM and found it too angry. I have extended family that are TBM and I can't let anger towards the church colour those relationships. I like the mellower NOM atmosphere and the sense of community. I am so pleased to see it back and so many names that I recognize.

[Yobispo]

I really love NOM. I also like using the F word on Reddit, so with NOMs absence I have developed a new Reddit habit. But I would always get a smile seeing old names from NOM.

[crazyhamster]

Completely agree with that. I tried reddit, and it just wasn’t the same.

BTW, here’s an upvote for you!

NOM is like a campfire with friends. Reddit is like a drive-by shooting.

This, exactly.

[Just This Guy]

I always liked that NOM is that it is very moderate. When I first had my faith issues, sites tended to be extremes. ExMo and Post Mormon struck me as very angry, while other sites were too TBM. NOM is a place that is respectful to both sides and can have a detailed and fair discussion without it going to one extreme or another.

NOM was a place that was able to respectfully present issues and discuss them. I think that I would still be in the church if not for NOM. I won't have been able to let my self be exposed to many things if not for the moderate demeanor of this group.

[Ghost]

I've long appreciated the overall tone of NOM, and the way that people are more interested in sharing experiences and exploring ideas than making points and trying to sway others to a particular way of thinking.

The other night, I looked at some threads in other places where people were discussing the old site's fate and the creation of this new one. One view I saw expressed was that people who frequent NOM are too "fragile" for the more caustic discussions that can be found elsewhere. I see that as a misunderstanding of what draws people to this particular community.

One small thing that I believe makes a difference is the long-standing NOM policy on language--avoiding mocking nicknames, profanity, etc. I believe that the intent there might have been not to immediately drive off many who could potentially benefit most from the discussions, but a side benefit may be that it makes everyone more generally conscious of and thoughtful about what they are saying.