NOM

Yes I am a liar , but I feel no remorse !!! I had my first temple recommend interview after returning to church 3 years ago to please my wife. I lied to get it but I have no regrets lying to a fake organization that lies to soooo many. Am I a terrible person ? Am I going to hell, outer darkness or some other terrible fate ???

Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. They've been lying to us for 200 years. The hardest one for me would be tithing but pretty sure you can just tell them you're doing bank transfers and keeping it confidential.

If you ever get challenged, just remind whoever confronts you that some things that are true are not very useful.

There is nothing wrong at all with lying on a temple rec interview to keep the peace at home.

It's like lying about your devotion to Lord of the Rings to keep a LOTR fan happy that you're still involved... none of it is true, so the only thing you need to worry about is your relationship with your wife.

I think I can get through the TR questions without lying. The thinking behind the Yes/No answers is completely different than what a believer would think, such as: (Out-loud answers in bold. My internal thoughts in italics.)

1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost? - Yes. I "testify" that those are the fake versions of deity that MORmONs worship.



4. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?

Do you sustain the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators?

Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local leaders of the Church? - Yes. What did Gordon Hinckley say on national TV when he was asked if he was a prophet? "I am called as such." Or something like that? So Yes - I "sustain" that those old codgers are "called as such." In other words: Those are their corporate titles. I don't think they do any Prophet-ing, Seer-ing or Revelator-ing.
\


11. Do you understand and obey the Word of Wisdom? Yes. Oh boy. Maybe I need to re-think that first sentence in this post. Let's just say I do a much better job at living the "Word of Wisdom" as written in section 89 than Joseph Smith did. Is it still a lie to answer yes?




So I guess I might have to bend the truth a bit to get through the TR questions. Like others have mentioned, LD$-Inc. has bent the truth for almost 200 years around literally every thing I was taught/believed for my entire life. If I ever "have to" get a TR again, I wouldn't give a second thought to that bending of the truth. (Dear Zeus, I hope I never "have to" get a TR again...)

wtfluff wrote: ↑

Tue May 31, 2022 10:04 am

I think I can get through the TR questions without lying. The thinking behind the Yes/No answers is completely different than what a believer would think, such as: (Out-loud answers in bold. My internal thoughts in italics.)

1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost? - Yes. I "testify" that those are the fake versions of deity that MORmONs worship.



4. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?

Do you sustain the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators?

Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local leaders of the Church? - Yes. What did Gordon Hinckley say on national TV when he was asked if he was a prophet? "I am called as such." Or something like that? So Yes - I "sustain" that those old codgers are "called as such." In other words: Those are their corporate titles. I don't think they do any Prophet-ing, Seer-ing or Revelator-ing.
\

Do you sustain pedophile local leader?
I still have nightmares raising my hand in front of those kids. Can't do that one, unless "sustain" means tuff love - put them in jail where they can get the help they need.

Angel wrote: ↑

Tue May 31, 2022 2:27 pm

...
unless "sustain" means tuff love - put them in jail where they can get the help they need.
...

That's definitely something I can sustain:

• Do yo sustain mandatory reporting for local leaders, and full prosecution of any predator in LD$-Inc. currently being protected by local leaders and/or hiding behind Kirton|McKonkie?

YES!!!


Too bad a question like that would never be related to getting a TR, and never be anything that the Corp. would ever consider.

Just think of all the people bearing their testimony and using the phrase, "I know it is true".

Think of the Brethren allowing members to believe that they talk directly with God.

Doing things for spouses/family is absolutely worth it. And to me, is it really lying?

Here are some statements I have used over the last decade of getting a temple recommend, and I heartily endorse anyone's free use of them. Keep in mind, my heresy is very well known by now in the stake, so they are somewhat "used" to what I bring to the table. But to me, I'm not lying at all, just keeping it real within the bounds of propriety. Here we go!

"Well, I don't believe that quite like like you do." (Getting nuanced beliefs out there.)

"I generally don't have a problem with that." (If I don't want to discuss it, really.)

"Here's where I have a concern..."(If I'm in a pulling the tiger's tail kind of mood.)

"You know, there's a lot in the Word of Wisdom that doesn't make any sense." (That one was rather specific.)

"Yep." (When I'm in a hurry.)

"Nope."(When I've had enough.)

And my personal favourite, "I'm not struggling at all. I'm as firm in my beliefs as you are." (When recently a counsellor asked me if I'm struggling with my testimony.)

Nuance, nuance, nuance. If they don't like it, they can simply pound sand. You have the power, not them.

Now hang out with the wife at the temple on occasion, pretend to like it, and maybe pull off a quick nap and then move on with your life! I think about everything else BUT the actual temple goings on when I go. It's pretty soothing when you don't pay attention.

I call it a reverse temple recommend. You are a temple yourself. And only certain people are worthy of your thoughts, feelings and beliefs inside of you. You do not need to let anyone in unless they are worthy. "Do not cast your pearls before swine"--so to speak. In toxic systems you must protect yourself. You are under no obligation to fully share with anyone including in a TR interview. You are interviewing them actually. And they may not be worthy of the truth inside of you or they may not be ready for it yet or sufficiently prepared. You are protecting yourself and the bonds you have with spouse and family. Full support to you!