A different Q15 --------- Question #9 (Hypocrisy at its best)

[NOWmormon]

Each day, for the rest of May, please share your honest response to each temple recommend question, based on what you believe right now.
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#9
Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?


Personal thought:
The Lord’s church has always emphasized the importance of being honest, as well as the proponents of being truthful:
The 13th article of faith (that I memorized in Primary) begins with “We believe in being honest, true”.
One of the Ten Commandments includes “Thou shalt not bear false witness” (and lds.org adds: “Bearing false witness is another form of dishonesty.”)
Only with a signed recommend may I enter the temple and complete saving ordinances for others and myself.
-May I hide the truth during my multiple temple recommend interviews? No.
-May I skip some of the questions? No.
-May I mislead my Priesthood leaders during the interviews? No.
I must state the complete truth, with consistency, to all involved.
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Shouldn’t the only “true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” have the same standard? Yes.
It should state the complete truth, with consistency, to all involved.
But in regards to JS plural marriage and other church history, the leadership of the church has misled me to understand that all I have been taught, and all that I have learned, was all that there was to know, and that it was the complete truth.
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Prophet Gordon B Hinckley said:
“Half truths are used to mislead under the representation that they are whole truths.”
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Elder Dallin H Oaks said:
“A lie is not always told in so many words. It may be a creature of concealment or a misrepresentation by action or a half-truth.”
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So I ask the church itself:
Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?
Could you successfully pass a temple recommend interview?

If you say yes, you have deceived yourself.
If you say no, you have deceived us.


http://www.mormonwounds.com/home/blog/

[Give It Time]

As much as safety will permit.

So, this could possibly be a matter of safety.

Yes

[2bizE]

Yep.

[ulmite]

Yes, except for a few of those questions you just asked me!

[Dravin]

Yes, unless we're taking it as some hyper binary state where the smallest deflection or white lie means one isn't honest. For instance, as part of my spiel at work I often respond that I'm doing good. I say this even if I don't actually think my day is good, simply because it's part of the polite fiction of business-customer interactions in which pretty much nobody wants to listen to an employee complain to them about their day.

[Just This Guy]

I try to be as honest as I can. Doesn't always work, but I at least try.

[wtfluff]

#9
Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?

I was sometimes a bit bothered answering this one back in the day. I did "borrow" a pen from work a couple months ago, ya know? But I do my best, so I'll answer: Yes.

Now I'd like to answer: "Comparing my own honesty to that of the LDS Corporation, and almost 200 years of 'Carefully Worded Denials', I have no problem saying that I am honest in my dealings with my fellowmen. Much, MUCH more honest than the LDS Corporation has ever been."

[Corsair]

Yes, this is one of the few questions I can easily answer. As has been pointed out, the lack of transparency on the other questions is an issue but this is simply another paradox of being an undercover unbeliever.

[Silver Girl]

Hypocrisy describes this question so well. So perfectly. This was one of the issues I emphasized when I left the church. The corporation expected honesty from me, and from all members (at least in theory it did), but it did not return that courtesy in kind.

Yes, I am honest in my dealings with my fellow man (and woman, and children, and whatever).

When I learned the church had lied to me, I had a very traumatic meltdown that was primarily prompted by the knowledge that a church I had trusted and loved had been so dishonest. I am talking about violent crying for hours, heaving sobs, and an inability to even speak coherently. That is what the church's dishonesty can do to people.

[Guy]

Enough to say Yes without feeling guilty about saying Yes.

[Can of Worms]

Yes*

* the exception being trivial matters to protect feelings. I'll tell people I think they look great if it looks like they need a boost even though they don't, I'll tell them their baby is cute even if it isn't, and I'll fabricate allergies to get out of eating stuff.

[Hagoth]

I was sometimes a bit bothered answering this one back in the day. I did "borrow" a pen from work a couple months ago, ya know?

I think this question may actually be the best test of what kind of people end up having testimony issues. Anyone who watches the news in Utah knows that a lot of people who get caught ripping off their neighbors turn out to be active recommend holders. I'm sure they have no problem answering this question. I used to really wrack my brain trying to think of the tiniest infractions. One time a mechanical pencil from work actually made me seriously consider saying no. Another time the counselor who was interviewing me could see the wheels spinning in my head and said, "let me help you out with this one. The answer is yes."

I think there's a personality thing here that also applies to our expectations of the church. If you tell me Joseph Smith could translate Egyptian I expect that to be true, damn it. Then when you say he really couldn't but it doesn't matter? I can't just let that slide.

[MoPag]

I try to be as honest as I can. Doesn't always work, but I at least try.

Same ^

[Mormorrisey]

I'm big on this one. In fact, I've lost jobs, had problems in relationships, and definitely my relationship with the church has suffered BECAUSE I've been honest. In fact, because I'm honest, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get my TR renewed. If only the church was as honest with me.

[Jinx]

Yes. I am much more honest now than I was when I was fully active in the church.

[Enough]

Yes, I'm honest. That is why I don't qualify for a Temple Recommend right now. This is why I will sit outside the Temple, while my family members go in there-- without me.

[LostGirl]

Ironically, yes except for at church when I have to hide my true feelings and in the TR interview where I would love to be 100% honest but can't for fear of repercussions to my family.

[redjay]

Fellow man: yes

Corporations: not always.

Big difference for me between relationships with humans, and transactions with a entities that have no other purpose than to use me for profit.

[Random]

#9
Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?

Yes.

I won't make a comment about the Corp's honesty with us. It has probably been said several times in the posts in this thread (I still don't read the answers until after I've given mine, so that my words will really be my own - even though I have a lot of, "Dang! I should have said that!" moments).

[Nonny]

Anyone who watches the news in Utah knows that a lot of people who get caught ripping off their neighbors turn out to be active recommend holders. I'm sure they have no problem answering this question.

The church wants the outside world to view members as being honest people. I think this question was specifically added to address business and neighborly relationships. It talks about our "dealings" which I think of as business dealings or agreements. Mormons shouldn't rip people off. We are overthinking it when we suppose honesty means to state aloud every thought that comes to mind i.e. Yes those pants make you look fat.

Asking the question implies that fraudsters should not get a TR, that the church doesn't condone fraud. But like in the associations questions, do you think that dishonest people will answer this question honestly?