The group moderator and coordinator, Bill Dobbs, sent this email announcement today:
Hello Everybody,
This will be your notice that, by popular demand, our Religious Transition Group will continue to meet. In fact we will meet next Sunday, Dec 11, 2016, at 12:30 p.m. I considered not meeting in Dec, but it was felt at our last meeting that we need make some pre-holiday discussion and support available. Please come to the meeting to support others, because I do expect newcomers to come to this meeting, too. The depth of experience in our group brings a lot of wisdom to bear on difficult family and personal issues. Come also to see old friends and make new ones.
You will remember that my last announcement before our meeting of November 13 mentioned we would discuss the future and value of the group. It was the consensus of those at the group that we at RTG provide in our circle a kind of focused listening and group response that they do not find anywhere else. That is a unique aspect of our group. As part of the Internet announcements, they urged me to clearly identify our mission as a support group, and our commitment to listening.
I trust that with your help we will be able to go providing support in this new environment for people who want personal talk. I think that we still fill a need and I want potential "customers" to be able to find us. My best hope for the group is that we will thrive again, and that we will go on thriving even when I'm no longer there. That can happen if we continue to fill a need and can make that known. If any of you have ideas about how we get our message out, please let me know.
In the meantime, I send sending the link to an article on how those leaving the LDS Church should be treated. Discussions at a recent BYU conference of faith and intellect suggested that people leaving may be lazy and lacking the character. The author of this article, psychologist and therapist Krista Money, disagrees. So do I. From my experience, those who choose to leave have the courage to question their fundamental beliefs and to leave the traditions of their families and ancestors. This is an act of integrity the demonstrates your character. We are the new pioneers.
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/4660975-1 ... ch-deserve
Peace,
Bill Dobbs