Well it is not my point of view that it is exclusionary. I believe men exclude themselves by choice, based on what they will accept. But as it is your point of view that the LDS position is exclusionary, I was showing that it is no more or less exclusionary than any other Christian position. And now that we seem to see eye to eye on that, we can acknowledge together that since they are the same in the meaning of their position, the one difference between the two, as it pertains to you, is that in on one hand you number yourself among the included, and on the other you number yourself among the excludedat least as things are currently. Would you say that's an accurate, yet general, summary of the measure of their repective exclusiveness? Sorry, you lost me in there somewhere. Let me just say again that seven years ago I volunteered to be excluded from Mormonism and am still perfectly comfortable with that decision and will take whatever the consequences might be. Likewise, I volunteered to accept mainstream Christianity and will take whatever the consequences of that might be. There's your summary, and it should fall neatly somewhere within the confines of your Article of Faith Number Eleven, and thank you for graciously allowing me that privilege.
Of course I allow you that privilege.
Which is why you don't accept it. No one has a problem with that (or at least shouldn't). Somehwere in there, though, you have lost sight of faith, mercy, charity, etc. Really? Will you please enlighten me? Do you see evidence in me of a lack of faith in Christ? Have I been uncharitable to you? Unmerciful? If so I have some serious repenting to do! I think you have misunderstood. Let me rephrase. When I said "Somewhere in there, though, you have lost sight of faith, mercy, charity, etc.," what I was saying was as I read your assessment of the burden it is to be a Mormon I see that you have lost sight of faith, mercy, charity, etc. within Mormonism. According to your assessment, Mormonism is this huge cumbersom luggage that must be hauled along until we die and are released from the pain that Mormonism is to live. You seem to only see what you want to see in it. You don't see that there is faith involved that sustains, mercy extended within it by the Savior, etc. Those are operative in my faith just as they are in yours. And I don't have a checklist on my fridge of all the things I have to do with perfection to be saved. I don't have a checklist anywhere. I just live my life as best I know how, with an assurance anchored in Christ that I am acceptable before God through him. And I have a witness in my soul that this will always be, so long as I remain repentant and submissive to Him. There's such a checklist in your articles of faith, and that's only the bare-bones ABCs. That one doesn't even mention "keeping the commandments," which would also include 1) receiving and honoring the priesthood with all that that entails (and that's a lot); 2) receiving and accepting and honorably fulfilling all callings from bishops, branch presidents, stake presidents and other priesthood leaders, with all that that entails; 3) keeping yourself worthy to attend the temple and receiving your endowment, with all that that entails; 4) preparing for and serving an honorable mission; 5) being sealed in the temple to a worthy companion; 6) continuing to serve and keep all the commandments and endure to the end, with all that that entails. Are you really telling me that that "checklist" exists nowhere in your thinking? That is exactly what I'm telling you. You make it sound as though these things must occupy our thoughts incessantlythat we must verify from minute to minute that we are in harmony with all this. My oldest son is turning 12 in 7 months. Do you think I harp on him every day that if he doesn't receive the Aaronic Priesthood he'll be damned? My goodness! What a religion you lived! No thanks. I'll take Mormonsim any day over that insanity you describe. My life within Mormonsim is as fluid from day to day as yours is without it. I believe you have a seriously warped view of what it means to live the Restored Gospel.
If that's the case, I think you must've slept through a sacrament meeting or two. Ha ha. Very funny.
As I have said before, it is a source of sincere sorrow to me that your experience was so different.
It was a source of sorrow to me, too, at first - deep, gut-wrenching sorrow the likes of which I had never before experienced in all my life. I wasn't even sure I wanted to survive it, in fact. But I did survive, and now I can't even tell you how grateful I am to have finally learned the truth, even though it took me forty years to get here. It is - at long last - the peace that passes understanding.
