Masochistic Progmos?

[pellegrino]

[Moliere]

It's the community, stupid.

Yep. My favorite part of being in a ward is being able to minister to people, whether it's a blessing or simply to pay them a visit. Letting people know they are loved and accepted is (or at least should be) the foundation of Christianity. Mormons are far from perfect in this regard, but we are good at it and always improving.

[DrumNFeather]

Yep. My favorite part of being in a ward is being able to minister to people, whether it's a blessing or simply to pay them a visit. Letting people know they are loved and accepted is (or at least should be) the foundation of Christianity. Mormons are far from perfect in this regard, but we are good at it and always improving.

Maybe SU's ward didn't love him enough. Perhaps he still hangs around all of us because he still seeks the love and affection of a ward that never gave it to him. Bring it in SU, we all love you!

[Pheidippides]

Yep. My favorite part of being in a ward is being able to minister to people, whether it's a blessing or simply to pay them a visit. Letting people know they are loved and accepted is (or at least should be) the foundation of Christianity. Mormons are far from perfect in this regard, but we are good at it and always improving.

You already know how I feel about this, but no community in the world is worth my money and time furthering an organization with which I so strongly disagree socially. In my experience community is what you make it anyway, and the one I'm a part of now is much more fun and enriching. Not that there hasn't been a loss but I guess I'm saying that I don't give the community argument that much weight anymore, having gambled with my own.

[imanihonjin]

You already know how I feel about this, but no community in the world is worth my money and time furthering an organization with which I so strongly disagree socially. In my experience community is what you make it anyway, and the one I'm a part of now is much more fun and enriching. Not that there hasn't been a loss but I guess I'm saying that I don't give the community argument that much weight anymore, having gambled with my own.

What community are you involved with now?

[smokymountainrain]

You already know how I feel about this, but no community in the world is worth my money and time furthering an organization with which I so strongly disagree socially. In my experience community is what you make it anyway, and the one I'm a part of now is much more fun and enriching. Not that there hasn't been a loss but I guess I'm saying that I don't give the community argument that much weight anymore, having gambled with my own.

Yeah, I disagree with Moliere and Cardiac. I'm a Mo, not because of community, but because it works in terms my well being and that of my family. That is to say I have participated in the church since my infancy and I'm an extremely happy person and my family is just as happy. The church provides opportunities for us to serve others and reminds us at least each Sunday, sometimes during the week, to be more Christlike. Pretty simple.

Could I get that outside of the church? Could I be just as happy, perhaps even more outside the church? Could I find opportunities to serve outside the church? Perhaps, by why risk it? No reason to fix what isn't broken.

[Clark Addison]

What community are you involved with now?

P-Dip can correct me if I am wrong, but pretty sure it is swingers clubs and binge drinking parties. You know, typical Ex-Mo path.

[Uncle Ted]

Yeah, I disagree with Moliere and Cardiac. I'm a Mo, not because of community, but because it works in terms my well being and that of my family. That is to say I have participated in the church since my infancy and I'm an extremely happy person and my family is just as happy. The church provides opportunities for us to serve others and reminds us at least each Sunday, sometimes during the week, to be more Christlike. Pretty simple.

Could I get that outside of the church? Could I be just as happy, perhaps even more outside the church? Could I find opportunities to serve outside the church? Perhaps, by why risk it? No reason to fix what isn't broken.

Yeah, I would have to say BS to the community argument. I can easily find like-minded people on the internet through a number of social networks and get all the "community" I would care to have. Hell, if folks were getting all the "community" they needed from church then they would have no need for CS.

[SeattleUte]

It's the community, stupid.

My natural tendency also is to be an arrogant loner who believes he is way too smart for the nonsense of religion.

The LDS Church does a decent job at filling the human need to feel accepted, to feel that you are part of a community, that you belong. In theory you can get that through other institutions but not so much in practice.

Even as ambivalent as I am about church, honestly when I attend church or a church-related activity it feels like people are genuinely happy to see me, they tell me about their health problems, share personal things with me and ask me about my life and family. I was explaining this -- why I still like going to Church sometimes -- to an ex-Mo doctor and his response was "so it's a good source of patient referrals?"

That made me realize that I don't ever want to be a cynical bastard where life becomes all about making money and spending it on myself. The LDS Church for all its faults and even though it's obviously not what it claims to be, still provides a framework (both the attitude and the community to serve) for being a good person.

But sure a selfish, arrogant outsider (like my doctor friend) sees it and naturally asks "What's in it for them? How does going to Church help a skeptical "Prog-Mo? Is it masochism?"

What about the community's patriarchy and what that does to the girls' image of themselves? That's certainly my biggest complaint about the institution.

[smokymountainrain]

P-Dip can correct me if I am wrong, but pretty sure it is swingers clubs and binge drinking parties. You know, typical Ex-Mo path.

Well, if that's what it is, forget all that nonsense I posted above - I'm thinking it's very likely I could be happier outside the church! Where do I sign up, Nik?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Hell, if folks were getting all the "community" they needed from church then they would have no need for CS.

Oh my.

Uncle Ted, I know you are capable of better logic than this.

[pellegrino]

What about the community's patriarchy and what that does to the girls' image of themselves? That's certainly my biggest complaint about the institution.

Trust me, women don't have to be Mormon to be raised with a negative image of themselves. Our sexist society does a very good job of that on its own.

[smokymountainrain]

Trust me, women don't have to be Mormon to be raised with a negative image of themselves. Our sexist society does a very good job of that on its own.

Not to mention, many women who are Mormon have a positive image of themselves despite guys like SU telling them they shouldn't.

[Uncle Ted]

Oh my.

Uncle Ted, I know you are capable of better logic than this.

OK, maybe we would still would need CS but there are lots of good people both inside and outside the church. Social networks makes it is easier to find those people. In this day and age folks don't have to go to church to find them. Maybe this explains why the young people in the church are leaving by the car loads. They grew up on the earlier versions of these social networks and know they have lots of friends outside of the church so that bond maybe is not enough to keep them coming.

[cougjunkie]

Masochistic Progmos?

Do we really need a brand new thread telling us SU hates the church, Nikuman is better off without it, Moliere is a fake progmo, Pellegrino is a dipshit and Cardiac gets it? We have a million on the board already.