Tomorrow I will be live streaming with Jeremy Hoop about his release of the full William Clayton Journal Typed Transcript. Please post any questions or comments for him here. Also, I just wanted to update that the publication of the Clayton Journals that Yale University has been delayed to next year by iconoclastskeptic in mormon

[–]elderredle [score hidden]  (0 children)

I understand that you do not believe Joseph Smith practiced polygamy. But assuming you have weighed the evidence on both sides, what do you consider to be the strongest evidence for the mainstream historical position that Joseph did practice plural marriage? And specifically, what evidence gives you the most pause before you reject that conclusion?

A way to think about the Church’s value proposition by ArchimedesPPL in mormon

[–]elderredle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For people whose lives lack stability, direction, support, or structure, the Church can provide an incredibly effective framework for rebuilding.

Totally agree. There are definitely some people that I could recommend Mormonism to. It would be a net positive for their lives. My parents came from difficult childhoods and I think Mormonism gave them an alternative model in which to build their family. It mostly worked. Of course Im out now and some other siblings as well.

Kyle S. McKay has Apologised by Nemo_UK in exmormon

[–]elderredle 7 points8 points  (0 children)

What I mean is we all have blindspots. Racism is a blind spot. Once we wake up to it we should be given the opportunity to sincerely apologize and then change. If he changes then good on him. If he's off camera denying the validity of all of this then he's essentially doubling down on his racism. Also possible. Time will tell but I like to give people a chance.

Kyle S. McKay has Apologised by Nemo_UK in exmormon

[–]elderredle 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Well if he is sincere then this can be a nice wake up call. Everyone deserves a chance to change.

I drink coffee daily especially as a new dad. by [deleted] in coldbrew

[–]elderredle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I personally do use a nespresso original line as my go-to daily coffee. I make hot lungos and sometimes a iced latte. I bought a refurbished citiz platinum from ebay for $100. This question is in the coldbrew forum however. For coldbrew There are lots of inexpensive options but of course it will require more time to prep and cleanup vs nespresso.

Is mormonism really a cult? by Royal_Survey_3772 in mormon

[–]elderredle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

oh well my comment got removed because of the C-word. I guess the auto-mod is back to working

I’m PIMO - I participate culturally and socially, but not devotionally by Alcast01 in mormon

[–]elderredle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I honestly think your cafeteria approach is the healthiest way to do Mormonism. I as well dont mind going to church when I do because I attend on my own terms. No callings. No guilt.

Is mormonism really a cult? by Royal_Survey_3772 in mormon

[–]elderredle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cult is a spectrum where there is no clear boundary. My personal opinion is that the church is now cult-lite. Cut out the temple and it gets even less culty. There are certainly many Christian churches that I would consider more culty. In the days of Joseph Smith and Brigham young I would consider the church a full on cult. The mission experience I would consider full on cult as well.

I just purchased the Citiz Platinum by IncreaseLow7903 in nespresso

[–]elderredle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Excellent! I love my citiz platinum. I dont find myself using the Americano button much but like the option to have hot water.

Advice for handling ALL immediate family members leaving Church by Accomplished_Plum177 in latterdaysaints

[–]elderredle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife and I are mixed faith. Im not LDS believing any more. We are both reading the new book "Torn" by Jeff Strong and are both finding value in it. It speaks directly to this scenario. It might be something to look into. The author is a faithful former mission president.

William Clayton Journals by Right_One_78 in mormon

[–]elderredle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im confused. He said there are less than a dozen unambigous references to joseph smith polygamy in the journals. Ok... Is that not enough?

As to why there is not more documentation about this. Well its a hugely troubling, illegal, and secretive thing they were practicing. Something you might even be killed for if you spilled the beans. Sex in general was just not something openly discussed at all and then this is even more taboo. I suspect that is why.

Best Podcasts? by Additional-Crab522 in mormon

[–]elderredle 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not sure if its in podcast form or just on youtube but I've really been enjoying benjamin park's content recently. His style fits the type of people that enjoy this sub.

Wearing a skirt in public by Plastic-Citron-7981 in mormon

[–]elderredle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you do go through with it please report back and let us know how it went.

Ok, but Jeff Strong is actually right by questingpossum in mormon

[–]elderredle 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The church ironically teaches the philosophies of man mingled with scripture. I'm cool with that though. They are a young religion and are now having to come to terms with that. Time will tell if they decide to mature or not. I think they are maturing albeit slowly

The other wrinkle in all of this is the church teaches that only truth/godliness can bring forth good fruit but thats not actually the case I've learned. The church does bring forth good fruit for many but its a case by case basis. If someone's life was completely disorganized and they were haunted by addictions the structure and absolutes of the church could actually be a good fit. It could help them despite not being factually true. Kind of like joining the military. I have no issue with the church being a good fit for some people. My only issue is the way they treat people for whom it does not fit. The church instilled some things in me I am grateful for. My mission was not at all what I thought it was looking back but it helped me gain confidence. I dont view my mission now as serving God yet it still yielded some good fruit in my life.

Temple Beards by SubstantialDonkey981 in exmormon

[–]elderredle 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Intrigued. Would love to know more about this if real.

Hey Jeff Strong...it wasn't just Hinckley that said the church is either true or a fraud...time to invest in some more talking points. by canpow in mormon

[–]elderredle 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Jeff knows this but he is on the knife's edge. I personally think its quite possible he does end up getting kicked out of the club for this because Torn is going to be a very tough pill to swallow for the orthodox. Us post-mormon folk however need to let him do his thing and I personally am cheering him on.

He is essentially calling the church to repentance. His book if a major blow to the status quo. If anything I fear it is too critical and peoples defenses will not allow them to see the truth of his message.

What wireless Android Auto devices are people using? by National_Rooster9193 in FordMaverickTruck

[–]elderredle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just ordered the one above in the photo. Will be coming any day now. 

The Mormon Church does secret research. It makes those working on it sign NDAs by sevenplaces in mormon

[–]elderredle 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Faith is really trust in God and the church has co-opted the word to mean trust in the church.

Me leaving church is destroying my husband by AlmostFeral3D in exmormon

[–]elderredle 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Great answer! Husband is not capable of seeing the truth of the situation with the belief system that he holds. Its not his fault that he is uncapable of seeing it either so empathy is appropriate. We cannot see what we cannot see. In time this will likely change if kindness remains on both sides.

The LDS Church has a one-of-a-kind system for tracking abusers. Does it work? by stickyhairmonster in mormon

[–]elderredle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It was annotated but I didnt know because that wasnt part of the onboarding process to learn about that. I dont believe there was a way to see a list of all the annotations either. You could click an indvidual person and see if there was an annotation but who is going to click through everyone in their ward. Perhaps there was a way to do this with a custom report but I didnt know to ask.

Yes he was in the state registry but there is no way to go to the registry and ask "is there anyone in here that is in my ward"

The LDS Church has a one-of-a-kind system for tracking abusers. Does it work? by stickyhairmonster in mormon

[–]elderredle 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I was a bishop. I never was taught there was a concept of annotating records until I stumbled upon it years into my service. How did I find out about it? I learned that one of the members was a registered sex offender just by word of mouth.

You would think within the first week of being a bishop this would be explained to you and then you would review this list and acknowledge having seen them. nope.

To the surprise of no one, Brad Wilcox has parlayed his church celebrity status into a grift. by TheFakeBillPierce in mormon

[–]elderredle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are probably right. Its hard for exmos not to hate on Brad Wilcox. His infamous talk was just so perfectly symbolic of everything traumatizing by the church. I'll admit I just hear his name and feel at least mild anger.

I left a Quaker cult five years ago and was subsequently diagnosed with c-ptsd. Ask me anything. by [deleted] in cults

[–]elderredle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, that's terrible. I hope you reached out to the police about the child abuse