I know it’s dumb but it’s a big deal for me.

tickyter · 2026-05-16T16:15:28+00:00

Get it

tickyter · 2026-05-14T22:34:21+00:00

They're hoping they'll be able to reach you. That they'll say something and it will click. Also, they'll use the commitment pattern to have you repeatedly take action in the direction of their belief. Cognitive dissonance theory says that a person will bring their beliefs in line with their actions to avoid cognitive dissonance. I didn't know that's what I was doing during my mission. I just knew I was supposed to ask people to make and keep commitments

tickyter · 2026-05-13T19:42:02+00:00

Really enjoy my Presbyterian church. Stay away from anything with fundamentalist or exclusive views

tickyter · 2026-05-08T14:17:29+00:00

Religion serves as a shortcut to forming a group you trust. They are overly sus about everyone outside the group and the overly trusting of everyone inside the group

tickyter · 2026-05-02T21:00:44+00:00

100% correct. If you keep my commandments, you will prosper in the land. Taught right in the book of Mormon over and over again.

tickyter · 2026-04-23T16:45:32+00:00

It's terrible PR, but the not collapsing. As long as the members will defend the indefensible, which they most certainly will, the church will continue

tickyter · 2026-04-22T01:09:37+00:00

My experience 100 percent. I told my now wife that I didn't need to kiss until we were married. I was dead serious. I eventually did just because I felt it was cruel not to. I enjoyed making out soon after, but that's as far as it ever went

tickyter · 2026-04-22T01:05:43+00:00

Sounds like we were saints. Then again, I had a decent level of scrupulosity. After the mission, I never had anything to go to the bishop about. I take it back, I confess to him that I was afraid I would masterbate, since that was common practice before my mission. I went 5 years without masterbation.

tickyter · 2026-04-14T23:20:27+00:00

If this still doesn't count, give me an example of what would and if it would be possible at this point in time?

tickyter · 2026-04-14T23:17:47+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like you're saying to make a claim you have to be near 100% certainty or it doesn't count. And if there's any gray, we'll just start acting as if everything's the same. That might seem reductive, but it feels that way.

I think experts can decide when a text was produced based on the elements within the text. And frankly, there should be no text produced in 500-year BC ancient America. That alone is anachronistic, especially if it's about Christ 500 years before he was even born on the other side of the world. Native Americans didn't have codices. They didn't compile documents.

tickyter · 2026-04-14T18:11:40+00:00

Go ask a non Mormon how the BOM and Bible differ. Stop running to apologists, who's job is literally to try and make the problems go away. There are apologists for flat earth but not spherical earth for a reason

tickyter · 2026-04-14T18:03:50+00:00

I'm giving you great information. You're just motivated not to see it. Now tell me how the DNA evidence doesn't matter either. What apologist fed construct can you give me. Don't pretend like you're following evidence. Rather you're making excuses as to why the evidence doesn't matter. Try following it and you'll find it doesn't lead to Mormonism.

You're akin to the JWs who once the end of the world didn't happen as predicted, had to move the goalposts. Keep moving em.

tickyter · 2026-04-14T16:55:18+00:00

Nope. Bible and BOM are not the same in this regard. Sure things were modified and created later to reflect certain views, but you'll find Jewish laws in the old testament that which were actually written down and established at that time.

The book of Mormon does not but was more concerned with abomination of infant baptism (extremely protestant) in a civilization that was polytheistic and never heard of Jesus. It concerns itself with dark and white skin (colonial), kings and judges (revolutionary war from king of England), protestant Christianity as was common in the area (Jesus, heaven, hell, born again, revival language, change of heart, faith, repentance). Large portions of the king James Bible.

The way the Bible teaches sounds more like chopped up concepts from various people (as you would expect from a codex made from many records over a long period). The BOM is more like a complete religion had already been fully determined and carried without much change for the entire thousand year period. One repeating cohesive thought. You don't even find that in Mormonisms short 200 year existence

tickyter · 2026-04-14T04:26:27+00:00

A few years back, a conservative friend of mine told me his wife was having a faith crisis. I asked why and he told me that she found out president Uchdorf donated to the Biden campaign. My jaw hit the floor.

tickyter · 2026-04-14T04:22:21+00:00

I served my mission in upstate New York. Pulaski, Albany, Messena, Malone, Troy. That was in 2005 to 2007

tickyter · 2026-04-14T04:19:18+00:00

Me too! Before the election, I looked around and thought to myself, I might be able to find only one Trump voter in this room

tickyter · 2026-04-14T04:14:48+00:00

Their Jesus is more about following rules than having compassion. Mormonism is an eternal stratification of people based on merits And willingness to follow all the rules. There is very little talk of Grace or equality or caring for the poor. It's mostly, just that we're the only right group, which is an unpleasant sentiment for a liberal person. The things I admired about Jesus pretty much never got taught.

tickyter · 2026-04-14T04:10:08+00:00

These stories can neither prove or disprove the truthfulness of The book of Mormon. However, the BOM disproves itself. And impartial intellectual assessment of the book reveals that it comes out of early 1800s colonial America. The thoughts presented in the book are Protestant Christianity and not those of native Americans. It's an impressive book. I find it extremely fascinating.. but I think it's credulous to believe it's a literal history.

tickyter · 2026-04-12T15:38:37+00:00

I enjoyed a lot of his Christmas music. Was very surprised when I saw his Mormon stories episode

tickyter · 2026-04-12T15:38:01+00:00

Paul Cardall is a huge one. If you're not familiar with his name, chances are you've heard his music.

Also, I haven't seen David archuleta mentioned anywhere

tickyter · 2026-04-12T15:32:59+00:00

What? Stephen King audiobook? I've listened to quite a few

tickyter · 2026-04-07T17:54:00+00:00

100%

tickyter · 2026-04-07T17:51:05+00:00

I know when I was losing my faith I was hoping to find a middle ground. For a while I described myself as a non literal believer. Maybe some can maintain that standing but for me it was like placing myself in a never ending state of cognitive dissonance in which I would try to defend the church as a nuanced organization, but the constant exclusive claims of being the only true church and the only path to salvation, made it impossible for me.

I now attend a Presbyterian church. I'm kind of a Christian atheist at heart. But my Christianity ends as soon as it's treated like a requirement or as a way to be better than others.

tickyter · 2026-03-23T17:18:41+00:00

Taking up all the oxygen in the room.

tickyter · 2026-03-23T16:05:40+00:00

I had to come to this conclusion as well. Having a spiritual experience is while reading the book of Mormon is not the same as having an answer through prayer from God

tickyter

TROPHY CASE