Donna returned all but one book to the library unread. She kept "Rough Stone Rolling" but hasn't read a word yet.
She also got a job at a nearby elementary school. She helps resource kids learn to read. I'm proud of her.
A few days ago Donna agreed that she would ask, for herself, the tough questions about Mormonism. She would read a few books but only those written by active members. That sounded like a fine compromise to me as most of the best material out there on Mormonism is written by men and women who, as active members, wrote great books for which they were disfellowshipped or excommunicated. The idea that all this "anti-Mormon" literature is written by the enemies of the church is hogwash, really. Most is written by those earnestly seeking more information than is available at church and find themselves in trouble for airing dirty laundry.
She now has on her nightstand, "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling", "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins", "Getting at the Truth: Responding to Difficult Questions about LDS Beliefs", "In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith". While she has not yet picked any of them up and read them, I am optimistic at the prospect of her actually asking herself the questions.
I have skimmed all these books myself. "Getting At The Truth" spends the better part of 80 pages reminding readers that faith is required for belief and equipping them with the tools to respond to tough questions without actually answering them. The questions it "tackles" are also pretty lightweight considering the real holes that can be punched in the Mormon claim to divinity.
For example, the author hauls out a BYU biology professor to answer why DNA evidence doesn't support the Mormon claim that modern American Indians are the descendants of Jewish migrants. The professor eludes the question entirely in two ways. First he spews some nonsense about cross-breeding with other inhabitants and then he again reminds the reader that these questions can't be answered with science anyway so just have faith. The cross-breeding theory somewhat addresses the question but does so by throwing out 150 years of Mormon teaching to the contrary. I'm not sure that helps his argument but I'm sure your average Deseret Book shopper won't let themselves notice that.
The other books, in varying degrees, seem to do a better job of getting at the meat. "Rough Stone Rolling" seems to dole out all the facts but does so with an eye towards apologetics and faith. "Insider's View" and "In Sacred Loneliness" are much harder hitting. I only hope she gets to them.
My hope is that if she becomes exposed to some actual history and facts that she'll become aware of the complete lack of depth in the officially presented story.
In another development, Donna got the bug in her butt that she wants to get a job. She wants an actual, honest-to-goodness, outside-the-home, job. She thinks maybe at a fabric store or as an aide one of the schools in the area. This can only be a positive step forward. A foray into the real world, the world outside of cub scouts and visiting teachers, I hope will be a real eye-opener for her.
While she has not shed her garments completely, she is spending more time out of them than usual. So far it is only at night and not every night but she isn't scurrying right back into them as soon as the sun comes up, like some kind of Masonic vampire.
None of this adds up to an exit from Mormonism but it does signal an entrance into tolerance and reality. That can only be good for everyone.
Filed under - Donna | Marriage | MormonismDonna returned all but one book to the library unread. She kept "Rough Stone Rolling" but hasn't read a word yet.
She also got a job at a nearby elementary school. She helps resource kids learn to read. I'm proud of her.
and kind of leave it sitting around, without any comment or announcement, so it doesn't create too much conflict for her as in make her think, 'I went and deliberately got this.'
As for your joke about blogs themselves not being great--not so! Salam Pax's blog at the start of the Iraq War, Glenn Greenwald, James Wolcott (gosh come to think of it I mainly really like the political ones, though True Porn Clerk was amazing. Sounds sleazy but is totally not, so if you haven't, read it.)
It appears to me from reading many posts on your blog that you are attempting to badger your wife into leaving a faith that makes her happy, or at the very least, doesn't make her unhappy. I find that a very curious way to behave, personally. I also find it curious that you've left the Mormon church but yet seemed consumed by a need to definitively disprove it. Baffling to me. Oh well. Good luck with all that.
Don't confuse single daily posts with "consumed". Also, I challenge you to find example of me trying to disprove YOUR faith. I write about MY experiences. MANY of my experiences relate to Mormonism as I am married to a devout Mormon and was raised as one myself. Whose experiences do you propose I write about?
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Good, I hope. I only just found your blog, but already I am totally rooting for you guys.