Our blog posts have had lots of visits from ex-Mormons lately. This seems strange to us. Why are they interested in any Mormons anymore? Are they trying to find vindication for leaving the church? Do they hope we join in their misery? Because many people writing to and about us do sound miserable. Bitter and angry. They seem to hate not just the Church, but God and goodness. They avoid the timeless principles we talk about and attack us personally. They call us hateful, unChristlike, racists, bigots, and something like sex addicts which lets us know these are proud homosexual ex-Mormons. They publicly fantasize about our private marital sexual relations, presuming to describe them in detail. Not knowing any of them personally, they mock and demonize our grown-up children. They obviously do not value procreation, family, or God. All of this can only be because we, the very few outspoken hold-outs, are still speaking out against homosexuality in all its forms. In reality, these days the LDS Church is becoming much more friendly toward all things LGBTQI+ than toward us old-fashioned, stodgy-sounding, traditional-values people. The Church has changed its worldview on sexual purity, at least when it comes to unlimited perverse sexuality/sexual orientation. Maybe these ex-Mormon homosexualists should have held out.
We've also had invitations from fundamentalists. Sorry, we doubt polygamy was ever right. (We can say that now that it's okay to disagree with the Church.)
We think the most important question is why. Why did these people leave the Church?Why does anyone?
Here's something for them to think about.
Smaller minds dwell on things, people, and events. Larger minds dwell on ideas, principles, truths. When things, people, or events in your church offend you, you can get mad and throw up your hands. Or, you can look at it as a chance to get humble, look for the beam in your own eye, turn to the Lord continually, pray for people and wish the eternal best for them. This reaction can only bring you closer to God. Flannery O'Connor, a devout Catholic, approached her church with what Richard Giannone called "a clear, cold eye and a warm heart." She wrote, "To expect too much is to have a sentimental view of life and this is a softness that ends in bitterness. Charity is hard and endures."
We sure haven't heard any ex-Mormon/homosexualist reading our posts say anything like, "And since I left the church, I have grown much more charitable and humble and pure and reliant on my Savior." Or "Whatever is happening around me, I have peace because I love God, trust the Lord, and listen to the Spirit." No, these are people who are full of frustration and confusion, not to mention preoccupation with their sexual feelings. Instead of increasing their prayers and asking the Lord for correction or knowledge, they blame others for their unhappiness. They are losing a great chance to grow spiritually. Not that it's easy. Flannery said, "What people don't realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket when of course it is the cross." Yes, for serious believers religion is costly even within their own churches. It's always been that way, but it's even harder now. And yet the worse things are, the more enticements to turn to the Lord. Just think how much these defectors might be growing if they stayed, or even if they had left for the right reasons. They'd be using their spiritual muscles and learning all sorts of discernment. They might even experience the mighty, mighty, mighty change of heart.
Our question is, what about The Book of Mormon? Are these people stuck on human failings and knit-picky things that don't matter? They don't believe in any of it anymore? We believe it's true. The Book of Mormon compliments the Bible. It's all about Christ being our Redeemer if we let him. We treasure above all things the truths the scriptures contain. If it's just human beings they're upset with, past and present, why let them have such power over you? Samuel Coleridge said that the hardest thing to learn is the ignorance of people.It is a harsh lesson. But it's best to strive to learn it. It's our relationship with the Godhead that matters. It's knowing what is truth and what is error by the Spirit, the important stuff, not the stuff that doesn't matter. Our guess is that all of this sounds like Greek to these bitter ex-Mormon homosexualists reading and spouting off about our blog and us personally. They have never even thought about these things but have made themselves and their pleasures their god.
Again, people and events are something entirely different than timeless true principles. People can disappoint and deceive, deity does not. People connive and calculate and use subtleties and sophistries. God does none of those things. It's only the Spirit of the Lord that can tell us the truth of all things. That is where we at SoL strive to put our hearts. But none of the angry presumptuous ex-Mormon gays we hear from ever talk about the Spirit or truth or anything like that.
What a waste.
Our message to all? Come to Christ. The real Christ.
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