A month or so ago, a Facebook friend of mine (we'll call her Wilma) whom I really only know from several wards ago, posted on her status that she was sad and disappointed because a non-member friend of hers who'd been taking the discussions had suddenly quit taking them and had no further interest in learning about the church. Wilma said "Oh well. She doesn't have the fortitude to endure to the end so I guess it's best to find out now."
I was floored!
That's one of the most judgmental statements I've ever seen or heard and is complete bullshit. I resisted the urge to comment that perhaps the "investigator" had read some REAL facts about the church or didn't think Joseph Smith's polygamy was God-approved. I held my fingers and typed nothing.
Next time, I just might let it fly.
Sometimes these stereotypes need to be shattered. Depending on your relationship with this person I might encourage you to speak up next time.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not for most Mormons it comes as a true surprise to realize that some people are just fine without the church in their lives. I didn't learn this until I was like 22. How lame is that?
It's not lame at all to have figured it out by 22! Some people never figure it out at all.
ReplyDeleteI *think* I'm at a place where i could say something when something like this happens again without being flat-out mean. I wasn't then. It would've escalated into something ugly. I should probably write something out and have it ready { because we all know it's GOING to happen again }.
Well, I'm going to hop up into MY ivory tower and say that maybe Wilma doesn't have the fortitude to face life while accepting the reality that there is quite possibly (probably) no God, no heaven, no afterlife and that maybe her friend doesn't need the "crutch" of organized religion. ;-) But, would that make me a dogmatic, judgmental atheist? Certainly. And, I wouldn't expect that to win converts over to the darkside any more effectively than Wilma's self-righteous judgment of her friend will. And that is what I would have said to Wilma. Better to hold my fingers and not type, but it is just so easy to let it fly when I'm hiding behind a laptop. You are a better woman than I.
ReplyDeleteOh I believe that most of the hard-core TBM's are lacking the fortitude to exist in reality. And I can't hold that against them. Life is hard! But if they try to shove that shit down my throat any further, i'm gonna show them a little moment of reality. Hahaha. Just kidding. Sort of.
ReplyDelete