Kishkumen wrote:I would be interested to know what price one puts on having a strong, supportive community when one believes in something, and why those who no longer believe want to damage it for those who do. OK, I am interested in questions the answers to which can be damaging to faith. But I have no interest in proselytizing unbelief. Here I see someone who is out to harm the LDS Church, and I have to ask, why?
I'm not out to proselyte disbelief. I am for both sides of the story to be known.
Anecdotal story. My mother (who knows I am an ex-mormon) invited me and my family to attend the open house at the Gilbert temple in Jan 2014. I told her I would be happy to attend the open house if she would sit down with me and I can go over, in depth, why the Temple (to me) is a symbol of deceit and corruption.
If my mother, after hearing my side of the story on the Temple, still continues to believe, then let the grace of God go with her. But I want her to at least know what I do and then make a willing choice.
At worst, she'll think I'm firmly in the grips of the sophistry of Satan. At best, she'll have empathy for why I believe (or disbelieve) what I do rather than paying lip service to it.
Same with my nephew going on a mission. I'm close to my nephew and I'm sure he'll invite me to his mission farewell. I will tell him I will go to his farewell after he's read through MormonThink.com and gets the other side of the story. If he chooses to preach the Mormon cause on his mission after knowing both sides of the story, then I would wish him well.
My goal isn't to deconvert; I just want them to know what I do and then make an informed choice.