Tyler Glenn - Trash

This is a completely unplanned post. Mostly I wanted to save the articles.

Tyler Glenn put out a video today called Trash. In it, he takes several, shall I say, blasphemous actions. I won't get into the details. I did want to point out a few good blog posts about it.

A quick blurb from Zelph on the Shelf. (always a good blog)

From a faithful mormon who gets it, or makes a very good attempt.

Mostly, I wanted to save a comment on the above link. I thought it was well written.

-Brian Shirts
I find it interesting you separate anger and pain like it's two different things that don't coexist. The other thing that gets me is that it seems you don't understand the anger and pain. Hopefully, I can help you out a little on that understanding.

If you could, take a moment and ponder how you would feel if something so big and true came out where you couldn't help but deny your faith. Something so big that it couldn't be argued and the church couldn't defend itself. Think of how you would feel knowing your whole life has been built on a lie. Something you put all you heart and belief in. Something you have worked tirelessly within, that you promote and defend with every once of your heart. Think of how you would feel knowing all that you have worked for, believed in, and the belief in the promise of the future was all a lie.

Would you not be really hurt? Would you also not be extremely angry? So many in your religion are so scared to learn anything about their religion outside of the church regardless of how truthful the information is that would expose some lies. They quickly ignore it and quickly deem it to be false and/or an attempt to destroy the church when some of it is just history. Why do you think that is? No one wants something they love so dearly and work so much for to be a lie. It's like being madly in love to someone for 20+ years, where you have a family, a house, memories, and a plan for the future. You are ready to be with them for the rest of your life but then you find out they have been lying to you the whole time. That they never loved you, that they have been dating other people, involved in things you always opposed, and just used you. You would be crushed, and you would be angry. Not only to that person but yourself.

Yes, there are a lot of exmormons that are angry and in pain. They will attack and fight the church. If you saw the person you loved that lied all those years with someone else, would you not want to warn that other person to get out of there? Would you not want to expose the person that lied to you so others don't have to feel what you felt, or to deal with the lie before it grows and they invest more? These people are very hurt. Really look at the psychology. I was a convert and left so it was a bit easier for me to deal with the lie and I'm still a little hurt and angry.

I don't have any desire to destroy the church but I would like everyone in that church to know everything about their history and the operations of the church. I believe they all deserve the truth and they can choose whether to stay or go. They just need to know.

What I find odd is how many people don't even read the essays the church has published on their official site where they are openly admitting they have lied and taught people incorrectly on the history. It's not like this stuff was just discovered. They have known this stuff for a very long time and have willingly suppressed the information till now. It makes sense to start trying to release it because the information can be controlled now with us being in the Information Age and anyone can find truth much easily than before. They can find it and back it up with evidence, references and so on.

The thing that gets me talking to my Mormon friends is their view on exmormons and this idea that they always never truly believed or weren't very strong in faith, dedication, and so on. The idea the anger is based on some evil aspect that has always been there or they allowed to be there by not being faithful enough. That couldn't be further from the truth. Too many members don't take time to really consider how they would feel if they found out their religion isn't true. If you really want to bridge the exmormons and the Mormons, you have to take time to understand why the exmormons feel and do the things they do. After that, you have to fight for them and share that feeling to other Mormons.

If the truth never has anything to hide and is always going to prevail of falsity, why tell your members to run from anything negative or opposite to what they teach? Why excommunicate those that ask questions? Why run from those that challenge the beliefs? If truth will always prevail when challenged why are the leaders so hell bent on their members not questioning, or challenging their faiths and encouraging them to only listen them and nothing else? Blind following is dangerous and telling people to do so is what people do when they have something to hide.