The LDS Church is in a flap over historical issues. People are leaving over historical issues! The typical one: Joseph Smith marrying other men’s wives and very young girls.
I never had a problem with historical issues; I left because it wasn’t true. For me, that was a historical issue. That Joseph Smith fabricated a vision with a non-existent god — that was a historical issue. Making up a book about non-existent Nephites and Lamanites — that was a historical issue.
And I’m not saying my epistemological apostasy is better than someone else’s historical apostasy. In fact, it might be worse — I was clearly unfazed by polyandry and other blatantly self-serving doctrines, until I started to question the existence of gods themselves. I must have thought a god that would command those things would be worth worshipping, which is just horrible. What was wrong with me?
So if historical issues was what got you out, great! Whatever works. But as far as I’m concerned, the official story is crazy enough.
4 August 2013 at 9:28 pm
Polyandry? I thought Mormons were more into polygyny.
4 August 2013 at 11:41 pm
Yep — it's a thing. Bios here.
21 November 2013 at 7:54 pm
Dan,
Epistemological vs. historical apostasy – great distinction!
The former “might be worse?” Yes and no.
For me the “yes” was glossing over racism as I followed two older brothers into Mormonism. That it was 1979 doesn’t change things – despite the comfort I took in that.
My “nor” resides in what it offers moving forward. The weight of collapsing Mormonism's "official crazy story" took out millennia of crazy stories propping it up – “all the way down.”
Cheers,
Eric