I live in the Nauvoo area. I have “done” the church sites in Nauvoo with my family every year, for years. My daughter will be getting married in the Nauvoo Temple in Feb. 2010.

I have seen all the Anti-Mormon stuff out there. After many years of watching and pondering the interests of our Anti-friends, I have come to my conclusion. Here it is:

Everyone has a hobby or interest. Some like knitting, baking, candle -stick making. Others are into video games, computers and blog sites. Still others like alien theories, Star Trek and reenacting the Civil War – over and over again (very big in these parts).

Mormons are Helen’s hobby. As such, she will spend her money, make her sacrifices and live in a small apartment over the storefront of her Anti-Mormon office. No different than folks who spend all their money getting tattoos or collecting stamps. It is all very passionate and fun for those who find Helen’s hobby compelling. For those of us not interested, it is a big fat yawn. Just like my interest in Opera.

Seems to me there is a big difference between Mormon bashing, or Catholic bashing or any other type of bashing in that basic doctrine and documents upholding that doctrine tend to become skewed or biased.

To me, the LDS Church is one of the finest organizations in the world today. It has it all when applied correctly. That being said, I wonder at what the basic facts would show, and whether it is even possible to get at the basic facts.

I feel no need to convince anyone of anything, in fact it goes against my nature, but I do like facts, and undistorted ones at that, and it bothers me intensely when they are misused by anyone.

Apology, in this sense, cn be construed of an admission of facts of any given matter, and it is a distinct feeling that once this is done, matters which bashers use in their bashing lose a lot of their strength.

It is sort of the idea of knowing the truth and letting it set us free.

I didn’t kill those people. I don’t owe anybody an apology.

Well said.

I love Ezekiel 18. We read:

19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
24 ¶ But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

I love that scripture.

I didn’t kill those people. I don’t owe anybody an apology.

I just came back from skimming Helen’s web site and her blog. I’m feeling compassion and sorrow towards Helen and Rocky. What saddens me is the bitterness they harbor. I admire their zealousness for the Lord. But you can’t escape the bitterness and anger that shows through in much (most?) of the text on their web site.

If one uses their standards to judge the LDS church, then by the same standards, the Catholic church must be just as bad as the LDS church, or worse.

That’s one of the lesser-known aspects of evangelical oriented denominations, their disdain for the Catholic church, and that they generally don’t consider most Catholics as “saved” except for the “charismatic” movement of Catholicism.

So while they don’t consider 13 million Mormons to be Christian, they don’t consider some 600 million Catholics to be Christian either.

I’ve been the subject of concern (for being Mormon) directed towards me by friends and family of various protestant denominations. And I have to admire the way they approached me. Not confrontational at all, but out of genuine concern and love, and wanting to see me enjoy the benefits that they enjoy of believing in Christ

Much greater than my desire that Helen and Rocky see the overall truth and how things really are (as we Mormons see it, of course) is that they let go all that hate and bitterness.

Reasonable people can disagree. There is supporting evidence (though I don’t agree with their interpretation of that evidence, or how they accept some pieces and reject other pieces) for all their views.

But the platter upon which they are serving up their beliefs is contaminated with such bile.

Maybe Helen and Rocky have some old wounds that haven’t healed. There’s got to be more to their story.