Seattle Ute
 

I know that a lot of people on this board really like to get into it with SU and SU is always up for a good board fight. The obvious reason is because SU is certain that he has discovered that the LDS Church is a fraud and he has personally admitted that he is bitter about it for living for so many years under false doctrine. Most of the people posting on this board believe the LDS Church is true.

Here's the point of my post. Try to put yourself in SU's shoes. What if you came to a realization that the LDS Church wasn't the only true church and Joseph Smith really wasn't a prophet? How would you feel? It wouldn't be an easy pill to swallow. I'm not saying that I agree with SU's positions or his manner of addressing matters on this board, but I can at least say that I have some small level of understanding of where he is coming from with his posts because I have tried to put myself in his shoes.

I haven't left the Church like SU has, but I've stated that I have my doubts. With those doubts, I can relate to SU's perspective. With that said, I do think that he could sometimes engage certain topics with a bit more tolerance and tact.

This post is after reading the entire limited geography thread.

Seattle likes to prod, is certain, or at least acerbically asserts he's certain the LDS claims are untrue and probably fraudulent, and is also a Ute.

His Mormonness has created sore spots for him, and perhaps the suppressed doubts of others, or sore spots of others, cause his "certainty" and mannerism to rub them the wrong way.

My first missionary companion left the church a few years after he returned home. He didn't leave because of transgressions, or because he hated one of the members. He left because deep in his heart, he didn't believe that the church was true or that Joseph was a prophet. He felt betrayed, manipulated, and deceived. He has told me how he has felt, but he nevertheless respects my beliefs. We are friends to this day, and we still talk from time to time.

I don't think it is asking too much to request respect towards the beliefs of others, irrespective of how you feel about them.

He hasn't completely left the church. No one raised in the church can ever completely leave it. That's why he's here. He certainly isn't here to share his vast knowledge of sports.

If I found out the church wasn't true, I'd have a lot better things to do with my time than trying to needle those that still believed. It's not like the teachings of the church are designed to make people miserable. It's my experience that as flawed as the members of the church are, the overwhelming majority are better people, not worse, because of their faith.

I would simply quietly go off in a different direction to find what was spiritually fulfilling for me rather than trying to be the turd in someone else's soup.

This is weird, knowing he can read this and will pop up and respond, becaseu that is what he likes most, I think, is the play. I am telling you, if he had completely left the churhc, he would not be here.

I agree. If I left the church, I think I would leave it. Easy to say, I suppose.

What if you 95% left it?

Then really, you didn't leave it. That's the situation SU is in.

Even worse than SU is his obnoxious little brother SeattleNewt.

But SeattleNewt, IIRC, is a believer.

I don't find Seattle as annoying as many others, because his level of disrespect pales in comparison to the disrespect of others. In fact, I'm surprised so many don't call him on it more artfully than they do.