Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dale Headley on May 15, 2012 at 1:46pm

Hey, just send them to me.  I'd LOVE to talk about "stuff."  They can give me as many "lessons" as they wish.  Previous experience with them, though, tells me that they won't want to give me more than one shot at them.  My next door neighbor is Mormon, and he assiduously avoids discussing religion with me.  The last time it was brought up (by me) he defended the massive investment his church made in supporting the despicable Proposition 8 in California.  He asked me if I didn't believe that the majority of Californians have a right to decide the issue.  I asked him if he thought it would be okay for evangelicals in California to donate money, gather signatures, and put out false ads on TV to convince Californians to officially declare Mormonism a "cult," which evangelicals (and perhaps a majority of Californians) think it is.  He had no answer.

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Permalink Reply by T on May 16, 2012 at 3:08pm

Thank you! When I first started reading this I pictured Ned Flanders saying, "Hi-diddly-ho there!" But it sounds like your neighbor isn't willing to even try to talk to you like a person with reasonable discussion topics. I do remember hearing from 3 or more of my Mormon friends in my life on their missions telling me that they don't really teach them about the church or religion, but instead teach them how to teach it. Which to me was a flag they seemed not to notice. 

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Permalink Reply by Stephen B Boudreau on May 17, 2012 at 10:52am

@ Dale Headley

That's to funny. A cult! ROTFLMAO

No response from your neighbor. LOL

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Permalink Reply by M on May 16, 2012 at 3:39pm

I like Nelson's reply.  I also think you just shouldn't reschedule.  Call and respectfully deny them future access to your home. 

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Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on May 16, 2012 at 7:20pm

You sound similar to my sister in law. She has a similar problem where she just agrees to anything if she feels the slightest pressure. My advice is the same for both of you: you need to learn to stand your ground. If you don't want Mormons coming over to "teach" you stuff, you need to tell them you are not interested in being taught. Your beliefs are your own and you are not interested, at the moment, in changing them.

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Permalink Reply by T on May 18, 2012 at 11:31am

Thank you. I think I'm going to go in this direction with the whole thing. If I have any questions I have a husband who can answer them.  

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Permalink Reply by Stephen B Boudreau on May 17, 2012 at 10:47am

I was a Mormon, well in their eyes I still am. They send them poor boys to my house and I just blow their minds with my views on God and Religion. Last time they stopped by was over a year ago. I don't think they really want to hear what I have to say. I was really nice and inquisitive about where they are from. But I blew them out of the water with my Atheist view and how Morals work well for most humans and not God. I had a neighbor who was searching for answers from God and he is now in India trying to find more answers. I think that if you have to look anywhere other than into your own mind and heart you are just looking for an escape from reality. Pick yourself up by the boot straps and face your troubles and issues head on and fix the things you can and your life will be more complete.

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Permalink Reply by T on May 18, 2012 at 11:31am

Thank you for your comment, I couldn't agree more!

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Permalink Reply by Amy L. Cook on May 17, 2012 at 3:25pm

In my experience, an all-out rejection of any given belief system does nothing but inspire a shocking, hateful response from those that subscribe to those beliefs. If you reject the LDS elders teachings, it will probably reflect negatively on your husband within the church.My experience with Mormons is that they don't even like to have non-Mormon owned businesses in the same neighborhoods as their businesses, let alone that one of their following should be married to an atheist.

They probably assume that you are interested in becoming a member, or at the very least that you believe in God or you would not have been at church in the first place. I don't know if spending more time with your husband will be an acceptable excuse to these people or not, but I would start right there - with the truth - and see where that leads. At the very next "Lesson" I would explain that I was not interested in their teachings and that I was just attending church to spend more time with my husband - tell them exactly what you told us in the OP. I think that if they find out that you are an atheist, they are going to be even more relentless in trying to "teach"you their ways.

All thoughts on belief systems aside, I think the most important thing you should be worried about here is this: There is going to come a boiling point in this whole ordeal where you are going to have to stop dancing around the issues and either decide to put your foot down with these people and tell them to back off, or fold to their wishes that you become one of their flock. I don't think that there is anyway to avoid this, and I would discuss it with your husband before it gets to that point so that he is not hit with it out of the blue. You could be in the "deal breaker" territory as far as your marriage goes if you don't. But, I don't know your husband, so I really can't say. I am just saying that you need to realize that these people are probably not going to just go away. They will corner you again and you will want to be polite and accepting again...

You just need to remember that these people can't really hurt you. They can get angry, offended, threaten hell (and they will), but they cannot beat you up or kill you. Don't be afraid of being rejected by the very people that you already reject! Remember that you did the rejecting first, you have the upper hand, and you have nothing to be afraid of. Their threats are empty; If you feel that they are not empty, then question your status as an atheist, not your status as a Christian. Just put you foot down and tell them what you (don't) believe! Please don't fold in the face of their ignorance just because you want to avoid a confrontation, or (worse!) let them brainwash you into their way of thinking and start believing their BS!

I hope this works out for you! Keep us posted as this unfolds. I am curious to hear how they react!

Peace

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Permalink Reply by T on May 18, 2012 at 12:10pm

I appreciate your input and support. Actually, I wouldn't even commit to calling myself an Atheist. I believe in possibilities. But it wouldn't be the "deal breaker" for us, or it already would have been. It's because of this issue that what we have is so much stronger than anything, ever. During this time he's only been supportive of me needing to call the discussions off at any time. I just need to remember that and focus on what matters, not their feelings. Which do matter, just not in regards to the matter at hand. 

Thank you.

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Permalink Reply by Nate Lundgren on May 17, 2012 at 5:15pm

One thing to remember is that mormons believe in 3 levels of heaven and have a very watered down version of "hell" which basically no one qualifies for.  They try to sell that you want to be in the "highest heaven with your family for eternity" but that means you have to follow all sorts of rules that compromise your dignity and independence in the long run.  They use more of a "guilt and disappointment" kind of version of "hell" They will give you sad puppy dog looks etc. But remember that the elders transfer on a regular basis so you don't have to worry about their feelings in the long run. None are in an area for longer than about 8 months and most of the time they get transfered on average every 3 to 4 months. (wreaks havoc on their feelings of stability) Anyway, just pity them but don't give them an inch. They will go away with just a little firmness. Just like puppies :) hehehe  You may run across the occasional aggressive elder but like I said they are not around for long so you can just ignore them :)  Hope this helps and just enjoy your time with your husband, life is short, take care!

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Permalink Reply by T on May 18, 2012 at 12:11pm

Thank you =)

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