I’ve been following them on Mastodon for a while. Lots of quality posts there.
The phenomenon is real though. On reddit, everyone HAD to mention their bona fides before launching into a criticism on r/exmormon, and on r/latterdaysaints, you had to mention your bona fides before asking a “risky” question. It seems completely normal when inside that world, but as soon as you step out, and disconnect a bit, it becomes very apparent.
Another aspect is the irony that helps undermine the church’s credibility. In my case, the last shreds of my testimony evaporated while I was teaching seminary. If the church taught truth, teaching doctrine would be strengthening.
The people closest to the problem (source material, younger generations, etc) will more likely recognize the problem than the leadership X levels above their heads. The
Emperor’sQ15’s New Clothes
It’s a stigma I hope we can begin to break on exmormon. It’s something I find my extended family doing all the time and it drives me crazy. BIL is a Zone Leader, other members are in 🥩 Presidencies, Patriarchs, the list goes on. I just want to laugh and tell them they’re playing a giant game of DnD and none of this matters but I don’t because I like em and don’t want to make em cry hahaha.
…and I’m a level 40 paladin. What’s your point?