I know the poster QUANTUM got a lot of people worked up with his in-your-face postings on Mormanism. I said it before, he opened himself up with the intelligent responses, however I still hate people bashing other peoples religions. I came on this board to learn why my JW friend is the they are...now I know. But never have I bashed them for their religious beliefs - I felt that I had no right to speak, never being a JW - I left that for those of you who left the religion and who had first hand experience.
Amazing: When I first came on this board, I read with 'amazement' (no pun intended) your serialized account of how you joined the JW's, the years you spent in it and the monumental task it took to finally rid yourself. I loved your writing and put your name on my short list of those whose posts I looked forward to reading.... I'm sorry to say this wasn't one of them.
I've looked into the LDS religion, and I must say it isn't the one that is so abundantly shrouded in the evil darkness as portrayed on this board. What I've read here, and what I've experienced is like night and day. It makes me wonder if a lot of the comments come from a deeply biased mindset of the hurt experienced as former JW members.
Your statement regarding Tithing is totally inacurate, and therefore brings into question the validity of all your assertions. This is one topic that I DO know about and double checked as to the facts. First of all, there are not 3 tithing categories, only one. Ten percent on your "increase". Some Mormans understand that to mean 10% on your gross, others on the net income. There is NO set policy, and from what I understand, even Mormans debate that amongs themselves.
Secondly, once a month, on a Sunday, Mormans fast for a couple of meals, and the money that is suppose to have been saved, goes into what is called a Fast Offering. There is no set amount, and certainly NOT 10%. I supposed if you saved two Taco Bell meals your offering would be about $4.00. That money goes into their Welfare System...which by the way, Mormans in financial trouble are suppose to go to their Church first, before the government. Last night, one of the morman bashers said that the church goes to their house once a month, and some elderly lady owed them $90,000. How guillible is anyone on this board to believe that sh*t!
Lastly, you mentioned a 3rd 10% that was owed. I've been told that up until a few years ago, some people in their congregations paid what was called a budget collection, for the local upkeep of their church facilities- that was discontinued. Now the MAJOR point I want to make in correcting this misinformation, is that as a Morman if you pay or don't pay into any of those funds, no one is going after you, or looking down at you as "spiritually weak" or "bad association" or not "mature". You can't be D/A'd, D/F'd or even discovered, because it isn't common knowledge among the congregation what you do or don't pay...they don't pass the plate around.
One last point, you mentioned something in the first paragraph or so, that you took their study lessons from their missonaries with no intention of ever joining..in fact, it sounds like you did it to 'nail' them on their 'different theology' ok, whatever...but in doing so, with that mindset, could anything they ever said or did would have been correct? It sounds like the upstopable force/immoveable object conundum...and what a waste of time.