New books

[Emower]

Well, I have been avoiding telling my 90 year old grandparents about my disaffection. The other day Grandma brought it up quite subtly. I was a little surprised about how subtle it was actually... Anyway, we got to talking at a very high level about my "problems." She told me I just needed to find a "smart guy" ---as she put it--- to explain it all to me. Apparently she read some distressing stuff about Joseph Smith and the lying he did. She idolized her home teacher and he was a big FARMS guy. He explained it all to her satisfaction apparently. I told her that I was willing to talk to anyone but I had a hard time finding anyone who knows as much about the history as I do. She then said "well some of that stuff just isnt true..." Ok Grandma. Fine, I will find a smart guy. She said she would send me a book about the D&C that she was reading.

Yesterday I got some books in the mail, but they were not the books Grandma said she would send. Whoever sent them has read an apologetic blog post about the best books to help people out of faith crises. Micheal Ash's Shaken Faith Syndrome, Patrick Mason's Planted, and Laura Hales' A reason for faith. So I'll read them, but I dont expect much out of them. And the annoying thing is if I dont get anything out of them it will be because I dont have enough faith or humility. Oh well.

EDIT: I read the jacket intro from the Laura Hales book where she says that she had children who had found out information about the church outside of the "nurturing environment of family and the church." One of the fundamental divides that is so hard to cross is that when I read "nurturing environment" it means "vaguely dishonest" to me.

[BriansThoughtMirror]

Did somebody just anonymously mail those to you? Man, that's weird.

[FiveFingerMnemonic]

"A reason for Faith" actually has a few gems in the "wow did these scholars really admit that fact?" department. Otherwise it's typical of the genre.

[Korihor]

Shaken Faith Syndrome is a bunch of horse manure.

I read it when I started having a faith crisis but didn't yet realize I was having a faith crisis. It creates more problems than it solves and is typical of weak ass Ash arguments.

[MalcolmVillager]

I really like some of Patrick mason. Like the whole "we put too much into the truth cart, and it toppled."

It is more for your TBM family to read so they understand you, than for you to read and get answers.