This is for encouragement, ideas, and support for people going through a faith transition no matter where you hope to end up. This is also the place to laugh, cry, and love together.
moksha wrote:That was one of the better testimonies I have heard (or read). It was a good message with the code words and phrases thankfully absent. It did what a testimony or witnessing is supposed to do. Thumbs up!
I am surprised you didn't have more glowing feedback. Being "sweet" is so lackluster. I suppose there is a learned response of not paying a great deal of attention to the average testimony. Perhaps many had put their thinking into neutral at the start of the testimony portion.
Thanks moksha.
The lady who said it was sweet did say more than that. We talked for a few minutes. I just posted that because I’ve never had my testimony be described with that word before.
I’m still happy with the response I’ve received, it was more than I expected. I'm even happier about DW's response than from any other ward members.
MalcolmVillager wrote:Congrats. I did something similar a few months back. I used lots of NOM terms. Several fellow nuanced believers in the ward approached me after to thank me. (We have several in the ward who are on a nuanced believer FB group). I.was probably a bit more bold. The very next testimony was a reactive (I know everything is absolutely true) in my face response. Some came up and asked if I thought brother X was responding to me. I knew he was but just said, probably not.
I don't know that I will.do that often, but as long as I am going, I want to.promote the destruction of "I know" language etc....
Anyway, good job!
Thanks MV!
I'm probably not as bold as you. I doubt anyone will try to counter what I said in the next F&T meeting. How can they?
My main point in my testimony was that most mormon faith claims are "unknowable". We can feel them, but that is not knowledge. That was what instigated the "I know" response. I guess he wanted the last word.
Deepthinker wrote:I doubt anyone will try to counter what I said in the next F&T meeting. How can they?
Many things are possible. I've experienced Church apologists bristling at the reference of God as love. They like to point out that he is also "the terrible swift sword" that demands his earthly Authorities be obeyed and will punish anyone who disobeys. I have a hard time with that demonic aspect of God which they demand. So, any response might depend on how apologetic your fellow ward members are. Every group is bound to have one or two nutcases. If that ever happens, just smile.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha
Deepthinker wrote:I doubt anyone will try to counter what I said in the next F&T meeting. How can they?
Many things are possible. I've experienced Church apologists bristling at the reference of God as love. They like to point out that he is also "the terrible swift sword" that demands his earthly Authorities be obeyed and will punish anyone who disobeys. I have a hard time with that demonic aspect of God which they demand. So, any response might depend on how apologetic your fellow ward members are. Every group is bound to have one or two nutcases. If that ever happens, just smile.
If it does happen, I will just smile, and then post an update here.
I liked how you said "I have a testimony about..." or "I feel..." instead of "I know."
It's going along with the wise idea that certainty is where we're "damned" - we stop growing.
I think one of the old GA's said, "An egoist will never get anywhere because he thinks he's already arrived."
I bore my very nom testimony - about my faith crisis - explaining how it began when my friend said I was in a cult.
But it was in a ward we were visiting and didn't know anyone, though my mom was there and not very happy - kind of confused maybe?
I explained that even if the church had some issues, it had a lot of good - it wasn't all or nothing.
I was approached by several people afterwards - mostly with good words, but one who asked for my first and last name.
That was a great testimony. Honestly, I think that part of the reason you got such a positive response is because people are so tired of hearing the same regurgitated (sp?) crap. A sincere testimony like that is a breath of fresh air. Mormons are starving for actual spirituality and substance in meetings.
