If I could ask them one question . . . Come Follow Me, Lesson 30

[annotatedbom]

For Come Follow Me, Lesson 30, Jul 27 - Aug 2, 2020, Alma 39-42

If I wanted to encourage thought and try to understand devout believers better, I might ask:
“Is sexual sin really comparable to murder?”

See the Things to consider for this lesson.

And, here’s a list of some other observations about this lesson’s reading.

Enjoy!
A-Bom

[alas]

90% of sexual sin (sin according to religion) is actually pretty harmless. The engaged couple who jump the gun by a few weeks, pretty harmless. Masturbation, not a sin at all in fact normal and healthy. I would say ANY sex that is consensual is pretty harmless and you simply cannot compare it to murder.

Now, now “non consensual immorality” better known as rape that has some pretty serious consequences to the victim. And when you get into child sexual abuse where the rapist has a position of love, trust, authority over the child and uses that position to rape them on a weekly basis, then I do think you are up there comparable to murder. In fact, that has been called by professional who work with it, “soul murder” because it destroys the child’s ability to trust in love, or authority. This messes them up for life. In fact, when I was working professionally with child sexual abuse victims, I had more than one say, “I would rather that he had killed me. It would have been kinder.”

Now as to the scripture Mormons (so tempted sometimes to write that MORmONS) use to justify that bit of stupidity, it is misreading the BOM scripture it is taken from. What’s his face is lecturing his son about leading the souls of men astray by visiting a girl who he calls a slut (best real translation of harlot, not prostitute) it is the leading of men’s souls away from God and causing them not to believe because he was being such a hypocrite, that is the sin next to murder, not sexual sin. Being a hypocrite is the sin next to murder.

[Hagoth]

Being a hypocrite is the sin next to murder.

Oh man, I would love to hear you debate that with Dallin Oaks and/or the ghost of Boyd Packer.

[deacon blues]

This is brilliant. I would say there is more wisdom in this thread than in the entire book Miracle of Forgiveness and all the conference talks about "little factories" and so forth. Annotated and Alas really came through.

If there is any doubt about the harm Church leaders have done promoting the "second to murder" idea google Kip Eliason lds. And there are dozens if not hundreds like him.