Ex-Mormon Ryan McIlvain Writes Fiction Novel Entitled "Elders", Draws From His Own Missionary Experiences

The wisdom of a stake president in refusing to accept a missionary application from Emmett Clayton, who expressed doubts about his ability to condemn gay marriage while serving in the mission field, is further buttressed by this story about a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served a mission despite his own doubts, and later left the Church.

Ryan McIlvain is from a sixth-generation Mormon family; he was born in Utah and grew up in Massachusetts. But before he embarked upon his mission, he experienced doubts about his own faith beginning as early as age 13; those doubts grew as he served his mission. Subsequently, he left the Church, and is now living in Los Angeles and pursuing his Ph.D. in literature at the University of Southern California; you can visit his personal website HERE. McIlvain decided to draw on his own experiences to write a novel entitled "Elders", which follows a young American man and a young Brazilian man as they carry out their missions in Brazil. From the official back-cover description:

Elder McLeod -— outspoken, surly, a brash American -— is nearing the end of his mission in Brazil. For nearly two years he has spent his days studying the Bible and the Book of Mormon, knocking on doors, teaching missionary lessons -— “experimenting on the word.” His new partner is Elder Passos, a devout, ambitious Brazilian who found salvation and solace in the church after his mother’s early death. The two men are at first suspicious of each other, and their work together is frustrating, fruitless. That changes when a beautiful woman and her husband offer the missionaries a chance to be heard, to put all of their practice to good use, to test the mettle of their faith. But before they can bring the couple to baptism, they must confront their own long-held beliefs and doubts, and the simmering tensions at the heart of their friendship.

NRP provides a brief excerpt HERE, and even more excerpts are available HERE.

In his NPR interview, McIlvain reveals that door-to-door tracting was nerve-wracking, saying that it can be emotionally very taxing, especially when those doors close again and again and again. The frustration can accumulate, considering that McIlvain wanted to avoid being the overly-pushy type. But he does credit Mormonism with a lot of his literary acumen, citing his daily attendance at seminary when he was a high school student and the close attention to and meticulous interpretation of Scripture paid as having taught him to read closely and pay attention to each word within a sentence. Thus, although McIlvain is ex-Mormon, there's no evidence that he's anti-Mormon or intends to launch a grand Steve Benson-type crusade to "rescue" people from Mormonism.

Two reviewers agree that the book is not anti-Mormon. First, from The Blue Bookcase:

...the book was excellent. It was not an exposé, nor was it necessarily faith-promoting, which was a relief to me. I've found that both of these approaches tend to flatten out, polarize and oversimplify a subject, which in my opinion does not make good literature. In fact, this book is forthright in a way that would make devout Mormons uncomfortable; there is quite a bit of language, for example, and candid portrayal of masturbation and some sex, things that I think would be unnatural not to include in a book about 20 year old males trying to understand themselves and their place in the world.

Next, from River City Reading:

What I thought might be a fiery exposé of Mormonism was actually written in a delicate way that is neither accusing nor particularly supportive of the religion, rather it focuses more on the relationship between the Elders themselves. With different languages, backgrounds and cultures, McLeod and Passos have plenty to cause a rift between them. However, it is the different way they approach the Mormon religion and their beliefs that leads to the tension in their partnership.

Links to numerous other interviews and reviews are available HERE.

Not only does this book provide a candid inside look at the lives of a typical LDS missionary companionship, albeit fictional, but it also shows that despite making all the right stops and getting all the right training, a person can ultimately decide the LDS Church is not for him. It also shows that "ex-Mormon" and "anti-Mormon" are not always synonymous; when we reflexively and thoughtlessly merge "ex-Mormon" and "anti-Mormon" together, we risk driving away ex-Mormons permanently and catering to popular stereotypes of us being a cult. Ryan McIlvain has plenty of time to change his mind and come back if he wants to. But let's not repeat Lucifer's mistake of trying to scare everyone into the celestial kingdom. Since our Heavenly Father respects our free agency, we need to respect the free agency of others to effectively mirror Him. Remember our 11th Article of Faith: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may".

Dissident MormonThink Webmaster David Twede Resigns From The LDS Church

On October 22nd, 2012, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that David Twede, the editor of the MormonThink website, has decided to formally resign from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He announced the decision during an open mic session last week at the Exmormon Foundation’s annual conference at the DoubleTree Suites in Salt Lake City (archives of 2012 conference not yet available). Twede was under fire from local LDS leadership because of the anti-Mormon content of his website; the local leadership proposed a disciplinary council before indefinitely postponing it.

In an e-mail to the Tribune, Twede wrote "While I’ve been in serious doubt about the veracity of LDS claims for some time, I had become so disillusioned with how my situation was handled". The full text of his resignation letter to his stake president appears on the MormonThink website, and it reveals a person who is not only suffused in personal arrogance, but is also in deep denial about his motives, definitions, and actions.

-- Twede complains about the Church characterizing MormonThink as “anti-Mormon, anti-Joseph Smith and anti-LDS Leadership”, but that the Church has not said it was untrue. Well, one need only look at the links in the upper left hand corner, which include "Book of Mormon Problems", "Could Joseph Smith Have Written The BOM", and "Lying For The Lord" to conclude that it is anti-Mormon in character. No rebuttal by the Church is necessary.

-- Twede writes "MT links to hundreds of LDS and Church-friendly sites. It acknowledges many good teachings of the Church, and encourages people to discover and retain all the good 'truths' that came into their lives through the Church. It is not MT’s purpose to encourage people to leave the Church". So what if he links to Church-friendly sites; that means nothing. I link to anti-Mormon sites, but it's obvious from my commentary that I defend the Church. Linking to Church-friendly sites is just a ploy to cover his ass. And the critical tone of his website belies his contention that he's not encouraging people to leave the Church; perhaps he's confusing his site with John Dehlin's Mormon Stories. Dehlin expressly states that he doesn't encourage people to leave the Church by default; he merely leads his audience where they want to go individually.

-- Towards the end of his letter, Twede claims that "an omnipotent, loving God will know my mind and my heart, and He will know that the doubts I have are real, well-founded and sincere. In the end, Heavenly Father will not fault me for following my conscience and maintaining my integrity". That may be true, but the Father will also correct his misconceptions, and hold him accountable for them. I don't think he'll be judged a son of perdition, but celestial glory would seem to be out of the question for him at this point.

David Twede has simply decided that he knows more about the Church than the sixteen presidents who have served as prophets, seers, and revelators. He has decided that it's more important to have a testimony of the history of the Church than to have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel message. He demands perfection from an imperfect institution populated by imperfect people, even though he is incapable of perfection himself. He vaingloriously compares himself to Galileo. In his mind, the least little inconsistency ruins the whole message.

The LDS Church declined to comment on Twede’s situation, but spokesman Scott Trotter added that "church leaders are always saddened when an individual, whether through his or her actions or personal choices, decides to leave the church. A welcoming hand of fellowship is always extended to those who wish to return at anytime." And Twede does indeed have time to re-evaluate his attitudes and actions, decide he was too hasty, and return to membership and full fellowship. Only the Father knows how much time Twede has been allotted for his mortal probation. It's too bad that Twede decided to leave, but considering his doubts, it may be the best course of action for him at this time rather than hang around and make everyone miserable.

But even though he closed the door behind him when he left, we have NOT locked it. He can come back when he gets his head straight.

Excommunicated Ex-Mormon Dawn Forsythe Defends LDS Church And Mitt Romney Against Bogus Charges Of Racism Aired In Attack Video

Currently making the rounds is an attack ad on video which claims that Mitt Romney and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is racist. Over dramatic music, you can hear the narrator say things like, "Mitt Romney was part of an official racist organization until he was 31 years old." The video goes on to point out that "it wasn't until 1978 that the Mormon Church allowed blacks to participate fully." The attack video talks about the LDS faith, but is aimed at Romney. In a clip from an interview a few years ago Romney says, "I'm proud of my faith, and it’s the faith of my fathers." That is followed by the narrator saying, "The faith of his father is a racist faith." The video is embedded below, although it might not stay up much longer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RckqB2u9r3k



The video has drawn sharp condemnation from a number of sources. The other Mormon candidate, Jon Huntsman Jr, condemned the ad and called for YouTube to pull it because of the misleading Huntsman tagline at the end. Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller speculated that it was produced by a Ron Paul supporter. Even the Utah Democratic Party, which has no political reason to defend Romney, spoke out in protest. State party chairman Jim Dabakis characterized the video as political pornography, explaining "We were made aware of a video today [Jan. 13] and we believe that it disturbed not only Democrats, but fair-minded people everywhere." He further characterized it as anti-Mormon discrimination. But the origin of the video has not yet been established. There has been no comment from the Romney camp.

But even more importantly, the video attracted condemnation from an unlikely source; an excommunicated ex-Mormon. Dawn Forsythe, who was an LDS member from 1971 until she was excommunicated in 1973 for apostasy after expressing public disagreement with the ban against conferring Priesthood upon Black men, pointedly explained that the Mormons changed their old racial discrimination as did many other social institutions, and noted that despite being excommunicated, she still admires the Mormon tenets that attracted her to the Church in the first place; namely, service to others, humanitarian aid, good citizenship, and a strong family life. She maintains that although she would not consider voting for Romney, Mormonism should not be a disqualifier for presidential candidates, and only uninformed voters would vote against him because of his religion.

Dawn Forsythe is to be commended for her integrity and fair-mindedness. It's obvious that she has long since come to terms with her excommunication, and it's proof that ex-Mormons do NOT necessarily become anti-Mormons. I would encourage any LDS member reading this post to visit her blog and post a brief comment expressing appreciation for her defense of the truth. The better we treat ex-Mormons, the less likely they are to become anti-Mormons.

Australian Rules Football Star Israel Folau Leaves The LDS Church, Joins The Assemblies Of God

While we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints express pride and joy at the number of people who choose to go beyond salvation and strive for exaltation by joining our Church each year, there are those who decide Mormonism isn't for them. Many exit under acrimonious circumstances and vent their spleen on websites such as Recovery from Mormonism. They may even become full-blown apostates, such as Ed Decker and Steve Benson. However, some choose to take a higher road and make a clean break with a minimum of recriminations.

One such person is Australian Rules Football star Israel Folau. Two years ago, he was a devout member of the LDS Church with a cast-iron testimony. In 2008, he even seriously flirted with the idea of fulfilling the customary two-year proselyting mission for the Church before deciding in 2010 to defer a mission for at least five years. So imagine my surprise when I found out from The Australian that Israel Folau has now left the LDS Church and attends Tongan-language services with the Assemblies of God; he and his immediate family made the decision earlier in 2011. To his credit, Folau has neither attacked the Church nor embarked upon some silly, hysterical personal crusade to "rescue people from Mormonism"; instead, he merely states that he researched the history of Mormonism, and reached some unspecified conclusions to which he could not reconcile himself. He also claims he never had an experience with the Holy Spirit while he was a Mormon, but that he now feels a spiritual connection to his new church. From The Australian comes his own explanation:

"I had a personal experience with the holy spirit touching my heart. I've never felt that before while I was involved in the Mormon church -- until I came to the AOG church and accepted Christ.

"It's been an amazing experience for me personally and I know a lot of people on the outside have been saying stuff about why we left. And some people (are) assuming that we left because of money, and all that sort of stuff.

"I know for myself that it wasn't. But I guess at the moment, the people on the outside don't really know the main reason why we left."

It is interesting to speculate on whether or not Folau would have left the Church had he served a mission. Most people who serve missions report that their testimonies are strengthened by the experience; perhaps a mission would have given Folau the additional spiritual armor necessary to successfully reconcile Mormon history with his conscience. The Famous Mormons website will undoubtedly find it necessary to delete Israel Folau's name from their Rugby list.

Ex-Mormon Adam Lowe Continues To Attest To The Effectiveness Of The LDS Home Teaching Program When Implemented As Designed

Well, I certainly got a bit of a surprise today when the Mormon Times printed a submission from an ex-Mormon. Although the Mormon Times is not an official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it does tend to restrict itself to publishing faith-promoting news about the Church. It is operated by the Deseret News, which is owned by the LDS Church.

But there's a reason. This ex-Mormon, Adam Lowe, did not turn into a drama queen and launch a crusade against the Church. In fact, he continues to praise the LDS Church's home teaching program in this Mormon Times article. That's because his first home teacher, who he identifies as "Brother O", set the example for proper home teaching back in 1986. How did he do it?

-- He always taught very detailed and interesting lessons
-- Challenged the children in the family to memorize scripture verses which they were expected to recite upon his next visit.
-- Always sent cards on family members' birthdays.

Oh, and by the way, Adam Lowe's home teacher was not just an ordinary ward member. He was also a Regional Representative (abolished in 1995; supplanted by Area Seventies). A Regional Representative basically lived out of a suitcase, always traveling, visiting the wards and stakes in the area to which he was assigned. Yet he found time not only to satisfy his additional calling as a home teacher, but to take it seriously.

The example was not lost on either Adam Lowe or his father. When they went out to home teach, they researched the needs of their families. Perhaps they even prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But they tailored each visit to the specific needs of the family. Those who wanted a formal lesson got a formal lesson, while those who preferred a social visit, talking about hunting, etc., got a social visit.

Adam Lowe does not disclose the circumstances behind his departure from the Church. But to this day, the positive examples of home teaching not only by his first home teacher, but also his own father, have stayed with him. He writes:

I'm no longer a believer in Mormonism, but I will always remember the inspiring example of Brother O. Some people view home teaching as a chore, but he had a vision of how the program could touch people's lives. He was also an example of the importance of magnifying one's calling, no matter how small, as he truly believed that his responsibility to our family as our home teacher was every bit as important as his responsibility over several stakes.

Contrast this with the cavalier approach taken by many elders today. Many will wait until the 30th of the month, then make a Hail Mary last-minute visit to punch their ticket for the month so they can go back to their Elders' Quorum President and tell him what good boys they've been. That approach not only makes a solemn mockery of the program, but can inspire cynicism among members, sometimes leading to apostasy and a messy divorce from the Church.

The scriptural foundation of home teaching is the commandment for priesthood holders to "watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen them" (D&C 20:53; see also D&C 20:54–55; Moroni 6:4). Through home teaching, priesthood holders join with the Lord in watching over and strengthening Church members. From the time priesthood holders are ordained to the office of teacher, they have the opportunity and responsibility to serve as home teachers. Accordingly, home teachers are assigned by priesthood leaders. They are not called, sustained, or set apart. Home teachers establish a relationship of trust with these families so that the families can call upon them in times of need. They also serve to magnify the ward bishop or branch president's calling, to avoid overloading him with problems. Proper home teaching is effective delegation of a bishop's authority.

Combined with the Visiting Teaching program, which is directed towards the women by the Relief Society, this ensures that individual Church members have multiple prospective sources of help if trouble arises. It may start out as "mandatory friendship", but genuine friendships can arise. Visiting teaching is the heart and soul of Relief Society. The purposes of visiting teaching are to build caring relationships with each sister and to offer support, comfort, and friendship. In visiting teaching, both the giver and the receiver are blessed and strengthened in their Church activity by their caring concern for one another. Scriptural justifications are contained in Mosiah 18:8–9 and Moroni 6:4

Adam Lowe is to be commended for not becoming an anti-Mormon. He's proof that ex-Mormon and anti-Mormon need not be synonymous.

An Inside Look At An LDS Stake Disciplinary Council Hearing: The August 2007 Excommunication Of Lyndon Lamborn For Apostasy

Ever wonder what a disciplinary court in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is like? You're about to find out. I have embedded below three different tapes of the disciplinary hearing of Lyndon Lamborn, who was excommunicated from the LDS Church for apostasy in August 2007. Lamborn audiotaped the encounter, transferred it to video, then uploaded it to YouTube. Because the audio is poor, a transcript is incorporated on the video. The recording was made without the explicit permission of the LDS Church, yet they've taken no action to have the videos removed. Nor should they -- if we censor our adversaries, we give them a victory.

Because Lyndon Lamborn was a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, his disciplinary court had to be convened by the stake president rather than the ward bishop. A stake disciplinary council is composed of the stake president, his two counselors, and the twelve members of the stake high council. Read more about church discipline in this previous post.

The purposes of this post are first, to convey information about what a disciplinary court is like, and second, to show that it is NOT some medieval-type inquisition or star chamber hearing. The tone of all parties remains conversational throughout, and James Molina, the stake president presiding over the court, fully allowed Lamborn to express himself:

Video 1 of 3:



Video 2 of 3:



Video 3 of 3:


Lyndon Lamborn fully explained the situation in an interview documented on Equality Time. A lifelong member of the Church, he had served a mission and held a number of serious callings, such as Elders Quorum President. One day, he found out about a book entitled "Under The Banner Of Heaven", written by Jon Krakauer. While reading this book, he found out that the Prophet Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage. Since he was never told this by an LDS source, he became distressed and began to question his faith. He also began expressing his doubts to others within his ward. This attracted the attention of the stake president, and at Lamborn's thrid meeting with the stake president, he had agreed to resign quietly from the Church.

But guess what? Ten days later, he received a summons to a disciplinary council. So it wasn't enough that Lamborn intended to leave; the Church decided to affirmatively kick him out for spreading apostasy, which seems a bit hard-nosed to me. They were even prepared to take the unusual step of publicly announcing Lamborn's excommunication at various ward meetings throughout the stake, but changed their mind when the newspaper story broke.

Initially, Lamborn did not intend to write the typical "kiss-and-tell" book, but later he changed his mind and authored "Standing For Something More". He's now done a video for the "I Am An Ex-Mormon" series, entitled "I'm Lyndon Lamborn and I'm no longer a Mormon." The series is designed to be a gentle mockery of the LDS Church's I Am A Mormon" series of videos done by individual members. Lamborn also has a MormonThink homepage HERE.

Analysis: Wow! So Lyndon Lamborn reads one book which presents a few uncomplimentary things about Joseph Smith, and he decides that's enough justification to junk the entire Gospel. He decides that the word of one non-Mormon author is more important than the word of sixteen Presidents of the Church, all of who were prophets, seers, and revelators. You gotta be kidding me -- what a nimrod! I read the same book, and it didn't change my attitude towards the Church one bit. When I finished reading "Under The Banner Of Heaven", Joseph Smith was STILL a prophet, the Book of Mormon was STILL the authoritative word of God, and the Church was STILL true. Nothing changed!

Of course, that's because I realize that no member of the LDS Church has or can reach perfection in this life. The term "Latter-day Saint" doesn't so much describe what we are, but what we are striving to be. But I'll leave you with this comment posted to Equality Time, which even better sums up my attitude:

Posted by: DLounsbury | October 02, 2008 at 03:22 AM
I listened to Lamborn's illegally recorded church court. I do not trust what anyone says when they are the only one in the room who knows it is being recorded. He tries to appear gracious in the court setting, but his few seconds of smug solo commentary spoke volumes.

Lyndon Lamborn discovered some less than flattering facts about Mormonism and he threw out the baby with the bathwater. First off, I have to say that I dated a girl in High School who had three brothers who were Baptist Preachers. To answer their questions, I studied and learned about the criticisms that threw Lamborn for a loop. For example, Lamborn appears stuck, like many, on Joseph Smith's polygamy. Surely that disqualifies Joseph Smith as a prophet? Not too fast. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all had plural wives. When companionship was scarce a drunkend Noah slept with his daughters. Jacob's twelve sons of Israel killed the entire male population in the town Shechem as revenge for the kidnapping of their sister. They did this by convincing the men to be cicumcised then killed them when incapacitated. (This makes the Mountain Meadow Massacre pale in comparison). Yet Judaeo Christians look at Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Noah as great prophets. Lamborn simply set the standard too high for Joseph Smith et al and got caught "whiting the sepluchure of the prophets" in his mind when the facts are out there for anyone who wants to read a few books. He wants to blame the church for his failure to study other facts, but he could have read about this in high school like I did back in 1982. Lamborn's other criticisms are all old news and have all been answered. Space does not permit an answer to all the problems Landon had with Mormonism but sufficeth to say, they aren't any bigger than the ones I find in biblical christianity. When one sets their mind to it, any idea, orgaznization, nation or movement can be critically attacked.

The history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, like the history of these old testament prophets is one of miracles--God's ability to bring to pass mighty works through very flawed folks. Landon admits he was treated well for years by the church and church members. But why the angst if the church was so wonderful? Joseph Smith explained that when one leaves and becomes and enemy to the church the spirit of the Lord is replaced with a commensurate spirit of apostasy. The more intelligent and spirit filled before the more obsessive and apostasy filled after. Like so many, Lamborn can leave the church, but he can't leave it alone. The angst is apparent in his ongoing rants about all the money he spent on tithing and all his time he wasted for the church. Like wolves that feed on the cancerous caribou, Lamborn's present attacks are an exercise in futility and will only serve to strengthen the herd.

My personal experience with Mormomism is that it (and God!) are at the root of all that is good in my life. I am the father of seven wonderful, healthy and happy children who are finding sucess in all their endeavors. I have a loving wife and sucessful business. our family works hard, plays hard and enjoys our time together. None of this would have happened without my upbringing in the mormon church. I lived the principles I was taught and God has blessed me with an abundant life.

John Larsen Of Mormon Expression Interviews The Penultimate Anti-Mormon Apostate, Ed Decker

If there is one person on the face of this earth who comes closer to being considered an "antichrist" than anyone else by the LDS community, that person would have to be Ed Decker. A former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Decker apostasized and was excommunicated in 1976, then embarked upon a crusade against the LDS Church. More information on him can be found on Wikipedia. He wrote several books purporting to "expose" Mormonism, the most prominent among them being "The God Makers", and subsequently established an apologetics ministry called "Saints Alive In Jesus". I recall at the time how I personally hated his guts, and being less emotionally mature than I am now, could not have guaranteed that if he and I had met, that it wouldn't have gotten physical.

So when I learned that on October 26th, 2010, John Larsen of Mormon Expression interviewed Ed Decker, it piqued my interest. Decker is still as anti-Mormon as ever, but seems to have mellowed out somewhat. Unfortunately, as of February 28th, 2013, the audio of the interview is no longer available, but the rest of this post is still operative. Now that I've listened to Ed Decker, I no longer hate him personally, although I still vigorously disagree with him. Indeed, it's not just Mormons who have issues with him; Sandra Tanner and Bob Passantino have said that his writings grossly misrepresent Mormonism, and thereby dilute his message and offend Mormons without attracting them to evangelical Christianity. Sandra Tanner, herself a prominent critic of the LDS Church, has noted what she contends are inaccuracies and errors in some of Decker's works. A book entitled "The Truth About The God Makers", written by Gilbert W. Scharffs, rebuts Decker's claims in The God Makers.

But although Ed Decker is clearly an apostate, can he be considered a "son of perdition"? Has he really committed the "unpardonable sin" of denying the Holy Ghost once one has had it? In my previous posts, "LDS Doctrine: The 'Unpardonable Sin', Part I - Just What Is The 'Unpardonable Sin'? Duane Crowther's Perspective", and "LDS Doctrine: The 'Unpardonable Sin', Part II - Who's Capable Of Committing The 'Unpardonable Sin'? Duane Crowther's Perspective", I show how Crowther, using numerous scriptural verses, contends that the unpardonable sin is not a single act, but rather a series of acts that, when all are committed, together constitute the unpardonable sin. Despite Ed Decker's anti-Mormon activity, he still proclaims Jesus Christ as Savior and invites people to come unto Him, so Decker clearly hasn't reached the point of no return. I'd just as soon leave it to the Lord to pass the final judgment.

John Larsen, who edits Mormon Expression, left the LDS Church around seven years ago. However, he maintains an interest in Mormon studies, particularly in Mormon history, culture and doctrine. On Mormon Expression, he tries to straddle the position between defense and criticism of the faith, and look at it from all points of view. Consequently, although he's ex-Mormon, I cannot look upon him as anti-Mormon, because he doesn't crusade against the Church.

Kirk Bell: An Ex-Mormon Who Is Not An Anti-Mormon Explains His Opinions In The Arbiter Online

Despite the shrieking anti-Mormon hysteria on forums such as Recovery From Mormonism, not all ex-Mormons are anti-Mormons. In Boise State University's Arbiter Online, Kirk Bell describes himself as an ex-Mormon who has no issues against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bell comes from a split family. While his mother is active LDS, his father is an Evangelical pastor (the two are now divorced). His grandfather was an LDS bishop, and some of his ancestors pulled handcarts across the Great Plains, so he was saturated with religious doctrine and history during his childhood. But it appears that Kirk simply lost interest in the practices and the lifestyle and left the Church. Here's how he describes it, in part:

I’m not your typical ex-Mormon. I don’t hate the religion or preach believers in the LDS faith are being led astray by a false history. I don’t slam the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price or the Doctrine and Covenants. They have built a history around me.

I fell away from the church at about 14 to question where my heart and mind were regarding God. But when you are raised Mormon, your lifestyle doesn’t simply walk away from it as a whole. The principles, such as loving your family above all other earthly possessions and a solidified value system focused on integrity and preparedness, carry with you for a lifetime.

The lessons of thriftiness and hard work have transferred into my adult life. I still love God and have the deepest affection for my family. The more I go forward, the more I choose to live the core principles of the Mormon faith. Good deeds and being neighborly have become actions that are priceless in a world where people are selfish.

I can’t stop cussing. I drink coffee and alcohol and have the occasional cigarette after a cocktail. I only attend church upon the request by my devout LDS mother or my father, who is an evangelical pastor. Needless to say, they are divorced. Religion has little interest in my life today as a result.

Regardless of my resistance to one organized belief system, the LDS values have carried me through countless trials. I often rely on my mother’s faith in the church and transmit it into my own life during trying times.

Geez, the guy actually sounds a lot like me, except I have maintained my formal membership, and I use this blog in part as a missionary tool. It appears Kirk Bell still cherishes Gospel values, even if he decided formal Church membership was too burdensome for him.

This is all we ask of ex-Mormons. If you can't handle it, walk away from it with your head held high and find your own belief system, whatever it might be. Don't waste your time crusading against a Church that will not be taken from the earth ever again. Yes, it might be tough, because some of your Mormon friends might reject you. But you can always find new friends.

One genuine anti-Mormon posted a typical hateful comment to the story:

Duwayne Anderson 2 hours ago
I always find it interesting when someone starts ****oring about how typical ex-Mormons "hate" the church. I've yet to see an ex-Mormon that "hates" Mormonism half as much as your typical Mormon "hates" ex Mormons.

Rather, it seems that the "hate" card is played by Mormons and their apologists as a strawman argument -- a diversion, if you will. In this Mormon universe it becomes an act of "hatred" to disagree with Mormon teachings. Thus, in the LDS universe it’s “hatred” to say that the Book of Mormon is a fraud or that Joseph Smith was an adulterer – thought both are statements of fact.

{snip}

And if ex-Mormons are accused of “hatred” for disagreeing with LDS “prophets” then certainly those prophets must be filled with “hatred” for denying ex-Mormons the right to attend temple weddings with family members. After all, what could be more “hateful” than a church that strives to break up families simply because they don’t all subscribe to the church’s mythology and superstition?

But Mormons, of course, will argue that those things are sacred teachings of the church and in the ultimate irony Mormons and their defenders end up saying it's "hate" to call hate doctrines hate!

Go figure.

Personally I have my reservations about whether or not the guy that wrote this opinion piece is an “ex-Mormon” at all. He sounds more like a Mormon apologist in hiding, trying to spread your typical Mormon stereotypes about ex-Mormons. I’d call that an act of hate. Now, wouldn’t that be ironic?

Naturally, because Duwayne Anderson cannot understand how anyone can leave the LDS Church without hating the Church, he attempts to minimize and demean Kirk Bell by questioning his bonafides. This is a typical Saul Alinsky tactic -- project your hangups and limitations upon everyone else. It's not hatred merely to question the Book of Mormon, but it's hatred to employ the terminology used by Anderson, and Anderson's motive is clearly not to promote honest dialogue, but to tear down the Church. Like the rest of his ilk, he will not succeed.

It should be noted that Duwayne Anderson is the author of “Farewell to Eden: Coming to terms with Mormonism and science”. He publishes a brief summary of the book HERE, and a pro-LDS review of the book from FARMS is available HERE.

As Latter-day Saints, we must do a better job of discriminating between the Kirk Bells and the Duwayne Andersons. We owe our continued fellowship to Kirk Bell, regardless of whether or not he returns to the LDS Church. The Holy Spirit can still work with him. But to Duwayne Anderson, we owe nothing. The Holy Spirit fled from him long ago, as it cannot abide unclean temples.

Apostate Ex-Mormon John Jordan Otte Produces Play Depicting Jesus Christ As A Homosexual, Residents Of Stephenville, Texas Justifiably Outraged

An apostate ex-Mormon has produced a play which depicts Jesus Christ as a homosexual, and residents of Stephenville, Texas are justifiably outraged and plan to protest. Primary media story published by World Net Daily; supplemental stories in the Dallas Voice (pro-gay) and the Dallas Morning News (119 public comments).

John Jordan Otte, the student director at Tarleton State University, is directing the controversial play entitled "Corpus Christi", which was originally written by Terrence McNally. The production of the play, scheduled for Saturday March 27th in Stephenville, features the Jesus character named Joshua kissing Judas during their prom at Pontius Pilate High School and performing a same-sex marriage for two of his disciples. Before the ceremony, a disciple named James pauses and quotes the Old Testament Scripture: "If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them." Joshua then responds: "Why would you memorize such a terrible passage? 'And God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good.' ... God loves us most when we love each other." Otte further claims he picked the play not to be deliberately controversial but because its theme – that the teachings of Jesus apply to all – resonated with him. A lengthier statement by Otte was published by WFAA Channel 8.

John Otte is also identified by WND as a gay man who is a former member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Otte claims that he was extremely faithful, and did everything he was supposed to do, even serving a full-time mission in Italy. But after an emotional upheaval leading to him coming out as a fully-blown homosexual, he left the LDS church, which condemns homosexuality. Media sources do not disclose whether Otte left voluntarily via resignation, or involuntarily via excommunication. Otte also has a MySpace page HERE.

The play has stirred up major controversy not only on the campus of Tarleton State, but also in the surrounding community of Stephenville and beyond. Some who identify themselves as conservative Christians said they were particularly incensed that the play would be performed this Saturday -- the day before Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most solemn and sacred of Christian celebrations. "It's just sticking a thumb in the eye of the standards of this community," Carroll Cawyer of Stephenville told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (155 public comments). "That's what a lot of people are upset about." An unscientific opinion poll being run by the Star-Telegram on the same page indicates that 53 percent oppose the play and only 34 percent support it. The Catholic League also issued a statement condemning the play as hate speech.

Tarleton's president, F. Dominic Dottavio, said in a March 11th letter to the university that he allowed the play to be presented on campus because Tarleton is committed to protecting and preserving the freedoms of thought, speech and expression. In response to expected protestors, security will be beefed up at the school on Saturday. As a matter of fact, the Stephenville Empire-Tribune now reports that university officials changed the time to 8 A.M. Saturday, citing security issues. The play will also be made into a private showing with only family members of the cast and invited guests allowed to attend. The public and all members of the media will not be allowed to view the showing.

The real sin here is not Otte's sexual orientation, but his promotion of homosexuality as a desirable lifestyle, and worse yet, his solemn mockery of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To represent Jesus Christ as a homosexual scales the heights of blasphemy and plumbs the depths of depravity. Unfortunately, it is common for someone who leaves the LDS Church under adverse circumstances to go completely to the dark side. But time remains for him to repent - if he chooses to do so.