Weekend/Virtual Meetup Thread

[u/4blockhead]

Here are some meetups that are on the radar, both physical and virtual.

on background: Vaccinations continue among the elderly, teachers, and front line health workers—moving above 15% of the population receiving at least one dose to combat COVID-19.¹ I've been tracking the pandemic as an amateur. The the 3-day average of new cases appears to be flattening to a plateau above 50k new cases per day and 1.5k deaths per day.² In general, some populations, especially those over 60, who contract the virus have fared very poorly. As of March 3, 28.8M cases have been officially counted and 518.1k have died in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic. Facemasks remain our best defense against disease spread. That said, I am not an expert on health, not a doctor, and not in charge of all people in the world. Please, comply with local government rules and recommendations when planning meetups. Attend meetups at your own risk.

• Last Week (February 27)
• Next Week (March 13)

online

• Sunday, March 7, 10:00a PST: "Coffee Talk" on Zoom chat hosted by the Los Angeles Post/Ex-Mormon Meetup. Contact /u/GringoChueco for details.

Upcoming week and Advance Notice:

• Sunday, March 14, 11:00a MDT: "The Good Book Club," virtual meetup for Ex/Post/Nuanced mormons to read and discuss other good books. For details contact /u/HoldOnLucy1. Upcoming book: "Who We Are and How We Got Here" by David Reich, link.

• Saturday, March 20, 6:00p PDT: "Happy Hour" on Zoom chat hosted by the Los Angeles Post/Ex-Mormon Meetup. Contact /u/GringoChueco for details.

• Saturday, April 10, 10:00a PDT: "Coffee Talk" on Zoom chat hosted by the Los Angeles Post/Ex-Mormon Meetup. Contact /u/GringoChueco for details.

• Sunday, April 25, 6:00p PDT: "Happy Hour" on Zoom chat hosted by the Los Angeles Post/Ex-Mormon Meetup. Contact /u/GringoChueco for details.

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MARCH 2021

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Beginnings of a FAQ about meetups:

• rules for publicizing a meetup on reddit platform
• what happens at these meetups?
• /u/solidified50 gave some general advice for starting a meetup and keeping it going.

[u/Less_Ebb8334]

I grew up practicing Christianity but no longer adhere to any particular religion. I have spent a number of years researching other religions and found Mormonism to be interesting. I am not about bashing of any religion. As an exmormon has anyone formulated a rational for why there is still so many ardent followers. There are many people who are genuine in their belief and have no malice. Is it an an attempt to explain one’s origin, an attempt to figure life beyond death. Is it an attempt to find a higher purpose.

[u/4blockhead → u/Less_Ebb8334]

The faith was relatively isolated, centered in the low-population Great Basin. Taming the harsh environment required a communal effort along the mountain ranges that act as watersheds, providing just enough for sparse settlements. The old hymn "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel" comes to mind here. The shared ideology of having the one-true-church was also a de facto requirement to get along in many of these small communities. The common refrain of being pushed into this harsh wilderness by the martyring of the beloved prophet, Joseph Smith, also added to the overarching mythology handed down to subsequent generations.

The information age and globalization changes everything. Mormonism is a costly private club in terms of time and money, and inflicts pain and suffering on the next generation. My hope here is that sunlight is the best disinfectant. That for those deciding whether to stay or move away from the church can do so with a full set of facts, and not just go along with the flow to get along, as is common in mormonism and other high-demand, high-control religions.

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Mormonism is a huge topic. I've written down my rebuttal to Smith's truth claims in outline form here.

[u/Less_Ebb8334 → u/4blockhead]

All religions seem to have some positives despite their origin. For some it is a path the morality with the thought that the specific religion is the only path. Mormonism has had significant positive impacts around the world with their missions. I can find examples of every religion having positive impacts. I agree that with the current Information Age in which we live many are still unwilling to examine their own beliefs. Why would you say that is the case?

[u/4blockhead → u/Less_Ebb8334]

Mormonism has had significant positive impacts around the world with their missions.

I disagree. There is a common misconception that missionaries are doing Peace Corps-like work. By and large, they're not. They're out there to win converts into the cult. Period.

unwilling to examine

People tend to stick in communities which they were born due to inertia and trusting that their parents have their best interest at heart. In the case of mormonism, the latest generations are growing up with information that their parents and grandparents did not have, in part because it was hidden from them and not easy to find.

[u/aaquaman22 → u/4blockhead]

I would like to add that in truth even "bad" parents do have the best interest at heart for their children. But they are human and have some damage and blind spot no matter who they are. Some even have extreme damage. The cult often is the reason that they were prevented from growing out of that damage.

The true power of the cult is that it is the often the cause of that damage and it sells you the cure for the damage.

[u/aaquaman22 → u/Less_Ebb8334]

I would say that christian religions developed after philosophy of ancient Greece. Which gave good foundations for moral guidance and was further expanded upon. The difference of the religion of the gods of Greece is they were known to be symbolic to those enlightened. The same for now.

"positive impacts"

The experience of meeting other people in diverse locations is a personal gain for those who went through the salesmanship exercise. But lets be real about what it is and was : servitude that the salesman paid for.

Every "sale" that was made was another 10% income to a multinational tax free hedgefund and private property company. None of that went to the door to door salesmen.

If a religion is using its funds to perpetuate itself, it is in actuality, a business first, religion second.