Some LDS.net feedback

[Sweltzer]

Full disclosure: I am not LDS or affiliated with any specific religion. I have been lurking here for a while as well as on other religious forums, trying to understand people's faith and why they believe what they believe.

Please let me humbly comment on my experiences here. Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm just trying to provide some feedback as to how an outsider views this online community.

Having monitored this forum(s) for some time now, I have been surprised by a few observations:

1) Many here seem to be, on average (based on my experience on reading posts on numerous forums), overly hostile, rude, un-trusting, and accusatory. Please don't think that this applies to everyone; many have been very nice and helpful but the percentage of those that haven't has surprised me. I thought it would be lower.

2) Many here seem to have a loose grasp on what they believe and why they believe it. Again, I'm not trying to be insulting but after seeing many theological discussions over basic doctrinal beliefs have such disparate responses, I can only conclude that many of the LDS lack basic doctrinal understanding of the Mormon faith and beliefs. Further, I see many talk about leaving the church for a time and then coming back years later. I would think that if you were a true believer then "leaving the faith" (I use this term loosely) would be ridiculous if you truly believed. Again, I seek only to understand, not to judge, please don't be offended.

So I am left with the questions, why do Mormons seem (at least online) more prone to rudeness (is it an online only thing fueled by the anonymity of the Internet or something else) and why does their understand and commitment seem to be lax? Again, I am not speaking of all Mormons since many dedicate years to their mission and spend non-trivial amounts of time proselytizing those in their community. However, I must say that my expectations were quite different from reality once I started to monitor this forum.

This post is not meant to upset but just to provide some feedback to the lds.net community. My surprise at the points noted above has caused me a lot of thought and I just want to share it so that you may possibly benefit from it. Any feedback is welcome.

[pam]

So in trying not to be insulting or upsetting that is exactly how you have come out to be.

You're right. There are differences in people's understanding of doctrine. In a Church of millions, with every member at a different level or place in their journey (some life time members, some converts, some who have left the church for years and have returned) do you think that everyone would still be on the exact same level of understanding?

I"m going to be honest and come right out and say this. Call me one of the rude ones I really don't care. To state you have lurked for a long time, you've never become involved personally in any of the discussions. So your very first post to the site is to put down the members of this site in the hope they will some how benefit?

[hordak]

So in trying not to be insulting or upsetting that is exactly how you have come out to be.

You're right. There are differences in people's understanding of doctrine. In a Church of millions, with every member at a different level or place in their journey (some life time members, some converts, some who have left the church for years and have returned) do you think that everyone would still be on the exact same level of understanding?

I"m going to be honest and come right out and say this. Call me one of the rude ones I really don't care. To state you have lurked for a long time, you've never become involved personally in any of the discussions. So your very first post to the site is to put down the members of this site in the hope they will some how benefit?

I would have to disagree with you (just to prove the posters point^_^) and say that most the discussions with " such disparate responses" , especially the most "heated" on the boards are not doctrinal.

It isn't

2 kingdoms of heaven vs 3 or

Jesus died for all sin vs the elect.

It's the " are rated r movies ok" and " is it ok to wear a 2 piece to the beach" that get all the play because they are not "basic doctrine"

The principal behind them are but not exact questions.

So OP you aren't seeing a difference in understanding of basic doctrine (we all know chastity is important for example) what you are seeing is a difference in ideas on how to apply said doctrine.

[Roseslipper]

If you want to know what we beleive you need to ask, not lurk ! And make sure u talk to some one who is active, or better yet you can go to any Lds chapel close to you and seek answers to your questions. The doors are always open for visitors all are welcome. Not all here are lds and not all are active true we are all at different levels of understanding...and its all ok....and some come here to just play..or talk..its a pretty safe place.

[Sweltzer]

Thank you for your feedback, Pam, it is much appreciated. I apologize if I offended or insulted you, that was not my intention. Incidentally, your response is somewhat of an example of a non-winsome reply that I was alluding to in my original post.

Please be aware that I am approaching all this from a non-judging, but academic point of view. I have tried to be cordial in my remarks yet not water down the truth. As Timothy says in the Bible, "speak the truth in love".

As to what hordak says, I totally agree with you; I'm not referring to things like "should you let your kids use iTunes" or things like that. I am specifically referring to clear/strict doctrinal issues. God knows we all can get worked up over things that aren't *specifically* addressed in whatever divine text you claim as truth.

In all this I am not trying to demean, insult, or offend anyone. I am merely trying to communicate my experience, specifically my surprise at what I thought the online LDS community would be and what I truly experienced it as.

Again, thanks for all feedback.

[Moksha]

In all this I am not trying to demean, insult, or offend anyone. I am merely trying to communicate my experience, specifically my surprise at what I thought the online LDS community would be and what I truly experienced it as.

Again, thanks for all feedback.

Sweltzer, if this was the rudest thing I have ever heard, then I would count myself as lucky. Thank you for giving feedback.

As to the surprise, we are human like everyone else. No surprises here if you keep that in mind.

[MisterT]

Why do members fall away from the church only to return years later?

Many reasons.

1. Sin feels good for awhile - then once the novelty has worn off, you're left with a sesnce of emptiness and return to where you were welcomed and nurtured.

2. People need time to take on the world alone; when they find that they are insignificant at affecting change, they return to ally themselves with others to have the greatest chance of succeeding.

3. Some of us are confused when we are young and never truly believed; but after years of trying to do it 'our own way,' we realized that those who had clung to the principals of the church were happy and propsperous and we returned because we wanted that for ourselves and our families.

As for rudeness, I think that's cultural perception. Swedes don't see and understand things the same way Utah'ns, Californian's, or Canadians do; so your perception is skewed, I think.

[Guest mormonmusic]

Regarding the rudeness thing -- as a relatively new person here, of only a few months, and an active poster. I havent' seen a lot of rudeness really, except perhaps to people who come here masquerading as truth seekers who are really anti-Mormons in disguise. These people are easily spotted and generally not at all interested in learning the truth.

As a religion, we get put down regularly -- so I think people tend to have zero tolerance for anti-Mormons. As an LDS person myself, I find this a safe place to be as a result.

Also, I visted another forum for years before this one, and the people are generally a lot nicer and supportive here than they were at this other site, which was visited largely by professional type people.

Regarding not knowing our own doctrine -- I think if you compared the average Mormon's doctrinal knowledge to the average non-Mormon's knowledge of their own faith's doctrine, you might find we're not all that different. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Mormons are actually pretty knowledgeable on the basic doctrines of salvation, such as the First Principles and Ordinance of the Gospel, the basic layout of the plan of salvation, as well as the key parts of our history which led to our coming into being, such as the First Vision etcetera.

That was one thing that impressed me when I joined years ago -- everyone seemed to be unified in what they believed about basic doctrines.

If there is apparent "ignorance" about our own doctrine, I put it down to the fact that new members come here asking basic questions after they join, or people are exploring areas of our religion that are more speculative or requiring deeper research.

Regarding lacking commitment -- I chuckle at that one. I think our religion is among the hardest to live -- we give a substantial portion of our income, commit to a lifestyle that requires us to give up some of life's pleasureable vices (coffee, tea, alchol etcetera) as well as give a significant amount of our time. It doesn't surprise me that people fall away in the face of this, but that their testimonies bring them back years later. The fact that they've returned is evidence of the "indelible impression" the Spirit makes on a person's soul.....notwithstanding their own weaknesses in rising to the high expectations of our faith.

[Guest Godless]

1) Many here seem to be, on average (based on my experience on reading posts on numerous forums), overly hostile, rude, un-trusting, and accusatory. Please don't think that this applies to everyone; many have been very nice and helpful but the percentage of those that haven't has surprised me. I thought it would be lower.

The posters here are human and we all have our different personalities. Being LDS (or any other religion) doesn't exempt one from human flaws.

2) Many here seem to have a loose grasp on what they believe and why they believe it. Again, I'm not trying to be insulting but after seeing many theological discussions over basic doctrinal beliefs have such disparate responses, I can only conclude that many of the LDS lack basic doctrinal understanding of the Mormon faith and beliefs. Further, I see many talk about leaving the church for a time and then coming back years later. I would think that if you were a true believer then "leaving the faith" (I use this term loosely) would be ridiculous if you truly believed. Again, I seek only to understand, not to judge, please don't be offended.

Some of the finer points of LDS doctrine are very complex and open to varying levels of interpretation. While most LDS will agree on the basics, there is ample room for differing viewpoints on the less transparent aspects of the gospel. The same can easily be said of other Christian denominations, which is probably why there are so many of them.

So I am left with the questions, why do Mormons seem (at least online) more prone to rudeness (is it an online only thing fueled by the anonymity of the Internet or something else) and why does their understand and commitment seem to be lax? Again, I am not speaking of all Mormons since many dedicate years to their mission and spend non-trivial amounts of time proselytizing those in their community. However, I must say that my expectations were quite different from reality once I started to monitor this forum.

I've been frequenting religious sites for quite some time now, and I've found LDS posters to be some of the most civil on the web (especially those on this site). Again, we are all human and prone to imperfections. You can look at any religious demographic on online forums and find a myriad of personalities. I find LDS to be little different from other religious groups. And again, if anything they tend to be more respectful than most.

Keep in mind that I am not LDS. I am an atheist who has received mixed reactions from people of varying religious backgrounds on the web. Some good, some bad. That's pretty much what I expect. What I don't expect is for one demographic to be completely void of antagonists and trolls. They come from all backgrounds, whether it be Christian, atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, or LDS.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Godless

[Landy77]

I have visited here off and on for a few years. What I think you are forgetting is everyone here are real people with real opinions good or bad. There are non LDS, atheists, jews, protestants etc here chatting. So to give a label on LDS because thtis forum is to opinionated is unfair.

[the Ogre]

Full disclosure: I am not LDS or affiliated with any specific religion. I have been lurking here for a while as well as on other religious forums, trying to understand people's faith and why they believe what they believe.

Please let me humbly comment on my experiences here. Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm just trying to provide some feedback as to how an outsider views this online community.

I too spent a lot of time lurking this site back in the day many a day ago and I started posting when I decided on a few things that were personal. One deciding point for me was that I didn't think I would get booted right off the bat as long as I watched my Ps & Qs. In all the years I've been on, I've only received one warning from Pam (woot). I am not the most active of posters. My posting is in ebbs and flows depending on my homework load and internet access. My semester is practically over and all the work is done (no finals, just papers) so I have a little time to cast a few posts.

I do know that when I decided to post, it was not because I was humble or had pretenses of humility. Far from it. I, like many Latter-day Saints who happen to also be human and not the mythical mo-clones of LDS rumor and legend, have issues with humility and what is pride. I hate the pride of certain classes of Latter-day Saints (McConkieites and Psuedo-apologists and of course real apologists--true worshipers of the mighty Rameumpton-stand those). Nope, I started posting 'cause I had been tossed off many other EV sites because I was LDS or a little too assertive in my opinions and pretentious Latter-day Saints bug the crap out of me.

1) Many here seem to be, on average (based on my experience on reading posts on numerous forums), overly hostile, rude, un-trusting, and accusatory. Please don't think that this applies to everyone; many have been very nice and helpful but the percentage of those that haven't has surprised me. I thought it would be lower.

Yeah, I'm a natch on the rudeness point. I don't even have to practice in front of the mirror or take tips from my wife or anything (and since I'm not even married anymore, there would be no chance of that). The thing about the non- mo-clones on this site is that we are trying to work out our salvation. We are people don'tch ya 'no'.

Have you lurked any of the Marine Fish forums? Those guys are the real hateful bunch. They make tea-partiers out to be as liberal as Obama and soft like J. Leiberman. We really are a mild bunch.

2) Many here seem to have a loose grasp on what they believe and why they believe it. Again, I'm not trying to be insulting but after seeing many theological discussions over basic doctrinal beliefs have such disparate responses, I can only conclude that many of the LDS lack basic doctrinal understanding of the Mormon faith and beliefs.

And thus the genius of Heather et al. I am so glad this site is here. Not everyone knows their religion and so don't know where to turn. LDS.org is intimidating and the folks at church can be a little surprised if you haven't memorized Mormon Doctrine like they have (it's a book by Bruce R.) and have a hard time not showing it.

Further, I see many talk about leaving the church for a time and then coming back years later. I would think that if you were a true believer then "leaving the faith" (I use this term loosely) would be ridiculous if you truly believed. Again, I seek only to understand, not to judge, please don't be offended.

I think of this as a plus. We are not zealots for the most part. We are educated and from that have learned to question. I question everything including my faith and the doctrinal underpinning behind it. I question and despise the apologist power-structure in LDS academic circles and find CES non-gen-authorities to be an annoying bunch (and yes I do know some of them).

It is good that we challenge what we have found, have fallen-away, and then have came back with real testimonies and a stronger understanding what being a Latter-day Saint is all about. I have always had a testimony, but I had WoW obedience issues for much of my late teens and early tweens (the WoW bit has nothing to do with my 80lvl Tauren Prot War either, so don't go making assumptions K). I worked out most of it, but still back-slide a bit (I'm drinking a liter of Coke Zero as I type).

So I am left with the questions, why do Mormons seem (at least online) more prone to rudeness (is it an online only thing fueled by the anonymity of the Internet or something else) and why does their understand and commitment seem to be lax?

I do not speak for the church nor the membership, I speak for me. Anonymity is everything on forums. My avatar looks like me ('cept I had to shave for grad school up to the Y), but there is no way Pam looks like a ginger bread cookie (she is undoubtedly far more beautiful and sweet in person). This anonymity is not only a safety net, but also an excuse to say things without repercussions. Now, I am a bit rude in person and definitely a bit more direct than is acceptable in the egg-shell strewn hallways of LDS ward-houses, so what I say here is not out of the norm for normal conversation, but this is not normal: have you every been to Utah? If you knew how we drive (not really all that dangerous, just rude as the hot burny place mentioned in the bible LDS don't really believe in), then you would not be surprised at the posts on this site.

If I am rude to you, you can not give me knuckle-sandwich over it if you saw me in the Wilk or at Burger Supreme 'cause you don't know me. If I am rude to you, however, I will apologize if I am in the wrong because like I said, I am naturally rude and do not see that much wrong with it and since you're busy being objective and an outsider, nor should you.

Again, I am not speaking of all Mormons since many dedicate years to their mission and spend non-trivial amounts of time proselytizing those in their community. However, I must say that my expectations were quite different from reality once I started to monitor this forum.

Get over the idea that we are a bunch of mo-clones. I might be the only zoobie in this thread and I am a Utah Valley Native (I graduated from Provo High in 1986), but that does not mean I am like the newly minted RMs I run into or see everyday on campus (I even take my 2l bottle of Coke to the library and drink it publicly in my study cube).

This post is not meant to upset but just to provide some feedback to the lds.net community. My surprise at the points noted above has caused me a lot of thought and I just want to share it so that you may possibly benefit from it. Any feedback is welcome.

My only feedback for you is that objectivity is impossible. Don't pretend. Biases are cool and I am glad I have mine. One day, I will be perfect, but I'm not now. I am working on it surprisingly, but why pretend now? I am an opinionated person, why pretend to be objective? I think the concept is silly and not worth the time or the effort. G-d H-mself isn't objective. H- represents H-s point of view and that is why we have to learn while we are on this earth what is H-s will, so we will become perfect in H-m.

[the Ogre]

. . . what I don't expect is for one demographic to be completely void of antagonists and trolls. They come from all backgrounds, whether it be Christian, atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, or LDS . . .

OGRES! Ogres of the world unite!

[pam]

Funny I was just watching Shrek 3

[Wingnut]

I am specifically referring to clear/strict doctrinal issues.

"Ay, there’s the rub!" Perhaps what you perceive as Mormons not knowing what they believe are actually cases of misunderstanding the distinctions between doctrine and policy or practice. Unfortunately, it's quite common.

Additionally, a forum like this is not representative of a typical ward (or congregation) that you might attend on a Sunday morning. A lot of the people in this forum are not currently active in the Church, and like to have some connection with it, but not a personal one. Some people here are new to the church. Others are just coming back after years of inactivity. Inactivity happens in every church, not just Mormonism. More often than not, inactivity happens not because of differences in doctrine, but because of personal circumstance: people get offended, people take a job on Sundays, people get lazy, people misplace priorities, etc.

Keep in mind that I am not LDS.

Technically you are.

[talisyn]

Thank you for your feedback, Pam, it is much appreciated. I apologize if I offended or insulted you, that was not my intention. Incidentally, your response is somewhat of an example of a non-winsome reply that I was alluding to in my original post.

Please be aware that I am approaching all this from a non-judging, but academic point of view. I have tried to be cordial in my remarks yet not water down the truth. As Timothy says in the Bible, "speak the truth in love".

As to what hordak says, I totally agree with you; I'm not referring to things like "should you let your kids use iTunes" or things like that. I am specifically referring to clear/strict doctrinal issues. God knows we all can get worked up over things that aren't *specifically* addressed in whatever divine text you claim as truth.

In all this I am not trying to demean, insult, or offend anyone. I am merely trying to communicate my experience, specifically my surprise at what I thought the online LDS community would be and what I truly experienced it as.

Again, thanks for all feedback.

Nothing personal, but what would you know about what us Mormons believe?

[baver3]

Some may disagree with this but I believe that people in the LDS faith have a greater grasp on simple doctrines than MOST people in other religions by virtue of the fact that the truths that we receive are given to us in such an organized manner in which many people can plainly understand and discern when given by a simple format.

All of the church resources are plainly spelled out and the lessons are not left up for much interpretation. We are taught plain and simple truths. Yes, there are deeper doctines that can be difficult to comprehend and truth be told, (but really whats the point of arguing back and forth on these issues anyways when we dont have a full grasp on those simple truths?)

Everyone is different in the LDS faith. Everyone is on their own 'level', if you will, of learning and spiritual progression. I personally dont see the point in making obvious this fact that when people dont have a "firm grasp on their faith" it is seen as an incorrect interpretation of the gospel as opposed to just being on a learning curve.

[crazypotato]

Sweltzer,

Thank you for your comments. I think that lds.net is more rude than a regular church discussion in an LDS classroom would be. I think that because we are faceless internet users, people tend to be more open about their feelings and opinions than they would be in church or with the general public.

I may be one of the rude ones. I have found this site seems to have a lot of LDS people that seem to lack doctrinal understanding or weaker testimonies, and also people that seem like they are pretending to ask questions about doctrine but really are not sincere. I think I am considered rude on here because I am direct. When people say things that are against our doctrine, I call them on it. Lots of people think that being direct is rude, but in my opinion, it is rude to let people distort the doctrine of our church to justify their sins and weaknesses, or to falsely state what our doctrine is.

There are very nice people on here, too, of all religions. All LDS people are just normal people with faults and shortcomings, including me. You have received some defensive comments from people here. I think that is because LDS people have been persecuted heavily at times. Or because people come to lds websites or lds Youtube videos, for example, and trash our church all the time. If you look up any Youtube video to do with the LDS church, there is always an anti-mormon troll bashing our church under the comments section. I also have been highly suspicious of some posters on here that say they are LDS, but then proceed to twist the doctrine or tear it down, and I wonder if they are even LDS or just saying that they are. I feel that I have personally talked to several people pretending to be believers but then twisting the doctrine to tear our faith down.

I don't think you are trying to bash us. Personally, I have been surprised by a lot of people's comments and doctrinal discussions on here and have wondered if this site attracts a high amount of people that are struggling with their testimonies and doctrinal understanding, and that most of the members that are comfortable with the doctrine do not go to these types of websites. That is just my theory, though.

[JudoMinja]

Full disclosure: I am not LDS or affiliated with any specific religion. I have been lurking here for a while as well as on other religious forums, trying to understand people's faith and why they believe what they believe.

Please let me humbly comment on my experiences here. Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm just trying to provide some feedback as to how an outsider views this online community.

Having monitored this forum(s) for some time now, I have been surprised by a few observations:

1) Many here seem to be, on average (based on my experience on reading posts on numerous forums), overly hostile, rude, un-trusting, and accusatory. Please don't think that this applies to everyone; many have been very nice and helpful but the percentage of those that haven't has surprised me. I thought it would be lower.

2) Many here seem to have a loose grasp on what they believe and why they believe it. Again, I'm not trying to be insulting but after seeing many theological discussions over basic doctrinal beliefs have such disparate responses, I can only conclude that many of the LDS lack basic doctrinal understanding of the Mormon faith and beliefs. Further, I see many talk about leaving the church for a time and then coming back years later. I would think that if you were a true believer then "leaving the faith" (I use this term loosely) would be ridiculous if you truly believed. Again, I seek only to understand, not to judge, please don't be offended.

So I am left with the questions, why do Mormons seem (at least online) more prone to rudeness (is it an online only thing fueled by the anonymity of the Internet or something else) and why does their understand and commitment seem to be lax? Again, I am not speaking of all Mormons since many dedicate years to their mission and spend non-trivial amounts of time proselytizing those in their community. However, I must say that my expectations were quite different from reality once I started to monitor this forum.

This post is not meant to upset but just to provide some feedback to the lds.net community. My surprise at the points noted above has caused me a lot of thought and I just want to share it so that you may possibly benefit from it. Any feedback is welcome.

I can appreciate that you are approaching this academically, since I am a bit of an academic myself, so I will give you some feedback that I hope will be helpful to you.

1) Rudeness- some people, of course, will be more rude over the internet than in person. This is common to all people, and not just LDS. Then, also, there are many topics discussed on here where people feel very opinionated, and discussions can get heated. Plus, it is difficult to detect someones tone in writing, so many times people may seem rude or get offended when really this isn't the case.

2) The general "loose grasp"- I believe this may be a phenomenon due to the nature of the boards. Many seek out this board looking for advice, help, or further enlightenment on topics they do not understand. Some may have grown up in the church but never really been fully committed to learning about it until now. Others may be recent converts looking for more information on topics they are only just now learning about. Others may be considering leaving the church, whatever their reasons (usually misunderstandings) and seeking justification. Others may be non-members (like yourself) looking for more information on the church or to share their own views about their religion. People come here to discuss and learn, so it is only natural that those who come here don't know everything. We are all constantly learning, all slowly building on our level of knowledge and understanding of the gospel.

3) People who leave and come back- Such people are usually those who have grown up in the church and once they reached adulthood wanted to strike out their own path. Many view the church as restricting, and once they have the freedom to do as they please without parents constantly pressuring them to do the right thing, they take advantage of that opportunity. Of course we are all human. We all make mistakes. We all go through our "rebel" stage, even if it is a small one. Many stray from the church and then come back, because they experience the difference while they are away and realize something important is missing. To me, this is a great testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, because if it wasn't true, why would they come back?

4) Basic doctrine- The basic LDS doctrine is very clearly laid out in the Articles of Faith. Everyone who has been raised in the church learned them in primary. Those who have not been raised in the church, learn them when they meet with the missionaries. These points are not refuted. Anyone who does not understand them would have to be someone who is not "of the faith". The details of the doctrine, however, are quite different from the basic doctrine. Yes, these details take time to understand, and everyone understands them just a little differently. Partially, this is because leaders of the church do not seek to give us every single little detail of information to the letter. We are encouraged to seek out our own personal revelation and understanding of the gospel, to seek personal growth and enlightenment. They provide a guiding rod, and it is up to us to sort out the details.

[Moksha]

I

Have you lurked any of the Marine Fish forums? Those guys are the real hateful bunch. They make tea-partiers out to be as liberal as Obama and soft like J. Leiberman. We really are a mild bunch.

Genius! (a bit fishy but what a whale of a tale)

[Blackmarch]

Full disclosure: I am not LDS or affiliated with any specific religion. I have been lurking here for a while as well as on other religious forums, trying to understand people's faith and why they believe what they believe.

Please let me humbly comment on my experiences here. Please don't take this the wrong way; I'm just trying to provide some feedback as to how an outsider views this online community.

Having monitored this forum(s) for some time now, I have been surprised by a few observations:

1) Many here seem to be, on average (based on my experience on reading posts on numerous forums), overly hostile, rude, un-trusting, and accusatory. Please don't think that this applies to everyone; many have been very nice and helpful but the percentage of those that haven't has surprised me. I thought it would be lower.

2) Many here seem to have a loose grasp on what they believe and why they believe it. Again, I'm not trying to be insulting but after seeing many theological discussions over basic doctrinal beliefs have such disparate responses, I can only conclude that many of the LDS lack basic doctrinal understanding of the Mormon faith and beliefs. Further, I see many talk about leaving the church for a time and then coming back years later. I would think that if you were a true believer then "leaving the faith" (I use this term loosely) would be ridiculous if you truly believed. Again, I seek only to understand, not to judge, please don't be offended.

So I am left with the questions, why do Mormons seem (at least online) more prone to rudeness (is it an online only thing fueled by the anonymity of the Internet or something else) and why does their understand and commitment seem to be lax? Again, I am not speaking of all Mormons since many dedicate years to their mission and spend non-trivial amounts of time proselytizing those in their community. However, I must say that my expectations were quite different from reality once I started to monitor this forum.

This post is not meant to upset but just to provide some feedback to the lds.net community. My surprise at the points noted above has caused me a lot of thought and I just want to share it so that you may possibly benefit from it. Any feedback is welcome.

having spent a few years off and on at a christian site, this site is very tame in comparison.

1) Those who fall under your description, quite likely has developed from being in contact with those outside of the faith who behave in such manner.

2) ones heart is hard thing to secure, and often takes many years of faith, and trust to bring it to a point where it is strong in the faith. Most people both in and out of the LDS faith go through trials, some great enough to cause even the strong to falter.

3)Why do online mormons seem rude? because just about everywhere an online poster is identified as mormon the backlash is very negative and generally rather harsh, i'm sure many are still learning how to deal with it.

[Guest mormonmusic]

I also want to add that I question the wisdom of a person coming here with so little posting history, and then making so many negative points right off the bat -- that we are rude, uncommitted, and don't know our religion, and then following it up with a comment hoping no one is offended!

There was an advertisement on television that said "if you wouldn't say it to a person's face then don't say it online!". I think that might apply here...

[prisonchaplain]

Maybe I'm an oddball, but if anyone could have found this site rude and unfair it ought to have been me. After all, I'm not LDS, I am an evangelical (home of most well-known anti-LDS material), I'm a professional clergyman, I'm in an interracial/intercultural marriage, and I came thinking I knew LDS doctrine (after all, yes, I'd seen the Godmakers).

And yet...I came quietly, asked questions, responded to questions, started some posts, tried to listen as well as speak...and after a little over a year, this "mean, rude, cruel site" did something atrocious--they offered me a moderatorship--figuring I'd add perspective.

I'm still a pentecostal clergyman, but this site does religious chat better than most of the evangelical ones I've seen. There is more openness, and yet ludicrous personality battles are kept under control.

Seriously...I can't fathom anyone who's been around internet religious chat and posting sites deeming this place rude in comparison.