Why Are You Here?

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

I've been wondering: how did all of you discover LDS Talk? What made you check it out? What prompted you to stick around? I'm especially curious about non-LDS posters, but I'd like to know everyone's story. I feel like many of us are friends (at least better than acquaintances, in some cases), and we meet to talk about everything from the trivial to the deep-seated roots of our faith. I'm just wondering, why are we all here?

I was specifically seeking an LDS chat or forum to ask if others had counsel for me when our daughter was having problems with seminary (over a year ago). I found a loving, supportive group that helped me out. I also felt that I needed to give something back, so I posted wherever I felt I could contribute. In that process, I grew to enjoy the interaction and I wanted to come back again and again. When our family moved, I lost touch, but was happy to find you all again when the time was right.

I really respect many of you out there, and appreciate how thoughtful, well-researched, lovingly-worded, and funny your posts are. You are an important part of my day. Thank you!

[CrimsonKairos]

One night I had a dream where a man in a white robe gave me a piece of paper with this site's URL written in glowing letters on it.

Sorry, just kidding. I was googling for an LDS dating site when I ran into this one.

[Palerider]

I found out about this from Ben Raines....who I chatted with at other LDS sites over the years

[Outshined]

I don't even remember how I first came across it; that was years and years ago when it was yellow. I stick around because I enjoy the atmosphere and hearing from members who live in different places.

And it's not allowed to get too nasty.

[Blessed]

A friend of mine, Jenda, gave me the url for this site 3 years ago and told me I would like it. I met Strawberry Fields, Marsha and several others. I have not been consistent with being here, but I like this place. I learn a lot from all of you about your faith and daily walks with God. It is a good place to be. :)

[StrawberryFields]

I turned to the web when my mom was dying of cancer nearly 4 years ago. I was hungry for knowledge about cancer and cures. I found a wonderful message board for family and patients of Lung Cancer, I became close and then my mom was gone. I stayed for awhile but my friends were dying and I felt stuck. I had become somewhat of a invert through the trauma of losing my mom. I also began to feel guilt because she died so quickly. A Hospice nurse spoke quietly to me one day when my mom had been brought home to die. She knew I was LDS but my family was less active. She asked if we had considered a blessing to release her in her suffering. She also told us that we needed to let my mom know that we were ok to let her go. My husband and I talked about this blessing and we decided to bring it to my father and my brother they agreed and my husband along with his father gave my mom this blessing. My mom died within a few hours. I began to feel a great amount of guilt and didn't want to ask anyone close to me about this particular blessing. I did a web search and found LDS Talk and have been around ever since.

Things have been a lot more friendly here since those early days of Mark, Antishock, Trident and Bat; who I came to love. After losing my mom my life didn't get any easier and this message board has been a great asset to me. I have been supported, let down, lied too, accused of much but most of all made some terrific friends. I have met some of the people I met here in person and even had Lindy come and stay with me.

I have been extremely addicted to this place at times and even been a little mean and nasty. I have considered leaving but have not done so. I also enjoy many of my friends here and I am grateful that I have a place like LDS Talk to hang my hat. :)

[Maureen]

It's been many years coming here that it's not totally clear how I found LDStalk but, IIRC I found a poster that I really enjoyed reading his thoughts (Ed) so I think I followed him here (the first board, it was orange, I think, then it became this one). That was a long time ago, Ed has come and gone, and so have many others, but the great thing about LDStalk is that it has good long periods of great conversations with really interesting people. The slow periods come, but it picks right back up again. We're a family!

M.

[LionHeart]

Due to my working circumstances, I was going to be alone for a few months. But I had a computer and internet access. So to avoid becoming a recluse, I tried a few chat sites but many of them were rather vulgar; so I ran a search for LDS chat sites and found this one. I hang around because of the many interesting people here; as well as the fact that I am fascinated with understanding religion.

L.H.

[miztrniceguy]

i came here because i was looking for an lds chat site that was not about singles, as the previous site i was going to had filled that need. plus, the previous plas i hung out changed their chat client and i dont like it as much.

i actually havent been in the chat room, as i usually dont have time, what with family and kids, now.

[prisonchaplain]

It started with a school board election we had in my city a little over a year ago. The Pacific Northwest is a very secular part of the country. 63% have no religious affiliation. Yet, our school board had two LDS members on it, out of five. Then, one board member resigned, and a third LDS member was appointed. A few months later, election time came around, and the appointee's opponent made mention of the fact that having 3 LDS members on a five-person board might limit the religious diversity and perspective of the Board. I responded with a letter to the editor, condemning the opposing candidate's attempt to use religious affiliation as a factor in the election. I called her a religious bigot.

The incident got me to thinking, and I decided to visit an LDS chat site, to see what I could learn. Besides, as a chaplain, I'm always supposed to be learning about the different faith groups the inmate population belonged to, and we always had a half-dozen or so LDS. LDStalk was near the top of the search engine results, and the rest is history.

[BenRaines]

I have been coming here for over 9 years. It all started when it was still a CGI site. Not near as fancy as it is now. It was the Wild West here at that time. I spent more time banning people or kicking them out of the site. It is a much friendlier place now.

I have gotten to know many people from all over the world from this site. Some I agree with and many I don't.

I have been reminded that many claim to be LDS but are not. I have learned that there are many in the world who have much greater challenges than I do.

I enjoy visiting with people in chat and posting in the forums.

Ben Raines

[begood2]

I was looking for a good, clean LDS message board. One that could provide both light hearted discussion and also a more serious respectful discussion on LDS beliefs.

There were a few times that I almost quit after a round of fighting, but the present moderating team does an outstanding job to make everyone feel welcome. :)

I've learned a great deal about: human nature, news stories, sources for LDS materials, jokes, good books and movies and friendly chat.

I have an active life...so I try to manage my time....to make the most of it....but it is sure nice to drop into LDSTalk and check on the family! It's better than curling up by the fire with a book....and that's not bad either...lol.

[Latter Days Guy]

I was looking for a site that would help me find the church again, to get in contact with people who belonged to the church and not have a constant battle with people who were anti-LDS. Stumbled across this site by doing a google search for LDS forums, it seemed like a nice place without the constant bashing from anti's and trolls, so stuck around Since then I've been in contact with my wards missionaries and I have been attending church again since January.

[StrawberryFields]

I was looking for a site that would help me find the church again, to get in contact with people who belonged to the church and not have a constant battle with people who were anti-LDS. Stumbled across this site by doing a google search for LDS forums, it seemed like a nice place without the constant bashing from anti's and trolls, so stuck around Since then I've been in contact with my wards missionaries and I have been attending church again since January.

THAT IS GREAT NEWS.

[shanstress70]

I came here about 3 years ago after my real-life friends at the time Spencer and Jatana (who are married and Spencer is the Admin... or was... don't see him around anymore) told me about the site. I was LDS then, and they knew I was struggling and about to leave the church. I had many questions and I'm sure I p@#$ed many people off at first (and maybe not just at first!) with my questions and debating.

I did end up leaving the church and left the site for a while, but ended up back here bc I had developed some friendships here and found myself wondering what was going on with them from time to time. I appreciate the conversations that we can sometimes have, and I feel like I really know some of you. Although I disagree with some of your LDS beliefs I try to be respectful to all religious beliefs. I try to steer clear of the Gospel section of the forum and engage mostly in the General section to avoid strife.

I appreciate you all and your various viewpoints! :) I do miss Lindy and hope she comes back.

[CaptainTux]

I came here at a confusing time in my life. I have been a Christian since 1986 and was even a pastor at one time. After a few blows in life, much of it from the christian community, I had given up. Then life drew me to re learn my need for God. Most of the christian forums and chat rooms were more of the same, it seems that most churches in America has been co opted by political parties. This site may be LDS, but the thoughts conversations, and perspectives are universal in many instances and the people are very real. I wish I could credit this to the LDS, but I have found other lds boards that are more dogmatic than community as well. This site is unique and I enjoy the community.

[Marsha]

I came here at a confusing time in my life. I have been a Christian since 1986 and was even a pastor at one time. After a few blows in life, much of it from the christian community, I had given up. Then life drew me to re learn my need for God. Most of the christian forums and chat rooms were more of the same, it seems that most churches in America has been co opted by political parties. This site may be LDS, but the thoughts conversations, and perspectives are universal in many instances and the people are very real. I wish I could credit this to the LDS, but I have found other lds boards that are more dogmatic than community as well. This site is unique and I enjoy the community.

And I enjoy your posts as well. A BIG welcome back Captain Tux.

I came to this board several years ago in search of some answers. I had been researching the LDS Church for quite a long time and found this board.

Here I could ask questions, get answers - both from members and non members. I learned quite a bit from the non-members and exmormons. Some good, some bad. Believe it or not Snow and Bat were the 2 that were very influential to me in my decision to become a member, a convert at such a late age!

Now those who know Bat don't think oh oh. He is the one that when things got tough asked, "WHY didn't you go to meetings today?" Even though he is a FORMER member of the Church, he still has his beliefs and could answer and point you in whatever direction you were seeking an answer for. Miss that lil bat man.

Snow, well he is Snow! He to would give references to anything that you wanted to know. Where is that Snow these days? Did you forget about us here in cyberland?

There are many others to which I admire and read their posts with interest.

Thanks to everyone here that makes this board and world what it is today.

Marsha

[pushka]

I joined this site in 2003 when I was becoming interested in the LDS faith again, and wanted to hear what 'ordinary' LDS people had to say about all sorts of issues, not just about the church.

I stopped visiting the site for about 12 months in 2004, when I was very busy, but got the urge to start visiting again just after the Tsunami when I made one or two rather embarrassing posts!!

Since then, I've mellowed out and begun to appreciate everyone here for all of their various thoughts and faiths. I've explored other sites which have been linked in posts, and just feel that it's good to be able to share views with people who are generally sensible and respective in their posts to one another.

I don't visit the chat room because I'm not very good at speaking 'on the spot.' I prefer to leave messages and see what the response is, and to reply to messages in the same way.

I visit this site more than any one that I've added to my favourites, and I do miss it when I don't feel well enough to read the posts and then have to trawl thru them all to catch up!!

[rosie321]

I was going through a really horrific time and crisis of faith.

Faith was a true struggle for me at that time. I wanted to believe. So much just had piled on and I was maxed out. Everything had been shaken. I did not feel I could go back to my ward or that anyone cared. I wondered why I had ever joined the church, was it a bad choice? Why LDS, there are a lot of other good faiths.... I needed a why LDS and not in the usual, typical way before the last thread holding me on was gone. Every usual reason given just seemed to drive me farther away and I needed something different.

I felt a need to talk to LDS and thought online connections might allow freedom to ask questions and to freely express my concerns that were bottled up without having to worry about the "morning after".

So after looking, I stumbled on this site. With my last drop of faith remaining I made my first post. I'm so unbelievably grateful that I did. This site was the greatest answer to prayer that I could have ever recieved. I got answers and direction, sometimes unintentionally even. I've met so many wonderful people, LDS and non-LDS whom will always mean the world to me (even though I don't even really know everyone). This site shows that the lion can lay down with the lamb. That various faiths can get along and learn and grow together.

Heavenly Father knows of the deep gratitude I feel towards this site and so many of you who have been there. This site was defineately an answer to prayer.

[Dr T]

Following my post doc training, my family and I moved to a small town. I used to have great/fun talks with my neighbor when I lived in SLC and was looking for more of that type discussion. LDS Talk has been fun :)

[Josie]

I too came to this site many years ago when it was a cgi site and I was like a scared rabbit that did not know which end was up. Through the help of good people here, like BenRaines, Pam, Barefooten, and others, oh and Pale, I got my feet on the ground. This site and them people I have met here and made friends with have been a true blessing in my life.

[Nate]

I got booted off the LSD Deep Doctrine site. Apparently I would go off topic and with three very condensendeing rebukes I was cast to the isle of Patmos. Just did another search and here I am.

[MaidservantX]

I was just looking for more people to talk to -- a chat room. I was on singles sites but I wanted MORE!!! I don't know, ha ha. Just trying not to be lonely since I don't have the freedom to go out and play whenever I like. I came on when it wasn't as fancy as this. I remember Lindy and Acez (I still see Ace about). But I did forget about it until the Buddhist sent me a personal message and then I came back on and just got re-interested, especially since I've given up on my singles site. You know I like to talk -- anything about words -- so this is a good place to be. It can be a wild ride sometimes, which is just as good, too, wasn't the jackvance incident one for the books? Also I have had two pervs proposition me since I've been on this site, so that does increase my love life a little. Ha ha. But I like that every one is unique but respectful and I like the non lds perspective and I like the opportunity to bear my testimony and share.

[StrawberryFields]

I was just looking for more people to talk to -- a chat room. I was on singles sites but I wanted MORE!!! I don't know, ha ha. Just trying not to be lonely since I don't have the freedom to go out and play whenever I like. I came on when it wasn't as fancy as this. I remember Lindy and Acez (I still see Ace about). But I did forget about it until the Buddhist sent me a personal message and then I came back on and just got re-interested, especially since I've given up on my singles site. You know I like to talk -- anything about words -- so this is a good place to be. It can be a wild ride sometimes, which is just as good, too, wasn't the jackvance incident one for the books? Also I have had two pervs proposition me since I've been on this site, so that does increase my love life a little. Ha ha. But I like that every one is unique but respectful and I like the non lds perspective and I like the opportunity to bear my testimony and share.

SEE, I knew that person sending all of those PM's (except to ME ) would do some good.

[StrawberryFields]

I have been coming here for over 9 years. It all started when it was still a CGI site. Not near as fancy as it is now. It was the Wild West here at that time. I spent more time banning people or kicking them out of the site. It is a much friendlier place now.

I have gotten to know many people from all over the world from this site. Some I agree with and many I don't.

I have been reminded that many claim to be LDS but are not. I have learned that there are many in the world who have much greater challenges than I do.

I enjoy visiting with people in chat and posting in the forums.

Ben Raines

Hello Ben,

What do you mean that many claim to be LDS but are not?