Skip to main content

June - December 2021- The Jubilee Videos

At my work, I am able to consume audio content in large amounts and so I began listening to the debates and discussions that took place on the YouTube channel Jubilee, a show called Middle Ground. Basically, a group got together that comprised of 6 individuals, 3 for the topic and 3 against it. They discussed every topic under the sun, from politics or religion to pro-life and pro-sex work. I found the conversations insightful, and it continued to prompt thoughts in my mind as to what truth was. 

Much of what I was taught as truth I learned was really an interpretation of a perception of reality. In short, the truths I was taught were merely opinions. Like should a woman have an abortion. The church says no unless the circumstances are extreme. But why can’t the woman decide that for herself? Should men masturbate? The church says no unless you have a leader that thinks it is ok (Leadership Roulette is a real thing). But why can’t that be something a person decides to do? Is tea and coffee bad for you? The church says it’s not for the body or the belly. But there is a wide array of research for either side. Why can’t we decide for ourselves? And is it really about temperature or caffeine levels?

I began to wonder what is true and what is not. It became clear that solely relying on my feelings and the opinions of the church it a limiting way to think. I needed to be more critical in my thinking. I started to give room in my mind to be more open to the concepts of other people.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9th of June 2022 - Another Exit Story, but to become a Baptist

I l istened to another exit story found here , and this was about a guy who left the church and redefined his Christian views which aligned more like those of the Baptists.  While listening, there were a few things he mentioned that resonated with me at this time: Mormons teach that grace is sufficient before, during, and after all we can do (talk by Brad Wilcox). However, the Bible teaches grace is sufficient when we accept Christ without any further actions on our part. He called this the Impossible Gospel concept, that through Mormonism, you need to be constantly moving or doing something to qualify for this grace whereas in mainstream Christianity, it is available to you at the mere mention of Jesus' name.   “ No success can compensate for failure in the home .” A classic Mormon quote that hurt this man when his marriage broke down as he navigated his conversion.  Whilst the spirit in which this quote is given highlights the family’s importance, the secondary and impl...
Post a Comment
Read more

4th of August 2022

Remember how I spoke of a friend with whom I discovered came out as gay all those years agai? Well, through this journey, I reflected on that relationship and often wondered how I could’ve been better if I had the opportunity again.  It was on this day that I got that opportunity to finally catch up over a game chat at first, which then progressed to a phone call;   and it was an amazing conversation! I found out that our friendship kinda fell off because not necessarily because of my actions, but that he limited his interactions with all TBMs as he navigated his new life choices (TMB meaning True Believing Mormons). He felt as though he received too much judgement from them. Still, I felt the need to apologise for not being a better friend and shared with him my story about my leaving the church, and how it stemmed from discovering his new lifestyle, and reflection upon how poorly the church treats those of the LGBT community. As you will hear in a moment, the church’s d...
Post a Comment
Read more

May 2021 - My dear friend

I had many good friends growing up, both in New Zealand and in Australia. Some in the church, and some outside the church. One such friend, we would spend time mucking around on games, making movies, and hanging out at church.  As the years went on, we lost touch, reconnected, lost touch again and reconnected again. It was a friendship I enjoyed but sensed might have been changing. The last contact I had with him however left me with some unsure feelings. I remember we talked about his trip, and I noticed he had fresh tattoos. Now, in the church, the leaders made it clear that getting a tattoo was not encouraged and that our body should not be “defaced.” This was the strong language used during my upbringing; that the body was a temple, and would you graffiti the temple walls? It was brought to my attention that I was looking but not looking at his tattoos and I felt bad.  Years and years later, I lost contact with him and felt guilty that that was our last contact. I then saw...
Post a Comment
Read more