Thousands of Mormons Plan to Abandon the Faith This Weekend

[Moonwalk]

37. You need to read up on the documentary: "A Sinner in Mecca"....

Last edited Sat Nov 14, 2015, 02:27 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/05/a-sinner-in-mecca-gay-filmmaker-on-a-hajj-of-defiance

This is a gay man who is a devout Muslim, and who went to Mecca even though he put himself in terrible danger just to practice his faith. Which is to say, you can't demand that any liberal who is a Mormon "explain" themselves if you don't demand it, as well, of any other member of a bigoted religion (and that includes all the oldies). Why is anyone Jewish, a Christian, etc. given what the bible says about the sin of homosexuality? Or how to treat women, etc.? Why is this gay man still a devout Muslim?

Here's the thing: What we're drawn to, or love, we love in spite of its flaws. That includes loving people who aren't perfect, and it includes loving countries that aren't perfect, and it includes loving political parties and politicians that aren't perfect. There are always points past which any of these can go and not be forgiven by a given person; a point at which the church, country, person or politician will lose the follower. But we humans have a lot of...well, hope/delusion (you decide), and we have a difficult time giving up that which we're used to or which gives us comfort, or which we just like no matter how bad it is, even bad to us.

Putting it another way, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. YOU believe in something or someone--a country, political party, politician, person, whatever, that probably has let you down in one way or another. Someone else may demand to know how you can still believe in them given this, to "explain yourself!"--but just because it seems "obvious" to them that this is unforgivable doesn't mean it seems "obvious" to you. You know this thing, and it gives you something you need, and you get to decide at what point the wrongs it's doing are so unforgivable that you can't remain with it any longer.

There is no excusing the bad a thing or a person does. But there is 'forgiving" the bad in the assumption that, eventually, the country, religion, person or politician will shed that bad and only the good that we love in that thing will remain. Most liberals who are still loyal to their country, religion, etc. see in it the potential to do that. To change for the better. They may be total wrong, and if they are, that thing will lose them. But until then, that's all the explanation there is. "I like this thing, I need this thing, I believe it can get past this bad (which I don't believe in) and be good." And, "I'm not giving up on this good thing simply because it has lost its way. If I leave it, who will be in it to help change it?"

You don't have to agree with any of this, but that's the explanation. And we're all guilty of thinking it, now and again, in regards to something or someone.