[AngryMormon]

Thanks for your responses. I am trying to be more of a team player at church and figuring out how to balance everything is a concern of mine. Instead of beating myself up in regards to the people who I am not able visit, I am going to focus the good I am doing.

[AngryMormon]

Referring to human beings as “investigators” and viewing them as a commodity always bothered me. As someone who works in sales and is a convert, calling a person an “investigator” is not a good sales tactic.

[AngryMormon]

SamBee wrote:

Hi AG,

I replied to you partly by PM.

You are right, the LDS might not rebel, but many others might. My own depression results from genetics, chemicals, lack of sunlight etc, but it is also triggered by the aggressive financial demands in my mailbox (and my economic situation), the architecture round here, bureaucracy, the general lack of community and lack of direction I see outside me etc. The pills of Utah mask, no doubt women’s issues, too many children, bad working conditions and many of the things I describe above. We can take pills but they don’t solve external conditions.

Both religion and psychiatry try and address emotional fulfilment at best, but at worst they create or mask issues. In religion’s favor, it provides community psychiatry can’t and in psychiatry’s favor, it tries to deal with issues of a physiological nature.

First off SamBee, I agree with you 100 percent about pills and masking situations. It’s one of the many reasons I personally wouldn’t take psychiatric medication. However, I don’t have a problem with people who do take psych drugs or the industry. I respect the fact that psychiatry may work for some people.

[AngryMormon]

Even though I support gay marriage, I agree 100 percent with the Stake President. The Church is a private organization that should be able to choose who gets to represent it or not.

[AngryMormon]

SamBee wrote:

Needless to say their prescriptions are probably the best safeguard any state has against revolution. More so than the military. If all those millions of medicated westerners came off their pills, social unrest, protest and perhaps crime would ensue in a few months, when people saw what their world was really like.

I have to respectfully and adamantly disagree with this hypothesis. Mormons are some of the largest consumers of these “pills”. I don’t believe Mormons in Utah would participate in social unrest, protest and crime if they couldn’t get their “pills”.

I don’t believe we should insult individuals who are trying to improve the quality of their life with psychiatry anymore than we should insult those who use religion to help.

[AngryMormon]

SamBee, the DSM is not a United States thing. Just FYI! It is used in many other countries to various degrees and is widely considered the industry standard. In addition, I don’t blame Christianity for the worlds problems any more than you are blaming psychiatry, I hold individuals responsible for their actions.

Also, I really still don’t understand your deal bashing psychiatry. I feel like you made some non factual statements regarding psychiatry in order to prove some point.

I don’t have much personal experience with psychiatry, but I agree with you that people make too many excuses for their behavior. However, I respect that psychiatry may help some just like being a Mormon helps me.

Are you personally angry with Psychiatrists or something?

[AngryMormon]

Sorry about the health issues you are dealing with. Health issues can make handling other situations more stressful.

I’m a convert so the whole mission thing seems so foreign to me. If I someday end up lucky enough to have a son who wants to go on a mission at 18, I’d be pretty happy. When I was 18 I just wanted to go to college and party, which I did.

My only concern about missions are how they could delay a young mans education and career. I don’t want to have to support an adult child. That scares me.

Best of luck to you and your son!

[AngryMormon]

SamBee wrote:

That’s white people. Still doesn’t change the fact Christians esp. Quakers were at the forefront of the fight against slavery.

Wilberforce, Tutu, King… all major figures in this, all vocally Christian.

I’ll ask you my original question again, why bring up and bash psychiatry when the topic is interpreting Gods will? I’m just trying to understand your opinion. In addition, homophobia is not considered a psychiatric disorder according to the DSM-4 or the planned new DSM-5.

George Washington, Robert E Lee, Thomas Jefferson, George Wallace were all “white” Christians that did some very bad things in regards to blacks. Just because you are a Christian/Mormon etc.. does not mean you can’t do horrible things. That’s why my point is that we need to be careful interpreting Gods will.

Personally, I found it interesting that you have to refer to Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King as Christians who actually did stuff to help end discrimination. I don’t know any black people that ever said discrimination against their race should continue.

More importantly SamBee, I hope you are having a great Monday and a great start to your week!

[AngryMormon]

SamBee wrote:

Christians were at the forefront of getting rid of slavery and black civi rights in Africa and elsewhere.

As for homosexuality, secular psychiatry used to consider it a mental disorder. Now they consider homophobia the disorder. More to do with fashion than science.

Hmm, many Christians were also at the forefront of trying to keep slavery legal in this country and elsewhere. They were the slave owners afterall. In addition, why are you bashing psychiatry? I was under the impression that this topic was about humans interpreting Gods will?

Also, I disagree with some of your statements about white Christians fighting for civil rights in Africa. The majority of whites were against ending apartheid in South Africa. It took the black majority fighting for decades to get it done.

I use to work in the oil and gas industry and I was able to travel throughout Africa on business. Mainly South Africa and Namibia. I never took an official poll, but white people there from my experience were still angry about apartheid ending.

[AngryMormon]

I think it is very hard to determine if God really wants us to do something or if it is just our own mind. This should give us all caution when acting in a manner because we think God wants it. People in this country have burned witches, owned slaves, segregated schools, denied homosexuals civil rights and denied blacks the priesthood all because God wanted it that way. Pretty scary behavior if you ask me.

Oh, let’s not forget those 19 hijackers on 9/11 who killed Americans for holy war. They thought God would give them Virgins for killing thousands of innocent civilians.

[AngryMormon]

Sorry you got upset! However, is it possible that we are reading too much into this guy? Maybe the guy was just trying to be funny and it didn’t go well? That’s what I thought when I originally read the post.

Personally, I have learned that I can be hyper sensitive about perceived slights. Especially when it relates to something that is a hot topic with me.

What I don’t understand is why the guy would then ask you about your career? Seems like an odd transition to me!

[AngryMormon]

Do what is best for you! Hang in there, things will get better!

[AngryMormon]

SamBee wrote:

Thing is though, I want to stay out of these kinds of matters in the future. I admit some blame in it, but it got out of hand. I don’t want to spend my existence as a low-life, I’m in the church to become a better person. It’s helped, but I came very close to becoming completely wasted today.

SamBee, I can totally relate to your predicament. I want to be a good person, but I have flaws including anger management problems. To keep me out of sticky situations, I sort of have a line in the sand that I draw. That line in the sand is anything that could get me arrested or in trouble with the law.

I hate getting the police involved, but if your neighbor is making physical threats you should call the police. Don’t try to resolve the situation yourself, you will just get dragged down into it.

Kudos to your doctor for actually giving you a blood test! Hope you are feeling better. Hang in there.

[AngryMormon]

Old-Timer wrote:

Quote:

It’s no ones business at church how many kids you do or don’t have!

Agreed – and, interestingly, that is the Church’s official position – exactly.

One word of caution:

We need to be VERY careful of labeling someone un-Christian based on disagreements over opinions, beliefs and even, in some cases, actions. Every one of us is un-Christian by that definition – no exceptions.

Sorry!

[AngryMormon]

It’s no ones business at church how many kids you do or don’t have! To avoid this problem in the future, I wouldn’t discuss your private business with judgmental un-Christlike people in the first place.

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