For us former Mormons...

[xixxvmcm85]

I’m non-Mormon too, but unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my youngest daughter. Anyway, she told me (and she seemed very proud of the fact) that when the LDS church gives aid, they expect some sort of payment (or that the person works for it) while in the case of charity, it is given without expecting a return of any kind.

But that’s the welfare of the church. In their defense, they do (as an ecclesiastical body) issue quite a bit of relief to their members as well as much aid for non-Mormons during natural disasters). All that costs LOTS of money, so its imperative that the members of the church “pay” for it when they can financially afford it via fast offerings during times of plenty.

Now this isn’t to say that no pure charitable acts are ever done (without any expectation of reparation). I’ve received quite a deal of charity, though this has almost always come from individual members of the church, rather than “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints INC.”

I remember when I was 7, and my dad was laid off for quite a while, the Bishop (as an individual) offered him a job in his small-business (even though he had no room for him and actually cut some of his profit by doing so). The home-teachers of the time would bring us kids winter clothes. The women of the Relief Society got together during their off-time and would buy groceries (with their own money) and then leave them on our porch anonymously (We assumed it was them since inside some of the care packages were Book of Mormon scriptures).

I hope I made the distinction clear enough.

 

[zaffiroborant]

What I find hard about leaving the LDS church is my family and I are not close anymore. As far as being the black sheep. I just hope that they do not put that same feeling on my kid.

I see a lot of that on FLAK and NOM. The closest I’ve irl is my BIL who joined a Fundagelical type church. It’s not so much he’s a black sheep it’s just that every conversation with him is nothing more that a lead into either proselytizing for his church or tearing up the Catholic church. The rest of the family (8 brothers and sisters plus their spouses) have made a pack to come and save each other and my MIL from him should we be stuck in these conversations.

We all kind of pulled back at the beginning of this and kind of ‘tested the waters’ as we went. Johnny’s gotten a little more accepting these days (or maybe more subtle) maybe your family will too?