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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!tekmdp!johnr
From: johnr@tekmdp.UUCP (John Rutis)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Picking on Mormonism
Message-ID: <2171@tekmdp.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Aug-83 11:27:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: tekmdp.2171
Posted: Mon Aug 29 11:27:10 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Aug-83 23:07:12 EDT
Lines: 25


I am not a Mormon.  I have not been associated with the Mormon Church and I
don't know what their official policy or their general practice is concerning
those who leave the Mormon Church.  I can only relate my own experience.  My
father was born and raised in the Mormon church.  When he was in his twenties
he left Salt Lake City, and came to Portland Oregon.  He did a lot of reading
and became a Socialist and an Atheist.  As far as I know, he remained on the
best of terms with his family, some of whom are fairly high in the church.
When I was ten, we visited the family in Utah.  We stayed in their homes and
everyone seemed (to a ten year old) on the best of terms.  Since my father
died, about six years ago, some of his Mormon family have kept in touch with my
mother, who has never had anything to do with the Mormon Church.  About a year
after my father died, I and my family dropped in unexpectedly on my cousin in
American Forks Utah, who had been head of missionaries in Germany.  He and his
wife insisted on having us for dinner that night and calling over several of
their children to meet us.  Another cousin wrote my mother that he was very
sorry we didn't drop in on him (he didn't know our address).

I have never experienced any problems with my Mormon relatives, nor have they
ever tried to proselytise us.  Perhaps if my father had been hostile to his
Mormon relatives, the story would be different.  This is not to say that what
Todd said is true or false, I would just like to hear both sides before making
any judgments.

John Rutis