SAYS YOU: "Gary, aren’t you one of those who left the church but can’t leave it alone?"

ME: I have no idea what you mean here. Unless I am or my bride is ill, I attend the local ward 100%. Only here on Quora I raise the voice of warning because I was, in the beginning, under the impression that people come here to explore ideas that are difficult to some. My fellow ward members have no idea of my alter ego that exists only on Quora. My initial perception of the purpose of Quora has changed as I have been accused of either a brain washed Mormon by those opposed to the Church and, on the other hand, a Mormon hater that must be ignored, blocked, down-voted and deleted.

As stated above, there are reasons why people "can't leave alone" whatever they left. If my clothes were ruined by the local cleaners, I would let the establishment know and, further, to my friends and family I would issue a warning with reasons. Should I leave the cleaners alone and move on? Is there no moral responsibility on my part to raise the voice of warning? Am I to leave the pit exposed so that others may fall into it? When salvation is the issue, that responsibility is even more important.

SAYS YOU: "You never told me what you thought of Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 14:12. What church does it describe?"

ME: A careful reading of the whole chapter would teach us that there are two churches only.

1 Nephi 14:10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save TWO CHURCHES ONLY; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.

The church is not an organization. It is the body of Christ. If you are not a member of the body, you are a part of the church of the devil. One or the other. Wheat or chaff. Sheep or goats. Left had or right. Members of the body are those in every church that have put off the natural man and have become saints. You know many of these in other churches and in your church organization:

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.....believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

They become saints, members of the Church of the Lamb of God, Christ’s body.

But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.
For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

I know, I know. You don't believe in that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. I do because I believe in the Book of Mormon. I know that others the devil flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell. I tell him to hit the road.

Conversely, all those who fight against the Lamb and against his saints is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth, the kingdom of the devil. Members of that church, also, are found in every organized church. You know many of these in other churches and in your church organization:

Why can't I leave the Organized Church alone?

But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

SAYS YOU: "What do you think of my book?"

ME: When I write what I am about to share, I don't want you to think I am boasting. It is all true.

I was immediately, before and after my baptism, designated as a "scripture sponge". I took the Book of Mormon very seriously from the moment my eyes read "I, Nephi, having been born..." I read it. I studied it. I memorized it. eight months after my baptism I was teaching Institute in Washington. I went into Pentecostal coffee houses and did battle (I was rougher back then). I went on my mission and became well known among the missionaries as a preacher, teacher, orator and confounder of false doctrine. I was called on by elders when contacts introduced ministers into the mix. I was the go-to guy. I had memorized over 10,000 verses (not word for word, but topic and location). When I returned home, I was asked to teach Institute and Seminary. As a hobby, I went to the local churches on Wednesdays to participate in their Bible studies and defended the church (a radical form of missionary work I did imitating my hero, Parley P. Pratt). Elders and members would invite me to seminars on cults put on by local churches to stick up for the church among wolves (boy, do I have stories!). Mothers in the ward would plead with me to talk to their trouble kids because "you don’t give Mormon answers". I could go on, but you get the idea. I knew my Mormon Doctrine and history and could answer every challenge. I am not the coward type that "disables comments".

I now realized how stupid I was. Most of my "defender of the faith" verses were taken waaaay out of context. I was much like my fellow Quormons. I was a true believer, ignored contradictions, but searched high and low for even the smallest scrap of verse to justify my beliefs and, with a witty use of language (the devices of the devil) I ALWAYS prevailed.

Why did I tell you all that? Because, going through many of your chapters, I found not only the challenges to be familiar, but the responses. I have used almost all of them. Your book is a transcript of the mind and technique of the preacher, teacher, orator and confounder of false doctrines that I was! I read your words with deep familiarity.

What changed me? Simply a deep dive into my "first love", that which saved my soul in the very beginning, the Book of Mormon. I used to take up a doctrine of the Church then scour for some scriptural crumb and cleaver logic to prove some of the most outlandish concepts. I decided to empty my head of any preconceived notions and carefully read the Book of Mormon to see what it actually said. Here is what I came up with, numbered in the event you wish to explore any particular point.

Unfortunately, Church Doctrine is embedded in my fibers. When I read the Book of Mormon and accept exactly what it says, I am always exclaiming "Hey! This contradicts my old doctrines! One has to reject this plainness to believe that former precept! Am I the only one that sees this?"

So, I go to Quora to see if I am twisted or am missing anything. I present my conundrum. I come off as a contentious hater to members and a brainwashed believer in the "Mormon Bible" to scoffers. Isn’t that a hoot? I am told by both views that I am wrong, but the verses I cite are never explained to me how I am reading wrong. Instead, I get “Well, let me tell you what the Church teaches”. I assure you. I know what the Church teaches. That is never my question.

It has been made clear to me that the LDSaint defense and answers depends on mere assertion of Church doctrine followed by passionate testimony. The counter argument is safely ignored and untouched. When pressed, they resort to personal attacks.

Anyway, I am in need of printer toner. When I descend the mountains an obtain one, I will print your PDF and pursue it deeper (reading on screen is difficult for my aging eyes). It will be an interesting time machine to the mindset I used to be.