What is a TBM?

[ajax]

Radio Free Mormon discusses:
http://www.mormondiscussionpodcast.org/ ... ng-mormon/

He suggests it rests on the following from JS:

-"One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may."

-"I want to come up into the presence of God, and learn all things; but the creeds set up stakes, and say, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further"; which I cannot subscribe to."

-"Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I please. It feels so good not to be trammeled [sic]. It does not prove that a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine.”

-"We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true "Mormons."

-"It has always been my province to dig up hidden mysteries--new things--for my hearers."

-“I advise all to go on to perfection, and search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness."

-"When things that are of the greatest importance are passed over by the weak-minded men without even a thought, I want to see truth in all its bearings and hug it to my bosom. I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief."

How have these sentiments stacked up over time?

Are you one?

[captainfearnot]

The term TBM arose in online discussion because it's useful to distinguish Mormons who are True Believers from those who are Mormon in more superficial or nominal ways. It's one thing to have your name on the rolls, but not everyone listed in the ward directory holds to a Mormon worldview. Hence, TBM for those that do.

I see JS' quote above as an attempt to distill the essence of Mormonism, which can be described as a love of truth above conformity, and I certainly hold to that. But I don't see how it's useful to hijack TBM, a term which is already gainfully employed.

TBM has its roots in The True Believer by Eric Hoffman, which describes the mindset of people committed to mass movements. It was later given further context by M. Lamar Keene in his book Psychic Mafia, where he coined the term "true-believer syndrome" to refer specifically to those who continue to believe something even after encountering compelling evidence that the belief is false. I think most people use TBM with the former in mind, to connote sincere belief in the Mormon worldview, and not necessarily to imply the cognitive disorder espoused by Keene.

The podcast topic is a good one, I just bristle at conflating terminology.