If TA was "squeaky clean' his bishop would not taken away his temple recommend. His sex life would not be an issue if he were not a Mormon..it was his bishop that pulled his temple recommend, ticket to the Mormon Celestial Kingdom. IMO, it was his own religion that debased him.
Travis wasn't squeaky clean, that's true. But what I learned from Deanna today--that I hadn't previously known--is that they went to the bishop, also. Jodi says that she and Travis had done this.
So what I gathered from that was that Travis wanted to "live right." Whatever that meant according to his beliefs. When he fell short, I didn't seem that he was afraid to admit that and correct it. I don't know much about his faith, but taking away his privileges or whatever that punishment was, seems like it would be public. People would have to know you did something to lose those, right?
If that's true, it really removes that overlying premise that Travis was keeping things secret for hypocritical reasons. I hadn't been one to subscribe to the blackmail theory, but maybe she did threaten to embarrass him by leaking those tapes to the Bishop. IDK.
What I admire most in a person is not their infallibly, but their integrity. I think learning that Travis had gone to the bishop in the situation with Deanna taught me that he had conviction and integrity--even if he still failed at living up to his principles.
Travis came out looking good today, and I'm glad because I was mortified that his memory was plagued by accusations of child *advertiser censored*, domestic violence, etc. Being able to prove that Travis, while playing the field, had pretty stable relationships with women--while Jodi on the other hand cannot really prove the same on her side with men--means that she's the one who brought the crazy, not Travis.