tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post7738169732025746818..comments2023-05-10T10:41:32.689-04:00Comments on Against the Greater Light: Notes on General ConferenceAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-44774737042009063602017-10-10T18:26:46.598-04:002017-10-10T18:26:46.598-04:00I can't say enough good things about No Man Kn...I can't say enough good things about No Man Knows My History. I'm not really a biography reader, but I found it extremely thorough, very well-written, and surprisingly neutral.<br /><br />The misinformation about the church does often come from the church itself. And I think your bottom line is actually more active than passive. It's not that the church SHOULD be afraid of truth more than misinformation. I think they already ARE. And that's why they caution about misinformation in the world, so that they can provide their own misinformation so that members are less likely to find the truth and wander off.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-32727734200098527162017-10-10T18:18:02.701-04:002017-10-10T18:18:02.701-04:00I think Joseph's personality is all over the B...I think Joseph's personality is all over the Book of Mormon. There are some really great turns of phrase in there and some clever reasoning that makes me think the author had a knack for words and a talent for persuasion and influence. But there are also plenty of awkward phrases, run-on sentences, and instances of appalling grammar. Which, to me, speaks to an author who was relatively uneducated. But the whole thing seems like it was written by a somewhat uneducated but intelligent and ambitious person. And that's a much more reasonable explanation for the contents of the book. If God took over his body or whatever, why would there be so many glaring errors? I agree with your disagreement!Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-59013425251082876162017-10-10T18:14:15.698-04:002017-10-10T18:14:15.698-04:00Interestingly, I feel absolutely no connection to ...Interestingly, I feel absolutely no connection to my pioneer heritage, and I never really did. Maybe it's because I grew up far from Utah and I was the youngest of all my cousins so I didn't know my grandparents well, but for me, my heritage stops at my parents. That's as far back as it goes. <br /><br />But I agree with you generally. Whether it's pioneer heritage or just your parents, it's good to be proud and cherish the things you've been given, but it's also important to make progress. It's important to learn from your heritage and live a better life that may not have been an option for your, parents, your grandparents, or your pioneer ancestors. I like that attitude.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-34512831375465460062017-10-10T18:11:10.666-04:002017-10-10T18:11:10.666-04:00Wow, that was a lengthy but very thorough discussi...Wow, that was a lengthy but very thorough discussion of the topic. The fact that he was able to use Bednar's reasoning to discredit Bednar's reasoning is hilarious and a little sad, but also one of the things you'd expect to see if the apostles' messages aren't coming from God. General Conference messages are just made up by regular people and that's why they can be so flawed. That's why there's commonly conflicting information, sometimes even within the same talk. But the podcaster made a great point. Priesthood blessings are totally unnecessary and when they don't work it's everybody's fault except for the priesthood's. Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-84164403956987342752017-10-08T15:26:55.340-04:002017-10-08T15:26:55.340-04:00Where we turn to find answers requires great care....Where we turn to find answers requires great care. There is nothing to be gained in exploring the views or opinions of the less informed or disenchanted.<br />—Ian S. Ardern, Sunday afternoon session<br /><br />He is absolutely wrong about that. There is much to be gained by outside study, and I would dare say Sandra Tanner is way more informed than the average general authority. The only reason she's disenchanted is because she studied the church and knows the truth about it.<br /><br />He also said, "We live in a day in which misinformation about our beliefs abounds."<br /><br />That's true, but most of it has been spread by the church. Even the Topics at LDS.org are somewhat misleading and filled with partial truths, which by the church's own definition, would be lies. Telling only part of the truth is intentionally misleading or lying. Bottom line: the church should be more afraid of the truth than misinformation.<br /><br />I have a lot of issues with the teachings of the church, but besides them not taking child sexual abuse as seriously as they should, 3 things stand out for me: polygamy, the Book of Abraham, and the Temple Masonic rituals. Sticking with only church approved sources would've kept me in the dark about pretty much all of these things. People being honest about the history of these issues forced the church's hand and made them acknowledge each of those issues.<br /><br />When I first started having my most serious doubts about the church, I read the Book of Mormon in 10 days, and then I prayed about it. No answer. I then searched for answers on the internet. What I soon discovered was that the "anti-Mormons" were the ones telling the truth with verifiable sources while the church authorities and apologists were the ones who were not.<br /><br />Fawn Brodie's book, "No Man Knows My History" is an excellent example of a book every Mormon should read, but the church doesn't want you to. I just checked and you can buy the Kindle version today for only $2.28.NearKolobitenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-19480967444064832402017-10-08T13:50:58.132-04:002017-10-08T13:50:58.132-04:00To believe such [Book of Mormon critics' reaso...To believe such [Book of Mormon critics' reasoning], I would have to accept one unproven assumption after another.<br />—Tad M. Callister, Sunday afternoon session<br /><br />You are absolutely right. His talk was completely full of unproven assumptions. <br /><br />How about these proven facts he failed to mention of which EACH single one disproves the BOM? Elephants, horses, wheat, steel, wheels, chariots, no physical remains of the wars or cities, no corn mentioned, text taken directly from the KJ version of the Bible, etc.<br /><br />It may seem a little strange, but I disagree with the church when they use the argument that Joseph was basically an illiterate idiot incapable of speaking or writing a coherent sentence. That is just stupid. How could someone like that ever convince anyone to follow him anywhere? Oh right, God took over his body and made it happen. No! I believe he was super intelligent, resourceful, well-read, creative, influential, convincing, etc. And I will continue to believe that long before I'll believe the Book of Mormon and the formation of the church came about by supernatural means. NearKolobitenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-14358480393082253392017-10-08T13:23:18.654-04:002017-10-08T13:23:18.654-04:00Because of the size of my comments, I'm going ...Because of the size of my comments, I'm going to split them up by talk.<br /><br />Ballard<br /><br />I would agree with you that Ballard's talk had a lot of lip service. He speaks of compassion. I remember recently hearing another "apostle" call the "revelation" not to baptize the children of LGBT married couples "compassionate." That's BS. Therefore, I have a really hard time listening to a lecture from any general authority on the subject of compassion.<br /><br />I would agree with him on this quote if it weren't for the fact that's it's an obvious attempt to try to guilt people to stay in the church based on their ancestors hardships.<br /><br />"I have a deep conviction that if we lose our ties to those who have gone before us, including our pioneer forefathers and mothers, we will lose a very precious treasure."<br /><br />Yes, I had ancestors go through incredible sacrifice and even death for the church. I think about it a lot, but that doesn't make the church's teachings true. I'm very proud of my pioneer heritage and the communities they built, and that will always be dear to me. Cherishing the things they've given me but then making the choice to move beyond their mistakes is something they should be proud of.NearKolobitenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-41737214440051815952017-10-07T22:16:36.262-04:002017-10-07T22:16:36.262-04:00The "faith not to be healed" crap Bednar...The "faith not to be healed" crap Bednar came up with is one more excuse the church can use as to why priesthood healing blessings don't work, and we all know they don't. The leaders are trying to redefine what a miracle is in order to claim they happen, because they don't happen. <br /><br />I have recommended reading things before, but this podcast by Radio Free Mormon is, I believe, the very best podcast episode of any kind I have ever listened to. It is fantastic and comes with by far my highest recommendation. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. It's about that very teaching of having faith not to be healed.<br /><br />http://www.mormondiscussionpodcast.org/2017/09/radio-free-mormon-018-faith-not-healed/<br /><br />NearKolobitenoreply@blogger.com