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Yes, we should be positive that he said we should avoid the “doubter-as-leper” stereotype. But I also think he needs to recognize that after the scriptures appear tainted for various reasons, it makes it hard to read them further. Or after someone goes through the FC and emerges with a more realistic, less faithful person, asking them how much they are reading is like closing the barn door after the cows have left.
I have trouble reading the BoM now, after liking it better than the Bible originally. All I can think of is JS’s charismatic personality, his imagination, and people’s apparent willingness to believe him, even as far back as when he claimed to know where to go to dig for gold. There are a few pithy passages though, which are worth extracting and reading.
I wouldn’t blame the young missionary for doubting even though he hadn’t read them a lot recently. I’d encourage him to keep reading, though — but only after I had assessed whether he still had enough desire to keep searching.
The other thing — his comment about deceit — even good church members have grown up in an era of deception due to selective story-telling, hidden records in the church archives, etcetera. So whenever I hear about apostates being “deceived”, it makes me chuckle. I joined the church without all the information I needed to make a good decision. All under the banner of “not wanting to hurt the faith of the members”. Deceit (although perhaps well-intentioned in the church) is alive and well for believers and non-believers alike.
Joni wrote:Telling a person in a faith crisis to read the BoM more is like throwing a life preserver to someone having a heart attack.
I love the analogy.
SilentDawning wrote:So whenever I hear about apostates being “deceived”, it makes me chuckle.
Neil L. Andersen’s talk on JS during GC:
Quote:The negative commentary about the Prophet Joseph Smith will increase as we move toward the Second Coming of the Savior.
The half-truths and subtle deceptions will not diminish.I similarly had to chuckle (after all the swearing was finally out of my system). I couldn’t help but reflexively think, all “sides” only present half-truths because that’s all anyone has access to.
Quote:Heber13 wrote:
He would ask me these questions, when I said yes, he would go on the to next…it must be something…
tithing? Yep.
Word of Wisdom? Yep.
Chastity? Yep.
Reading? Yep.
Attending 3 hours of church? Yep.
FHE? Yep.
Attending the temple? Yep.
Praying morning and night? Well…I guess not mornings…just at night and during the day.
Ahhh..that’s it…you stopped praying…this is where you can increase your faith…
That is the same list I was asked while my oldest daughter was sick. My every answer was a strong yes. I was accused of somehow, somewhere being weak in some area, otherwise God would have been protecting my child. Most people did not make such accusations, but the few who did were high enough up in the heirarchy of the church in our area that such comments cut through all sinews and bones and went straight to my soul. Feeling the strength of their belief behind their words, I felt these were the people who would’ve hung me for witchcraft 400 years ago for causing a child to become ill.
More zealous belief creates a zealot. It doesn’t given more answers. It doesn’t earn more blessings. It doesn’t create righteousness. It doesn’t enrich the experience of your life. The zealot narrows their focus to such a small area that they are unable to see beyond.
Quote:
I was also wearing my anti-guilt cloak +3 and rolled a 18 on my 20-sided die, which was saving me from his guilt attempts.:wtf:
DH used to work for TSR and Gary Gygax back in the day. I’m sharing your comment. It will make his day.amateurparent wrote:I felt these were the people who would’ve hung me for witchcraft 400 years ago for causing a child to become ill.
Aren’t you glad you didn’t live back then?? It is amazing the things people have done in the name of God, they may be exceptions, but can show how people can get worked up into a frenzy when over zealous and without checks to keep reason.
amateurparent wrote:DH used to work for TSR and Gary Gygax back in the day. I’m sharing your comment. It will make his day.
😆 :thumbup: nibbler wrote:I similarly had to chuckle (after all the swearing was finally out of my system). I couldn’t help but reflexively think, all “sides” only present half-truths because that’s all anyone has access to.
Exactly. Which makes it very hard to unearth the truth.
SilentDawning wrote:nibbler wrote:I similarly had to chuckle (after all the swearing was finally out of my system). I couldn’t help but reflexively think, all “sides” only present half-truths because that’s all anyone has access to.
Exactly. Which makes it very hard to unearth the truth.
and the digging is what matters anyway, more than all the sides of half-truths. Nobody has the full picture…which means opportunity for more revelation, light, and truth. If things were easily discovered…they wouldn’t be worth discovering.
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