DCP's "Humble Apologetics"

[_LifeOnaPlate]

You might be surprised to know how much attention I've given to matters of theory, etc. It just hasn't shown up (yet) in publication.

I've actually been agitating for a while to convene some sort of symposium on issues of what might be termed "meta-apologetics." There's a great deal of good literature on the history of apologetics (Avery Cardinal Dulles's book on the subject is an obvious example) and on theoretical issues involved with the apologetic enterprise. (Certain evangelical philosophers have given them quite a bit of attention.) I think Latter-day Saint scholars and apologists could benefit from this.

Count me in.

[_moksha]

You might be surprised to know how much attention I've given to matters of theory, etc. It just hasn't shown up (yet) in publication.

I've actually been agitating for a while to convene some sort of symposium on issues of what might be termed "meta-apologetics." There's a great deal of good literature on the history of apologetics (Avery Cardinal Dulles's book on the subject is an obvious example) and on theoretical issues involved with the apologetic enterprise. (Certain evangelical philosophers have given them quite a bit of attention.) I think Latter-day Saint scholars and apologists could benefit from this.

Count me in.

Don't forget the contributions of the American Tobacco Association and their respective members to the field of apologetic strategies.

[_Daniel Peterson]

Don't forget the contributions of the American Tobacco Association and their respective members to the field of apologetic strategies.

How could I? I've modeled my life on the lead character in Thank You for Smoking.

[_Mister Scratch]

Don't forget the contributions of the American Tobacco Association and their respective members to the field of apologetic strategies.

How could I? I've modeled my life on the lead character in Thank You for Smoking.

I haven't seen the film, but does this character work very hard at smearing the reputations of "whistle blowers"?

[_Daniel Peterson]

How could I? I've modeled my life on the lead character in Thank You for Smoking.

I haven't seen the film, but does this character work very hard at smearing the reputations of "whistle blowers"?[/quote]
Spoiler Alert:

It was a joke.

Come to the party, Scartch.

[_Mister Scratch]

How could I? I've modeled my life on the lead character in Thank You for Smoking.

I haven't seen the film, but does this character work very hard at smearing the reputations of "whistle blowers"?

Spoiler Alert:

It was a joke.

Come to the party, Scartch.[/quote]

Let's face facts here: the most clever jokester of the last few posts has been Moksha. As is his wont, he has pointed out a very insightful similarity between Big Tobacco and LDS apologetics. The more I think about it, the more remarkable the similarities are.

[_Gadianton]

Frankly, it makes me wonder what kind of peer review is going on.

Given the compliments Dr. Peterson gives to Dr. Hamblin of being "Wicked and Irreverant," two supposed virtues overlooked by Joseph Smith in the thirteenth article of faith, and given the locker-room laughter of Skinny-L over the exchanges between apologists and critics where apologists perceive the critics on the end of a good roasting, and considering the letter of FatherK who, according to GoodK, has published in FARMS, laughing up Dr. Peterson's antics in spite of the family tragedy at hand, I'd have to say that part of the peer review process at FARMS consists of rejecting essays that aren't insulting enough towards critics and don't have humorous put downs and ad hominems.

[_Daniel Peterson]

Given the compliments Dr. Peterson gives to Dr. Hamblin of being "Wicked and Irreverant," two supposed virtues overlooked by Joseph Smith in the thirteenth article of faith,

You appear to have a more woodenly literalistic mind than I would have expected.

Incidentally, wasn't it Senator Thomas Corwin who advised William McKinley that, "if you would be great, you must be solemn, solemn as an ass"? "All great monuments," he said, "are built over solemn asses."

and given the locker-room laughter of Skinny-L over the exchanges between apologists and critics where apologists perceive the critics on the end of a good roasting

Despite what Master Scartch has told you, you don't really have much knowledge of Skinny-L. Have I mentioned that? It's a small private list. You're not on it.

Ignorance and confidence should not be inversely related.

and considering the letter of FatherK who, according to GoodK, has published in FARMS, laughing up Dr. Peterson's antics in spite of the family tragedy at hand,

When did he do that?

I'd have to say that part of the peer review process at FARMS consists of rejecting essays that aren't insulting enough towards critics and don't have humorous put downs and ad hominems.

Scartch really does have a convert.

Well, there are thousands of pages of the FARMS Review on line, available for easy inspection. Your claims are false to the point of delusion. And then there's the rest of FARMS. I might especially recommend the rich trove of insults, humorous put-downs, and ad hominems to be found in, say, Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, Royal Skousen's Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, and the invective champion of them all -- the annotated Chiasmus Bibliography.