Physics Guy wrote:I think the main point of etiquette may just be to be serious. That's certainly a big apologetic issue.
Even more than most religions, I think, Mormonism is either true or ridiculous. It all rests too entirely on Joseph Smith's goofy books, and on the whopping pretense that the modern heirs to his hokey sex cult have mystical powers. So for non-Mormons to discuss Mormonism seriously always takes a great mental eye strain, kind of like those Magic Eye stereograms, just to see the Mormon world as if it weren't a bizarre cartoon. Blink too hard and you lose the illusion completely. It's a try-not-to-laugh challenge.
It seems to me that this fact must be a big challenge for apologetics, because I think it probably means that no matter how far into the Land of Oz the apologists may lead their listeners along the carefully tended Yellow Brick Road, the listeners are never more than a click of their heels away from being back in Kansas with the whole story having been just a weird dream. So I can't help thinking that the apologists can't afford to slip even slightly. They can joke around, even laugh at themselves, I suspect, but only in the carefully careless way that shows just how sure they really are of their view.
If that's right then genuine mockery, no matter how gentle, must be deadly to Mormon apologists. Even a blistering attack that takes their arguments seriously makes them breathe the sigh of relief that sword-wielding duelists must breathe when opponents raise their own blades ... instead of pulling out guns.
^This^ has to be the best short commentary I've ever seen on the increasingly irrelevant Mormon religion and its delusional apologists.
Hats off to you, Physics Guy.
Well done.
David Hume: "---Mistakes in philosophy are merely ridiculous, those in religion are dangerous."
DrW: "Mistakes in science are learning opportunities and are eventually corrected."
I admit, it's hard to take them very serious when they mistake Moksha by so much. Every time I see Moksha's witty, brief and hilarious comments, I feel certain someone's filled with rage. But why? I don't know. When they respond to him with a "your posting history means your the worst person ever" type response I know their comprehension is seriously compromised to say the least. Dr P's inimitable style casts a spell on them I think. Forgive them for they know not what they're doing.
Physics Guy wrote:So for non-Mormons to discuss Mormonism seriously always takes a great mental eye strain, kind of like those Magic Eye stereograms, just to see the Mormon world as if it weren't a bizarre cartoon. Blink too hard and you lose the illusion completely.
Perfection.
- Doc
In the face of madness, rationality has no power - Xiao Wang, US historiographer, 2287 AD.
Every record...falsified, every book rewritten...every statue...has been renamed or torn down, every date...altered...the process is continuing...minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Ideology is always right.
Physics Guy wrote:I think the main point of etiquette may just be to be serious. That's certainly a big apologetic issue.
Even more than most religions, I think, Mormonism is either true or ridiculous. It all rests too entirely on Joseph Smith's goofy books, and on the whopping pretense that the modern heirs to his hokey sex cult have mystical powers. So for non-Mormons to discuss Mormonism seriously always takes a great mental eye strain, kind of like those Magic Eye stereograms, just to see the Mormon world as if it weren't a bizarre cartoon. Blink too hard and you lose the illusion completely. It's a try-not-to-laugh challenge.
It seems to me that this fact must be a big challenge for apologetics, because I think it probably means that no matter how far into the Land of Oz the apologists may lead their listeners along the carefully tended Yellow Brick Road, the listeners are never more than a click of their heels away from being back in Kansas with the whole story having been just a weird dream. So I can't help thinking that the apologists can't afford to slip even slightly. They can joke around, even laugh at themselves, I suspect, but only in the carefully careless way that shows just how sure they really are of their view.
If that's right then genuine mockery, no matter how gentle, must be deadly to Mormon apologists. Even a blistering attack that takes their arguments seriously makes them breathe the sigh of relief that sword-wielding duelists must breathe when opponents raise their own blades ... instead of pulling out guns.
Marvelous summation!
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen
That particular thread ended up being the longest in the history of SeN. It makes for long reading, but I suspect the highlights will end up in Dr. Scratch's year-end summation of LDS Apologetics.
Does anyone believe for a second Mr. Peterson was clutching his pearls when following Smokey’s fascistic ramblings here?
- Doc
For what it is worth, I think Dr. Peterson has discontinued Smokey's participation on that board. He was treated well at first because of that "enemy of my enemy" thing, but Smokey continued pushing his political agenda which Dr. Peterson did not like.
[quote="Physics Guy" post_id=1220957 time=1584615293 user_id=19015]
I think the main point of etiquette may just be to be serious. That's certainly a big apologetic issue.
Even more than most religions, I think, Mormonism is either true or ridiculous. It all rests too entirely on Joseph Smith's goofy books, and on the whopping pretense that the modern heirs to his hokey sex cult have mystical powers. So for non-Mormons to discuss Mormonism seriously always takes a great mental eye strain, kind of like those Magic Eye stereograms, just to see the Mormon world as if it weren't a bizarre cartoon. Blink too hard and you lose the illusion completely. It's a try-not-to-laugh challenge.
It seems to me that this fact must be a big challenge for apologetics, because I think it probably means that no matter how far into the Land of Oz the apologists may lead their listeners along the carefully tended Yellow Brick Road, the listeners are never more than a click of their heels away from being back in Kansas with the whole story having been just a weird dream. So I can't help thinking that the apologists can't afford to slip even slightly. They can joke around, even laugh at themselves, I suspect, but only in the carefully careless way that shows just how sure they really are of their view.
If that's right then genuine mockery, no matter how gentle, must be deadly to Mormon apologists. Even a blistering attack that takes their arguments seriously makes them breathe the sigh of relief that sword-wielding duelists must breathe when opponents raise their own blades ... instead of pulling out guns.
[/quote]
My Lord we need a Best Of section for this board. Physics Guys... sometimes you have some real gems. Great observation.