No Such Thing as Internet Mormons?

[_ktallamigo]

NEVER, in church

I'd say you've never been to Church; especially given some of your strawmen there.

Every week, for 46 years, missing only occasionally when ill.

I've never heard any of these controversial things mentioned in Sacrament meeting, Sunday School, Relief society, Primary, Young Womens, etc. Never. I am not lying or exaggerating.

Have you?

And I paid attention, and marked my scriptures, and tried my best to put into practice what I learned.

The first I ever heard about these things was when I started looking on the internet, and reading church history.

Ktall

[_ktallamigo]

And this is Salt Lake City, and Idaho.

Never.

[_bcspace]

I'd say you've never been to Church; especially given some of your strawmen there.

Every week, for 46 years, missing only occasionally when ill.

Sorry, my own experience doesn't allow me to believe you.

I've never heard any of these controversial things mentioned in Sacrament meeting, Sunday School, Relief society, Primary, Young Womens, etc. Never. I am not lying or exaggerating.

Have you?

The ones that aren't strawmen,yes. And even the antiMormon take comes up occaisionally and is discussed.

And I paid attention, and marked my scriptures, and tried my best to put into practice what I learned.

The first I ever heard about these things was when I started looking on the internet, and reading church history.

I'd be willing to bet you can't accurately communicate LDS doctrine.

[_ktallamigo]

I'd be willing to bet you can't accurately communicate LDS doctrine.

Of course I could - the "plain and precious" truths right out of Gospel Essentials. I served a mission; I memorized and taught the discussions. A lifetime of lessons.

What I couldn't communicate to you are all the apologetic arguments and issues - because I was never exposed to these issues and arguments in church meetings.

Why are you up so late?

[_Dr. Shades]

There ARE Mormons on the internet and Mormons in the chapel.

It isn't based on whether they are on the Internet or in the Chapel; it's based on what they believe (or disbelieve, as the case may be).

However, there really is no difference between the two.

Oh really? A) Was God once a man, and B) did Noah's flood cover every square inch of the planet?

The beliefs are as smilar or as varied as one would expect.

You just contradicted yourself. If the beliefs are "varied," then there is a difference between the two.

[_Jason Bourne]

There ARE Mormons on the internet and Mormons in the chapel. However, there really is no difference between the two. The beliefs are as smilar or as varied as one would expect.

I strongly disagree.

I've been a "chapel Mormon" my whole life - until the last year. I never googled anything about the church on the internet, because I never wanted to expose myself to something "anti." I did visit the official church site quite often. I had always avoided materials critical of the church, and was warned by well-meaning family members to avoid too much reading of church history because it tended to destroy one's testimony.

NEVER in my 45 years of regular, faithful, weekly church attendance did I ever hear anyone mention that Joseph Smith engaged in polyandry, or that he was involved with Fanny Alger, or that he entered into many polygamous relationships. I never heard that he was a treasure hunter and translated the Book of Mormon by looking into a hat. Never did I hear about him proposing to young girls, and having sex with them. Never did I hear the claims about the angel with the drawn sword. I'd only heard that after his death women were sealed to him, such as Eliza R. Snow.

NEVER, in church, did anyone ever discuss blood atonement, or the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Never in church did I hear discussed that there are differing versions of the first vision. Nor that the papyrus Joseph "translated" the book of Abraham from was found, and turned out to be an ancient Egyptian funerary scroll. Never did I hear why the Nauvoo Expositor was destroyed. I was never told about the council of fifty, or why Joseph Smith would run for President. I was never informed about the DNA controversy.

Chapel Mormons simply do not hear about these things in church. Internet Mormons know all about them, and have to adjust their beliefs to maintain their testimonies.

Last spring, the second counselor in my bishopbric watched the PBS Special "The Mormons." This is a well-educated man, who is a prominent Republican party figure in my state, and is a PR guy for a very powerful corporation that does business in my area. He got up in church the following Sunday, denounced the program, and told the congregation it was all a pack of lies. All lies!! And he was sincere -- he's not an internet Mormon, he simply doesn't know about the issues addressed in the PBS program. He was flabbergasted and astounded by the program and had never heard any of these things before.

So yes, in my opinion there is a huge difference between "chapel" Mormons and "internet" Mormons, the former being largely unaware of the problematic history of their religion, and the latter having to concoct all sorts of reasons and explanations to reconcile the contradictions between Mormon teachings and beliefs - and facts.

ktall

Ah hell

You are just damned lazy. It is all there for you to find if you would just quit watching TV and study a bit. It is not the Church's job to present things that might not foster faith. It is their job to bring people to Christ. So they can be selective about what they do and do not use to accomplish that mission.

Least this is what the internet Mormon will tell you.

[_Jason Bourne]

NEVER, in church

I'd say you've never been to Church; especially given some of your strawmen there.

SEE!!! What did I say. Not only are you lazy now you are a liar.

[_Jason Bourne]

I'd say you've never been to Church; especially given some of your strawmen there.

Every week, for 46 years, missing only occasionally when ill.

Sorry, my own experience doesn't allow me to believe you.

I've never heard any of these controversial things mentioned in Sacrament meeting, Sunday School, Relief society, Primary, Young Womens, etc. Never. I am not lying or exaggerating.

Have you?

The ones that aren't strawmen,yes. And even the antiMormon take comes up occaisionally and is discussed.

And I paid attention, and marked my scriptures, and tried my best to put into practice what I learned.

The first I ever heard about these things was when I started looking on the internet, and reading church history.

I'd be willing to bet you can't accurately communicate LDS doctrine.

I have never heard about the following in an LDS ward setting either:

1: Polyandry
2: Adam God
3: That actual translation precess for the Book of Mormon using peep stone in a hat
4: Nothing about blood atonement
5: Nothing about post manifesto polygamy
6: Nothing about the power play on the priesthood ban issue during the McKay administration
7: Nothing about the editing of the revelations from the BoC to the 1835 D&C

The list goes on.I have been a member all my life-48 year. I have served in every leadership position that a man can serve in on the ward level and few on the stake level. I knew about many of these things-come earlier and some later-as a result of my own reading and studies.

He is not lying. You are BC. This is the only way you can continue to hold fast to the things that are the bad parts of the LDS Church and continue to believe the way you do. You have to belittle those experiences of others that are very real in order to maintain your own faith. How sad.

[_Who Knows]

NEVER, in church

I'd say you've never been to Church; especially given some of your strawmen there.

SEE!!! What did I say. Not only are you lazy now you are a liar.

BC thinks anyone who says something negative about the church, is lying and lazy. Only TBMs are not lazy and non-liars.

He seems like a fairly smart guy too, so how he hasn't figured out the absurdity of his own views yet, is beyond my comprehension.

[_rcrocket]

There ARE Mormons on the internet and Mormons in the chapel. However, there really is no difference between the two. The beliefs are as smilar or as varied as one would expect.

I strongly disagree.

I've been a "chapel Mormon" my whole life - until the last year. I never googled anything about the church on the internet, because I never wanted to expose myself to something "anti." I did visit the official church site quite often. I had always avoided materials critical of the church, and was warned by well-meaning family members to avoid too much reading of church history because it tended to destroy one's testimony.

NEVER in my 45 years of regular, faithful, weekly church attendance did I ever hear anyone mention that Joseph Smith engaged in polyandry, or that he was involved with Fanny Alger, or that he entered into many polygamous relationships. I never heard that he was a treasure hunter and translated the Book of Mormon by looking into a hat. Never did I hear about him proposing to young girls, and having sex with them. Never did I hear the claims about the angel with the drawn sword. I'd only heard that after his death women were sealed to him, such as Eliza R. Snow.

NEVER, in church, did anyone ever discuss blood atonement, or the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Never in church did I hear discussed that there are differing versions of the first vision. Nor that the papyrus Joseph "translated" the book of Abraham from was found, and turned out to be an ancient Egyptian funerary scroll. Never did I hear why the Nauvoo Expositor was destroyed. I was never told about the council of fifty, or why Joseph Smith would run for President. I was never informed about the DNA controversy.

Chapel Mormons simply do not hear about these things in church. Internet Mormons know all about them, and have to adjust their beliefs to maintain their testimonies.

Last spring, the second counselor in my bishopbric watched the PBS Special "The Mormons." This is a well-educated man, who is a prominent Republican party figure in my state, and is a PR guy for a very powerful corporation that does business in my area. He got up in church the following Sunday, denounced the program, and told the congregation it was all a pack of lies. All lies!! And he was sincere -- he's not an internet Mormon, he simply doesn't know about the issues addressed in the PBS program. He was flabbergasted and astounded by the program and had never heard any of these things before.

So yes, in my opinion there is a huge difference between "chapel" Mormons and "internet" Mormons, the former being largely unaware of the problematic history of their religion, and the latter having to concoct all sorts of reasons and explanations to reconcile the contradictions between Mormon teachings and beliefs - and facts.

ktall

Yet, I learned almost all these things in seminary (well, not DNA -- that was recent). And, Deseret Books publishes books on all these topics.

If this stuff is in seminary manuals and in books published by and sold by Deseret Books, what kind of program would you suggest instead?