Is FAIR/MAD Hypocritical?

[Guest]

I saw this interesting thread earlier in the day and just about PM'ed the moderators to ask them to restore my posting priviledges. Naturally, I wanted to comment about the "hypocrisy" or as I would put it, the "irony" of current MADB witch hunting. To date they've thinned down to the most irenic of critics (Scottie, John W, CK, CKS....) so the board owner has to designate an ill-defined segment of TBMs for purging! So incredible, yet quite predicable as well now that I think about it. Hence, it's too late to ask "what's next...?" because this is it!

Best of all is the preface about MADB being (possibly) the most popular LDS message board in the entire internet (echoes of a mythical Al Gore, I think). Yet MADB is in danger of a hijacking by TBMs who maintain belief in doctrines of old. No longer are mere threads in danger of hijacking. No, the founder of MADB fears that the entire board, the most popular board in all of internetland, will be hijacked by fundamentalist insiders. Homegrown fundamentalist insiders, who hold the prophets of old to their word until teachings on polygamy are explicitly disavowed by those with authority to do so.

Quite a dramatic and fitting turn of evolution, I think. Has anyone called anyone else "apostate" yet?

Naw...there is still Cinepro, Curelom, Mudcat, Luigi, Spam, Akboy, etc.

[_skippy the dead]

Just for fun: Mary Ann or Ginger?

Definitely Mary Ann.

[_Dr. Shades]

Thanks for the heads-up, Gad! Great threads.

So am I "chapel Mormon" or an "internet Mormon".

To find out, look at the following list and see who you most closely identify with:

• Chapel Mormons will typically try and bend the facts to fit the prophets, while Internet Mormons are far more comfortable bending the prophets to fit the facts.
  
• When the apologists contradict the prophets, Internet Mormons almost always go with the apologists, while Chapel Mormons almost always go with the prophets.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that the words "Lamanite" and "Native American" refer to two entirely separate cultural and linguistic groups. Chapel Mormons believe that the words "Lamanite" and "Native American" are interchangeable.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that Noah's flood was a localized event, covering only a certain area. Chapel Mormons usually believe that Noah's flood was a global event, covering the entire world.
  
• Internet Mormons believe the Lehite colony landed in a New World filled with Asiatic inhabitants. Chapel Mormons believe the Lehite colony landed in a New World devoid of inhabitants save, perhaps, for at least one remaining Jaredite.
  
• When discussing prophetic utterances, Internet Mormons often say "it was only his opinion." Chapel Mormons almost never say "it was only his opinion," believing that a prophet's words and God's words are essentially one and the same.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that FARMS is correct and that the Hill Cumorah was located somewhere in Mesoamerica. Chapel Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was correct and that the Hill Cumorah was located in Western New York and was the same hill from which he retrieved the Golden Plates.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that the only real and binding doctrine in Mormonism is that found between the covers of the four Standard Works--all else is mere conjecture. Chapel Mormons believe that real and binding doctrine is that which is accepted and believed by the majority of the Saints (in practice, this means that they accept the overwhelming majority of what they learn in church and in the church's official publications in addition to the four Standard Works).
  
• Internet Mormons tend to want to "filter" a prophet's words through both his likely cultural influences and his limited sphere of knowledge. Chapel Mormons tend to take a prophet's words at face value.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that the scriptures supersede the living prophets. Chapel Mormons believe that the living prophets supersede the scriptures.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that a prophet's words may not apply to at least some of the people he's addressing. Chapel Mormons tend to believe that a prophet's words apply to everyone he's addressing.
  
• Chapel Mormons believe that a prophet is a foreordained man of the highest moral caliber. Internet Mormons believe that a prophet is not necessarily any better than his societal average.

[_truth dancer]

Wow, that is quite a thread.

It shows the problem in the LDS church, no one seems to know what is or is not doctrine.

Seems all sides believe they not only know what is or is not doctrine, they know how to find/describe/define it.

My observation is, yet again, that no one seems to know.

So long as one believes "the church is true" doesn't matter what you believe.

The LDS church is not about truth, understanding, the spiritual journey, growth, or holiness, it is about getting members.

in my opinion, if the church did indeed have some resource (say, Christ), to provide and profess truth, it would do so. As it is, the leaders don't seem to care one iota about proclaiming truth. I have a sense it may be because so often in the past, leaders thought they were proclaiming inspired, revealed truth only to discover later that they were out in left field. :-)

~dancer~

[_The Nehor]

Thanks for the heads-up, Gad! Great threads.

So am I "chapel Mormon" or an "internet Mormon".

To find out, look at the following list and see who you most closely identify with:

• Chapel Mormons will typically try and bend the facts to fit the prophets, while Internet Mormons are far more comfortable bending the prophets to fit the facts.
  
• When the apologists contradict the prophets, Internet Mormons almost always go with the apologists, while Chapel Mormons almost always go with the prophets.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that the words "Lamanite" and "Native American" refer to two entirely separate cultural and linguistic groups. Chapel Mormons believe that the words "Lamanite" and "Native American" are interchangeable.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that Noah's flood was a localized event, covering only a certain area. Chapel Mormons usually believe that Noah's flood was a global event, covering the entire world.
  
• Internet Mormons believe the Lehite colony landed in a New World filled with Asiatic inhabitants. Chapel Mormons believe the Lehite colony landed in a New World devoid of inhabitants save, perhaps, for at least one remaining Jaredite.
  
• When discussing prophetic utterances, Internet Mormons often say "it was only his opinion." Chapel Mormons almost never say "it was only his opinion," believing that a prophet's words and God's words are essentially one and the same.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that FARMS is correct and that the Hill Cumorah was located somewhere in Mesoamerica. Chapel Mormons believe that Joseph Smith was correct and that the Hill Cumorah was located in Western New York and was the same hill from which he retrieved the Golden Plates.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that the only real and binding doctrine in Mormonism is that found between the covers of the four Standard Works--all else is mere conjecture. Chapel Mormons believe that real and binding doctrine is that which is accepted and believed by the majority of the Saints (in practice, this means that they accept the overwhelming majority of what they learn in church and in the church's official publications in addition to the four Standard Works).
  
• Internet Mormons tend to want to "filter" a prophet's words through both his likely cultural influences and his limited sphere of knowledge. Chapel Mormons tend to take a prophet's words at face value.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that the scriptures supersede the living prophets. Chapel Mormons believe that the living prophets supersede the scriptures.
  
• Internet Mormons believe that a prophet's words may not apply to at least some of the people he's addressing. Chapel Mormons tend to believe that a prophet's words apply to everyone he's addressing.
  
• Chapel Mormons believe that a prophet is a foreordained man of the highest moral caliber. Internet Mormons believe that a prophet is not necessarily any better than his societal average.

By those standards, I'm both.

[_The Dude]

I have a slightly different take on the Chapel/Internet Mormon dichotomy. In my opinion, individuals are not one or the other, but instead they are free to choose one approach or the other to deal with a given conflict. If science or social sensibilities don't match up to the religion, the believer must hold one constant and bend the other to fit, and this is easily done for each difficult topic as it comes along. Some people are totally consistent but most people are not. And so I'm not surprised that Nehor sees himself as both a Chapel and Internet Mormon. Most Mormons are going to have a tendency towards one or the other, but they may choose different approaches for different issues to reflect their individual idiosyncracies. By understanding the Chapel/Internet dichotomy this way, I think it preserves usefulness while avoiding the criticism of being a "false" dichotomy.

[_Blixa]

I have a slightly different take on the Chapel/Internet Mormon dichotomy. In my opinion, individuals are not one or the other, but instead they are free to choose one approach or the other to deal with a given conflict. If science or social sensibilities don't match up to the religion, the believer must hold one constant and bend the other to fit, and this is easily done for each difficult topic as it comes along. Some people are totally consistent but most people are not. And so I'm not surprised that Nehor sees himself as both a Chapel and Internet Mormon. Most Mormons are going to have a tendency towards one or the other, but they may choose different approaches for different issues to reflect their individual idiosyncracies. By understanding the Chapel/Internet dichotomy this way, I think it preserves usefulness while avoiding the criticism of being a "false" dichotomy.

Yes, the original definition sometimes need tweaking in individual cases, nevertheless, I value the concept for its incisive insight into contemporary Mormonism.

[_Sethbag]

BCSpace is like a chapel Mormon in that he insists that all of the things recorded in the scriptures such as Tower of Babel, Noah's Ark, Adam and Eve, etc. must really have happened (ie: no "it was just a metaphor" excuses), but he's totally in the Internet Mormon camp in the liberties he takes in explaining how they might have happened.

[_solomarineris]

Now that MAD has banned all the critics, in the space for opposition left open, it would appear a number of Mormons have gathered, Chapel Mormons, possibly, who hold beliefs in Mormon doctrines like polygamy that Internet Mormons find embarrasing.

So am I "chapel Mormon" or an "internet Mormon".

Actually you are neither IMHO. I personally think you're not worth to be neither.

[_Trevor]

Actually you are neither IMHO. I personally think you're not worth to be neither.

Ouch.

Now, now. Let's not be mean. Because remember, no matter where you go, there you are.