What single honest act would hurt LDS the most?

[_Mercury]

How does one tell whether a "definition of honesty" is warped or isn't?

For starters, when one says "There are no honest acts that would hurt the Church", the definition of honesty is warped.

[_bcspace]

There are no honest acts that would hurt the Church. There are dishonest questions, answers to which would hurt the Church and the honest thing to do in those cases is not to answer them.

It appears your definition of honesty is warped.

When you're able to show it, let me know.

[_Runtu]

Revealing all their finances. All of them. That would be devastating and the leaders know it.

I don't know about that. I think people might be a little shocked at how much money the church has, but I think the financial secrecy is needless. Most people would be upset only if there were solid evidence of fraud and mismanagement, and I don't believe that happens on a large scale in the church.

[_Shulem]

There are no honest acts that would hurt the Church. There are dishonest questions, answers to which would hurt the Church and the honest thing to do in those cases is not to answer them.

Were the Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 honest answers that don't hurt the church? I think you'll find that the nonMormon world considers the Explanations thereby to be less than honest and do hurt the church. The leaders handle this problem by gagging themselves. Prophets who can't prophesy, translators that can't translate, and seers who see not.

Joseph Smith lied about Facsimile No. 3. He knew it and God knew it. And the whole nonMormon world knows it today. The only people who don't know it are those who are living a lie, the Mormons. Are you, bcspace, living that lie? Oh, I forgot, the Egyptians sometimes like to represent history differently than it really happened so somehow that gets Joseph Smith off the hook for faking the translations. But let me tell you, bcspace -- Facsimile No. 3 is a perfectly fine Egyptian religious document which the Mormons have perverted in the name of their lord. Therein lies the real sin.

Paul O

[_bcspace]

Were the Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 honest answers that don't hurt the church?

You consider them honest? That's quite an improvement from you.

[_Shulem]

Were the Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 honest answers that don't hurt the church?

You consider them honest? That's quite an improvement from you.

I don't consider them to be honest answers from Joseph Smith. He lied. Surely you know that, bcspace. You're not stupid.

There is no question that the Explanations of Facsimile No. 3 hurt the church. The church doesn't like to talk about it. The apostles and prophets don't know what to say about it. The apostles and prophets say nothing about it.

Pray, pay, obey. (repeat 3 times)

All arise.

Paul O

[_Drifting]

The OP talks about 'acts' rather than 'answers'.

I think that the Church avoids doing certain things because the leaders know it wouldn't be a faith promoting action. If it were they would have done it.

For instance:
Providing a proper stewardship report on all the finances flowing through the Church.
Teaching, through all it's programmes, a whole, truthful, fact based version of its history and the actual teachings of its Prophets.

That it doesn't already do these two things speaks volumes about the perceived impact it would have on membership numbers.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Revealing all their finances. All of them. That would be devastating and the leaders know it.

+1

[_KevinSim]

How does one tell whether a "definition of honesty" is warped or isn't?

For starters, when one says "There are no honest acts that would hurt the Church", the definition of honesty is warped.

Why should anyone believe that?

[_KevinSim]

The only people who don't know it are those who are living a lie, the Mormons.

What does that mean exactly, living a lie? Paul, are you saying I'm living my life as if I believe in things that I know aren't true? Is that what it means to be living a lie?

If so, why do you think I am living my life that way? I made a choice a long time ago to believe that God exists, that God loves each of us individually, and that God is able and willing to communicate with each of us individually, at least once. That's the reason I'm LDS. How does any of that involve me living a lie?