Stormy Waters wrote:It seems the internet is quite a problem if it's getting mentioned several times in conference. Perhaps they can just declare the internet a 'public nuisance' and then try to destroy it.
That would result in at least 2 other major problems: - The crazies that populate the message boards would start their rants on the street - It would provide a never ending source of material to shout about
Best to let those types congregate together where no one is under obligation to suffer them while they exercise the freedom to speak.
Can anyone point to any content on MotmonThink where the facts have been "magnified", "exaggerated" or "invented"?
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.” Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric
"One, two, three...let's go shopping!" Thomas S Monson - Prophet, Seer, Revelator
There has always been a few who want to discredit the church and destroy faith. Today they use the internet. Some of the information about the church, no matter how convincing, is just not true.
He then goes on to recount an odd retelling of the salamander letter I believe.
It seems the internet is quite a problem if it's getting mentioned several times in conference. Perhaps they can just declare the internet a 'public nuisance' and then try to destroy it.
Yes it is quite the nuisance. Free and open exchanges of ideas and opinions in a public forum has never been popular with oppressive regimes. The church doesn't have the power to censor the Internet like the governments of China, North Korea, etc. do in their countries. The next best thing is to make their members fear it. I also like how he used the Salamander Letter as an example. They needed the best strawman they could find and that was it. Why not mention the Book of Abraham issues, Book of Mormon historicity, polygamy, and any other topics that really are being discussed heavily on the Internet? No, they don't want people logging into those debates. They needed a topic that isn't as popular anymore, and that isn't such an easy slam dunk for the critics. Does anyone still talk about the Salamander Letter on the Internet? The brief summary he gave of the Salamander affair, and the way he spun it, might have been faith promoting, but if anyone not familiar with the story tries to dig deeper, they will discover it is not a faith promoting episode in church history.
"We have taken up arms in defense of our liberty, our property, our wives, and our children; we are determined to preserve them, or die." - Captain Moroni - 'Address to the Inhabitants of Canada' 1775
Let's take Quentin's standard and approach. "Don't believe what you read, because if we go back to 1985, it turns out that the Salamander letter was a forgery"--even if God's Discernment Squad couldn't figure that out.
Now, let's apply Quentin's standard and approach to the LDS Church. If it's ever promoted something as true or good and turned out not to be, then don't believe any of it anymore. Oh, that will be a very fertile approach for apostasy, Quentin, and give every reason for members to be skeptical about what comes out of the COB.
There has always been a few who want to discredit the church and destroy faith. Today they use the internet. Some of the information about the church, no matter how convincing, is just not true.
He then goes on to recount an odd retelling of the salamander letter I believe.
It seems the internet is quite a problem if it's getting mentioned several times in conference. Perhaps they can just declare the internet a 'public nuisance' and then try to destroy it.
And yet nobody can show which information being discussed 'is just not true.'
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.” Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric
"One, two, three...let's go shopping!" Thomas S Monson - Prophet, Seer, Revelator
Neil didn't mention that during the time that Hofmann was convincing them he had authentic letters - such as the Salamander Letter - that not a single one of them had the Holy Ghost(tm) tell them he was deceiving them. Not a single one of them had any inkling that he'd kill someone to protect it. Even their beloved Hinkster didn't have a clue. Inspired and prophetic with discernment? Yeah right.
"Some have emerged themselves in internet materials that magnify, exaggerate, and in some cases invent shortcomings of early church leaders. Then they draw incorrect conclusions that can effect testimony. Any who have made these choices can repent and be spiritually renewed."
It sounds to me like he is warning the Saints against visiting LDS.org; Mormon.org; and ldsnewsroom.org.
"The Church is authoritarian, tribal, provincial, and founded on a loosely biblical racist frontier sex cult."--Juggler Vain "The LDS church is the Amway of religions. Even with all the soap they sell, they still manage to come away smelling dirty."--Some Schmo
