“There is no such thing…”

[Marcus]

Well said, stem.

Midgley tries to wish things into his own personal non-existence. Imposing his wishes on the world is a little tougher.

I’m just glad it’s keeping him occupied instead of stalking Gina Colvin.

Yes. I would agree with that wholeheartedly.

[Philo Sofee]

Lou is such an arrogant prick.

Still it makes me smile a little when I see these types of lines from him. I'm reminded of the interactions I've had with him and have witnessed where he acts the scholar, the wise and clever and tries to make a point that fails on the face of it. When you stop and try to think through what he's saying you, get his arrogance sure, but you also have to wonder what the hell his point really means or if it matters at all. What he doesn't want the SLC based Church to be associated with any other Mormon off-shoot? ok. What does that have to do with the fact that the off-shoots all came as a result of Joseph Smith's original teachings?

You're asking them to use logic. Now just stop it.

[Marcus]

Still it makes me smile a little when I see these types of lines from him. I'm reminded of the interactions I've had with him and have witnessed where he acts the scholar, the wise and clever and tries to make a point that fails on the face of it. When you stop and try to think through what he's saying you, get his arrogance sure, but you also have to wonder what the hell his point really means or if it matters at all. What he doesn't want the SLC based Church to be associated with any other Mormon off-shoot? ok. What does that have to do with the fact that the off-shoots all came as a result of Joseph Smith's original teachings?

You're asking them to use logic. Now just stop it.

[Moksha]

Lou is such an arrogant prick.

I suspect they are all under the belief that being mean-spirited is a required hallmark of apologetics. Dr. Midgley is just less restrained than most at Sic et Non, but they all relish sticking their lances into Chubby Steve. Finding the right frictionless material to coat the underside of the chips on their shoulders takes time and effort.

[Kishkumen]

I suppose you are right, Moksha. All I can say is that every time they behave in this way they lose my respect and their credibility. The LDS Church is one of the organizations that carried on Joseph Smith’s legacy. It is not the only one, obviously. The word movement captures, in a convenient term, the plurality of organizations carrying on that Smith legacy. Leave it to the Mopologists to get their hackles up over such a thing. Absurd.

[Res Ipsa]

I suppose you are right, Moksha. All I can say is that every time they behave in this way they lose my respect and their credibility. The LDS Church is one of the organizations that carried on Joseph Smith’s legacy. It is not the only one, obviously. The word movement captures, in a convenient word, the plurality of organizations carrying on that Smith legacy. Leave it to the Mopologists to get their hackles up over such a thing. Absurd.

I'm assuming from Midgely's perspective, there is the one and only true COJCOLDS. All the other strains of "Mormonism" are lesser, false, apostate breakaways. Portraying the church as one part of a larger "ism" would seem to demote it to a lesser status. If that's his beef, it could easily have been articulated more clearly and in a way less tinged by Midgely's "charm."

[malkie]

I suppose you are right, Moksha. All I can say is that every time they behave in this way they lose my respect and their credibility. The LDS Church is one of the organizations that carried on Joseph Smith’s legacy. It is not the only one, obviously. The word movement captures, in a convenient word, the plurality of organizations carrying on that Smith legacy. Leave it to the Mopologists to get their hackles up over such a thing. Absurd.

I'm assuming from Midgely's perspective, there is the one and only true COJCOLDS. All the other strains of "Mormonism" are lesser, false, apostate breakaways. Portraying the church as one part of a larger "ism" would seem to demote it to a lesser status. If that's his beef, it could easily have been articulated more clearly and in a way less tinged by Midgely's "charm."

This makes me think about the time, not so many years ago, when the church fought to have exclusive rights to call itself "Mormon"

[Kishkumen]

I'm assuming from Midgely's perspective, there is the one and only true COJCOLDS. All the other strains of "Mormonism" are lesser, false, apostate breakaways. Portraying the church as one part of a larger "ism" would seem to demote it to a lesser status. If that's his beef, it could easily have been articulated more clearly and in a way less tinged by Midgely's "charm."

I don’t think it needed to be articulated at all. Nothing about being part of a movement is inconsistent with the claim, however silly, that one’s part of the movement is superior or the real deal. These guys look for opportunities to be jerks. It is all so unnecessary.

[Alphus and Omegus]

I'm assuming from Midgely's perspective, there is the one and only true COJCOLDS. All the other strains of "Mormonism" are lesser, false, apostate breakaways. Portraying the church as one part of a larger "ism" would seem to demote it to a lesser status. If that's his beef, it could easily have been articulated more clearly and in a way less tinged by Midgely's "charm."

I don’t think it needed to be articulated at all. Nothing about being part of a movement is inconsistent with the claim, however silly, that one’s part of the movement is superior or the real deal. These guys look for opportunities to be jerks. It is all so unnecessary.

This behavior is even more absurd when you consider that Mopologists hate it when Catholics or traditional Protestants say that Mormons are not Christians.

It's yet another example of how Mopologists are fundamentalists, despite their protests to the contrary.

[Kishkumen]

This behavior is even more absurd when you consider that Mopologists hate it when Catholics or traditional Protestants say that Mormons are not Christians.

It's yet another example of how Mopologists are fundamentalists, despite their protests to the contrary.

I consider them to be fundamentalists of a sort. I long have. I know that they hate the label, but it does capture something about their inflexibility in upholding and defending certain ways of interpreting LDS scripture, on the one hand, and their polemical stance against liberal Mormonism, to the extent that such exists, on the other.