CWK: What do YOU call the LDS Church?

[Kishkumen]

Cult, 100%. What part of your life didn’t the church try to control? Sex, food, underwear, dating, reproduction, financials, relationships, speech, mannerism, personal appearance, and so forth. What part about their history haven’t they lied about to maintain this control over others?

- Doc

People continue to sign up for religions that ask a lot of them. You would think that they would learn that it just ends up being a real burden that eventually they will want to shake free of. Reminds me of that phrase from "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?": "I guess she was looking for answers." There will always be people out there ready to provide answers for a cost. There may not actually be satisfactory answers to the questions being asked, but someone will always offer to provide answers anyway.

[Gadianton]

Do you think President Nelson ever truly believed that he would get journalists to call the LDS Church "The Church of Jesus Christ"? It just seems so unlikely. By the way, good catch with that. I had forgotten it. But, then, it is just too bonkers.

It's hard to say. The guy is a raging narcissist operating in an information vacuum and we've learned much over the last few years about authoritarian-style leaders acting irrationally -- insisting people call a war a special operation, for instance. It's possible there is a real belief in ones importance such that indeed, it was believed that their say-so would make it so. It's also possible it's an exercise in -- I don't have the word for this -- but there's something about authoritarian leaders making absurd, public, bold pronouncements that perhaps they know nobody buys, but yet, it's would be inappropriate not to insist on it and never back down.

[honorentheos]

Kotkin's party narrative?

[Gadianton]

Kotkin's party narrative?

lol, yeah man, that's probably it.

[Moksha]

Do you think President Nelson ever truly believed that he would get journalists to call the LDS Church "The Church of Jesus Christ"?

Or one of the religious groups not in communion with the broader Christian family. That would be like the small group of Blue Martians declaring they represent all of Martianity when they are not even invited to the tea ceremonies.

[Kishkumen]

It's hard to say. The guy is a raging narcissist operating in an information vacuum and we've learned much over the last few years about authoritarian-style leaders acting irrationally -- insisting people call a war a special operation, for instance. It's possible there is a real belief in ones importance such that indeed, it was believed that their say-so would make it so. It's also possible it's an exercise in -- I don't have the word for this -- but there's something about authoritarian leaders making absurd, public, bold pronouncements that perhaps they know nobody buys, but yet, it's would be inappropriate not to insist on it and never back down.

It almost looks like an attempt to manufacture grievance.

[Gadianton]

It almost looks like an attempt to manufacture grievance.

I'd say you and H are on to something. Another example, when Xi Jinping produces world maps with China's border taking big chunks away from all of its neighbors. And then refers to in in earnest, confused as to why anybody would disagree.