Coggins7 wrote:The greatest challenge facing LDS apologetics is finding intellectually honest, sincere, civil, ingenuous people to discuss our differences with, as opposed to the endless wading through the fever swamps of fundamentalist populist demagogery, anti and exmo hate screeds, the personal psychological traumas and inner conflicts of ex-members, like (like Martha Beck) who can't deal in a mature and honest manner with their own personal psychological, emotional, and developmental problems, and people like Scratch who have nothing substantive about anything to say about any issue, unless it is a personal smear, innuendo, or insinuation about the character, motives, or intelligence of a Maxwell Institute scholar.
It took you exactly 104 words to say exactly nothing worthwhile.
Good grief.
I'm more scared that you took the time to count them :)
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
I didn't pick the internet because it doesn't speak to any direct challenge to an apologist's ability. That would be more of a challenge to the Church's missionary efforts.
I sort of agree with you, BC. After all, how are apologists supposed to take on the Internet itself?
I don't percieve any significant negative effect to missionary work from the internet by the way. In my experience, stronger antiMormonism actually results in greater numbers of converts as those who are weak become quickly removed from the picture and the strong end up asking more questions of us instead of taking the word of an antiMormon.
The prospect alone is riddled with all sorts of Orwellian implications.
I actually enjoy meditating on dystopian themes from literature or movies.
Coggins7 wrote:The greatest challenge facing LDS apologetics is finding intellectually honest, sincere, civil, ingenuous people to discuss our differences with, as opposed to the endless wading through the fever swamps of fundamentalist populist demagogery, anti and exmo hate screeds, the personal psychological traumas and inner conflicts of ex-members, like (like Martha Beck) who can't deal in a mature and honest manner with their own personal psychological, emotional, and developmental problems, and people like Scratch who have nothing substantive about anything to say about any issue, unless it is a personal smear, innuendo, or insinuation about the character, motives, or intelligence of a Maxwell Institute scholar.
It took you exactly 104 words to say exactly nothing worthwhile.
Good grief.
I'm more scared that you took the time to count them :)
For a long time, I held the record for number of words in one sentence (over on ZLMB). Coggins eclipses me easily. Hats off to the master of saying nothing in a record number of words.
Whatever the greatest challenge, I think that Grant Palmer is right in that the greatest salvation will be through embracing more Christ-centered theology.
Whatever the greatest challenge, I think that Grant Palmer is right in that the greatest salvation will be through embracing more Christ-centered theology.
bcspace wrote:I don't percieve any significant negative effect to missionary work from the internet by the way. In my experience, stronger antiMormonism actually results in greater numbers of converts as those who are weak become quickly removed from the picture
Interesting. This is very similar to Rodney Stark's comments on persecution, but I never thought about it in terms of intellectual criticism. I'm not so sure you're correct. After all, all of those who fall away due to persecution will be people with weak faith. But criticism affects even people with strong faith and high moral standards, especially if they are intellectuals.
Scottie wrote:As long as the apologists keep screaming that every critic is a bald faced liar who uses half truth and distorted contexts to prove their points, the members will be conditioned not to look.
Bald liar? Oh oopsie I thought you were talking about the bald fool Denial C. Peterson.
I'd say idiots like Danny are the worst thing facing Mo'pologetics.
He is trying so disparately to become the next Nibley.
Whatever the greatest challenge, I think that Grant Palmer is right in that the greatest salvation will be through embracing more Christ-centered theology.
Our theology couldn't be anymore Christ-centered.
HOWEVER, that theology is completely surrounded by Joseph Smith.
You CAN NOT be a Christ believing Mormon WITH OUT first accepting Smith as a prophet.
I don't percieve any significant negative effect to missionary work from the internet by the way. In my experience, stronger antiMormonism actually results in greater numbers of converts as those who are weak become quickly removed from the picture
Interesting. This is very similar to Rodney Stark's comments on persecution, but I never thought about it in terms of intellectual criticism.
I've never found antiMormonism to be a negative for the Church. The real problem, and the same for all churches, is the general assault on religion by so-called intellectuals. It's a historical cycle. There are hi's and low's, revivals and apostasies. The vast empty hole that is today's intellectualism creates the need to be filled with light.
I'm not so sure you're correct. After all, all of those who fall away due to persecution will be people with weak faith. But criticism affects even people with strong faith and high moral standards, especially if they are intellectuals.
It's one thing to be a "man of letters". It's quite another to be ever learning and never comming to a knowledge of the truth.