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What would the ideal critic of the LDSchurch look like?

Someone said yesterday at MAD that the Dude was sort of the idealized critic.

enormous image linked here

I can't tell whether this is the critic or the apologist.

Beastie has commented on this several times.

Not to steal her thunder, but she's boiled down the attitude as follows: The ideal critic of Mormonism is one who keeps his/her mouth entirely shut. Or, barring that, one who peppers his/her criticism with copious praise for both Mormons and the LDS church as an institution.

With some trepidation, perhaps I'll add one more: If the Mormons can't have their critics be either of the above, they might settle for a bible-thumping evangelical whose scriptural arguments can be easily shot down. That way, they can defeat them in debate but still get to claim victim status.

With that point of view, it seems like it would be the LDS that are close-minded. Now, I don't really believe that because of experience, but you could see how someone reading what you have said and basing their opinion on that alone could gather that idea.

Dr. Shades wrote:[...] If the Mormons can't have their critics be either of the above, they might settle for a bible-thumping evangelical whose scriptural arguments can be easily shot down. That way, they can defeat them in debate but still get to claim victim status.

I do enjoy engaging those individuals on occasion (Walter Martin and Ed Decker were probably the greatest gifts to LDS apologetics).

To me, the “ideal critic” (not just of my religious views, but of my literary, musical, and/or other views as well) is someone who knows their junk, genuinely want to know my views as much as I want to know theirs, and makes me think… it’s not the tallest order to fulfill, but that’s what I like. A few examples (not by any means a complete list) from MA&D would be Rhinomelon, CaliforniaKid, CKSalmon, Don Bradley, The Dude, and Tarski.

From my limited experience with this board, I'd say good examples here are (once again, by no means a complete list) Beastie, harmony, and Dr. Shades

JRG39402 wrote:What would the ideal critic of the LDSchurch look like?

JRG!

I think she'd (he?) do.

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If she's not available, when do you get off from Subway?

Dr. Shades wrote:Beastie has commented on this several times.

Not to steal her thunder, but she's boiled down the attitude as follows: The ideal critic of Mormonism is one who keeps his/her mouth entirely shut. Or, barring that, one who peppers his/her criticism with copious praise for both Mormons and the LDS church as an institution.

With some trepidation, perhaps I'll add one more: If the Mormons can't have their critics be either of the above, they might settle for a bible-thumping evangelical whose scriptural arguments can be easily shot down. That way, they can defeat them in debate but still get to claim victim status.

Hi Shades,

Do you think that's the case for all evangelicals? Is that the case for Sandra Tanner?

Richard

Have you all seen this thread, it is a hoot. I suspect you might want to take a look.

http://www.mormonapologetics.org/index.php?showtopic=25288&st=40 Start on page 3.

moksha wrote:Have you all seen this thread, it is a hoot. I suspect you might want to take a look.

http://www.mormonapologetics.org/index.php?showtopic=25288&st=40 Start on page 3.

Looked for the hoot but got the boot!!! How come??? Out-in-da-cold, Roger

Hmmm. At least one poster over there says the ideal critic is a dead critic.