An Open Letter to Europe Area Presidency
Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:45 pm
“Unfortunately some choose to dwell on half-truths or inaccurate information regarding the church, its history, or its leaders, which often results in a crisis of faith and testimony.”
As with the author of this open letter, I was quite disturbed by the Area Presidency's sentence I quote above. This same charge has been leveled at Church members in Nauvoo who either said publicly or wrote in the Nauvoo Expositor that Smith was practicing polygamy. It is a charge leveled at Egyptologist when Franklin Spalding published his tract on the Book of Abraham in 1917. It has been leveled at my friends Mike Quinn, Will Bagley and David Bigler at MHA, FARMS publications and apologists on the Internet.
The leaders seem to not get that the half truths and inaccurate information is their problem. It is their lies and distortions that have created the problem, not the messenger with the accurate information.
http://mormonisminvestigated.co.uk/2012 ... ris-ralph/
I particularly liked Christopher Ralph, the letter writer's response:
Is it not sadly ironic therefore that your letter advises local leaders that “some choose to dwell on half-truths or inaccurate information regarding the church, its history, or its leaders”? That statement is undoubtedly true, but the accusing finger is readily shown by numerous examples, such as the one already mentioned, to be pointing in quite the wrong direction. Nor is it enough to assert, as you have, that the church does not hide historical facts, when it may so easily be demonstrated that it has done so in the past, and continues to do so even today. To make such a claim is just adding a further layer of untruth to that which already exists, and will not accomplish any honourable purpose. How is this practice worthy of God’s servants?
As with the author of this open letter, I was quite disturbed by the Area Presidency's sentence I quote above. This same charge has been leveled at Church members in Nauvoo who either said publicly or wrote in the Nauvoo Expositor that Smith was practicing polygamy. It is a charge leveled at Egyptologist when Franklin Spalding published his tract on the Book of Abraham in 1917. It has been leveled at my friends Mike Quinn, Will Bagley and David Bigler at MHA, FARMS publications and apologists on the Internet.
The leaders seem to not get that the half truths and inaccurate information is their problem. It is their lies and distortions that have created the problem, not the messenger with the accurate information.
http://mormonisminvestigated.co.uk/2012 ... ris-ralph/
I particularly liked Christopher Ralph, the letter writer's response:
Is it not sadly ironic therefore that your letter advises local leaders that “some choose to dwell on half-truths or inaccurate information regarding the church, its history, or its leaders”? That statement is undoubtedly true, but the accusing finger is readily shown by numerous examples, such as the one already mentioned, to be pointing in quite the wrong direction. Nor is it enough to assert, as you have, that the church does not hide historical facts, when it may so easily be demonstrated that it has done so in the past, and continues to do so even today. To make such a claim is just adding a further layer of untruth to that which already exists, and will not accomplish any honourable purpose. How is this practice worthy of God’s servants?
