DiscussMormonism.com

BrotherofJared wrote:
I got caught off guard about 30 years ago and it bothered me for sometime. I felt I had been intentionally deceived. After some time of mulling it over, I decided to research the issue further. That has been my process ever since. I have yet to find any compelling evidence that cannot be easily explained. Certainly no "scientific" evidence works. Science changes like weather. What we know is fact today becomes a fallacy tomorrow and then there is grabbing evidence that suits your needs but isn't the whole picture.

On the part of Joseph and his many wives. I was surprised that a claim was made that most Mormons didn't know about that. That didn't make sense because it was the number one statement non-Mormons would ask when they found out I was a Mormon, "how many wives do you have?"

Obviously LDS are and have always been aware of the fact that Mormonism has a polygamous history. What people were to varying degrees in the dark about is the historical details of that polygamy, including Joseph Smith's participation. The author of the blog was a clear example of this until she edited her entry in Orwellian-like fashion. What the Church essays have done is opened up some uncomfortable facts that large amounts of Mormons weren't aware of, such as Smith marrying young people or other men's wives. There's still room to go, such as Smith appearing to "make-up" revelations to justify polygamous advances, but we can rest assured that whenever another round opening comes there will be people to claim that Mormons knew this all along.

Regarding scientific knowledge having the capacity to change over time, that's a feature, not a bug. However, you are drastically overstating the degree to which received scientific understanding is upturned. Science over the past century and a half and progressed primarily through refinements, not rejections of previous understanding.

BrotherofJared wrote:I'm having trouble with this post. Who are you quoting? It seems from the quote, the only thing the speaker was worried about was adultery, so all the rest of his message is correct?

The argument is that if Joseph Smith committed adultery, then God would have removed him from office. Since God did not do so, that proves Smith did not commit adultery. This logic is screwed up in a more fundamental way, but what the poster pointed out is that Smith was killed at an unnaturally young age which can easily be interpreted as God removing him from office.

Dr. Shades wrote:

BrotherofJared wrote:Certainly no "scientific" evidence works. Science changes like weather. What we know is fact today becomes a fallacy tomorrow and then there is grabbing evidence that suits your needs but isn't the whole picture.

Which changes more often: Scientific evidence, or religious evidence?

As an explanatory power, which is answering more questions all the time and which is, as time passes, having to run for the cover of the unfalsifiable only?

God called Joseph to be prophet, but when he turned out to be a lying horndog POS, God killed him. Yay God....no?

Maksutov wrote:God called Joseph to be prophet, but when he turned out to be a lying horndog POS, God killed him. Yay God....no?

Silly god, though. If he is omniscient, didn't he see the lying horndog piece of crap JSJr for what he was? If so, sounds like god was setting up JSJr to then kill him. Kind of backs up the Old Testament version of god, doesn't it?

sock puppet wrote:

Maksutov wrote:God called Joseph to be prophet, but when he turned out to be a lying horndog POS, God killed him. Yay God....no?

Silly god, though. If he is omniscient, didn't he see the lying horndog piece of s*** JSJr for what he was? If so, sounds like god was setting up JSJr to then kill him. Kind of backs up the Old Testament version of god, doesn't it?

Silly god didn't foresee the Fall, the Flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, the Spanish Inquisition... Something tells me he isn't the sharpest creator in the bunch.

sock puppet wrote:

Maksutov wrote:God called Joseph to be prophet, but when he turned out to be a lying horndog POS, God killed him. Yay God....no?

Silly god, though. If he is omniscient, didn't he see the lying horndog piece of s*** JSJr for what he was? If so, sounds like god was setting up JSJr to then kill him. Kind of backs up the Old Testament version of god, doesn't it?

Maksutov wrote:Silly god didn't foresee the Fall, the Flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, the Spanish Inquisition... Something tells me he isn't the sharpest creator in the bunch.

Yeah. Probably doesn't have nearly as accurate of a prediction as atronomers as to when Hailey's Comet will come by again. But he sure can get the big issues right. Dispatching an angel with a sword to make sure JSJr committed adultery. He probably realized that if JSJr wasn't getting his rocks off frequently enough, he was spending too much time staring at them hoping for more English translations to appear.