What’s kind of crazy is that if a creator God (assuming he exists) was to reveal himself in a literalistic sort of way, the world would be a lot less interesting.
Why? If, say, a Kolobian shows up, does some interviews, offers some helpful hints, and then bounces why do you think people would stop doing what people do? If the Kolobian sticks around and offers to mentor us, then holy crap we might become a Type-1 civilization. The possibilities are endless. I think you’re limited by your own imagination, and your notion of a god and what that entails for us reveals yourself.
- Doc
Hugh Nibley claimed he bumped into Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Gertrude Stein, and the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanoff. Dishonesty is baked into Mormonism.
Analytics is kicking ass, and it’s awesome to see it. I love good news, and seeing someone do well in life is great. This is turning into a cool thread.
- Doc
Hugh Nibley claimed he bumped into Adolf Hitler, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Gertrude Stein, and the Grand Duke Vladimir Romanoff. Dishonesty is baked into Mormonism.
It’s funny to me how brains work. Or my brain, at least. Forty-plus years ago, the question asked in the title would have seemed normal and comprehensible. Today, it’s jarring and borderline unintelligible.
I left Mormonism at age 19 and I’m now 63. One consequence of realizing I no longer believed in a god of any kind something like 20 years ago was that my brain stopped thinking in terms of blessings and thinking in terms of luck. Sometimes I think I was able to influence my luck and sometimes it was just luck. And some of it was good and some it was bad — just like everyone I’ve ever met. I’ve met Mormons, former Mormons, and never Mormons who have had mostly wonderful and happy lives. And I’ve met people in the same three categories who have had mostly miserable and sometimes tragic lives. And I see no pattern whatsoever.
I’m certain that my life has been very different than it would have been had I been able to remain a believing Mormon all those years ago. But I don’t have the foggiest idea about “blessings.” I could point out a dozen major decisions that I’ve made throughout my life that would have resulted in a very different life than the one I’ve had. Is this the darkest timeline? Or the bestest? I have no idea.
Perhaps if I’d just gritted my teeth and stayed LDS way back when, my life would have been better. Perhaps it would have been worse. How in the world would I know?
One thing I’m pretty sure of: Daniel Peterson doesn’t know, either.
he/him When I go to sea, don’t fear for me. Fear for the storm.
Jessica Best, Fear for the Storm. From The Strange Case of the Starship Iris.
Page seven on this thread could be split off over to another discussion area of this board. Sorry this went south.
I take partial responsibility.
Regards,
MG
Thanks. Let’s try again.
To that end there was something from analytics that deserves a second look
I’m sure there are people out there like Cardon Ellis who can function better with an imaginary father giving them purpose, guiding their life, and assuring them everything turns out rosy in the end. If somebody really needs that to function, then let them have it. It reminds me of somebody I once saw on TikTok who made the same argument about drugs and all the lives that meth has actually saved—how many people would have committed suicide without it? If that’s what somebody needs, I’ll try to have empathy and not judge. But it seems better not to become addicted to such things in the first place.
In any case, for me and my house, we choose reality.
...there was something from analytics that deserves a second look
Analytics wrote:
"In any case, for me and my house, we choose reality."
I commented on that earlier, but thanks for reposting his comment. I actually agree with him. But please don't ask me to go back and repeat myself.
Thanks for being agreeable to getting this thread back on track. Your recycled posts beating a dead horse having to do with recycling were getting tedious.
I'm glad we're moving on. Although I am curious, why did you simply cut and paste something Analytics said without comment? That's kind of lame. Earlier I had more to say about what he had to say. You didn't say much of nuthin'.
...there was something from analytics that deserves a second look
Analytics wrote:
"In any case, for me and my house, we choose reality."
I commented on that earlier, but thanks for reposting his comment. I actually agree with him. But please don't ask me to go back and repeat myself.
Thanks for being agreeable to getting this thread back on track. Your recycled posts beating a dead horse having to do with recycling were getting tedious.
I'm glad we're moving on. Although I am curious, why did you simply cut and paste something Analytics said without comment? That's kind of lame. Earlier I had more to say about what he had to say. You didn't say much of nuthin'.
Regards,
MG
and here we go again with the derailing. You were caught being dishonest in misusing your kids' community offerings, end of story. Give it up and let the thread move on!
Moving on, one of the reasons I quoted a part of analytics (which you left out) was because of how relevant it is to the ongoing discussion on the rpm-mm debate:
analytics wrote:
I’m sure there are people out there like Cardon Ellis who can function better with an imaginary father giving them purpose, guiding their life, and assuring them everything turns out rosy in the end. If somebody really needs that to function, then let them have it.
That idea of needing someone outside of oneself to tell you what you must do in order to have a meaningful life is, in my opinion, abdicating our responsibility. I agree with analytics is his statement.
That idea of needing someone outside of oneself to tell you what you must do in order to have a meaningful life is, in my opinion, abdicating our responsibility. I agree with analytics is his statement.
I agree with you up to point. Where I differ, however, is that as I've lived my life thus far I have found it useful if not critically important to read and reread the teachings of Christ in the scriptures. I think if there was ever ONE MAN that had it all together in the world's history, it was HIM. Others have come and gone and given us much. But I think Jesus Christ gave us more.
And if this is so, I'm OK in trying to follow in His footsteps.
He asks us to repent and be like Him. And then taught us how.
That idea of needing someone outside of oneself to tell you what you must do in order to have a meaningful life is, in my opinion, abdicating our responsibility. I agree with analytics is his statement.
I agree with you up to point. Where I differ, however, is that as I've lived my life thus far I have found it useful if not critically important to read and reread the teachings of Christ in the scriptures. I think if there was ever ONE MAN that had it all together in the world's history, it was HIM. Others have come and gone and given us much. But I think Jesus Christ gave us more.
And if this is so, I'm OK in trying to follow in His footsteps.
He asks us to repent and be like Him. And then taught us how.
Thoughts?
Regards,
MG
Those are things you believe in, not me.
If you are interested in my thoughts in general, I am formulating a response to this thread for myself, but in the meantime, with regard to who is worthwhile to emulate, again analytics gave an extremely compelling response:
analytics wrote:
...I would much rather emulate my life after people who are engaged with reality such as Steven Pinker, Yuval Noah Harari, Sean Carroll, and Richard Dawkins than people like Russell Nelson, Dallin Oaks, or Jeffrey Holland. The former group is not only much more in tune with reality, they also have better ethical systems. They are happier, more inspirational, and more influential. And most importantly, they have infinitely more intellectual integrity.
I agree with you up to point. Where I differ, however, is that as I've lived my life thus far I have found it useful if not critically important to read and reread the teachings of Christ in the scriptures.
MG
You don't have to read all of them according to John 20:30-31 and John 21:25. Or was John lying? Explain. According to John his writings are all you need.
"I have the type of (REAL) job where I can choose how to spend my time," says Marcus.
I agree with you up to point. Where I differ, however, is that as I've lived my life thus far I have found it useful if not critically important to read and reread the teachings of Christ in the scriptures.
MG
You don't have to read all of them according to John 20:30-31 and John 21:25. Or was John lying? Explain. According to John his writings are all you need.
I consider the books that we have in the Bible to be the word of God as far as they are translated correctly.
All of them. I also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God given to us in our day.
