Spending Easter With the Mopologists

[Doctor Scratch]

Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! Whether you mark the day by devoting time to contemplate Christ's atonement, or whether you eat ham or lamb, or hunt for Easter eggs, I think the basic gesture remains the same--I hope you all are enjoying a lovely spring day. That being said, do you think the Mopologists feel the same way? Well, they're certainly glad for the idea that Christ rose from the dead. To mark the occasion, Dr. Peterson to "offer, yet again, part of an Easter reflection that I wrote back in 2012." Gee, I dunno.... Given the supposed importance of the day and what it commemorates, do you think it would have killed him to write something new, rather than hauling out something that's 10 years old? But let's not let the alleged "meaning" of the holiday get in the way of the things that the Mopologists *really* want to celebrate. For example, take a look at this tidbit from Louis Midgley:

I know for a fact that Jeff Meldrum is not related to Rodney Meldrum. I have met both of them. Rodney Meldrum had two years at Utah State where he took a couple of classes on marketing. He is simply a mercenary who has figured out a way of making a living after his soup business did a flop.

He has fashioned what I have described in print as a "Jingo Geography," as a way of selling something.

And this, from the "SeN" entry entitled, "Holy Saturday":

I feel sorry for those who are busy denying this, as well as those who simply never think about such things, or, if they do, feel guilty, and quickly turn to something trivial or evil.

Does he really "feel sorry"? Or does he like it, because it gives him something to rail against?

Meanwhile, since the commencement of the holiday weekend, Dr. Peterson has been very busy attacking Gemli. By my count, DCP has unloaded well over a dozen comments in Gemli's direction, most of which have the usual toxic tenor to them:

Shhhh. Everybody tiptoe around poor gemli. Let sleeping dogmatists lie.

Claims poor gemli, who makes bushels of unsupported claims every day of the week.

You'd think that someone excited about Christ's resurrection would find better things to do with his time--or, at least, he'd make the effort on this weekend out of all others, to be a bit kinder and hold his tongue with respect to insults like "Poor gemli." But not even Easter Sunday is enough to tamp down Dr. Peterson's snark and ire. Here he is insinuating that Sledge is "stupid":

LOL. I don't think that he was claiming any such thing, Sledge. LOL.

If I were you, I wouldn't be tossing the word stupid around too much.

Har-dee-har-har, Dr. Peterson. Good thing Christ suffered on the cross for all of us, right? Over the course of the weekend, Dr. Peterson also found time to mock Noel:

We've done it thousands and thousands of times. Please don't post nonsense.

And:

Speaking of hydrochloric acid: Chronic inhalation exposure caused hyperplasia of the nasal mucosa, larynx, and trachea and lesions in the nasal cavity in rats.

Perhaps most hilarious is that amidst all of this, he also has the gall to write this, also directed at Sledge:

And have you read the blog entry to which all of these comments are appended? Have you considered my request to eschew tribalism, demonization, and vilification? If not, will you?

Why should he? If the Proprietor and his closest friends and allies see no reason to do it, then why should anybody else? Let's face it: the only time that the Mopologists made even a token effort to act like decent human beings was when $10,000 from Dr. Moore was at stake, and even then they couldn't hold themselves back. So it should probably come as no surprise that, on a day when they supposedly should be honoring the "sacrifice" Christ made, instead they're engaging in their usual locker-room antics, slinging insults and cracking cruel jokes at the expense of the last few remaining critics who haven't been banned from the blog.

So, yeah: Happy Easter!

[drumdude]

Dan has likely had his calling and election made sure, so he’s under no obligation to observe the holy day. Much more fun to mix it up with the one non-Mormon he allows to still post on his personal blog.

I’m sure he’s also drinking coffee, smoking a few cigars, and eating excessive amounts of meat out of season.

[Gadianton]

These observations came as a shock to me this afternoon, Doctor. I haven't followed SeN much lately, but a few minutes ago I remembered that it was Easter, and so I pulled up SeN to see what has been going on, and it's basically crickets, save a couple comments from an angry senior citizen.

I guess the real action with Gemli and Sledge is happening on some older threads serving as distractions from the Savior?

I think this Easter stuff is pretty much rote. You've got to give some lip service to the Master, but when that's done? I think for the sake of the blog's window dressing, it's not so much as a time to talk about Jesus, but a time to show everyone that you're NOT talking about Joseph Smith. I can see that Joseph Smith was mentioned last on April 11, in preparation for this big day where Joseph Smith most certainly is really, really not being mentioned. But you've added a dimension that I hadn't discovered, I just thought they were putting up the props and riding out the boredom of the Holiday. But lo, in actuality I was mistaken, and off on page 2 they're in heated battle with the "enemy".

Speaking of "tribalism" issues that you bring up, on the longest Easter-season entry (from a few days ago), the "Remembering Heaven" thread, even though Smith wasn't mentioned, the Proprietor of the blog had to take a jab at Hitchens, adding news about the Church sending food somewhere to the "How religion poison's everything" files. Do I recall correctly that Gemli was lured to the site by the cantankerous Hitchens bashing that was going on there, and if it weren't for that epic kind of tribalism, they wouldn't have their "Gemli problem" in the first place?

And wow, the Easter Hitchens crack is even more interesting considering the comment from Tim Ernst on the "Remembering Heaven" thread. Tim talks about the "late laborer" -- basically, the late laborer still receives the Savior's grace. A comment that was universally applauded, but I can't help but wonder if these folks take their doctrine of the Spirit World seriously? How do they know Hitchens hasn't converted in the Spirit World?

Finally, Midgley points out that the title of today's entry in Greek comes from the Orthodox tradition's week-long celebration of the Lord. On the one hand, sure, the Author castigates the superficial worship of the Easter bunny and preaches Easter bunny avoidance, but then, I have to think about drumdudes observation a few days ago. The fact that the Author needs to invoke the liturgy of a more historically Christian church in order to capture the majesty of the day just proves that Mormonism doesn't compete at all on the Easter scene.

I'll bet MG 2.0 is busy on an egg hunt himself right now.

[Doctor Scratch]

Excellent remarks, Dean Robbers. It seems that the Mopologists still haven't gotten their fill of today's holiday cheer:

gemli: "I assume your defensive response means that you don't have a real defense."

That's pretty silly.

In any case, I'm not going to devote my Easter Sunday to you.

I encourage everyone here to ignore gemli's gibes today.

These were two of a half dozen or so responses to Gemli within the last few hours. And then there is this one, directed at Fred Kratz:

I'm sorry, incidentally, that you seem to have no better way to spend Easter Sunday.

And:

I encourage you, if you have better ways of spending Easter than posting attacks on our religious beliefs here on my blog, to choose those better ways. We'll all have a better day if you do. Thanks in advance.

Why not get off the computer and go put his nose in the scriptures? Or watch an "uplifting" film, such as the one that one of his TBM readers recommended? The answer, as you've already pointed out, Dean, is that "Mormonism doesn't compete at all on the Easter scene." Just as you noted: they spew out the usual "rote" comments, and then it's back to the usual tribalism.

[drumdude]

In any case, I'm not going to devote my Easter Sunday to you.

“I’m definitely not eating all of this cake”

[Gadianton]

Why not get off the computer and go put his nose in the scriptures? Or watch an "uplifting" film, such as the one that one of his TBM readers recommended?

Very true, professor. But how do we know that all of this has been going on from home? Isn't it possible that some of these comments are coming by cellphone during Sacrament meeting?

Can you name the thread Gemli is participating on? I couldn't find it; it seems the thread has been swept from easy public viewing.

I just went back and checked, and the three Easter threads have no comments from Gemli on them. Even the thread with the jab against Hitchens. It seems like Gemli chose to respect their Easter worship.

[drumdude]

I don't recommend reading peterson's daily comments, unless you are an avid fan of the film Groundhog Day. Every day is DCP and gemli having the same dumb argument.

But if you must:

https://disqus.com/by/DanielPeterson/

[Doctor Scratch]

Wow…In case you had any doubts about the Mopologists’ disdain for the Community of Christ, just check out this “Easter Message” from the Proprietor of SeN:

And that reminded me of a story that was told me a few years ago about a Latter-day Saint sacrament meeting that was held in the Kirtland Temple under the leadership of a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. It was the first time that such a meeting had been permitted in that building, which is currently owned by the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Permission had come from the RLDS First Presidency, but the RLDS employee who was the manager of the Kirtland Temple and surrounding properties was not at all happy about that, and was fairly vocal about his displeasure. Still, he sat in on the meeting — probably to make sure that the “Utah Mormons” didn’t do any damage or misbehave. The person who later told me the story was one of those who were passing the sacrament, and the RLDS manager was sitting in the section of the temple to which he had been assigned. He pondered whether he should offer the sacrament to someone who, although affiliated with the Restoration tradition, wasn’t actually a baptized member of the Church. Finally, though, he decided that he would. But the man rather brusquely waved him off, declining to accept emblems of the sacrament administered by the “Utah church.”

Afterwards, however, he approached my friend (a resident of the area around Kirtland, whom he knew) and apologized quite emotionally. Immediately following his refusal to take the sacrament, he said, he been roundly rebuked by the Spirit. He had, he continued, never experienced such a chastising before. “This isn’t your House,” a powerful inner voice forcefully told him. “This is my House.”

I’ve loved that account ever since.

That’s one heck of an “Easter Message”: giddily telling this story about a faithful CoC custodian who’s humiliated in front of the Brighamite faction. Sheesh. No wonder they’re making and anti-CoC film for their next movie project.

[IHAQ]

Easter isn’t about family, as such…

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeters ... unday.html

Isn’t everything in Mormonism supposed to be about family?

[Moksha]

Afterwards, however, he approached my friend (a resident of the area around Kirtland, whom he knew) and apologized quite emotionally. Immediately following his refusal to take the sacrament, he said, he had been roundly rebuked by the Spirit. He had, he continued, never experienced such a chastising before. “This isn’t your House,” a powerful inner voice forcefully told him. “This is my House.”

I’ve loved that account ever since.

Thank goodness the manager of the Kirkland Temple (and the CoC leadership) felt the spirit sufficiently to not issue a ban on the Brighamites participation. Additionally, kudos to the manager for not surrounding himself with rock-throwing cronies.