But what if Mormonism were true?

[bill4long]

Anyone can ask loads of speculative question until the cows come home.

What if Hinduism is true?

What if Satanism is true?

What if _____ ?

Who has the time?

Give me something I can use.

Sidebar intermission:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NiGq6q3Z34

[KevinSim]

People who might rock that boat are better getting off or being tossed off the boat so no one else gets tipped out.

Let me defend myself. I said the Church was better off without the anti-vaxxers who actively opposed the Church. There's a big difference between people actively opposing the Church and people rocking the boat. Furthermore, I need to point out that I actually repented of even that moderate position. I've posted my desire that even those opposers would at some point return to the Church.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

People who might rock that boat are better getting off or being tossed off the boat so no one else gets tipped out.

Let me defend myself. I said the Church was better off without the anti-vaxxers who actively opposed the Church. There's a big difference between people actively opposing the Church and people rocking the boat. Furthermore, I need to point out that I actually repented of even that moderate position. I've posted my desire that even those opposers would at some point return to the Church.

As long as a Mormon, whatever persuasion they may be, keeps their trap shut then it’s all good.

- Doc

[Marcus]

…There's a big difference between people actively opposing the Church and people rocking the boat….

What is the difference?

[Moksha]

Every Mormon that gets pushed away by the zealous means less future tithing dollars. The tithing must flow if the SpaceArk Nauvoo is ever to reach Kolob with countless generations of Saints in space.

[KevinSim]

Let's say in this framework of things, the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit and as such can zoom or as far as our imagination can take it, transport from place to place. He moves so quickly time slows down, so he's able to visit each person multiple times a day, gathering data and sending it back to God's grand database of love, to be filtered and queried for inspection.

If all that is true, then why wouldn't that Holy Spirit answer a person's question if said person was asking God if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true or not?

[Rivendale]

Let's say in this framework of things, the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit and as such can zoom or as far as our imagination can take it, transport from place to place. He moves so quickly time slows down, so he's able to visit each person multiple times a day, gathering data and sending it back to God's grand database of love, to be filtered and queried for inspection.

If all that is true, then why wouldn't that Holy Spirit answer a person's question if said person was asking God if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true or not?

How do you distinguish the message from the noise of your own self?

[honorentheos]

KevinSim and MG have a strikingly similar foundational view they present here. That being the existence of God is beyond question despite offering they have and do question it. The church happens to be the tissue paper this belief came wrapped in, but beyond their allegiance to the specific form of God-belief derived from an LDS upbringing, the Church is nothing more than a label for those who hold to that belief. There isn't any theological, charitable, moral, or other association made. Doctrine isn't about anything other than germinating and nourishing god-belief. It is that basic: The church is about belief in God, full stop. Everything else is ancillary and this why they imagine themselves to be open minded about issues with the church.

People who might rock that boat are better getting off or being tossed off the boat so no one else gets tipped out.

Let me defend myself. I said the Church was better off without the anti-vaxxers who actively opposed the Church. There's a big difference between people actively opposing the Church and people rocking the boat. Furthermore, I need to point out that I actually repented of even that moderate position. I've posted my desire that even those opposers would at some point return to the Church.

It's valuable to look at this in context of the full point. The defense you present does nothing to clarify the church serves any other purpose than a vessel for those who have a similar god-belief. All other potential purposes of said organization are marginalized behind its function as packaging.

[dastardly stem]

Let's say in this framework of things, the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit and as such can zoom or as far as our imagination can take it, transport from place to place. He moves so quickly time slows down, so he's able to visit each person multiple times a day, gathering data and sending it back to God's grand database of love, to be filtered and queried for inspection.

If all that is true, then why wouldn't that Holy Spirit answer a person's question if said person was asking God if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true or not?

Sure. Exactly. The problems are too many to pretend any resolution here. I posted on the other thread:

Nah...God doesn't know. And he can't get us messages we can rely on anyway. He tells one person one thing like this one religion is right and tells another person another thing. Also in the passage of time, he says one thing, and some time later he contradicts himself. Also if I ask God how would I possibly distinguish between what He says from what I imagine He'd say? "oh that thought there feels good, it must be from God. let me try it out. Nope. No religion is true. They draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me" Lookie there I just got the same answer as Joseph Smith. I wonder if that came to me because I remember Joseph mentioned it and it sounds about right to me, or if God really is telling me no religion is true. Or maybe there's no God at all.

With the data we have, on this issue, it seems to me the most reasonable conclusion is there is no God at all, at least not one who answers questions, or is heavily or much involved with us. Answers, claimed to be from God are not only all over place, but often fail to make much sense and become moot as soon as we investigate and discover something.

[huckelberry]

If all that is true, then why wouldn't that Holy Spirit answer a person's question if said person was asking God if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true or not?

Sure. Exactly. The problems are too many to pretend any resolution here. I posted on the other thread:

Nah...God doesn't know. And he can't get us messages we can rely on anyway. He tells one person one thing like this one religion is right and tells another person another thing. Also in the passage of time, he says one thing, and some time later he contradicts himself. Also if I ask God how would I possibly distinguish between what He says from what I imagine He'd say? "oh that thought there feels good, it must be from God. let me try it out. Nope. No religion is true. They draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me" Lookie there I just got the same answer as Joseph Smith. I wonder if that came to me because I remember Joseph mentioned it and it sounds about right to me, or if God really is telling me no religion is true. Or maybe there's no God at all.

With the data we have, on this issue, it seems to me the most reasonable conclusion is there is no God at all, at least not one who answers questions, or is heavily or much involved with us. Answers, claimed to be from God are not only all over place, but often fail to make much sense and become moot as soon as we investigate and discover something.

Stem, your picture of the Holy Spirit diminishes him a degree beyond any thing I am familiar with. I realize that you are creating a hypothetical. I guess I just find it odd.

As a believer I find myself quite sure that God is not inclined to answer all our questions but expects us to learn think and experience. I think it is good policy not to trust people who say god told them such and such. It is so often something warped.