Backyard Professor Responds to David Bednar: Does Mormonism Have the Spiritual Gifts?

[Philo Sofee]

https://youtu.be/pAevmKHncak

You are cordially invited to this 2 minute response to David Bednar who attempts to show Mormonism has the Spiritual Gifts and is right on track. I beg to differ and explain why.

[slskipper]

I will forever regret that I was too naïve to understand Dave when I was his home teacher many years ago. It would have explained a lot.

[Dr. Shades]

I will forever regret that I was too naïve to understand Dave when I was his home teacher many years ago. It would have explained a lot.

By all means, spill the beans. What's he like in real life?

[dastardly stem]

Pretending that people can magically heal the sick, raise the dead, cause the blind to see or deaf to hear (or even silly things like speaking in tongues) is cute fanciful story-telling and may traditionally be the idea of what are spiritual gifts. But, we all know it doesn't happen, right? I'd be delighted if religionists admitted the only thing that can possibly be a spiritual gift is a good attitude every so often. At least it represents something. Maybe we ought to encourage Bednar on this path he's on. If he can get believers to accept "spiritual gifts" aren't anything at all, then we're all better off.

[malkie]

Pretending that people can magically heal the sick, raise the dead, cause the blind to see or deaf to hear (or even silly things like speaking in tongues) is cute fanciful story-telling and may traditionally be the idea of what are spiritual gifts. But, we all know it doesn't happen, right? I'd be delighted if religionists admitted the only thing that can possibly be a spiritual gift is a good attitude every so often. At least it represents something. Maybe we ought to encourage Bednar on this path he's on. If he can get believers to accept "spiritual gifts" aren't anything at all, then we're all better off.

Do you think he can get members to believe that thinking and acting kindly towards LGBTQ+ people, and anyone else a little different from themselves constitutes spiritual gifts? I'm not saying that I'm perfect in that regard, or that I'd necessarily take any kind of guidance from church leaders, but at least it would be something that we could agree on.

I'd count that as a "spiritual gift" superior to "asking".

[dastardly stem]

Do you think he can get members to believe that thinking and acting kindly towards LGBTQ+ people, and anyone else a little different from themselves constitutes spiritual gifts? I'm not saying that I'm perfect in that regard, or that I'd necessarily take any kind of guidance from church leaders, but at least it would be something that we could agree on.

I'd count that as a "spiritual gift" superior to "asking".

Believers do act more kindly and think more highly of LGBTQ+ people now than they did 50 years ago, roughly speaking. Leaders of religion in and out of the Mormonism most often speak more kindly and teach less harshly on LGBTQ+. I suppose in a way there's something we could call a spiritual gift in there. Although it sounds kind of odd to call something that was negative which improved to less negative a spiritual gift. But again, at least that's something. Jebus' spitting in people's eyes and raising people from the dead is just silly magical dreaming, and is not something.

[JohnW]

You are cordially invited to this 2 minute response to David Bednar who attempts to show Mormonism has the Spiritual Gifts and is right on track. I beg to differ and explain why.

I disagree with your assessment, but I think I can understand why you may think the way you think. I suspect this is a case of you being part of the wrong audience. E. Bednar is speaking to believing members of the church. From the snippets of his talk you posted, it looks like he is trying to point out that the spirit can be involved in a person's life in more ways than just the traditional spiritual gifts found in the scriptures, which tend to be rather rare. He is encouraging members to infuse other aspects of their life, yes, even relatively mundane aspects of their life, with religious and spiritual context. I think this is a great thing. The only caveat being that some people can become a little overzealous in this sort of thing.

Having said all that, I can understand how a nonmember or nonbeliever would not see his message in the same light. I could see how it might looks like E. Bednar is trying to cheapen other, more traditional spiritual gifts. I'm sure that isn't his intent, and I suspect that would be clear from the rest of his message.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in how a regular member of the church would view this.

[Morley]

I disagree with your assessment, but I think I can understand why you may think the way you think. I suspect this is a case of you being part of the wrong audience. E. Bednar is speaking to believing members of the church. From the snippets of his talk you posted, it looks like he is trying to point out that the spirit can be involved in a person's life in more ways than just the traditional spiritual gifts found in the scriptures, which tend to be rather rare. He is encouraging members to infuse other aspects of their life, yes, even relatively mundane aspects of their life, with religious and spiritual context. I think this is a great thing. The only caveat being that some people can become a little overzealous in this sort of thing.

Having said all that, I can understand how a nonmember or nonbeliever would not see his message in the same light. I could see how it might looks like E. Bednar is trying to cheapen other, more traditional spiritual gifts. I'm sure that isn't his intent, and I suspect that would be clear from the rest of his message.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in how a regular member of the church would view this.

Always good to have your perspective, John. If you were to comment on the SEC settlement thread, how would approach that? Or is that something you'd rather leave alone?

[JohnW]

Always good to have your perspective, John. If you were to comment on the SEC settlement thread, how would approach that? Or is that something you'd rather leave alone?

I thought I did comment on the SEC thread. Actually, maybe I typed up a comment and then deleted it before posting. I like the threads that are thoughtful. Sometimes things just turn into too much jocularity. You would think I would stay in the Celestial Forum, but I feel like non-believers don't say what they are really thinking up there.

Yes, I do have lots of thoughts on the SEC thing, but I'm not sure if they have quite gelled in my mind. Also, it may be a little too soon to have a serious discussion about it on this board.

[Philo Sofee]

You are cordially invited to this 2 minute response to David Bednar who attempts to show Mormonism has the Spiritual Gifts and is right on track. I beg to differ and explain why.

I disagree with your assessment, but I think I can understand why you may think the way you think. I suspect this is a case of you being part of the wrong audience. E. Bednar is speaking to believing members of the church. From the snippets of his talk you posted, it looks like he is trying to point out that the spirit can be involved in a person's life in more ways than just the traditional spiritual gifts found in the scriptures, which tend to be rather rare. He is encouraging members to infuse other aspects of their life, yes, even relatively mundane aspects of their life, with religious and spiritual context. I think this is a great thing. The only caveat being that some people can become a little overzealous in this sort of thing.

Having said all that, I can understand how a nonmember or nonbeliever would not see his message in the same light. I could see how it might looks like E. Bednar is trying to cheapen other, more traditional spiritual gifts. I'm sure that isn't his intent, and I suspect that would be clear from the rest of his message.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in how a regular member of the church would view this.

Thank you for that perspective John!