harmony wrote:Yet we take what is written about the ancients as if they spoke only as prophets, never as men, just because their words (maybe) were written down on a papyrus or a metal plate and buried.
Yes. I'm thinking of writing down my thoughts on some metal plates and burying them in my backyard. Who knows, I might become a prophet to some future group of people.
"We of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith." - Gordon B. Hinckley
"It's wrong to criticize leaders of the Mormon Church even if the criticism is true." - Dallin H. Oaks
SatanWasSetUp wrote:Why the snap judgment? Is this a trick question? Because they're TBMs, or course. One of the main jobs of being a TBM is to judge others.
You may be interested in participating in a new thread I started. ;)
No, this was not a trick question. As a long-standing member of the Church, myself, I don't understand why people do this.
Why do we place such importance on the writings of the ancients? What do they have to say that could possibly have relevance to life today? Why does it matter what people who have been dead for thousands of years believed about anything, let alone God or a Savior or how weather patterns worked?
Why are ancient philosophers more important than the philosophers of today?
Nothing...nothing you have ever said tells me more about who you really are than this.
Loran
Pray do tell.. what wonderous insight does this give you about Harmony? Another personal attack brewing?
Did you guys ever think that maybe she was simply posing this question as a catalyst for interesting discussion?
Why the snap judgement?
I stated what I said because Harmony is well educated on the principles of the gospel, so she knows the answer to the question she is asking. The problem is that she chooses to ignore what she knows and is desperately seeking some new kind of philosophy to superimpose over the truths she knows. She knows she need a band-aid, but is trying to use wax paper instead.
I find it painfully ironic that she contemplates these things while waiting for her husband to finish his temple work.
Gaz
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. - Plato
Did you guys ever think that maybe she was simply posing this question as a catalyst for interesting discussion?
Why the snap judgement?
I stated what I said because Harmony is well educated on the principles of the gospel, so she knows the answer to the question she is asking. The problem is that she chooses to ignore what she knows and is desperately seeking some new kind of philosophy to superimpose over the truths she knows. She knows she need a band-aid, but is trying to use wax paper instead.
I find it painfully ironic that she contemplates these things while waiting for her husband to finish his temple work.
Gaz
What better place to ponder spiritual things and mysteries than in a religious temple?
"Whatever appears to be against the Book of Mormon is going to be overturned at some time in the future. So we can be pretty open minded."-charity 3/7/07
harmony wrote:Why do we place such importance on the writings of the ancients? What do they have to say that could possibly have relevance to life today? Why does it matter what people who have been dead for thousands of years believed about anything, let alone God or a Savior or how weather patterns worked?
Why are ancient philosophers more important than the philosophers of today?
Why? Because....
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Last edited by Reflexzero on Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski
We're told that the modern prophets are not infallible. They make mistakes. They sometimes see through a glass darkly. We're to not hold them to an impossible standard, because they will no doubt fall short.
On the other hand, we don't hold the ancients to that kind of scrutiny nor do we hold them to that standard. We treat their words as if they always spoke for and with diety. Why do we do this? Why do we hold modern prophets to lower standards than we hold the ancients? Or, on the other hand, why do we hold ancient prophets so high, yet hold the modern prophets so low?
On the other hand, we don't hold the ancients to that kind of scrutiny nor do we hold them to that standard. We treat their words as if they always spoke for and with diety. Why do we do this? Why do we hold modern prophets to lower standards than we hold the ancients? Or, on the other hand, why do we hold ancient prophets so high, yet hold the modern prophets so low?
I can't speak for others, but I personally don't hold ancient prophets to a higher standard than I do modern ones.
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski
On the other hand, we don't hold the ancients to that kind of scrutiny nor do we hold them to that standard. We treat their words as if they always spoke for and with diety. Why do we do this? Why do we hold modern prophets to lower standards than we hold the ancients? Or, on the other hand, why do we hold ancient prophets so high, yet hold the modern prophets so low?
I can't speak for others, but I personally don't hold ancient prophets to a higher standard than I do modern ones.
So, do you have the idea that Nathan was in direct contact with God, when he gave Solomon's wives to David? Or do you take that with a grain of salt?
On the other hand, we don't hold the ancients to that kind of scrutiny nor do we hold them to that standard. We treat their words as if they always spoke for and with diety. Why do we do this? Why do we hold modern prophets to lower standards than we hold the ancients? Or, on the other hand, why do we hold ancient prophets so high, yet hold the modern prophets so low?
I can't speak for others, but I personally don't hold ancient prophets to a higher standard than I do modern ones.
So, do you have the idea that Nathan was in direct contact with God, when he gave Solomon's wives to David? Or do you take that with a grain of salt?
I hold out that there is a possibility that he was directed by G-d to do so. I also hold out a possibility that Nathan, David and Solomon never existed. It's something I'm still trying to work out. The accuracy of scripture is something that I've been trying to come to terms with as of late.
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski