Ten Questions - Interview with the Stake Presidency

[_asbestosman]

If God is all powerful, can he build a rock so big that even he can't lift it?

Or a vegetable so disguisting that even He can't eat it?

[_Mercury]

Q: Can you make a full and honest accounting to what and how every penny donated through tithing is spent?

[_truth dancer]

I'm not sure why this is a big deal.

We could all ask any missionary our questions, or we could ask the local bishop, or we could submit questions to the SP in our area at any time.

Basically the responses will be opinion... like every other response. Sort of meaningless.

Nevertheless... here are five questions I have asked various believers without response.

1. Since it is clear that prophets and leaders (with all the keys, and while meeting with Christ himself), regularly mistake opinion or believe as inspiration/revelation, how can the average member be sure the HG is actually providing truth? (Examples: Joseph Smith had a superficial understanding of the Book of Mormon and was clearly wrong about his understanding, BY got the whole Adam/God thing totally wrong, BRM and, well pretty much everything, SWK and the Native Americans, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.)

2. Assuming agreement that the LDS religion requires faith to believe, why have faith in the LDS church versus all the other thousands of religions? Why not have faith in another that make more sense, feels more holy, or sounds more helpful? Why would God set up a one and only true religion that (for many) doesn't make sense, feel peaceful, bring peace, or instill hope?

3. If you discovered that your married thirty-something neighbor convinced your fourteen year old daughter that he had a vision from God that she was to "marry" him, then discovered that indeed he had convinced several other teenage girls at the local high school to have an affair, then discovered that he slept with his children's nanny, then discovered that he successfully convinced several married women to "marry" him, then found out that while you were out of town, he convinced your wife to be his, how would you feel? What do you think should happen to this guy? If your daughter and wife told you that indeed they had a revelation that he really did see God, how would you feel?

4. If certain teachings/doctrines/beliefs in the LDS church conflict with one's sense of morality, decency, and integrity, is it best to abandon one's personal intuition and moral convictions and code or follow the teachings of the church?

5. If the LDS church (teachings/doctrines/practices) is harmful to one's personal life, marriage, family, and sense of well being, is it best to continue trying to believe or would it be best to release the church and find a belief system that is more healthy?

~dancer~

[_Mercury]

1. Is it possible that the church might not be true?

If the answer to this is no, is it even worth asking any more questions?

Well put.

And THAT is what it comes down to.

[_William Schryver]

Jason:

… why are they entertaining your ten questions anyway? For what reason are you and they doing this?

They don’t yet know that they are going to be asked to “entertain” my questions. This is their first week on the job. I thought I made my intent clear: I want to expose them, right now, to the kinds of questions they may get from troubled members who come into their offices over the course of the next nine years.

guy sajer:

Jason, I suspect that William was testing a hypothesis, of sorts, that our 10 questions would fall into the category of something like "that's the best you can do, we've already dealth with all this stuff, but you're still harping on it?" He hoped to use this as ammunition to go back to the MAD board and say mean and nasty things about us about how we're all hung up on such trivial stuff.

But, I'm just making a wild guess.

An interesting “wild guess” which I suspect tells us more about you than it does anything else.

Nevertheless, you are incorrect. And while I might consider some criticisms to be little more than “trivial stuff,” I don’t feel that way about most of the complaints that are made here and elsewhere.

In any event, I don’t plan on “sugar-coating” the list of ten questions I present to them. They will be a representative selection of the “tough” questions that one might encounter within 24 hours of poking around on internet forums such as this one. And I’m fairly confident that the initial reaction of the members of this particular stake presidency will be to claim that, “These are all anti-Mormon lies. None of this is true.” And, I suppose I’ll feel pretty bad if, two years or so down the road, one or more of them has apostatized. But my attitude is that if you can’t come to grips with these “tough” questions, then you probably didn’t have a valid basis for your faith in the first place.

So, there you go. Despite the rampant proclivity of some people on this message board to attribute to me all sorts of nefarious intentions and hidden agendas, I’m actually just about as “up front” a person as you will ever find. Although I admit I do suffer from a few shameful weaknesses. I’m sure Runtu could elaborate on that, if he so chooses.

By the way, I haven’t seen John on the boards for the past day or so. If you’re out there John, PM me here or on MAD. I would like to make a lunch date. I’m buying.

[_beastie]

By the way, I haven’t seen John on the boards for the past day or so. If you’re out there John, PM me here or on MAD. I would like to make a lunch date. I’m buying.

Are you trying to sound creepy or is it beyond your control?

[_John Larsen]

Question: How is it that Richard Lyman was able to carry on a sexual affair for over 20 years while a member of the Quorum of 12 without any of the other Prophets, Seers and Revelators able to discern?

[_beastie]

Question: How is it that Richard Lyman was able to carry on a sexual affair for over 20 years while a member of the Quorum of 12 without any of the other Prophets, Seers and Revelators able to discern?

Gosh, darn, if only they'd had Will's Super Duper Countenance Detector!!!

[_Pokatator]

Jason:

… why are they entertaining your ten questions anyway? For what reason are you and they doing this?

They don’t yet know that they are going to be asked to “entertain” my questions. This is their first week on the job. I thought I made my intent clear: I want to expose them, right now, to the kinds of questions they may get from troubled members who come into their offices over the course of the next nine years.

Are you really saying these are "your" questions? I thought you were asking for our questions.

Maybe the ScareCrow is a closet doubter.

[_John Larsen]

Maybe the ScareCrow is a closet doubter.

I think it is a preemptive strike to avoid a calling.