Latest LDS PR stunt: The Jesus H. Christ website!

[_Boaz & Lidia]

And yet he remains in a leadership position, influencing church members with his worldview on a daily basis.

No doubt. And there are other more progressive thinking leaders in the Church too, thankfully, who haven't been so hardened by the retrenchment phase of the past.

I guess that says more about the rest of the quorum than anything else.

Which is...?

Sitting around pondering whether or not their Mo'Pends can take one more load before they are forced to get to get a change.

[_Boaz & Lidia]

I like how the only image of people other than the prophets (and the Jesus paintings) depicts two black females looking so happy to be there.

Nice touch, Mormonism. Nice touch.

Or how about the image of the little boy who looks like he is about to be fondled as Jesus strokes his hair.

[_harmony]

I guess that says more about the rest of the quorum than anything else.

Which is...?

Which is that the more moderate, more modern, more forward thinking leaders in the same quorum still allow him to be the voice of the church. Which tells me they either agree with what he says, or they have no balls.

He has seniority in the Quorum of the 12 because he hasn't DIED yet--not because the other brethren think him to be the most qualified, spiritual, or smartest. Besides... we don't know all of the things that go on behind closed doors between the brethren. It is quite possible that other General Authorities did not agree with Packer (and voiced their objection to him).

When a 70 reaches a certain age, they are given Emeritus status and essentially retire. If the 12 were to implement that same policy, what a boon for the church! Yet they don't. And Packer still leads. And the rest of us (or at least some of the rest of us) cringe whenever we see his name attached to a talk.

Until he is silenced by his peers, his voice is considered to be the voice of the church. And since his peers don't silence him, that tells me they are comfortable with what his voice says.

For example... the "Thinking has been done" mindset (echoed by Packer) has been floating around the Church for many years. In response to the teaching that was mistakenly published in 1945, President George G. Cannon remarked:

The leaflet … was not "prepared" by "one of our leaders." However, one or more of them inadvertently permitted the paragraph to pass uncensored. By their so doing, not a few members of the Church have been upset in their feelings, and General Authorities have been embarrassed.

I am pleased to assure ... that the passage quoted does not express the true position of the Church. Even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church, which is that every individual must obtain for himself a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, must, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, work out his own salvation, and is personally responsible to His Maker for his individual acts. The Lord Himself does not attempt coercion in His desire and effort to give peace and salvation to His children. He gives the principles of life and true progress, but leaves every person free to choose or to reject His teachings. This plan the Authorities of the Church try to follow.

The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: "I want liberty of thinking and believing as I please." This liberty he and his successors in the leadership of the Church have granted to every other member thereof. (President Smith's November 16, 1945, letter to J. Raymond Cope, Ph.D)

And yet no one... NO ONE... has ever officially denied that statement. Instead, we get "follow the prophet, he will not lead us astray", even though anyone with a smidgeon of discernment knows our leaders have often led us astray.

[_Mike Reed]

Or how about the image of the little boy who looks like he is about to be fondled as Jesus strokes his hair.

It looks like that to you, eh? I wonder why that is.

[_Boaz & Lidia]

Or how about the image of the little boy who looks like he is about to be fondled as Jesus strokes his hair.

It looks like that to you, eh? I wonder why that is.

Probably from looking at waay too many slamtoons.

[_ludwigm]

The more http://www.hurrah.LDS.we.are.the.true.one site I visit - and more Ensign I read - I can find more familiar picture from socialism. That people gazing upwards to the empty nothing... their sight proves they are agreeing, they believe everything...

Aaarrrrrghhh! I closed that window at short notice.

[_Blixa]

For example... the "Thinking has been done" mindset (echoed by Packer) has been floating around the Church for many years. In response to the teaching that was mistakenly published in 1945, President George G. Cannon remarked:

The leaflet … was not "prepared" by "one of our leaders." However, one or more of them inadvertently permitted the paragraph to pass uncensored. By their so doing, not a few members of the Church have been upset in their feelings, and General Authorities have been embarrassed.

I am pleased to assure ... that the passage quoted does not express the true position of the Church. Even to imply that members of the Church are not to do their own thinking is grossly to misrepresent the true ideal of the Church, which is that every individual must obtain for himself a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, must, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, work out his own salvation, and is personally responsible to His Maker for his individual acts. The Lord Himself does not attempt coercion in His desire and effort to give peace and salvation to His children. He gives the principles of life and true progress, but leaves every person free to choose or to reject His teachings. This plan the Authorities of the Church try to follow.

The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: "I want liberty of thinking and believing as I please." This liberty he and his successors in the leadership of the Church have granted to every other member thereof. (President Smith's November 16, 1945, letter to J. Raymond Cope, Ph.D)

Was not that letter written by President George Albert Smith?