MAsh wrote:(I'm one of those people who thinks the Vault should be open, the Brethren should shout our history from the mountain tops, and the books should be open. Then all the weapons our leaders fear would be disarmed.) If we have nothing to hide, why are we hiding things?
The records are more open than you may suppose. Did you attend last year's FAIR Conference?
That question alone demonstrates that you have no idea who I am. Thank you so much for your refreshing tone.
2. Both- see my background above. I don't see it very often in the real world, but I do know people (sometimes close people) who have either struggled or left the Church because of contra-LDS claims. I simply want to give my reasons for not accepting those claims.
So not often. You have no idea how that disappoints me.
I'm not sure why this disappoints you.
I was hoping for something concrete. You are working from an anecdotal foundation; I'd hoped for something more substantial.
Nevertheless, we seek after the one lost sheep.
Publishing a book doesn't strike me as seeking. It strikes me as being more passive, simply providing a source for a seeker. Seeking is an active verb. In that vein, do you ever think about stewardship? Is it your stewardship, or FAIR's, to seek out anyone? Surely it is more appropriate to allow them to seek you out? Isn't that the purpose of the book? Not to seek, but rather to be available to the one who seeks?
FAIR won't make a fortune on my book. We hope we break even. Any profits would be a bonus to help finance future conferences, etc. I won't make any money on this book unless we see a profit (and even then, I can't image I'd make more than a few hundred dollars at best). I didn't write it to make money & FAIR didn't publish it to make money. We know the audience is small.
To be quite honest, this whole subset never occurred to me. There is actually the possibility of making money off this? Strange, if you are indeed seeking the lost sheep. I'm not sure the two should be paired.
As believers in the LDS faith and in Christ's New Testament directives, however, we feel a need to reach out to those who we consider to be confused or lost.
Reaching out to the confused or lost? You consider providing your thoughts (not the Brethren's thoughts, but your thoughts) as reaching out? For a reward, if the above paragraph is true? Why not just direct those seekers to those who are called to know?
I harbor no ill will to those who disagree. Because I believe in the basic teachings of the Church, I feel obligated to help-- by providing my thoughts-- to those who question.
Mike
I sincerely beg your pardon, but this is a concept I truly don't understand. I don't mean to sound rude, so please don't take what I say that way, but why would you think that your thoughts might help someone who is questioning? Let me explain a bit more: I write on this board because it gives me a vehicle for voicing my thoughts. It would never occur to me that anyone outside of a few people in this very small group would even care what I think. I don't think that my thoughts would necessarily be of any help to anyone, because I have no authority by which my words would have substance. Unless I am mistaken, in which I truly beg your pardon, you have no authority either. Yet you have published an entire book of your thoughts, none of which have any more weight of authority than mine (or anyone else's). While I appreciate the time and effort it obviously took for you to complete this project, I am at a loss to understand why you did it. Were you called to do this, by someone who actually has authority? Is it your stewardship to provide your thoughts, which unless I am mistaken have no authority behind them, to those who question? What is the reaction of those who have authority to your book? (By that I don't mean the Brethren; I mean your local authorities.)
And the worst scenario: what if you are wrong?