You gotta be kidding! You never read the Book of Mormon? I can't believe it. And here you are commenting on it. Unbelieveable. Read the book before you make opinions about it.
It's typical that a school teacher would insist that someone read the entire book before making comments. But that might be a little over the top. I've never read the Koran but can honestly say it is not scripture and God didn't write it. I don't recall reading the whole of the Constitution but will dare say it is an inspired writing and a wonderful document. I don't think it's fair to shun comments made from someone who hasn't read the entire works of a particular piece or, a piece from the entire works.
It amazes me that someone ignores all the other damning evidence pointing to a 19th century authorship yet clings to such flimsy evidence supporting an ancient/supernatural origin. Sorry, but I do not find this 'evidence' to be evidence of anything at all.
Then continue to be amazed. People see things differently. People understand things differently. Poeple are in touch with the supernatural in different ways. Mormonism is a very misunderstood religion. People have all kinds of litmus tests within the framework of their own logic that they use to judge Mormonism. But if the tests are faulty the results are not reliable.
It amazes me that someone ignores all the other damning evidence pointing to a 19th century authorship yet clings to such flimsy evidence supporting an ancient/supernatural origin. Sorry, but I do not find this 'evidence' to be evidence of anything at all.
Then continue to be amazed. People see things differently. People understand things differently. Poeple are in touch with the supernatural in different ways. Mormonism is a very misunderstood religion. People have all kinds of litmus tests within the framework of their own logic that they use to judge Mormonism. But if the tests are faulty the results are not reliable.
Paul O
I will indeed. Although I have read about it, been exposed to it, and lived it myself, the human capacity for willful self-deception and compartmentalization and the irresistible need to believe in the magical/superstitious, regardless of evidence or plausibility, is a constant source of wonderment and awe to me.
The tests of Mormonism or no more or less reliable than the tests used to assess other belief systems. Mormonism is no more complex, misunderstood, nuanced, etc. than any other man-made religion (which includes all religions). It is not special. It is not privileged in any sense. The same tests of evidence, reason, logic, and common sense that we all employ to assess other belief systems work as well with Mormonism. Arguing to the contrary is, to be frank, delusional.
Ray A wrote: , you want to hijack every thread to a become a Spalding thread - because that's all you know about Mormonism.
Well that was not my intent. I entered the thread to find out what the status was of your religious beliefs. I asked if you thought the Book of Mormon was divinely inspired and you mentioned no more than Shakespeare's. That led me to mention that many believe Francis Bacon among a few others are thought to have written Shakepeare plays. Your response was how some people can write extraordinarily and in one post you went on about Smith having significant writing scriptural abilities..as if comparable to Shakespeare. So you were pushing the Smith only theory, knowing I don't subscribe to it. And as evidence that you knew you were pushing the Smith only theory you posted in reply to my post of "I don't know what your reply is about Ray, or what your point was and I don't care. You sound like a nut, that's all I can gather." with your response: "That's because I don't subscribe to your Rigdon theory."
So I think you can blame yourself, for first bringing up the "S/R theory" . You were essentially goading me, knowing I don't subscribe to Smith alone or Smith having extraordinary writing abilities. You can not make claims as you did that 'Smith deduced God was displeased from reading scriptures as opposed to a F.V' presenting that statement as if you've got factual evidence. First of all do you actually believe he had a F.V.? and second claiming 'God was displeased' doesn't require any Bible reading and third any ideas he may have promoted did not necessarily come solely from him. Whether you like it or not, the evidence doesn't bode well for Smith writing the Book of Mormon solely himself, in fact the evidence strongly supports others were involved and more realistically that the process evolved over an extended period of years...rather than a matter of months in which Smith sat down and cranked out for Cowdery the majority of the Book of Mormon.
It is not special. It is not privileged in any sense
Yes, it is special. Mormonism is a religion founded upon principles of revelation and angelic visitation in latter-days. Joseph Smith said he saw the the Father and the Son. These factors place Mormonism on another level than the Catholics and the rest of the religions that sprang out of the protestant rebellion.
Mormonism is special. It claims a lot more than the other religions. So, I think you need to think it over again.
It is not special. It is not privileged in any sense
Yes, it is special. Mormonism is a religion founded upon principles of revelation and angelic visitation in latter-days. Joseph Smith said he saw the the Father and the Son. These factors place Mormonism on another level than the Catholics and the rest of the religions that sprang out of the protestant rebellion.
Mormonism is special. It claims a lot more than the other religions. So, I think you need to think it over again.
So with your theory the more extraordinary one makes one's religious claims to be and the more numerous they are ...the more special the religion is.
So def'n of "special" religion = lots of wacky unsupported assertions especially when they involve the supernatural. Is scientology more special than Mormonism? Ok I got to go read the Book of Mormon to learn about the Am. Rev. War.
It's reasonable to conclude that extraordinary things are special. Mormonism is in a special class of itself. It makes greater claims than all of the other Christian religions of our day. Not only that, Mormonism is the one religion that claims to prepare a place for the return of the Messiah, that of course being in Jackson County. There are no other Christian religions that make claims on the same level as Mormonism. So, it is special. You can deny it all you want. That's fine by me.
It's reasonable to conclude that extraordinary things are special.
Kids think Santa Claus is special.
Mormonism is in a special class of itself. It makes greater claims than all of the other Christian religions of our day. Not only that, Mormonism is the one religion that claims to prepare a place for the return of the Messiah, that of course being in Jackson County. There are no other Christian religions that make claims on the same level as Mormonism. So, it is special. You can deny it all you want. That's fine by me.
I'm not denying it's special. So the most special religion in the world that has ever existed..according to you would be the one which makes the most outrageous claims. There are probably other religions which outbeat Mormonism. But it probably does beat out all the other Christian affiliated ones though in terms of a step up in specialness, because it is adding onto older religions and adding a few more wacky ideas.
You gotta be kidding! You never read the Book of Mormon? I can't believe it. And here you are commenting on it. Unbelieveable. Read the book before you make opinions about it.
It's typical that a school teacher would insist that someone read the entire book before making comments. But that might be a little over the top. I've never read the Koran but can honestly say it is not scripture and God didn't write it. I don't recall reading the whole of the Constitution but will dare say it is an inspired writing and a wonderful document. I don't think it's fair to shun comments made from someone who hasn't read the entire works of a particular piece or, a piece from the entire works.
Is this so unbelievable?
Paul O
In the above you stated "it's typical that a school teacher would insist that.."
What school teacher were you referring to?
Last edited by Google Feedfetcher on Sun Jul 05, 2009 9:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.
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