The Definitive MADhouse Quote Page.

[_Ray A]

The Catholic Church seems to have, and use, a concept of "self-excommunication" by which the Catholic Church doesn't proactively excommunicate someone based on an ecclesiastical process. Instead, the Catholic Church declares that a member has excommunicated through the act of disobidience.

An example is a recent case of a Catholic Church in Arizona performed an abortion on a woman with a life-threatening illness. The local Catholic Bishop declared the head of the hostital's ethics committee to have sanctioned an unauthorized abortion and excommunicated herself from the Catholic Church.

In a sense, the Catholic Church avoids a condemnatory appearance and places the blame back on the person considered to be the transgressor.

Sort of a "we didn't excommunicate you...you did it to yourself."

Would that approach work and be more publicly acceptable for the LDS Church?

Imagine an LDS Church disciplinary council that does not decide in excommunicating someone for adultery or apostacy. Instead, the decision is that the person was already excommunicated because they did it to themselves. The council is just formalizing a self excommunication.

In such cases, when the Church is accused of being punative or unfair...the answer is that we did nothing of the kind...the person cut themselves off from the Church.

Thoughts?

Six

Fascinating... http://www.mormonapologetics.org/topic/ ... 1208956155

That was actually Packer's line in the 1980s, in response to "intellectuals". They finally "formalised" it in 1993. But even more amazing is BC's response:

But overall, I like it since I've been in favor the notion of automatic excommunication for purposeful inactivity.

I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want anything to do this this utter Pharisaic perversion of Christianity. I could just imagine a Mormon version of Jesus saying, "Ya, go ahead and stone the woman to death - it's in the Handbook of Instructions".

[_Ray A]

Furthermore, thus saith BC Christ:

I would try to find out what exactly is keeping these people away from Church. But unbelief without at least trying to believe is reason enough for me as such fits the scriptural definition of those needing to be excommunicated. They are, imho, an unecessary spiritual drag on the general membership of the Church plus it would be better for them not to be subject to covenants they won't keep.

Christ said he'd leave the 99 to go after the one lost sheep.

BC Christ says "why bother with one sheep dragging the 99 down?"

(And this guy, like many other apologists, actually posts here with a straight face.)

[_gramps]

USU78 is an asshole!

His OP:

Nut Gets Himself Shot Today

[_Blixa]

USU78 is an asshole!

His OP:

Nut Gets Himself Shot Today

I know, I saw that. Disgusting.

[_Blixa]

In reference to the recent study suggesting Mormons can be distinguished by their faces:

It's not the clothes, it's the countenance. I have long hair and a pony tail, I wear shorts and t-shirts 99.9% of the time. When the Spirit is upon me, everyone knows I'm LDS and I know what their motives are or their what their countanance is, be it evil or good. I was really freaked out once walking the beach in Santa Monica I could see right through everyone and they I.

By the way SLC has the hottest babes in the airport.

[_Runtu]

In reference to the recent study suggesting Mormons can be distinguished by their faces:

It's not the clothes, it's the countenance. I have long hair and a pony tail, I wear shorts and t-shirts 99.9% of the time. When the Spirit is upon me, everyone knows I'm LDS and I know what their motives are or their what their countanance is, be it evil or good. I was really freaked out once walking the beach in Santa Monica I could see right through everyone and they I.

By the way Salt Lake City has the hottest babes in the airport.

Heh. Not too long ago someone told me they could tell a person was living the gospel by their countenance. They held me up as an example.

[_consiglieri]

Heh. Not too long ago someone told me they could tell a person was living the gospel by their countenance. They held me up as an example.

I remember 30-years ago when I was fresh off my mission and auditioning for a community musical production.

A fellow I had never met before approached me and asked if I were a Mormon.

Thoughts immediately flooded my mind about how my countenance must be positively beaming with spiritual goodness that day.

"Why, yes I am," I answered. "How did you know?"

"Because Mormons are the only people I know who wear t-shirts under t-shirts."


All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_Blixa]

Reading the Old Testament... one could conclude that Jews were more intrested in Child Sacrifice and burning their kids and leaving them in the Garbage dumps for dogs and vulture to tare.

[_gramps]

I miss Bukowski (from Consiglieri's thread):

My goodness!

You don't know me or anything about me. I joined the church after being an atheist student radical with a degree in philosophy from a very large very secular university.
I joined the church at age 30 AFTER all this, because I knew it was true, and found it totally coherent with my philosophy.

Many including most here, are easily led astray by what they hear of totally ridiculous arguments because they do not know how to think clearly about these matters, simply because they have not been trained in how to think.

In fact, I discuss these arguments with all my kids all the time and show them how stupid the arguments are, but WITHOUT HELP and told to impressionable kids- I think it could have disastrous results.

I find it amusing that you think I could bully anybody. The only tools I have to bully with are words, so my arguments must be successful if that is what you think

Ha! Ha! That must be it. ;)

[_gramps]

Same thread, same philosopher:

Look me up on the trailer park if you want to see some philosophical arguments. Nobody talks philosophy over here so I don't get into it much.

There was a thread about postmodernism with Runtu, another called "obscurante terroriste" and a few others

Part of the problem is that one must understand the underlying philosophy before one really understands where I am coming from. It is not likely that I would teach about William James Whitehead and Wittgenstein to pre-missionary kids. That is all is necessary to understand spiritual experience.

Funny, I remember learning a lot from Runtu's series on Postmodernism and Mormonism. I also remember finally feeling exasperated at Runtu's patience with bukowski, from whom I learned very little in comparison.

Anyway, I think, so that we can learn everything necessary to understand spiritual experience, mfbukowski ought to put together a small six-piece series on The Three-W Trilogy and Mormonism. I'd love to read it and I bet we could all better understand where he is coming from.

How about it, mfbukowski?