LDS reignation letter, who would shock you most

[_thews]

This one is easy. Dr. Peterson makes a living off being Mormon. If he ever chose to acknowledge some very simple facts he'd be forced to jump off his gravy train. Taking groups of people to places that show nothing about Mormon history (because evidence doesn't exist) requires that he continue the charade.

Bokovoy on the other hand is sincere. One can only dance with the devils under the pretense of being an actual scholar for only so long, but eventually the truth has to be acknowledged to present a believable argument that one possesses the capability for critical thought. Eventually, the truth that the entire Book of Mormon came from some magical occult props (seer stones) and the pagan book of the dead (incorrectly translated) has to be accepted as somehow logical. It certainly isn't Christian, but it also isn't logical.

Bokovoy admitted in a thread talking about the Kinderhook plates, that he'd believe anything Joseph Smith translated... to include the Kinderhook plates (story of the descendant of Ham) which is an acknowledged hoax. Think about that for a second... My stance, is that I would believe anything said by a man (Joseph Smith) who lived almost 200 years ago as true, including a translation of something I know is not true (the Kinderhook plates). How could one be more honest about their own intellectual dishonesty? A clever one this Bokovoy is, but not sinister. Once the truth is acknowledged and he becomes an actual scholar, Joseph Smith is exposed for who he really was, which wasn't a cool person. Bokovoy will crack under the pressure... not because he's weak, but because he'll eventually find the truth. The truth isn't either true or not true, because there is only one truth if the question is phrased correctly to define what it encompasses... we'll see.

[_EAllusion]

Of those listed, DCP in a walk. Not only because of his relative prominence, but because like the Pope, he's in too deep. Plus a lot of his apologetic writing feels like gamesmanship to me, which I take as predictive of retention. Ironically, I don't think the success or failure of apologetics matters all that much where his faith is concerned.

There you go DCP. I've compared you to the Pope.

[_sock puppet]

The Catholic church has "dirt"? :)

It does. I've been watching the Borgias.

[_Morley]

The Catholic church has "dirt"? :)

It does. I've been watching the Borgias.

That's like saying you learned about the ocean from watching "The Little Mermaid."

[_sock puppet]

The Catholic church has "dirt"? :)

It does. I've been watching the Borgias.

That's like saying you learned about the ocean from watching "The Little Mermaid."

I'll keep that in mind when I want to learn something about the ocean. But it could be quite a while. Having seen the Incredible Mr Limpet, I probably know all I'll ever want to about the ocean.

[_Gadianton]

This is actually a really good poll. Some of the reasoning on this thread is tough to challenge, but I'm forced to go with Wade.

My reasoning is that I've observed almost everyone on the poll enough over the years to believe that they have a pretty big personal stake in Mormonism for a variety of reasons with all the reasons closely tied to ego, and most of these folks are very sensitive. For most on this poll, I can imagine a circumstance, rare that it may be, that could cut at the heart of the personal investment, bruise the ego, and trigger sensitive nerves in such a way that would result in apostasy. I mean, what if the Church happened to drift way to the political left due to social changes that force its survival? Droopy could be gone in a heartbeat and BCSpace, even though his online persona is less sensitive than anyone on the list, probably couldn't handle it either. Those with academic investments could be out very quickly if the powers at the top said "enough" regarding one variety or other of apologetics and sought to "clean house". I mean, even the apologists have said that the Skousen faction went after Midgley long ago, painting him as a "communist". I'm not saying it's likely, but in a heavily autocratic organization like the Church, one highly opinionated leader taking the reigns and placed in a difficult situation could make decisions that put out once revered leaders, academics, advisers, businessmen, etc.

So what is special about Wade? As far as I can tell, Wade has absolutely nothing at all to gain from either being a Mormon or an apologist. The Church to my reading has been a lifelong burden, and it seems like the rougher he has it, the more bull-headed he bounces back as a defender of the faith. He has no standing in the Mopologist community, he's steered clear of marriage and traditional Mormon life, he has no well-defined gospel hobbies that he sticks with; even if he's dabbled in several fields of Mopologetic study, there's no center of gravity to his work that I can find. He's sensitive, but he's accepted being a loner so even if he gets offended he'll head out in his canoe and work on his next thing. The good non-board aspects of his situation is that he's done a lot of charity and volunteer work and deserves some credit here, though this even shows a tendency to self-sacrifice or work hard for small rewards that don't glorify him. I leave it for the reader to decide the extent to which he (offline) is Christlike or self-loathing, but either way it doesn't change the fact that there is nothing I can think of that could cause him to leave the Church. I can imagine him being ex'd, but if he were, he'd be right back in a Mormon church somewhere the next Sunday trying to work out the terms of his rebaptism.

[_Kishkumen]

That's a solid argument, Dean Robbers.

[_Hoops]

The Catholic church has "dirt"? :)

Peace,
Ceeboo

That was seriously well-timed. I'm with you... dirt? What dirt?

(don't tell anyone Ceeboo, but I'm taking my "raised in the protestant-low-church" kids to a Catholic church soon). I've warned them not to freak when they see the Bull-nuns.

[_Hoops]

I've always wondered what my neighbors in my 99% Mormon neighborhood meant when they said Mr. "So-and-so" down the street was sending his letter to the boys in Salt Lake as an application to patrol the grounds for sin.

(Hint: read the thread title closely)

[_Joseph Antley]

I'm tired of not being listed in polls.