Why the Church does NOT want to discuss doctrine on air...

[_Joseph Antley]

Joseph A.,

I understand why you might want to call me out and paint me in a negative light by quoting me out of context from long ago. I get it, and I don't think any less of you for it. But why the aggressive posture toward Doctor Scratch, a well-meaning, aging professor who has recently been put on emeritus status at Cassius? You are young and have the whole world before you. You're taking on other young, red-blooded youth with fight in their bones at BYU; the second phase of the Student Review to be precise, and I just don't get how an invigorated young person would find satisfaction in beating down a man, now a senior citizen, who worked hard in his career to do what he thought was right, even though he might have made mistakes along the way.

Hi Gadianton,

I put the quote in my signature the day that you wrote it. I did the same with Mr. Scratch's. I had forgotten that I had it there until you pointed it out, but now I feel the need to leave it if only to warn the world about how hot-tempered I am.

[_jon]

Interestingly the Church goes to great lengths to avoid public or group discussion about the finer points of Mormonism. If you go onto Mormon.org and compare what that website tells people about the Church and what you know the Church believes in, you will find massive differences.

The 'milk before meat' argument will be presented in any discussion of this nature but I personally don't think that is tenable. To only learn the fulness of what you are signing up to AFTER you have subscribed is disingenuous.

The Church is keen to keep the finer details secret from the world because the Leaders know that it wouldn't have the affect of driving people towards the Church.

Imagine CNN reporting that "the Mormon Church believes that when you join the organisation, God requires you to give his Church 10% of your gross income and you will have to contract to be prepared to give all of your possessions etc God if at some point He requires it."

Would that kind of public airing of doctrine/belief have them queuing at the font?

[_Chap]

I can't imagine any news anchor bringing up most of those subjects. The media is usually fairly congenial towards religions, probably in our case because most people simply could care less about weird stuff that Mormon leaders taught in the 1800s. That's something for the History channel, not CNN.

I have to say that to most Americans it is weird to believe that ancient Jews emigrated to America, constructed a great Christian civilization of which so far no recognizable trace has been found, that a not very educated young man was given a set of gold plates by an angel containing the records of that civilization, which he then proceeded to translate using a rock in the hat, that the plates then vanished because the angel took them away again, and that the young man then went on to marry 33 ladies on the grounds that an angel with a flaming sword would destroy him if he didn't, and that the organization he founded continued to exclude black people from full membership until the late 20th century, and that it demands 10% of your income as the price of full membership, and teaches that human life is part of the path to becoming a god.

That is weird to most Americans, and the weirdness comes from what is and has recently been taught, not just from stuff in the 1880s.

[_Infymus]

What about the Mormon God living on a planet called Kolob, which orbits a sun called Kaeevanrash. The solar system in which Kolob is in orbits another star called Kliflosises or Hahkokaubeam.

The sun in our solar system is powered from Kolob by an energy beam called a Kokaubeam.

Yep. Let's talk about this on air.

Oh, and find me ANY astronomer to find a solar system that orbits another solar system, or any sun that receives energy from another solar system millions if not billions of light years away.

Let's get that on the air and directly ask Romney if he believes that.

[_Infymus]

I can't imagine any news anchor bringing up most of those subjects. The media is usually fairly congenial towards religions, probably in our case because most people simply could care less about weird stuff that Mormon leaders taught in the 1800s. That's something for the History channel, not CNN.

So tell me, is Kolob, Kaeevanrash, Kliflosises and Hahkokaubeam still taught, or was Joseph Smith speaking as a man? Seems to me like it is still in the Book of Abraham, and the Book of Abraham is STILL in the quad.

[_jon]

Is it possible that Church PR personnel aren't that comfortable with airing the details of how and where you get touched by strangers when you visit the temple for certain rituals?

[_Joseph Antley]

So tell me, is Kolob, Kaeevanrash, Kliflosises and Hahkokaubeam still taught, or was Joseph Smith speaking as a man?

I've never heard any of those terms taught in discourse aside from Kolob, whether by Joseph Smith or anyone after him.

Seems to me like it is still in the Book of Abraham, and the Book of Abraham is STILL in the quad.

What's your point? I consider the Book of Abraham to be one of the most inspirational texts in the quad. For my take on Kolob, see this old blog article.

[_Buffalo]

Exactly why Romney getting the Republican nomination will cinch a second term for Obama. bcspace, your support of Romney is helping assure a second Obama term.

I would indeed support Romney over Obama as I would support any Republican or other conservative candidate over Obama. But what makes you think I support Romney for the GOP nomination?

But it is nice to see that you too do not wish Obama to have a second term. But if he gets it because Romney goes down in a hail of antiMormonism, it's you who would share the blame, not me.

Arguably, Obama is just as conservative as Romney.

[_Joseph Antley]

Arguably, Obama is just as conservative as Romney.

Arguably the earth is just as close to the moon as to the sun.

[_krose]

If Romney gets the nomination and becomes a threat to beat Obama, the media will bring these up somehow some way.

This is ridiculous, and I'm not even talking about your attempt to perpetuate the silly myth of "liberal media" in the US.

Mainstream news organizations in this country are hesitant to bring up religion at all, and when they do, they are very careful to avoid the appearance of being critical of any religion, no matter how weird their beliefs (Scientology, Voodoo, etc.).

The only reason it's a topic right now is because they are covering the fact that some idiot preacher shot off his mouth, which helped Romney look like a picked-on victim.