This will REALLY help Romney in Gettig votes from Minorities

[_Mayan Elephant]

the media and the church are going to get into clintonesque semantics debate.

Officiator: By virtue of the Holy Priesthood and the authority vested in me, I pronounce you ______, and ______, legally and lawfully husband and wife for time and all eternity, and I seal upon you the blessings of the holy resurrection with power to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection clothed in glory, immortality and eternal lives, and I seal upon you the blessings of kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions and exaltations, with all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [if living, he adds: and say unto you: be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth] that you may have joy and rejoicing in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. All these blessings, together with all the blessings appertaining unto the New and Everlasting Covenant, I seal upon you by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, through your faithfulness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

the church's position is that they don't know if anyone gets a planet (though that is what moses was told) but we do KNOW that our people, (and only our people) get kingdom's, stuff and exaltations (plural).

stupid spinning pr clowns.

[_The Mighty Builder]

Regardless of what the Mormon church states, it's too late. When the Mormon leadership whimped out in addressing the tough question about Mormon history and left it to the apologist to say what they couldn't or wouldn't they lost control. They cannot suddenly decide "the church has the responsibility to publicly and clearly articulate its teachings". Everyone who can post to the internet has beat them to it.

As they say in the final laps of NASCAR "you got what you got so let's go racing."

[_Drifting]

I had a talk with this guy, and I explained to him that the teachings of the church have never been racist. He quoted me some of the stuff past prophets have said about "negroes", and all the typical anti-mormon stuff that makes the church seem like it was racist. I quoted him the current LDS newsroom statement that says the LDS church doesn't tolerate racist. I told him that since the LDS newsroom stuff is the most recent, it Trump's the past teachings. Score another win for the apologists.

You would have won better by noting that most, if not all, of his quotes were from publications the LDS Church does not and never has considered doctrinal.

Even though the people quoted were Prophets and Apostles....

[_Mayan Elephant]

Regardless of what the Mormon church states, it's too late. When the Mormon leadership whimped out in addressing the tough question about Mormon history and left it to the apologist to say what they couldn't or wouldn't they lost control. They cannot suddenly decide "the church has the responsibility to publicly and clearly articulate its teachings". Everyone who can post to the internet has beat them to it.

As they say in the final laps of NASCAR "you got what you got so let's go racing."

this is exactly right. couldn't agree more. it is too late, and they long conceded the clarification of teachings to apologists.

the church had almost 200 years to make things clear and public, they chose to lie and hide.

now, they are simply asking the media to along with their attempts to continue a charade.

[_DarkHelmet]

Regardless of what the Mormon church states, it's too late. When the Mormon leadership whimped out in addressing the tough question about Mormon history and left it to the apologist to say what they couldn't or wouldn't they lost control. They cannot suddenly decide "the church has the responsibility to publicly and clearly articulate its teachings". Everyone who can post to the internet has beat them to it.

As they say in the final laps of NASCAR "you got what you got so let's go racing."

this is exactly right. couldn't agree more. it is too late, and they long conceded the clarification of teachings to apologists.

the church had almost 200 years to make things clear and public, they chose to lie and hide.

Actually, the hiding and lying is a fairly recent policy of the church. They used to be proud of their weird beliefs. The prophets and apostles proudly made racist statements from the pulpit. They bragged about polygamy. They were confident in their beliefs in a literal flood, 6000 year old earth, American Garden of Eden, and hemispheric model. They were bold and proud about their peculiar beliefs. It is only recently that they wanted to be accepted by society. It's a good thing for the poor members to finally get to be somewhat normal, but it puts the current leaders in an awkward position of having to pretend the previous bold declarations of doctrine were really just silly opinions from unenlightened people.

[_Jason Bourne]

You would have won better by noting that most, if not all, of his quotes were from publications the LDS Church does not and never has considered doctrinal.

Like a First Presidency statement and general conference talks. Like writings of apostles and prophets that while they may not have been official due to the fact that it was not published by the Church, no leader was reprimanded or corrected for writing such things.

BC, the American public will not give one hoot about distinguishing officially published LDS items to something published in a book by men who were apostles and prophets of the Church. This is a losing argument as far as this is concerned.

[_DarkHelmet]

BC, the American public will not give one hoot about distinguishing officially published LDS items to something published in a book by men who were apostles and prophets of the Church. This is a losing argument as far as this is concerned.

I would love to see church spokemen try to use the "official/unofficial doctrine" excuse to the main stream media.

Reporter: Up until 1978 your church taught some horribly racist things about the origins of the African race. Has the church moved past that? (total softball question that any smart PR guy could hit out of the park)

Church PR Guy: Well, those things that were said were never official doctrine. (swing and a miss)

Reporter: What do you mean?

Church PR Guy: The church has official doctrine and unofficial doctrine. The racist stuff was never official doctrine.

Reporter: But it was taught for over 100 years by your church leaders, wasn't it?

Church PR guy: Oh yeah. Prophets and apostles taught horribly racist theories from the pulpit. Teachers taught these racist theories in church classrooms to generations of Mormons, who grew up with these theories ingrained in them and it was reinforced at home where parents testified to their children that those racist theories were true because the prophet said so. Books were even written and published perpetuating those racist theories. But those theories were never official doctrine.

Reporter: Not official doctrine? What does that mean?

Church PR gut: It means the church was never officially racist.

Reporter:

[_ludwigm]

...the church was never officially racist...