How did it go so horribly wrong?

[_Bob Loblaw]

For my friend, Bob:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24692

Merci beaucoup.

[_Tobin]

For my friend, Bob:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24692

Merci beaucoup.

Now he's done it. He's brought the French into this!!!

[_Bob Loblaw]

Now he's done it. He's brought the French into this!!!

Quietly eating my freedom fries.

[_Chap]

No really. Note the lowercase 'g' in gods vs 'G' in God. If you are going to dabble in a religion like Mormonism (or others that are based on the Bible), you should come armed with at least some comprehension of what is being discussed. 'gods' here is an appellation which indicates a greater nearness to God than any other which is bestowed on other men. It implies you are like unto God. Often it is used in the Bible for representatives of God on earth.

God is a god.

H.

Umm .. yes. Thanks for saving me wasting time in saying the same thing at greater length. There are, of course, no capital letters in the Hebrew Bible. And in any case the plain and simple interpretation of the King Follett Sermon is the one that every great Mormon leader - except the Panda Man - has followed (unless they were being interviewed on TV, of course).

[_Philo Sofee]

If all Mormons thought that way, you would belong to a very, very small church. Do you think there would even be any apostles left?

It is refreshing to hear a believing Mormon acknowledge that, absent a testimony, the church's claims are absurd. Kudos to Tobin for his honesty.

Yes but the flip side is it is utterly INSANE to believe BECAUSE it is absurd. If THAT is the basis, then ANYTHING absurd is believable and we should be thinking that way. That is simply ridiculous. But this is what Mormons and Christians are told (via the silliness of C.S. Lewis' own absurd take on absurdity and the glory to believe in that) and they with absolutely no reason accept it. It is very, VERY difficult to defend Mormonism as not being a cult when in fact, they act like one with malleable minds of the ignorant.

[_Philo Sofee]

If all Mormons thought that way, you would belong to a very, very small church. Do you think there would even be any apostles left?

It is refreshing to hear a believing Mormon acknowledge that, absent a testimony, the church's claims are absurd. Kudos to Tobin for his honesty.
I agree.

No, but it might be a pure faith and maybe even a Christ-like faith as well. One based on the spirit instead of a bureaucracy and dedicated to doing some good in the world instead of building monuments to itself. I can't think the Lord is too pleased with how the LDS Church conducts itself.

I agree with that, too. I just think that if God were really interested in speaking to people personally as his preferred method of instilling testimony, he would speak to more than just a tiny fraction of the worldwide population, and wouldn't tell them completely contradictory things.[/quote]

EXACTLY RIGHT. The very idea that God only speaks to a few special chosen and lets the vast, utterly VAST amounts of humans with no personal knowledge as he gives the specially chosen IS A MAN MADE DOCTRINE. A God simply would NOT do it that way. Now then, MEN would do it this way because it empowers THEM. God has no need of power. God has no need of new knowledge, God has no needs at all. He acts all too human in his emotions, actions, and thinking.