Devastating Assessment of FARMS Legacy

[_Philo Sofee]

At BYU they don't let the history department teach church history. The Religion department does. How Orwellian is that?

As the Mopologists have been saying of late, it's all about controlling the narrative. They would know!

Right, because they're more interested in truthiness than truth.

Truthiness instead of truth......interesting way to put it actually. In reading about the various psychological factors we humans have along with our emotions, I have noticed that the so-called spirituality of humanity may very well be an evolved survival mechanism over the last several tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. the desire for "truthiness" as you so amusingly call it (I notice you have quite a wit about you, quite fun reading you make it is) may quite frankly be in our genes, so this propensity might be across the spectrum of all religions. And the experts have noted that in a religion, it is always one's own religion that is right, while all those others of thousands are the ones which are wrong. No one ever examines their own religion with the same level of skepticism as when they are looking at someone else's religion. And everyone holds to the assumption that while all those others are quite wrong, only MINE is correct. It doesn't matter if its a Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Australian Aborigine, Episcopalian, or even a non-denominational Christian! Weird huh?

[_harmony]

Truthiness instead of truth......interesting way to put it actually. In reading about the various psychological factors we humans have along with our emotions, I have noticed that the so-called spirituality of humanity may very well be an evolved survival mechanism over the last several tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. the desire for "truthiness" as you so amusingly call it (I notice you have quite a wit about you, quite fun reading you make it is) may quite frankly be in our genes, so this propensity might be across the spectrum of all religions.

And love is a chemical reaction in the brain.

[_Cicero]

At BYU they don't let the history department teach church history. The Religion department does. How Orwellian is that?

As the Mopologists have been saying of late, it's all about controlling the narrative. They would know!

Right, because they're more interested in truthiness than truth.

Truthiness instead of truth......interesting way to put it actually. In reading about the various psychological factors we humans have along with our emotions, I have noticed that the so-called spirituality of humanity may very well be an evolved survival mechanism over the last several tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. the desire for "truthiness" as you so amusingly call it (I notice you have quite a wit about you, quite fun reading you make it is) may quite frankly be in our genes, so this propensity might be across the spectrum of all religions. And the experts have noted that in a religion, it is always one's own religion that is right, while all those others of thousands are the ones which are wrong. No one ever examines their own religion with the same level of skepticism as when they are looking at someone else's religion. And everyone holds to the assumption that while all those others are quite wrong, only MINE is correct. It doesn't matter if its a Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Australian Aborigine, Episcopalian, or even a non-denominational Christian! Weird huh?

Many thanks for the compliment but I can't claim credit for the word. Stephen Colbert coined it. I do agree that the tendency to be religious appears to be fairly universal, which implies (if you're an atheist) that there must be something about religion that helped certain groups survive and perpetuate their genes.

[_Hermes]

For those who may be interested, I have written some more about the Maxwell Institute here: http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/2012/06/defending-indefensible.html. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, of course, so caveat lector.

[_Hermes]

I know Tortorelli spent a lot of time outside Provo: he was always going off into the mountains or to Salt Lake. I was naïvely unaware that there was such a thing as "wild" at BYU, back in those days.

[_MsJack]

I know Tortorelli spent a lot of time outside Provo: he was always going off into the mountains or to Salt Lake. I was naïvely unaware that there was such a thing as "wild" at BYU, back in those days.

Good to see you here, Hermes.

I hung out at Tortorelli's apartment a few times when he was a teacher there. This was when my husband and I were going through our separation, and he was a bit of a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Occasionally I say hello to him on Facebook. He has gotten married, which he always said he would never do, but he was very happy with the decision last we spoke.

I believe I mentioned your current feelings on faith to him, Hermes, and he was surprised. If you haven't said hello to him lately, you probably should.

Hall, Macfarlane and Huntsman were all favorites here. I took classes from the other Macfarlane (Roger's wife), Lounsbury, Duckwitz, and DeBloois (before she passed away in 2003 or 2004, I think). Never had Peek, though there were always interesting stories about her and Huntsman and their younger days floating around ...

[_Kishkumen]

For those who may be interested, I have written some more about the Maxwell Institute here: http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/2012/06/defending-indefensible.html. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, of course, so caveat lector.

All I can say is, "well done." I felt like I was reading a much more talented version of myself, so closely do my opinions align with yours in every respect (at least in that post).

[_Cicero]

For those who may be interested, I have written some more about the Maxwell Institute here: http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/2012/06/defending-indefensible.html. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, of course, so caveat lector.

All I can say is, "well done." I felt like I was reading a much more talented version of myself, so closely do my opinions align with yours in every respect (at least in that post).

+100. I hope you stick around and post often Hermes. Demosthenes is my favorite Greek, of course but it is always nice to hear from the messenger of the gods.

[_Philo Sofee]

For those who may be interested, I have written some more about the Maxwell Institute here: http://argeiphontes.blogspot.com/2012/06/defending-indefensible.html. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, of course, so caveat lector.

Quite the read!

[_Hermes]

Thanks to all for your kind words.