Maklelan - A romantic incentive

[_Gunnar]

Mak, I'm sorry if we hit a sensitive nerve and offended you. I hope you realize that was not really our intent (at least not mine). The fact remains that most of us (certainly I) share Sanctorians sentiments about you when he said:

The funny thing is, and I've already said so, you're one of my favorite defenders on this board. I think you have some good insights. You have a lot to offer with your knowledge and proximity to the inner workings of the church. It's not everyday we actually get to engage with someone that works for the Morg.

[_maklelan]

Mak, are you kidding me right now? You came on this thread and started engaging us. No one forced you to do so.

Correct, but I am an honest and open person, for the most part, and thought I would answer some direct questions in a thread aimed directly at my personal life and the motivations for my membership in the Church. It's not like I hijacked a thread that was not aimed directly at me.

You then want to shut it down when people start asking you questions that you don't like.

I said nothing of the sort. There's a difference between asking me questions I don't like and just asserting openly antagonistic speculation when I refuse to answer certain personal questions. As far as I know, you're full name is not directly accessible from this site, nor is your work history or personal information openly available here and elsewhere on the internet. Given that I actually make many details of my personal life available here, I don't think it horrifically improper of me to police the boundaries a bit.

You start throwing mud and name calling and saying silly things.

So you thing Wang is justified in insisting that Latter-day Saints are required to bear their testimonies on command? You actually think that's a legitimate point?

Of course you're going to get push back. But it's not your fault is it Mak? It's everyone else that just needs to let it go in your world.

No, I expect pushback here because there are plenty of people here who would shriek for hours that the sun is square if it scored them a rhetorical point or two against the dirty Mormons. When it's directly about my person and integrity, I'm going to object.

The funny thing is, and I've already said so, you're one of my favorite defenders on this board. I think you have some good insights. You have a lot to offer with your knowledge and proximity to the inner workings of the church. It's not everyday we actually get to engage with someone that works for the Morg. But then you freak out when we ask about your beliefs.

I have nowhere freaked out in any sense whatsoever. I have stated my position and I have objected calmly to misrepresentations of my position. Please don't misrepresent me.

How they came about and what helps you continue to believe today? You then have a tantrum when pressed on a thread that specifically is about your beliefs.

I have not done anything even remotely approximating throwing a tantrum. I'll ask you to provide links to specific posts if you insist on pressing that claim.

If you don't want people asking about your beliefs, don't engage them on a thread that talks about your beliefs.

I don't care if people ask, but if I occasionally refuse to answer, I will object to transparently antagonistic speculation and accusation. That's not a difficult concept to grasp.

You brought this on yourself. Own it.

Way off base.

[_Sanctorian]

Fine. Let me ask you some questions. No antagonistic speculation as you put it. If you are willing to answer, we would love to know. If you can expound on each question, even better.

Do you believe Joseph Smith to be the prophet of the restoration? If yes, how did you come to such knowledge.

Do you believe Thomas Monson to be a prophet like Joseph Smith was a prophet? If yes, how did you come to such knowledge.

Do you believe Jesus is the head of the church and directs it's affairs?

With the recent LDS.org essay on the Book of Abraham, how do you believe it came to be?

Do you believe polygamous marriages are part of God's plan and will be practiced in the Celestial Kingdom?

Do you believe people that do not accept the Ordinances of Baptism and temple ceremonies will not be allowed into the Celestial kingdom?

Do you believe the Book of Mormon to be an actual account of inhabitants that lived somewhere on the American continent?

How does the church help you today in your life?

Any other general insights into your testimony you would like to share is up to you.

I want you to know that I am being sincere in my questioning. I'm not trying to mock, I'm trying to better understand Mak. That's all.

[_Chomsky]

I agree, Gunnar. It's almost like I'm looking in the mirror at a younger, less intelligent and much less attractive version of me.

Wait... are you actually an adult? Judging from your posts I had been thinking you were someone in high school.

[_Bazooka]

Mak, you seem to be able to handle it so....

....do you feel forgiven for your youthful misdemeanors or is part of you still doing penance?

[_maklelan]

Fine. Let me ask you some questions. No antagonistic speculation as you put it. If you are willing to answer, we would love to know. If you can expound on each question, even better.

Do you believe Joseph Smith to be the prophet of the restoration? If yes, how did you come to such knowledge.[

Do you believe Thomas Monson to be a prophet like Joseph Smith was a prophet? If yes, how did you come to such knowledge.

Do you believe Jesus is the head of the church and directs it's affairs?

With the recent LDS.org essay on the Book of Abraham, how do you believe it came to be?

Do you believe polygamous marriages are part of God's plan and will be practiced in the Celestial Kingdom?

Do you believe people that do not accept the Ordinances of Baptism and temple ceremonies will not be allowed into the Celestial kingdom?

Do you believe the Book of Mormon to be an actual account of inhabitants that lived somewhere on the American continent?

How does the church help you today in your life?

Any other general insights into your testimony you would like to share is up to you.

I want you to know that I am being sincere in my questioning. I'm not trying to mock, I'm trying to better understand Mak. That's all.

I've explained that I'm just not going to explain those things online, and I don't see why that information is critical to anything at all. I've already shared far more about my personal life than anyone else who has participated in this thread. I don't see how someone could honestly look at this thread and think I'm the one being the jerk.

[_maklelan]

Mak, you seem to be able to handle it so....

....do you feel forgiven for your youthful misdemeanors or is part of you still doing penance?

No, I've moved well beyond that stuff.

[_aussieguy55]

In MormonScholarsTestify more than 90% of the scholars were born in the LDS church. I wondered in your interactions with scholars at Oxford and Trinity Western did you ever get an inquiries about your religion? There was an australian scholar here in New Testament who knew a member of the LDS church who appears on MST and he wondered who someone with any intelligence could believe in some of the tenants of the LDS church. This guy Washington a first class biblical scholar.Have you ever been asked that or are the people just too polite or are liberal scholars who do not care?

[_maklelan]

In MormonScholarsTestify more than 90% of the scholars were born in the LDS church. I wondered in your interactions with scholars at Oxford and Trinity Western did you ever get an inquiries about your religion? There was an australian scholar here in New Testament who knew a member of the LDS church who appears on MST and he wondered who someone with any intelligence could believe in some of the tenants of the LDS church. This guy Washington a first class biblical scholar.Have you ever been asked that or are the people just too polite or are liberal scholars who do not care?

There was an astrophysicist at a reception at Oxford that got into my face about why I thought someone who believed in God should be allowed to study at any university, but most just don't care. Most of the religion scholars at Oxford were Anglicans or Jewish, and they just let people be. I have found that some of the most vocal scholars are also believers who are just highly sectarian.

[_Sanctorian]

I've explained that I'm just not going to explain those things online, and I don't see why that information is critical to anything at all. I've already shared far more about my personal life than anyone else who has participated in this thread. I don't see how someone could honestly look at this thread and think I'm the one being the jerk.

Oh please Mak. This thread is about you. If you want to start a thread about me, I'll gladly answer exactly the same amount of questions you answered on this thread. People just don't care all that much why I don't believe Thomas Monson is a prophet. If people want to know that I grew up in a strict LDS family and never tried drugs or alcohol, got caught looking at a playboy at 14, touched a girls boobs for the first time at 16, I'll gladly share all that with you. That has nothing to do with why a well educated man such as yourself, that is aware of the history of the church, can still hold firm to the truth claims of the church. People just have a hard time believing it. That's why it's so interesting.

It's not a mockery, it's a general fascination because most of us on this board are well educated and if we would not have been born into the church, likely would never have joined. You my friend are an outlier. That is what makes you an interesting poster on this board which is why people are inquiring. Consider it a compliment.