Is the Book of Mormon Divinely Inspired?

[Everybody Wang Chung]

But it doesn’t mean that I won’t be on the look out for the traps that you may lay in wait to deceive in the future.

I wasn’t impressed. You need to design them so they’re not so obvious.

Regards,
MG

Let it go, MG.

I have my own posting style and it won’t change.

Just let it go.

Regards,
Uncle Wang

[Marcus]

Yeah, when I saw that he was rather sloppily laying a trap it made me a bit pissed off.

Regards,
MG

Let it go MG 2.0.

I have my own posting style and it won’t change.

Just let it go.

Regards,
Wang

[I Have Questions]

How can my conviction of the Church be strengthened simply by hearing other people talk about their conviction, founded on their perspectives about things? That’s the process by which MLM’s and Affinity Frauds function - feel good about this product/scheme because I feel good about it. Testimony Meeting is the same as an MLM party. An echo chamber.

I agree to a point; MLMs work great in Mormon culture for that reason. But I can give some credit to MLMs and pyramid schemes. If I'm in an MLM, there's a huge benefit to testimonials and nobody questioning. As long as the MLM can expand, people can actually make money. It gets harder and harder, and some never will make money, but the reality is that everyone in an MLM has a hope that maybe they will be the one. And if they work hard enough, they can be the one. Lots of dumb people have made good money in MLMs. There is no such hope within the Church. Nobody benefits. Only people who fall within cluster B personality disorders benefit to the degree that they wield power or obtain social notoriety in leadership positions. There are further benefits likely at the top of the chain and being among the royal families. The average member has no hope, it would be way better for them to join Amway instead.

So there's more of an incentive in an MLM to actually feel good about the product. In Mormonism, there is more of an incentive to lie, and say you feel good about the product. That is, for people who aren't cluster B. This is why I don't think testimonies are that much about feelings and I'm skeptical of people who say they've had tremendous spiritual experiences.

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying here. I think the question of what is driving the testimony being given is an interesting one. I’ve seen guilt, attention seeking, a need to feel superior, a need to fit in, humble bragging, coercion, brain washing, peer pressure…etc.

A good question for Mormons is, “Why isn’t the sincere testimony of a Jehovah’s Witness, true?”

[MG 2.0]

I agree to a point; MLMs work great in Mormon culture for that reason. But I can give some credit to MLMs and pyramid schemes. If I'm in an MLM, there's a huge benefit to testimonials and nobody questioning. As long as the MLM can expand, people can actually make money. It gets harder and harder, and some never will make money, but the reality is that everyone in an MLM has a hope that maybe they will be the one. And if they work hard enough, they can be the one. Lots of dumb people have made good money in MLMs. There is no such hope within the Church. Nobody benefits. Only people who fall within cluster B personality disorders benefit to the degree that they wield power or obtain social notoriety in leadership positions. There are further benefits likely at the top of the chain and being among the royal families. The average member has no hope, it would be way better for them to join Amway instead.

So there's more of an incentive in an MLM to actually feel good about the product. In Mormonism, there is more of an incentive to lie, and say you feel good about the product. That is, for people who aren't cluster B. This is why I don't think testimonies are that much about feelings and I'm skeptical of people who say they've had tremendous spiritual experiences.

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying here. I think the question of what is driving the testimony being given is an interesting one. I’ve seen guilt, attention seeking, a need to feel superior, a need to fit in, humble bragging, coercion, brain washing, peer pressure…etc.

You’ve been away too long. You have visions of less grandeur.

A good question for Mormons is, “Why isn’t the sincere testimony of a Jehovah’s Witness, true?”

I’m happy to listen to the sincere face to face testimony of a Jehovah’s Witness. But I haven’t heard one. I was recently running along the Ventura State Beach promenade/boardwalk along the beautiful coastline. There were a couple of Jehovah’s Witness ladies with a display set up there. After I finished my run I came back and had a nice chat with them actually waiting for them to offer up their testimony.

Never happened. Maybe a ‘one off’.

Over the years, however, I’ve talked with a number of missionaries from their church. No testimonies.

Seems to be more common with missionaries from the LDS Church.

But that’s my limited experience.

Regards,
MG

[Marcus]

What are the odds that you define 'bearing one's testimony' as a thing that happens only and exactly as Mormons do it? Of course you find the Mormon version of this to be more common in your experiences with Mormons. Your limited experience is influenced by reasoning that is happily circular, which I believe Gad pointed out.

[I Have Questions]

I’m happy to listen to the sincere face to face testimony of a Jehovah’s Witness. But I haven’t heard one. I was recently running along the Ventura State Beach promenade/boardwalk along the beautiful coastline. There were a couple of Jehovahs’s Witness ladies with a display set up there. After I finished my run I came back and had a nice chat with them actually waiting for them to offer up their testimony.

Never happened. Maybe a ‘one off’.

Over the years, however, I’ve talked with a number of missionaries from their church. No testimonies.

Seems to be more common with missionaries from the LDS Church.

But that’s my limited experience.

Regards,
MG

Does a testimony have to be “face to face” for you to consider it?

How did they react to the sincere testimony that you bore to them?

[I Have Questions]

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying here. I think the question of what is driving the testimony being given is an interesting one. I’ve seen guilt, attention seeking, a need to feel superior, a need to fit in, humble bragging, coercion, brain washing, peer pressure…etc.

You’ve been away too long. You have visions of less grandeur.

I'm not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying you’re familiar with testimony meetings globally?

What do you mean by someone having “visions of less grandeur”?

[Gadianton]

What are the odds that you define 'bearing one's testimony' as a thing that happens only and exactly as Mormons do it? Of course you find the Mormon version of this to be more common in your experiences with Mormons. Your limited experience is influenced by reasoning that is happily circular

Over the years, however, I’ve talked with a number of missionaries from their church. No testimonies.

MG, earlier you denied being gullible, but you couldn't have said anything that proves your gullibility more than this.

The Mormon "testimony" is something Mormons invented that nobody else believes is a thing. It would be like a JW saying that they've talked to a number of Mormon missionaries and not one of them used the New World Translation of the Bible. Definitive proof right there that JWs are on the right track and Mormons lost!

[MG 2.0]

What are the odds that you define 'bearing one's testimony' as a thing that happens only and exactly as Mormons do it? Of course you find the Mormon version of this to be more common in your experiences with Mormons. Your limited experience is influenced by reasoning that is happily circular, which I believe Gad pointed out.

I think the sincere testimony of a Jehovah’s Witness would be easily recognizable.

We’ve gone off track from the original topic. During this thread the other times we’ve gone off topic have been rather interesting excepting all the ‘MG stuff’ that some are prone to engage in.

It may be time to get back on track. Or let the thread come to an end.

Regards,
MG

[MG 2.0]

What are the odds that you define 'bearing one's testimony' as a thing that happens only and exactly as Mormons do it? Of course you find the Mormon version of this to be more common in your experiences with Mormons. Your limited experience is influenced by reasoning that is happily circular

Over the years, however, I’ve talked with a number of missionaries from their church. No testimonies.

MG, earlier you denied being gullible, but you couldn't have said anything that proves your gullibility more than this.

The Mormon "testimony" is something Mormons invented that nobody else believes is a thing. It would be like a JW saying that they've talked to a number of Mormon missionaries and not one of them used the New World Translation of the Bible. Definitive proof right there that JWs are on the right track and Mormons lost!

IHAQ brought it up. He seemed to think it was a thing.

Regards,
MG