Xit from Bednar, 10/5/24

[Res Ipsa]

I'll go with ya Shades......

Since I'm the guy who made the suggestion, I hope you & Shades are not going to leave me behind!

ETA: It's long past time for a Board Members' road trip. What do you say? Who's up for it?

That would be a hoot.

[Moksha]

I am not a fan of Elder Bednar, but I think he is on the right track in focusing on the moral messages of the Book of Mormon over the historical.

Great moral stories come from homicidal robberies.

[Moksha]

I have a hard time keeping up with modern slang. I asked on the other forum what "xit" was. Surely you are not saying Bednar has acne.

Twitter ——> Xitter
Tweet ——> Xit

You can supply your own pronunciation of the X.

In that case, the pronunciation would be Zit, and the extra "ter" would be redundant. Zits all around. By the way, I wish people would not begin using slang until definitions could at least appear on the Internet.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

On a personal note, I took a massive xit this morning after being conxtipated for the last three days. I credit Craig Paxton’s thread on Nelson’s Brush with Death, Part II The Mozambique Boogaloo.

When Church leaders lie about their pasts to aggrandize themselves, it poses a serious ethical and practical problem. At its core, such deceit undermines trust, since they’re expected to be impeccable in their integrity and accountability.

Worse, when a leader fabricates their history, whether about plane crashes or firearm misfires, it suggests a willingness to manipulate perception for personal gain. This deceit ripples through the church, causing members to model off the undesirable behavior and incorporate it into their lives.

Inevitably, when the lie is uncovered, they make accomplices of their adherents who defend the lie. They become liars, too. The bonds that bind a community and by extension a society, begin to break down since trust is eroded to the point of irrelevance. Why trust your fellow church member and neighbor when you know they’re liars?

Ultimately, this kind of lying introduces cronyism, nepotism, and eliminates merit-based promotion within the Church. Leaders who earn their position through deceit tend to make decisions that prioritize their image over the well-being of the Church, and they ensure like-minded people are brought into the inner circle. The Church rots from the inside out.

When a leader chooses deceit, the foundation of that leadership erodes, creating a toxic environment of mistrust that can persist long after the lie is exposed. Good members leave, and those that choose to stay do so out of self-interest.

[I Have Questions]

The Book of Mormon is not primarily a historical record that looks to the past. Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day. Hence, the Book of Mormon is a book about our future and the times in which we do now and will yet live.

Ancient voices from the dust plead with us today to learn this everlasting lesson: prosperity, possessions, and ease constitute a potent mixture that can lead even the righteous to drink the spiritual poison of pride.

First, it seems Bednar is starting down the path toward a belief in a non-historical Book of Mormon, emphasizing lessons, warnings, and principles intended for the future.

Second, the irony of an LDS church leader preaching that prosperity leads to the poison of pride is rich. (Pun intended, as the hoard of money LDS leaders are no longer successful in hiding is obscene.)

Is this a bid to convince members they are better off being poor, and therefore they should let the institutional church have their assets?

In his talk Bednar cites from the book of Helaman. Drawing from that Bednar asserts…

Please remember that the Book of Mormon looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for me and you in the circumstances and challenges of our present day.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... r?lang=eng

There is a very clear warning in Helaman that Bednar conveniently omits from his talk…

In the last part of Helaman, Samuel the Lamanite prophesies that the Nephites will be destroyed in 400 years. He promises that their attempts to secure their future using money will fail.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Helaman

The Church is attempting to secure its future with money and property. Maybe Bednar ought to ponder on that…

[Dr. Shades]

Inevitably, when the lie is uncovered, they make accomplices of their adherents who defend the lie. They become liars, too. The bonds that bind a community and by extension a society, begin to break down since trust is eroded to the point of irrelevance. Why trust your fellow church member and neighbor when you know they’re liars?

Ultimately, this kind of lying introduces cronyism, nepotism, and eliminates merit-based promotion within the Church. Leaders who earn their position through deceit tend to make decisions that prioritize their image over the well-being of the Church, and they ensure like-minded people are brought into the inner circle. The Church rots from the inside out.

Damn, those are very profound insights, Doctor CamNC4Me. Thank you for sharing them.

(NOT sarcasm.)