A Blistering Account of DCP's Scholarship

[_ludwigm]

Dear. God.

+ 72 virgins.

[_Chap]

I don't care how Daniel or any other MI person earns their bread, so long as it doesn't involve slamming members of the LDS Church in good standing.

What about slamming non-members, or former members?

- VRDRC

Indeed. If I was a member of the CoJCoLDS, I suppose I might be particularly concerned to find that an organization with a close association with that church was publishing material by members of the church suggesting pretty openly and without more than the most hypocritical attempt at charity that certain other members were fools or knaves (as opposed to just being wrong about stuff). Dammit, I'd feel - these are our brothers and sisters, and you don't treat 'family' like that even if you are sure they are on the wrong road.

But even if I was a member, I hope I would still be concerned that a group of people who claimed to defend my religion against outsiders were doing so not by intellectually refuting those who attacked the credibility of its core claims, but by attacking them personally. Why would I feel that?

1. It reduces the credibility of the defense, both to church members and outsiders - for one thing, a 'refutation' full of personal attacks and sneers sounds a bit like that note that once dropped out of a lawyer's case notes as he went into court "No case - abuse the plaintiff's attorney."
2. It's just plain wrong anyway, and if the church is really the Church of Jesus Christ, its members are not supposed to do wrong stuff.