High demand religions tend to warp/break epistemological processes. Yes all humans have varying forms of bias, misinformation and lack of information. However, the blatant use of cafeteria world views tends to be too glaring to ignore.
And to be clear, I don't have a problem with Dan being Mormon. What I want to call out, is his promotion of it and the supernatural in general.
The largest most glaring error he consistently makes is assuming that everything is 50/50. Or at least, that's what he wants you, dear reader, to believe.
The probability of anyone having a real dowsing ability is not 50/50. The probability that Jews sailed to the Americas in 600BC is not 50/50. Those are both much, much less. And I'd just like DCP to be honest and admit that. The Catholic church, when confronted with this, plainly calls them "mysteries of faith." Mormonism doesn't have space for the truth like that.
His Interpreter journal spent weeks on Bayes theorem and he learned absolutely nothing about it. Probably because the "scholars" working for him to produce it completely mangled the whole thing to a ridiculous degree.
Mormons are taught it is 50/50, at least most take this quote from Hinkley that way.
Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud.”
High demand religions tend to warp/break epistemological processes. Yes all humans have varying forms of bias, misinformation and lack of information. However, the blatant use of cafeteria world views tends to be too glaring to ignore.
What do you mean by “high demand”?
This quote by Dehlin summarizes the main ideas.
They decide what to do with their education, how much money to give, who to marry, when to marry, how many kids to have, what professions to pursue… There’s this massive amount of decisions that you make, you know in a finite life, and to base that life on a narrative, when not only the narrative isn’t what it claims to be, when leaders know the narrative isn’t what it claims to be, and intentionally - for as long as they could - withheld the information that would allow people to make an informed decision about how they spend their finite time and resources.
Perhaps Dan aspires to the gift of "working with the rod", and is using dowsing to test his abilities.
Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual: D&C 8:6–9 wrote:What was “the gift of Aaron”?
When the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 8 was first published in the 1833 Book of Commandments, Oliver Cowdery’s gift was described as “the gift of working with the rod” (see “Book of Commandments, 1833,” page 19, josephsmithpapers.org; see also Jeffrey G. Cannon, “Oliver Cowdery’s Gift,” footnote 9, in Revelations in Context, ed. Matthew McBride and James Goldberg [2016], 19, see also history.LDS.org). This may have referred to an object that Oliver Cowdery used on occasion, known as a divining rod. However, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery left no account as to how such a “rod” may have been used. In the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the phrase “the gift of working with the rod” was changed to “the gift of Aaron” (see “Doctrine and Covenants, 1835,” page 161 [section XXXIV, verse 3], josephsmithpapers.org; see also Melvin J. Petersen, “Preparing Early Revelations for Publication,” Ensign, Feb. 1985, 20). This adjustment demonstrates that the central message is the gift of receiving revelation and also the divinely guided power to translate ancient records.
In the Bible we read of “people receiving spiritual manifestations by means of physical objects such as rods, a brass serpent on a pole … , an ephod (a part of the priestly clothing that included two precious stones), and the Urim and Thummim” (Richard E. Turley Jr., Robin S. Jensen, and Mark Ashurst-McGee, “Joseph the Seer,” Ensign, Oct. 2015, 49). Biblical accounts of Moses and his brother Aaron describe their use of rods as instruments and outward manifestations of God’s will and power (see Exodus 4:1–5, 17; 7:9–12; 14:15–18; Numbers 17:1–10). Hence, the phrase “the gift of Aaron” (D&C 8:6) may be a more general way of referring to Oliver’s gift of “working with the rod” as well as confirming the link that the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had with the roles held by Moses and Aaron. After recognizing Oliver’s “gift of Aaron,” the Lord again assured Oliver that the gift of translation would be added to the revelatory gifts he already possessed if he acted in faith and “trifle[d] not” with these sacred gifts (see D&C 8:8–11).
They decide what to do with their education, how much money to give, who to marry, when to marry, how many kids to have, what professions to pursue… There’s this massive amount of decisions that you make, you know in a finite life, and to base that life on a narrative, when not only the narrative isn’t what it claims to be, when leaders know the narrative isn’t what it claims to be, and intentionally - for as long as they could - withheld the information that would allow people to make an informed decision about how they spend their finite time and resources.
Well, I’m certainly not LDS any more, but I don’t agree with this Dehlin quote. There is no truly “free” will, so we might just as well say that we live a high demand life, determined by evolutionary, developmental, and social forces.
As someone who has taken five bar exams…I think they are kind of a waste of life. - Utah Court Rules comment
Well, I’m certainly not LDS any more, but I don’t agree with this Dehlin quote. There is no truly “free” will, so we might just as well say that we live a high demand life, determined by evolutionary, developmental, and social forces.
Using that logic being in a cult is no different than an average life devoid of a religious affiliation. Outsourced morality is superior/equal to mythological naturalism? Not for me.
Well, I’m certainly not LDS any more, but I don’t agree with this Dehlin quote. There is no truly “free” will, so we might just as well say that we live a high demand life, determined by evolutionary, developmental, and social forces.
Using that logic being in a cult is no different than an average life devoid of a religious affiliation. Outsourced morality is superior/equal to mythological naturalism? Not for me.
Morality is already outsourced, all the way down to the atomic level.
As someone who has taken five bar exams…I think they are kind of a waste of life. - Utah Court Rules comment
Perhaps Dan aspires to the gift of "working with the rod", and is using dowsing to test his abilities.
Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual: D&C 8:6–9 wrote:What was “the gift of Aaron”?
When the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 8 was first published in the 1833 Book of Commandments, Oliver Cowdery’s gift was described as “the gift of working with the rod” (see “Book of Commandments, 1833,” page 19, josephsmithpapers.org; see also Jeffrey G. Cannon, “Oliver Cowdery’s Gift,” footnote 9, in Revelations in Context, ed. Matthew McBride and James Goldberg [2016], 19, see also history.LDS.org). This may have referred to an object that Oliver Cowdery used on occasion, known as a divining rod. However, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery left no account as to how such a “rod” may have been used. In the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the phrase “the gift of working with the rod” was changed to “the gift of Aaron” (see “Doctrine and Covenants, 1835,” page 161 [section XXXIV, verse 3], josephsmithpapers.org; see also Melvin J. Petersen, “Preparing Early Revelations for Publication,” Ensign, Feb. 1985, 20). This adjustment demonstrates that the central message is the gift of receiving revelation and also the divinely guided power to translate ancient records.
In the Bible we read of “people receiving spiritual manifestations by means of physical objects such as rods, a brass serpent on a pole … , an ephod (a part of the priestly clothing that included two precious stones), and the Urim and Thummim” (Richard E. Turley Jr., Robin S. Jensen, and Mark Ashurst-McGee, “Joseph the Seer,” Ensign, Oct. 2015, 49). Biblical accounts of Moses and his brother Aaron describe their use of rods as instruments and outward manifestations of God’s will and power (see Exodus 4:1–5, 17; 7:9–12; 14:15–18; Numbers 17:1–10). Hence, the phrase “the gift of Aaron” (D&C 8:6) may be a more general way of referring to Oliver’s gift of “working with the rod” as well as confirming the link that the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery had with the roles held by Moses and Aaron. After recognizing Oliver’s “gift of Aaron,” the Lord again assured Oliver that the gift of translation would be added to the revelatory gifts he already possessed if he acted in faith and “trifle[d] not” with these sacred gifts (see D&C 8:8–11).
I’m reasonably sure that Dan holds these ideas about the veracity of dowsing and remote viewing, etc. as a strut to support his belief in seer stones, prophetic and personal revelations, prayers being answered, magic consecrated oil, etc. It feels like he’s seeking to legitimise and ground his religious paranormal beliefs in the “real” world and is using this kind of woo woo (and NDEs) to do so. I’m still questioning why he needs to pursue such quackery; is the Church based woo woo not enough? Doesn’t he really believe it?
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
Using that logic being in a cult is no different than an average life devoid of a religious affiliation. Outsourced morality is superior/equal to mythological naturalism? Not for me.
Morality is already outsourced, all the way down to the atomic level.
Not all outsourcing is equal. Some cause more harm than others.
