NOM

Just listened to the episode on This American Life. I took great pleasure in the producers questioning of Eric Hawkins and the discomfort caused when she kept pressing him about whether the former practices were wrong and he had to keep dodging them. It was a well done program. I cheered when Elna ...

I know this letter is wrong and offensive, but I think it is worth publishing. Crazy talk doesn't go away just because public forums close up access. I think sunlight is the best disinfectant. That said, I also recognize my ability as a heterosexual to avoid taking this personally. I have not read t...

My considered opinion about what this RM told me (who at the time was in his mid 30s) is--it was a hell of a lie,...or it was what he actually believes he experienced. I have no reason to disbelieve him. None at all. Can I explain it? Nope. Are there other accounts people tell of similar things? ye...

I think it would have been impossible for JS to write the BoM. However, I think he was fully capable of dictating it. Maybe it was a family project, but I don't have that much difficulty just imagining JS spinning a verbal tale.

The best story I got is when I exorcized a demon from my bowels in an outhouse in a ghetto of Argentina after eating from questionable food preparation standards of a member family. I sent that demon back to the murky depths of the earth, a hole about 4' deep in some random person's backyard. I had...

I paid close attention to her face. There was an odd look to it. I kind of think they were playing a joke on us. It was a pretty elaborate joke if they were. Then it was a delightful sense of humor. A win-win since most missionaries would leave with a renewed sense of confidence. That's an awesome ...

Brent wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:25 am

So, who's the bear? On the one hand, Bill Reel could take some verbal abuse from the church. In the long run though, the church is going to have to account to humanity, and maybe God, for its treatment of so many members.

So, in honor of the day, I thought I would tell a story that I have not told very often anywhere. I once cast out an evil spirit or something. Probably something. It was weird. I served a mission in a third world country. I had been in one area for just a few weeks. I was the senior companion, but m...

I just read that the Nauvoo pageants have been spared the chopping block. Is that true?

2bizE wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:09 pm

What does the uncorrelated view look like?

I think of Loki from the Thor movies. A complicated rogue who was sometimes on your side.

Ah, but do the youth find the pagents fun and a way to make friends? If so, Kill it, we don’t do “fun” anymore. It is a waste of time to do anything because it is fun. People like Top church leaders focused only on worldly success and church approval. They are not the kind of people who need fun, r...

Nephi was tried and found innocent. He was last seen wearing ill-fitting gloves while playing a round of golf at the Zarahemla country club. He insisted that he would not rest until he found the real killer. Nephi was luckier than others. He got away with breaking into a guy's house to steal heirlo...

I thought the interview was very interesting, but I did not hear a lot of evidence for counterfeiting. It seemed more of a guilt-by-association thing. Or maybe, "counterfeiters did this; JS did the same thing; therefore JS was a counterfeiter." But I never heard where he actually printed fake money....

I think it's kind of like the Betamax vs. VHS fight or Apple vs. IBM back in the 80's. The winning platform was the one that allowed outside development and flexibility. The church wants to make sure that everyone has the same experience wherever they attend church. This sort of control does not see...

Has anyone known of anyone who thought we worship Mormon? To me, this seemed to be the weakest argument for fighting the nickname. I have met many who questioned which god we worship or who thought we worship JS. I have never met anyone who thought we worship Mormon. Anyone have a different experien...

Arcturus wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:22 pm

Wait, is this a joke or a for real possibility?

It really is hard to tell.

Two churches: 1) the church that has history, doctrine, and philosophy, 2) the church of culture, authority figures and daily marching orders. This is true. I have noticed this over the last few years. My SP will regularly give talks that are quite inspiring, but they ignore the question of whether...

Ginsberg wrote my fantasy for Oaks in Howl, line 36. A link since the moderators would not condone a quote as the content is, hmmmm, harsh. https://www.shmoop.com/howl/section-1-lines-36-40-summary.html Quote that in conference. Like! Really like!! YUP! https://newordermormon.net/download/file.php?...

I think it's hard to find yourself leading the church at this time. We are so used to talking about rapid growth. That has ended, and it does not look like it's coming back. So, we have to find reasons. We raise the bar for missionaries. We introduce new missionary training and lessons. We tell ever...