Missing Gospel Topics Essays

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Hagoth
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Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Hagoth » Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:05 pm

I know Gospel Topics essays have been known to vanish and reappear, but it's been quite a few days since some of them went missing.

Specifically, Book of Mormon Translation, DNA and the Book of Mormon, First Vision Accounts, Translation, the Historicity of the Book of Abraham, and Peace and Violence among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints all just present you with a link that circles you back to the same spot.

I something up?
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."

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Yobispo
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Yobispo » Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:39 pm

It's been interesting, this has happened a bunch of times with website changes, some exmo's lose their minds and the essays inevitably show upa few days later. This time, the exmo community is yawning and the essays are slower to return. Maybe they've played this out and this time the essays will die?
I don't know, every time I give them credit for being strategic they go and do something incredibly dumb like the Nov policy or take seriously Nelson's "mormon" peeve.

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jfro18
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by jfro18 » Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:04 pm

I would bet good money that it's just another one of those website glitches that will come back. I believe you can still access them on the app?

Since the church has actually referenced these in a few face-to-face kind of events I just see no way these get yanked. If they were going to make changes they would just upload them without fanfare - they wouldn't call attention to them by pulling them down.

We'll see, but I would be floored if these are removed or significantly altered.

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Hagoth
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Hagoth » Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:49 pm

jfro18 wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:04 pm
We'll see, but I would be floored if these are removed or significantly altered.
Me too, but I would be less surprised at small, evolutionary changes. The thing that seems different this time is that so many of them are down at the same time and they have been gone for longer than I have seen before.

ETA:
jfro18 wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:04 pm
I believe you can still access them on the app?
I don't know. Can you? My phone is no longer encumbered.
jfro18 wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:04 pm
They wouldn't call attention to them by pulling them down.
It's not like it would be the first boneheaded thing they've done. I actually think the smartest thing might be to just leave them in a broken state without explanation. Most members don't/won't read them. Some actually think they are misinformation and were mistakenly posted without adequate approval of The Brethren. More than once I have heard them referred to as "anti-Mormon." Those members who do read them, and would be most alarmed by their absence or modification, are the ones who are more likely to get pushed further into disaffection by the essays' lame and less-than-honest apologetics.
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."

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wtfluff
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by wtfluff » Mon Sep 20, 2021 4:51 pm

jfro18 wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:04 pm
I believe you can still access them on the app?
I've read this, but cannot verify (no app) and will not (install the app) to verify.

I guess this is just another example of circular webpage-ing? (Or do I mean circular reasoning?)
Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions. -Frater Ravus

IDKSAF -RubinHighlander

You can surrender without a prayer...

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Red Ryder
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Red Ryder » Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:12 pm

Maybe their website was hacked (again) by the same group of hackers that posted the essays? :lol:
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“I switched baristas” ~ Lady Gaga

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blazerb
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by blazerb » Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:15 pm

What if the previous disappearances were just preparatory removals? They take them down randomly, then put them back up. People become convinced that these "glitches" are just small errors that will be quickly fixed. Now they strike. They take them down permanently but it seems like a small thing because people have already been prepped for this sort of action.

My bedroom wall has a lot of lines connecting crudely drawn pictures of GA's. I should go to bed. :D

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Palerider
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Palerider » Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:20 pm

Just went to the regular lds.org website and used their search engine for "essays" and found all of them in the gospel topics page.

I don't have the app.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng
"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."

"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."

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wtfluff
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by wtfluff » Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:54 pm

Palerider wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:20 pm
Just went to the regular lds.org website and used their search engine for "essays" and found all of them in the gospel topics page.

I don't have the app.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng
Did you actually click on the link for any of the essays that Hagoth mentioned?
Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions. -Frater Ravus

IDKSAF -RubinHighlander

You can surrender without a prayer...

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moksha
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by moksha » Mon Sep 20, 2021 9:09 pm

Is this something different? https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... s?lang=eng

Urim and Thummim
Overview
An ancient instrument or tool prepared by God and used by Joseph Smith to aid in the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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Hagoth
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Hagoth » Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:02 am

So why is it that Gospel Doctrine Topics pages tend to go down from time to time, but these pages never have a hiccup:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/top ... t?lang=eng

https://philanthropies.churchofjesuschrist.org//

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.or ... -questions

Can you imagine this stuff just going away for a week or two without causing the COB to go into emergency panic mode with red lights flashing and claxons blaring? Isn't it kind of odd that some of the more problematic essays just go away for a while? Not that it's sinister. Just weird.

I wonder if there is internal conflict amongst The Brethren about these essays and from time to time they push the pause button on them while they are debating.

Or maybe they have fallen into disrepair while all hands are on deck crafting the knew essay about how God directed the church to participate in Boy Scouts until that wondrous day when he revealed through his mouthpiece that it was time to get out, and how he instructed them to neither give nor accept apologies because they did NOTHING wrong, And how lawyer-approved repentance by the abuser erases the abuse.
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."

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nibbler
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by nibbler » Tue Sep 21, 2021 7:07 am

Yobispo wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:39 pm
It's been interesting, this has happened a bunch of times with website changes, some exmo's lose their minds and the essays inevitably show upa few days later.
Pretty much this. Though I do find it interesting how the website hiccups appear to be isolated to the essays. It's also interesting how the hiccups have happened to an essay multiple times.

That said, it's not like people are watching anything else on the website with that same degree of vigilance. Maybe it happens all the time to other articles that no one pays any attention to.
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
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Palerider
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Palerider » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:44 am

wtfluff wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:54 pm
Palerider wrote:
Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:20 pm
Just went to the regular lds.org website and used their search engine for "essays" and found all of them in the gospel topics page.

I don't have the app.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng
Did you actually click on the link for any of the essays that Hagoth mentioned?
Yes.
"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."

"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."

George Washington

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Hagoth
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Hagoth » Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:32 am

Palerider wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:44 am
Yes.
Weird. I still can't see them. Anybody else?
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."

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wtfluff
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by wtfluff » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:13 pm

Hagoth wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:32 am
Palerider wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:44 am
Yes.
Weird. I still can't see them. Anybody else?
Me neither. Palerider seems to be the only human on earth able to access "The Essays."

I feel a new Calling coming for you Pale one.
Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions. -Frater Ravus

IDKSAF -RubinHighlander

You can surrender without a prayer...

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Hagoth
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Hagoth » Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:42 am

wtfluff wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:13 pm
Palerider seems to be the only human on earth able to access "The Essays."
I hate to accuse you of being a COB spy, Palerider, but this special access IS kinda suspicious.
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."

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Hagoth
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Hagoth » Thu Sep 23, 2021 11:10 am

The DNA essay is back now, but the others are not. I still find this very weird. If there's anyplace the LDS church generally soars above the crowd it's internet presence and technical competence at keeping their information available. Yet this problem keeps occurring only, and specifically, to the most problematic Gospel Topics essays.
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."

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Red Ryder
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Red Ryder » Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:15 pm

Clear your browser cache and search again.

Return and report

I’ve been blocked on some pages where I clicked through from a link posted on an exmo board or other site that is critical.

Cookies or something like that.

They know where their site traffic comes in from and sometimes blocks linked in traffic.
“It always devolves to Pantaloons. Always.” ~ Fluffy

“I switched baristas” ~ Lady Gaga

“Those who do not move do not notice their chains.” ~Rosa Luxemburg

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wtfluff
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by wtfluff » Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:48 pm

Red Ryder wrote:
Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:15 pm
Clear your browser cache and search again.

Return and report

I’ve been blocked on some pages where I clicked through from a link posted on an exmo board or other site that is critical.

Cookies or something like that.

They know where their site traffic comes in from and sometimes blocks linked in traffic.
I haven't used an exmo link, or a google search to get to any of the missing evidence since the latest disappearing act began. Hit the LD$-Inc. home page and wade through the menus. I have used the LD$-Inc. search box though.

Just for fun, I tried the RR experiment - cleared all cookies and did the same thing - wading through the menus to try and find the missing evidence.

I'm still getting the same results as Hagoth: Useless circular links on all the mentioned missing essays except for DNA being "back."
Last edited by wtfluff on Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions. -Frater Ravus

IDKSAF -RubinHighlander

You can surrender without a prayer...

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Palerider
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Re: Missing Gospel Topics Essays

Post by Palerider » Thu Sep 23, 2021 7:29 pm

So after visiting the LDS site this evening I see that the First Vision, BofM translation and DNA Studies essays are not available.

So even I, your very own personal COB spie sent to return and report on NOM activities cannot access those Essays.

I feel SO betrayed by my own managers.....

Secretly when I grow up to be a really big person I want to be just like you Fluff.
"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."

"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."

George Washington

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