Please check out my other sites:
http://scipa.blogspot.com
http://www.geocities.com/astartemoonsilver/index.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southcentraliowapaganalliance/
Sorry I have been going on about Mormons alot lately. I have a couple relatives who read this site and I am posting information for them mostly. I will keep it more pagan oriented on the other sites, this one has been used mostly to air out my "Anti-Mormon" frustrations and try to shed some light on the reality of what the LDS church teaches. Not that anyone would necessarily care, but at least I know a couple of people who might read it. Anyway, now that I have posted the other sites and claimed them as my creations, they will likely check it out also, which is fine by me. I have never posted anything that I would be ashamed of them knowing about me, and the opinions I express are ones they have heard me say before, so it won't be new and "shocking". If this is the only way to get to know me, and what I am all about, I guess it's easier than picking up the phone, or saying," Hey, I want all this animosity between us gone, let's start fresh."
My intention on the other sites is to publish my Sabbat experiences, talk about society and acceptance of many paths, share ritual workings and even get around to creating my online BOS. I am really interested in getting some locals together to form a group so I don't have to travel to DSM all the time. Gets pretty expensive with gas around $2 a gallon. I know that there has to be more pagans out there, just waiting for something to come along. But, I promised that I would keep my personal life somewhat anonymous, for the sake of my kids and because I am in a small town. So, I won't be publishing pics or giving out alot of details on the site. I do have an email address if anyone wants to talk directly.
astartemoonsilver@yahoo.com
or
openeyed_slackjawed@yahoo.com
I use this one for my RFM board ID. Feel free to check out what's going on at Recovery from Mormonism, visit the bulletin boards and see hundreds more like me sharing our experiences as we withdraw from the Mormon church and deal with our extended family members who remain inside.
Anyway, thanks for visiting my site, and I will put up a link to anyone's site just for the asking.
Bright Blessings and Merry Yule!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
What does "maintain a testimony" really mean?
Developing/gaining/obtaining a "testimony" in the LDS church means developing a tolerance for disconfirming evidence. So, when someone says, "Get a testimony", what they really mean is, "Develop a high tolerance for disconfirming evidence, and never move from that position."
It is the key to an exclusive club. If you have to go as far as faking it, so be it, no one wants to be left out in the cold.
Church leaders believe this and expressly encourage it. I've heard them say many times that if a person gets into the habit of bearing their testimony frequently, they will eventually actually "gain a testimony".For example, Boyd K. Packer stated "A testimony is found in the bearing of it." ("The Candle of the Lord," Ensign, Jan. 1983, pp. 54-55.)Of course this falls entirely within the realm of WTF?! aspects of Mormonthink. It's like telling a witness taking the stand in the court that they should say that the defendant is guilty and was at the scene of the crime, even if the witness hasn't really seen anything that would support that statement--because, if they say it often enough and with enough conviction they will start to believe it.In other words, if you desire to conform and be accepted by the community, you will be willing to lie to yourself repeatedly and by lying to yourself repeatedly, you will eventually start believing your lies.
Spencer W. Kimball: "Do you think that you can go three, and six and nine and twelve months without bearing your testimony and still keep its full value?"Since something that is true does not lose or gain value as a result of someone repeating that they know it's true, Kimball's real meaning can only be that the strength of brainwashing depends on how often a person can be pressured into pretending that they know something to be true--when in fact they don't know.
It is the key to an exclusive club. If you have to go as far as faking it, so be it, no one wants to be left out in the cold.
Church leaders believe this and expressly encourage it. I've heard them say many times that if a person gets into the habit of bearing their testimony frequently, they will eventually actually "gain a testimony".For example, Boyd K. Packer stated "A testimony is found in the bearing of it." ("The Candle of the Lord," Ensign, Jan. 1983, pp. 54-55.)Of course this falls entirely within the realm of WTF?! aspects of Mormonthink. It's like telling a witness taking the stand in the court that they should say that the defendant is guilty and was at the scene of the crime, even if the witness hasn't really seen anything that would support that statement--because, if they say it often enough and with enough conviction they will start to believe it.In other words, if you desire to conform and be accepted by the community, you will be willing to lie to yourself repeatedly and by lying to yourself repeatedly, you will eventually start believing your lies.
Spencer W. Kimball: "Do you think that you can go three, and six and nine and twelve months without bearing your testimony and still keep its full value?"Since something that is true does not lose or gain value as a result of someone repeating that they know it's true, Kimball's real meaning can only be that the strength of brainwashing depends on how often a person can be pressured into pretending that they know something to be true--when in fact they don't know.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Joseph Smith had 33 wives
Um, it's on the official Mormon website. It's right there. In plain sight. 33 wives.
The youngest of which was Helen Mar Kimball . 14 years old. I didn't get this off of an anti-Mormon site. It's on their own website, they aren't trying to hide it. He DID practice polygamy, and he did marry women WHO WERE ALREADY MARRIED TO OTHER MEN.
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/search/frameset_search.asp
The youngest of which was Helen Mar Kimball . 14 years old. I didn't get this off of an anti-Mormon site. It's on their own website, they aren't trying to hide it. He DID practice polygamy, and he did marry women WHO WERE ALREADY MARRIED TO OTHER MEN.
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/search/frameset_search.asp
My new totem animal
I have been attracted to Dragonflies lately. I seem to be sensing the "winds of change" and my own road is leading towards light and understanding, both of where I have been, and where I am going. I am feeling like the things I have learned so far are mostly in the "what has happened" category. I long to learn new things, stretch the horizons and prepare myself for another great "awakening". I had one about four years ago, when I resigned from the LDS church. I am now getting prepared to launch myself in a new spiritual direction, this one having to do with carving out a new path based on what I have learned practicing Wicca for the past 4 years. I have gone many months not thinking about inner spirituality, and concentrating on the faults of others. Now I want to create something new and different. I want to develop an inner sanctuary, where demons of the past cannot harm me ever again. I want to deal with the pain and heartbreak of problems I will never be able to fix, harms I will never be able to apologize enough for, and conflict that I am never going to be able to end by myself. The dragonfly in me wants change, enlightenment, joy, a path to inner wisdom and understanding of the world and natural forces. I want to devote more time to developing my inner spirituality, making my rituals more fruitful, and really practicing what I believe. Oh, I will probably post more about Mormons and the teachings they fail to reveal to their members, and how history tends to get a "spin". That is part of my past, and in order to really deal with the pain I will have to lash out from time to time at that demon, the MORG. Many of my blogs will be about bring forth the true nature of that cult. But, more often, I will remember that this is only part of who I am, and I must not focus exclusively on that side, or else appear to be one-sided, or worse, still trapped by the futility of fighting a great LIE. I will try to post more about Sabbats, Full Moon rituals I will perform and the results that I'm having. I will try to bring about real change, in my family life, in my relationships with others, and in myself. I want to explore the meanings of my spiritual path, and why I feel attracted to certain Goddess/God aspects. I want to develop my personal "Book of Shadows" and get more involved with things that will help the Earth, like recycling, composting, planting trees and such things that can really help me feel more connected. I want to laugh more, cry less. I want to make others around me happy, and avoid those who suck all the energy I have away. I refuse to be seated at the same table with "fun suckers". I want to experience life without guilt. I think it's way too short to trouble ourselves with being pretentious and arrogant, setting up impossible standards that others have to measure up to in order to be "worthy" of acceptance into their club. I am good enough, just the way I am, without being judged or subjected to "higher authority". That's what this life is about.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Brigham Young’s Teachings
(Credit to the original poster of this info on the RFM board)
JD 1:50 He taught that Adam was our God, he is the father of Jesus, Adam and Eve came to earth with celestial bodies, and Jesus was conceived the same way as Cain and Able. See also JD 5:331-332, JD 4:217-218, JD 13:271, and Mormon Doctrine 742.
JD 1:51 He said it was not Holy Ghost that made Marry pregnant or it would be dangerous to confirm females with the holy ghost today because they might get pregnant.
JD 7:290 He taught that Adam and Eve are the parents of our spirits and our physical bodies.
JD 8:361 Young gave a talk on how to chew tobacco reverently in church.
JD 9:35 Young encouraged members to grow tobacco for money.
JD 12:29 Young taught that brandy, wine, and tea are good to use if you are weary or worn out.
JD 7:289 Young taught that we need Joseph Smith’s approval to enter the Celestial Kingdom.
JD 1:219 Young taught that gold and silver grow like hair and that adobe and sand stone grow to become stronger rock.
JD 13:271 He taught that there were people living on the moon and the sun.
JD 1:106 He taught that the Indians are from the seed of Israel and their dark skin is a result of their disobedience to God.
JD 7:285-286 Young taught that Adam and Eve and everything on this planet were brought here from another planet.
JD 10:110 He taught that interracial marriages are punishable by death on the spot and it would never be allowed.
JD 2:143 He taught that blacks wouldn’t receive the priesthood until after the resurrection.
JD 7:290-291 He said that blacks will remain slaves, that it is part of their curse to remain slaves, and they will not receive the priesthood until after the resurrection.
JD 10:250 He said the slaves won’t be freed by the civil war.
JD 4:40 He said that in 26 years mormon leaders would be thought of as kings.
JD 11:112 He taught that monogamy was the cause of great evils and prostitution.
JD 11:269 He taught that the church would never give up polygamy to be admitted into the Union.
JD 4:77 Young boasts that the mormons have the best thieves, liars, con-artists an most ruthless men in the world as well has the best singers, speakers, prayers, and the best looking people in the world.
JD 5:210 He boasts of being able to find more wives than any young man.
JD 2:143 He taught that any jew converted to the church would apostatize from the church and he continued on with some very racist remarks about jews.
JD 9:142-143 He said the civil wars would last years and years, that it would empty out the population of Missouri, and the mormons would return to Missouri and reclaim their lands.
JD 3:266 He said that if you deny the importance of polygamy in your feelings you will be damned.
JD 11:269 He taught that plural marriage must be practiced to receive the highest degree in the celestial kingdom. See also JD 16:166.
JD 6:176 He taught that other religions were hatched in hell.
JD 12:315 He said people dealing with non-members will be excommunicated.
JD 4:219-220 Young taught that adulterers must be killed to atone for their sins.
JD 1:108-109 He taught that thieves should be killed.
JD 1:83 He talks about having a dream of slitting the throats of two apostates and then taught that apostates should be killed.
JD 10:109-110 Young blamed the mountain meadows massacre on the Indians even though there is proof that he knew who was responsible by this time.
JD 22:304 John Taylor said that the blacks are the devils representation on earth.
JD 13:195-202 Orson Pratt taught that monogamy was the cause of prostitution, disease, and evils.
JD 4:231-232 In 1857 Willford Woodruff taught that many people present in that assembly
would live to give the ten lost tribes their endowments after their return.
JD 21:124 In 1880 Willford Woodruff said that we live in the generation when Jesus will come.
JD 5:219 Heber C. Kimball said Brigham Young would become president of the U.S.A.
Now, if Mormons no longer believe that Brigham Young could have been a prophet of God and the true successor to Joseph Smith, then they are members of the wrong church. They would belong to the Community of Christ (RLDS) right now, because if these teachings are false now, they were false then too. Either they believe that Brigham Young was a prophet and all of his teachings were from God, or they now realize that he was not "inspired by the Lord". Brigham Young himself stated that there was never a sermon he preached that the Saints could not call scripture. The early Saints took every word he said literally, and kept record of it intentionally, because they believed he was speaking as God’s representative.
If Joseph Smith was what the LDS says he was, then he found the plates, transcribed them, and did what he was commanded by setting up the new church. What Brigham Young did from the day he took over was add his own thoughts and ideas into the mix and, as a result, apostacized from the "true church". The RLDS had it right, or the Strangites had it right when they chose J.J. Strang as their prophet after J.S. died. Or, maybe, alternatively, Joseph Smith made the entire story up in the first place!
This is straight out of the Journal of Discourses, a set of historical records made up of sermons of Brigham Young, an early prophet of the LDS church. To discredit his teachings is to admit that those who believed his words were fooled, and that they died for nothing by following him to Utah by the thousands, to establish a kingdom separate from the United States. To now say that Brigham Young was wrong and these teachings are in error is to admit that he wasn’t chosen by God to lead the true church. All of his successors, therefore, who continued to teach these same principles, were also in error and could not have been chosen by God to lead the true church. Doctrine and specific teachings on the principles of salvation and the covenants made in temple ceremonies cannot be changeable, or else apostacy will occur and all of the sacrifices of those early members will have been for nothing. They believed as they were taught, and 100 years from now, when all the sacrifice of today's members (tithing, time, adherence to teachings) means nothing because the LDS church changes its doctrine and re-writes its history to suit the times.
What good would it do to stand up for this church and give your life for it, if your posterity will not be taught the same things that are being taught in this era? What if tomorrow's prophet decides that Gordon B. Hinckley was "in error" and "was speaking as a man" on important points of doctrine? Why does the LDS church tell it's members that earlier prophetic teachings are of no consequence today, when in that time and in that day they meant everything to the early Saints who followed Brigham? They believed him as the mouthpiece of the Lord! They did anything he told them because it meant suffering and damnation if they didn’t follow the prophet. Is that the mark of the "true church"? Fear of leaving it, fear of losing your testimony, fear of being excommunicated because of imperfect acts or thoughts?
Take this quiz to see what the marks of a cult really are:
http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html
And I get SICK AND TIRED of ignorant people telling me I am in a cult NOW! Ha! I LEFT a CULT! I know what the difference is now! I am my own boss, I set the rules, I hold rituals when and where I want, AND I don't have to pay a single dime in "tithings" to hold a little card that says I am a worthy member of the cult! Ha! I am free, I took the red pill and I am free!
JD 1:50 He taught that Adam was our God, he is the father of Jesus, Adam and Eve came to earth with celestial bodies, and Jesus was conceived the same way as Cain and Able. See also JD 5:331-332, JD 4:217-218, JD 13:271, and Mormon Doctrine 742.
JD 1:51 He said it was not Holy Ghost that made Marry pregnant or it would be dangerous to confirm females with the holy ghost today because they might get pregnant.
JD 7:290 He taught that Adam and Eve are the parents of our spirits and our physical bodies.
JD 8:361 Young gave a talk on how to chew tobacco reverently in church.
JD 9:35 Young encouraged members to grow tobacco for money.
JD 12:29 Young taught that brandy, wine, and tea are good to use if you are weary or worn out.
JD 7:289 Young taught that we need Joseph Smith’s approval to enter the Celestial Kingdom.
JD 1:219 Young taught that gold and silver grow like hair and that adobe and sand stone grow to become stronger rock.
JD 13:271 He taught that there were people living on the moon and the sun.
JD 1:106 He taught that the Indians are from the seed of Israel and their dark skin is a result of their disobedience to God.
JD 7:285-286 Young taught that Adam and Eve and everything on this planet were brought here from another planet.
JD 10:110 He taught that interracial marriages are punishable by death on the spot and it would never be allowed.
JD 2:143 He taught that blacks wouldn’t receive the priesthood until after the resurrection.
JD 7:290-291 He said that blacks will remain slaves, that it is part of their curse to remain slaves, and they will not receive the priesthood until after the resurrection.
JD 10:250 He said the slaves won’t be freed by the civil war.
JD 4:40 He said that in 26 years mormon leaders would be thought of as kings.
JD 11:112 He taught that monogamy was the cause of great evils and prostitution.
JD 11:269 He taught that the church would never give up polygamy to be admitted into the Union.
JD 4:77 Young boasts that the mormons have the best thieves, liars, con-artists an most ruthless men in the world as well has the best singers, speakers, prayers, and the best looking people in the world.
JD 5:210 He boasts of being able to find more wives than any young man.
JD 2:143 He taught that any jew converted to the church would apostatize from the church and he continued on with some very racist remarks about jews.
JD 9:142-143 He said the civil wars would last years and years, that it would empty out the population of Missouri, and the mormons would return to Missouri and reclaim their lands.
JD 3:266 He said that if you deny the importance of polygamy in your feelings you will be damned.
JD 11:269 He taught that plural marriage must be practiced to receive the highest degree in the celestial kingdom. See also JD 16:166.
JD 6:176 He taught that other religions were hatched in hell.
JD 12:315 He said people dealing with non-members will be excommunicated.
JD 4:219-220 Young taught that adulterers must be killed to atone for their sins.
JD 1:108-109 He taught that thieves should be killed.
JD 1:83 He talks about having a dream of slitting the throats of two apostates and then taught that apostates should be killed.
JD 10:109-110 Young blamed the mountain meadows massacre on the Indians even though there is proof that he knew who was responsible by this time.
JD 22:304 John Taylor said that the blacks are the devils representation on earth.
JD 13:195-202 Orson Pratt taught that monogamy was the cause of prostitution, disease, and evils.
JD 4:231-232 In 1857 Willford Woodruff taught that many people present in that assembly
would live to give the ten lost tribes their endowments after their return.
JD 21:124 In 1880 Willford Woodruff said that we live in the generation when Jesus will come.
JD 5:219 Heber C. Kimball said Brigham Young would become president of the U.S.A.
Now, if Mormons no longer believe that Brigham Young could have been a prophet of God and the true successor to Joseph Smith, then they are members of the wrong church. They would belong to the Community of Christ (RLDS) right now, because if these teachings are false now, they were false then too. Either they believe that Brigham Young was a prophet and all of his teachings were from God, or they now realize that he was not "inspired by the Lord". Brigham Young himself stated that there was never a sermon he preached that the Saints could not call scripture. The early Saints took every word he said literally, and kept record of it intentionally, because they believed he was speaking as God’s representative.
If Joseph Smith was what the LDS says he was, then he found the plates, transcribed them, and did what he was commanded by setting up the new church. What Brigham Young did from the day he took over was add his own thoughts and ideas into the mix and, as a result, apostacized from the "true church". The RLDS had it right, or the Strangites had it right when they chose J.J. Strang as their prophet after J.S. died. Or, maybe, alternatively, Joseph Smith made the entire story up in the first place!
This is straight out of the Journal of Discourses, a set of historical records made up of sermons of Brigham Young, an early prophet of the LDS church. To discredit his teachings is to admit that those who believed his words were fooled, and that they died for nothing by following him to Utah by the thousands, to establish a kingdom separate from the United States. To now say that Brigham Young was wrong and these teachings are in error is to admit that he wasn’t chosen by God to lead the true church. All of his successors, therefore, who continued to teach these same principles, were also in error and could not have been chosen by God to lead the true church. Doctrine and specific teachings on the principles of salvation and the covenants made in temple ceremonies cannot be changeable, or else apostacy will occur and all of the sacrifices of those early members will have been for nothing. They believed as they were taught, and 100 years from now, when all the sacrifice of today's members (tithing, time, adherence to teachings) means nothing because the LDS church changes its doctrine and re-writes its history to suit the times.
What good would it do to stand up for this church and give your life for it, if your posterity will not be taught the same things that are being taught in this era? What if tomorrow's prophet decides that Gordon B. Hinckley was "in error" and "was speaking as a man" on important points of doctrine? Why does the LDS church tell it's members that earlier prophetic teachings are of no consequence today, when in that time and in that day they meant everything to the early Saints who followed Brigham? They believed him as the mouthpiece of the Lord! They did anything he told them because it meant suffering and damnation if they didn’t follow the prophet. Is that the mark of the "true church"? Fear of leaving it, fear of losing your testimony, fear of being excommunicated because of imperfect acts or thoughts?
Take this quiz to see what the marks of a cult really are:
http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html
And I get SICK AND TIRED of ignorant people telling me I am in a cult NOW! Ha! I LEFT a CULT! I know what the difference is now! I am my own boss, I set the rules, I hold rituals when and where I want, AND I don't have to pay a single dime in "tithings" to hold a little card that says I am a worthy member of the cult! Ha! I am free, I took the red pill and I am free!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Mormons will be required to practice Polygamy in the Celestial Kingdom
Here are some quotes from past General Authorities of the LDS church:
(thanks to Christopher Tyler from the RFM board)
[Remember too that the church in the 1800 used many arguments against monogomous heterosexual marriage in a manner similar to those used now against gay marriage]:
"It is a fact worthy of note that the shortest lived nations of which we have record have been monogamic. Rome...was a monogamic nation and the numerous evils attending that system early laid the foundation for that ruin which eventually overtook her."
- Apostle George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 202
"Since the founding of the Roman empire monogamy has prevailed more extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence this monogamic system which now prevails throughout Christendom, and which had been so fruitful a source of prostitution and whoredom throughout all the Christian monogamic cities of the Old and New World, until rottenness and decay are at the root of their institutions both national and religious."
-Prophet Brigham Young Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 128
"... the one-wife system not only degenerates the human family, both physically and intellectually, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; it is a lure to temptation, and has always proved a curse to a people."
-Prophet John Taylor, Millennial Star, Vol. 15, p. 227
"Monogamy, or restrictions by law to one wife, is no part of the economy of heaven among men. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman empire....Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged. Thus this monogamic order of marriage, so esteemed by modern Christians as a holy sacrament and divine institution, is nothing but a system established by a set of robbers.... Why do we believe in and practice polygamy? Because the Lord introduced it to his servants in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, and the Lord's servants have always practised it. 'And is that religion popular in heaven?' it is the only popular religion there,..."
-Prophet Brigham Young, The Deseret News, August 6, 1862
"This law of monogamy, or the monogamic system, laid the foundation for prostitution and the evils and diseases of the most revolting nature and character under which modern Christendom groans,..."
-Apostle Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, page 195
"We breathe the free air, we have the best looking men and handsomest women, and if they (Non-Mormons) envy us our position, well they may, for they are a poor, narrow-minded, pinch-backed race of men, who chain themselves down to the law of monogamy, and live all their days under the dominion of one wife. They ought to be ashamed of such conduct, and the still fouler channel which flows from their practices; and it is not to be wondered at that they should envy those who so much better understand the social relations."
-Apostle George A Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, page 291
"Some quietly listen to those who speak against the plurality of wives, and against almost every principle that God has revealed. Such persons have half-a-dozen devils with them all the time. You might as well deny 'Mormonism,' and turn away from it, as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the Presidency of this Church, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the authorities unite and say with one voice that they will oppose the doctrine, and the whole of them will be damned."
-Apostle Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 203
"Just ask yourselves, historians, when was monogamy introduced on to the face of the earth? When those buccaneers, who settled on the peninsula where Rome now stands, could not steal women enough to have two or three apiece, they passed a law that a man should have but one woman. And this started monogamy and the downfall of the plurality system. In the days of Jesus, Rome, having dominion over Jerusalem, they carried out the doctrine more or less. This was the rise, start and foundation of the doctrine of monogamy; and never till then was there a law passed, that we have any knowledge of, that a man should have but one wife."
-Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Vol. 12, page 262
"I have noticed that a man who has but one wife, and is inclined to that doctrine, soon begins to wither and dry up, while a man who goes into plurality [of wives] looks fresh, young, and sprightly."
- Apostle Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses Vol 5, page 22
When I was a member of the MORG, I had a discussion with the members of the Primary Presidency about polygamy in the hereafter. We all privately agreed that we would never allow it, that we wouldn't share our husbands now or in the afterlife, and if we were required to, we guessed the Terrestial kingdom would have to suffice for each of us. It was unheard of that polygamy would be instituted for the entire church, since we had been taught that it was only for a short time, and only practiced by a few people.
Well, I guess the only differences between the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the LDS is the practice of polygamy. They refused to let go of the practice when the church rescinded the ordinance in order to gain statehood. The fundies wouldn't stop because they adamantly believe it is crucial to their celestial reward and no man may enter with less than two wives. The fundies believe they maintain the truth and fullness of the gospel because they didn't give into pressure to drop polygamy, and they look upon the LDS church as an "offshoot" of the main church! And who hasn't been hearing about Warren Jeffs in the news lately, charged with arranging a marriage of a 13 year old girl to an older first cousin? Sounds awful close to the story of Helen Mar Kimball, whom Joseph married at the age of 14 to assure her family's place in the CK.
I guess the "real" true church is the one that the Fundamentalists have maintained for over a hundred years in Colorado City and Hilldale. They are the real valiant Saints, for they never changed since Brigham and Joseph's time. They adhere to the same teachings as the first two prophets, so why aren't the LDS concerned about that? Because THEY DON'T KNOW. They have no idea what early prophets taught, because they believe a current prophet "trumphs" any old ones. That makes the church doctrines changeable, and makes the LDS faith rest on the opinions of whoever happens to be leading it at the time. So what does that mean for those early mormon pioneers who believed in Brigham? Why is there a 26 volume set called the Journal of Discourses, full of the teachings of Brigham Young? If his teachings were false and a current prophet trumphs all old ones, it means that the pioneers DIED FOR NOTHING. They sacrificed everything to follow a false prophet. And a hundred years hence, when the LDS prophet of that era decides that Gordon B. Hinckley doesn't know what the hell he is talking about, and portrays him as a false prophet, what does that mean for those NOW sacrificing to obey the teachings? It means that the great-great-great grandchildren of this generation won't know any better, because they WON'T KNOW EITHER. It's a never ending cycle of discounting, denying, and rewriting scripture and doctrine to suit the times and to sweep major historical evidence under the rug. Take the red pill already and find out what the REAL world is like before it's too late!
Here are some quotes from past General Authorities of the LDS church:
(thanks to Christopher Tyler from the RFM board)
[Remember too that the church in the 1800 used many arguments against monogomous heterosexual marriage in a manner similar to those used now against gay marriage]:
"It is a fact worthy of note that the shortest lived nations of which we have record have been monogamic. Rome...was a monogamic nation and the numerous evils attending that system early laid the foundation for that ruin which eventually overtook her."
- Apostle George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 202
"Since the founding of the Roman empire monogamy has prevailed more extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence this monogamic system which now prevails throughout Christendom, and which had been so fruitful a source of prostitution and whoredom throughout all the Christian monogamic cities of the Old and New World, until rottenness and decay are at the root of their institutions both national and religious."
-Prophet Brigham Young Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 128
"... the one-wife system not only degenerates the human family, both physically and intellectually, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; it is a lure to temptation, and has always proved a curse to a people."
-Prophet John Taylor, Millennial Star, Vol. 15, p. 227
"Monogamy, or restrictions by law to one wife, is no part of the economy of heaven among men. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman empire....Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged. Thus this monogamic order of marriage, so esteemed by modern Christians as a holy sacrament and divine institution, is nothing but a system established by a set of robbers.... Why do we believe in and practice polygamy? Because the Lord introduced it to his servants in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, and the Lord's servants have always practised it. 'And is that religion popular in heaven?' it is the only popular religion there,..."
-Prophet Brigham Young, The Deseret News, August 6, 1862
"This law of monogamy, or the monogamic system, laid the foundation for prostitution and the evils and diseases of the most revolting nature and character under which modern Christendom groans,..."
-Apostle Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, page 195
"We breathe the free air, we have the best looking men and handsomest women, and if they (Non-Mormons) envy us our position, well they may, for they are a poor, narrow-minded, pinch-backed race of men, who chain themselves down to the law of monogamy, and live all their days under the dominion of one wife. They ought to be ashamed of such conduct, and the still fouler channel which flows from their practices; and it is not to be wondered at that they should envy those who so much better understand the social relations."
-Apostle George A Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, page 291
"Some quietly listen to those who speak against the plurality of wives, and against almost every principle that God has revealed. Such persons have half-a-dozen devils with them all the time. You might as well deny 'Mormonism,' and turn away from it, as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the Presidency of this Church, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the authorities unite and say with one voice that they will oppose the doctrine, and the whole of them will be damned."
-Apostle Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 203
"Just ask yourselves, historians, when was monogamy introduced on to the face of the earth? When those buccaneers, who settled on the peninsula where Rome now stands, could not steal women enough to have two or three apiece, they passed a law that a man should have but one woman. And this started monogamy and the downfall of the plurality system. In the days of Jesus, Rome, having dominion over Jerusalem, they carried out the doctrine more or less. This was the rise, start and foundation of the doctrine of monogamy; and never till then was there a law passed, that we have any knowledge of, that a man should have but one wife."
-Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Vol. 12, page 262
"I have noticed that a man who has but one wife, and is inclined to that doctrine, soon begins to wither and dry up, while a man who goes into plurality [of wives] looks fresh, young, and sprightly."
- Apostle Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses Vol 5, page 22
When I was a member of the MORG, I had a discussion with the members of the Primary Presidency about polygamy in the hereafter. We all privately agreed that we would never allow it, that we wouldn't share our husbands now or in the afterlife, and if we were required to, we guessed the Terrestial kingdom would have to suffice for each of us. It was unheard of that polygamy would be instituted for the entire church, since we had been taught that it was only for a short time, and only practiced by a few people.
Well, I guess the only differences between the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the LDS is the practice of polygamy. They refused to let go of the practice when the church rescinded the ordinance in order to gain statehood. The fundies wouldn't stop because they adamantly believe it is crucial to their celestial reward and no man may enter with less than two wives. The fundies believe they maintain the truth and fullness of the gospel because they didn't give into pressure to drop polygamy, and they look upon the LDS church as an "offshoot" of the main church! And who hasn't been hearing about Warren Jeffs in the news lately, charged with arranging a marriage of a 13 year old girl to an older first cousin? Sounds awful close to the story of Helen Mar Kimball, whom Joseph married at the age of 14 to assure her family's place in the CK.
I guess the "real" true church is the one that the Fundamentalists have maintained for over a hundred years in Colorado City and Hilldale. They are the real valiant Saints, for they never changed since Brigham and Joseph's time. They adhere to the same teachings as the first two prophets, so why aren't the LDS concerned about that? Because THEY DON'T KNOW. They have no idea what early prophets taught, because they believe a current prophet "trumphs" any old ones. That makes the church doctrines changeable, and makes the LDS faith rest on the opinions of whoever happens to be leading it at the time. So what does that mean for those early mormon pioneers who believed in Brigham? Why is there a 26 volume set called the Journal of Discourses, full of the teachings of Brigham Young? If his teachings were false and a current prophet trumphs all old ones, it means that the pioneers DIED FOR NOTHING. They sacrificed everything to follow a false prophet. And a hundred years hence, when the LDS prophet of that era decides that Gordon B. Hinckley doesn't know what the hell he is talking about, and portrays him as a false prophet, what does that mean for those NOW sacrificing to obey the teachings? It means that the great-great-great grandchildren of this generation won't know any better, because they WON'T KNOW EITHER. It's a never ending cycle of discounting, denying, and rewriting scripture and doctrine to suit the times and to sweep major historical evidence under the rug. Take the red pill already and find out what the REAL world is like before it's too late!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Here it is, the answer to the struggle between celebrating Christian "Christmas" and Pagan "Yule"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus
This idea was brought to my attention last year by a very talented and hilarious writer named Bone, who maintains a blogspot here:
http://littlenibbler.blogspot.com/
I'm on my way out to look for an aluminum pole to set up in my living room.
Although I am a bit hesitant about the "Airing of Grievances" portion of events, I'm sure I could withstand the "Feats of Strength" one-on-one with you know who.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus
This idea was brought to my attention last year by a very talented and hilarious writer named Bone, who maintains a blogspot here:
http://littlenibbler.blogspot.com/
I'm on my way out to look for an aluminum pole to set up in my living room.
Although I am a bit hesitant about the "Airing of Grievances" portion of events, I'm sure I could withstand the "Feats of Strength" one-on-one with you know who.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Wiccans Unite!
This story has appeared numerous times in the last six months, and it's time that it was brought out of the shadows and into the forefront. This is an inexcusable case of religious discrimination and it needs to stop RIGHT NOW!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/13/widows.suit.ap/index.html
There is no reason why the VA should hinder this request for one more second. Here is a short list of "excuses" they have come up with so far:
1. Wicca has no central headquarters, and no national spokesperson for the faith. The VA cannot be reasonably sure that the pentacle will be acceptable to all Wiccans.
2. The VA has revamped its proceedures for the application process and simply hasn't gotten around to the request yet.
3. Wicca isn't considered to be a religion because their are so many variants Wiccan tradition, it is hard to define what exactly their basic tenets are.
4. (and my personal favorite) Other families of soldiers who have died would be offended at having to see a Wiccan Pentacle on a gravestone next to their loved one.
Ok, here are my answers to each:
1. Athiests have a symbol. It is an atom with a letter A in it. Where exactly is their national headquarters, and who voted in their spokesperson?
2. Other religious organizations have had their symbol approved since the Wiccan request was first received OVER NINE YEARS AGO. They seemed to have made it through the "application process" just fine.
3. Wicca has been a protected and recognized religion since 1985. It has tax-exemption status with the IRS and First Amendment protection. At least a couple thousand soldiers practice Wicca in the armed services, and have it chosen as their religious preference on their dogtags. Many more thousands decline to name themselves as affiliated for fear of persecution and discrimination within the ranks.
4. I'm sure that alot of Christians are buried next to Muslims, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and many various believers of different religious philosophies. Being buried next to someone who is not a fellow believer of your faith doesn't "infect" you with their belief system, and I'm sure the VA isn't going to start segregation based on religious preference within the cemeteries all over the U.S. And, in the CNN poll, a whopping 76% of those voters uphold the rights of Wiccans to have the symbol of their faith on the headstone.
What is the damn problem over there at the VA? Is their a right-wing nut-job at the decision making desk? Is he the guy that admitted Eckankar and some other very little known religious emblems to the list? Did they have to prove to him that they were ligitimate religions first?
Completely infuriating, folks. That's all I have to say about it.
This story has appeared numerous times in the last six months, and it's time that it was brought out of the shadows and into the forefront. This is an inexcusable case of religious discrimination and it needs to stop RIGHT NOW!
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/13/widows.suit.ap/index.html
There is no reason why the VA should hinder this request for one more second. Here is a short list of "excuses" they have come up with so far:
1. Wicca has no central headquarters, and no national spokesperson for the faith. The VA cannot be reasonably sure that the pentacle will be acceptable to all Wiccans.
2. The VA has revamped its proceedures for the application process and simply hasn't gotten around to the request yet.
3. Wicca isn't considered to be a religion because their are so many variants Wiccan tradition, it is hard to define what exactly their basic tenets are.
4. (and my personal favorite) Other families of soldiers who have died would be offended at having to see a Wiccan Pentacle on a gravestone next to their loved one.
Ok, here are my answers to each:
1. Athiests have a symbol. It is an atom with a letter A in it. Where exactly is their national headquarters, and who voted in their spokesperson?
2. Other religious organizations have had their symbol approved since the Wiccan request was first received OVER NINE YEARS AGO. They seemed to have made it through the "application process" just fine.
3. Wicca has been a protected and recognized religion since 1985. It has tax-exemption status with the IRS and First Amendment protection. At least a couple thousand soldiers practice Wicca in the armed services, and have it chosen as their religious preference on their dogtags. Many more thousands decline to name themselves as affiliated for fear of persecution and discrimination within the ranks.
4. I'm sure that alot of Christians are buried next to Muslims, Jews, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and many various believers of different religious philosophies. Being buried next to someone who is not a fellow believer of your faith doesn't "infect" you with their belief system, and I'm sure the VA isn't going to start segregation based on religious preference within the cemeteries all over the U.S. And, in the CNN poll, a whopping 76% of those voters uphold the rights of Wiccans to have the symbol of their faith on the headstone.
What is the damn problem over there at the VA? Is their a right-wing nut-job at the decision making desk? Is he the guy that admitted Eckankar and some other very little known religious emblems to the list? Did they have to prove to him that they were ligitimate religions first?
Completely infuriating, folks. That's all I have to say about it.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Witches Weekly: Question for week of Nov 10, 2006
When did you first realize that the Pagan path was for you?
I never really knew that the pagan path was for me until I had gone through the process of leaving the Mormon church. I had spent many months studying different philosophies and came to the conclusion that even Christianity itself wasn't what it proclaimed to be. After researching the story of Mithras, the Persian Sun God, I became fully convinced that Christianity was nothing more than man's attempt to control the masses and weed out those who questioned authority. Eventually I stumbled upon Gnosticism and the pagan origins of Christianity. I guess I was always searching for the Ultimate God and Goddess pair that could be considered the "first emanation". As time has worn on, I have now concluded that the Gods have always been personifications of man, and that they exist as we picture them to be, individually. To put it simply, Gods are what we make them into. If we feel we need daily direction and someone to bitch to when things don't go right, there's a God for that. If we want a loving relationship with others, there's a God for that. The difference between being Christian, and being Pagan is simply a matter of who is in control. In Christianity, God (Elohim, Jehovah, Yaweh, whatever) is the one is in control of your life, and you have to continually petition for his intervention and protection. When you are a pagan, you have realized that you are in control, always have been, and the Gods are not intimately involved in every aspect of your life, and every second of your existance. Realizing that you are the one who can promote change in your life is very liberating indeed. Knowing that the Gods are individual emmanations that can assist you with your works and power directions makes it seem and feel more like a team effort. Pagans know deep down that we as a human race each carry a spark of divinity that we can all access if we choose to recognize it. And being able to interact with the Gods on a level playing field, (while recognizing their vast knowledge and power) is the ultimate form of power. It is so much better to perform rituals and cast spells knowing that you have done all that you can do, and you have made a commitment for change to happen. Leaving the rest to the Law of Return and Divine Balance is to recognize that bad things will still happen, loved ones will still pass away, and sorrow will still be felt. But, accepting these things as part of the great life cycle is much better for me than to blame a God that is famous for vengeance and threats of hell and damnation.
In short, I realized I was pagan when I lost the fear of being punished for failure to believe in one particular God and worship in one particular way. I chose to be pagan when I realized that I am the one who directs my own destiny and I can make changes with assistance from the many Gods and Goddess that have existed in conjunction with the Hebrew God Christians have been taught to revere. Gnosticism explains that the Hebrew God is nothing more than a "demiurge", a God that was brought into existance by mistake. He created this world and enslaves the humans on it by insisting that he is the only God that exists. In this way, he causes the fear in humanity, and forces them to "believe or perish". I am free from the bonds of slavery because I reject this philosophy and have regained control of my individual spark by realizing that there are many Gods, and I have nothing to fear by living life or eventually, succumbing to death when it finally comes.
When did you first realize that the Pagan path was for you?
I never really knew that the pagan path was for me until I had gone through the process of leaving the Mormon church. I had spent many months studying different philosophies and came to the conclusion that even Christianity itself wasn't what it proclaimed to be. After researching the story of Mithras, the Persian Sun God, I became fully convinced that Christianity was nothing more than man's attempt to control the masses and weed out those who questioned authority. Eventually I stumbled upon Gnosticism and the pagan origins of Christianity. I guess I was always searching for the Ultimate God and Goddess pair that could be considered the "first emanation". As time has worn on, I have now concluded that the Gods have always been personifications of man, and that they exist as we picture them to be, individually. To put it simply, Gods are what we make them into. If we feel we need daily direction and someone to bitch to when things don't go right, there's a God for that. If we want a loving relationship with others, there's a God for that. The difference between being Christian, and being Pagan is simply a matter of who is in control. In Christianity, God (Elohim, Jehovah, Yaweh, whatever) is the one is in control of your life, and you have to continually petition for his intervention and protection. When you are a pagan, you have realized that you are in control, always have been, and the Gods are not intimately involved in every aspect of your life, and every second of your existance. Realizing that you are the one who can promote change in your life is very liberating indeed. Knowing that the Gods are individual emmanations that can assist you with your works and power directions makes it seem and feel more like a team effort. Pagans know deep down that we as a human race each carry a spark of divinity that we can all access if we choose to recognize it. And being able to interact with the Gods on a level playing field, (while recognizing their vast knowledge and power) is the ultimate form of power. It is so much better to perform rituals and cast spells knowing that you have done all that you can do, and you have made a commitment for change to happen. Leaving the rest to the Law of Return and Divine Balance is to recognize that bad things will still happen, loved ones will still pass away, and sorrow will still be felt. But, accepting these things as part of the great life cycle is much better for me than to blame a God that is famous for vengeance and threats of hell and damnation.
In short, I realized I was pagan when I lost the fear of being punished for failure to believe in one particular God and worship in one particular way. I chose to be pagan when I realized that I am the one who directs my own destiny and I can make changes with assistance from the many Gods and Goddess that have existed in conjunction with the Hebrew God Christians have been taught to revere. Gnosticism explains that the Hebrew God is nothing more than a "demiurge", a God that was brought into existance by mistake. He created this world and enslaves the humans on it by insisting that he is the only God that exists. In this way, he causes the fear in humanity, and forces them to "believe or perish". I am free from the bonds of slavery because I reject this philosophy and have regained control of my individual spark by realizing that there are many Gods, and I have nothing to fear by living life or eventually, succumbing to death when it finally comes.
Which Tarot Card are You?
You are The Tower
Ambition, fighting, war, courage. Destruction, danger, fall, ruin.
The Tower represents war, destruction, but also spiritual renewal. Plans are disrupted. Your views and ideas will change as a result.
The Tower is a card about war, a war between the structures of lies and the lightning flash of truth. The Tower stands for "false concepts and institutions that we take for real." You have been shaken up; blinded by a shocking revelation. It sometimes takes that to see a truth that one refuses to see. Or to bring down beliefs that are so well constructed. What's most important to remember is that the tearing down of this structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
Friday, November 17, 2006
The following is quoted entirely from a post on the RFM board. The author of this piece is Tal Bachman. I have much respect for this writer, and will try to keep the entire piece together, so that the meaning of his essay is completely understood and not altered in any way. This is the most excellent essay I have ever come across regarding the hipocracy of Mormonism teachings.
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF TOTAL IGNORANCE
Church members enjoy quoting D and C 93's phrase, "the glory of God is intelligence". Yet, literally, any single line of inquiry put to any church member, including church propagandists at FARMS, only ever culminates in an admission of total ignorance.Examples of this:"We don't have all the answers now, but one day we will. Until then, we just need to put these things on the shelf"."We have no way of fully or finally verifying what, if anything, Joseph meant when he referred to Native Americans as 'Lamanites'"."We don't really know how to explain why there is no evidence there was a universal flood"."The jury's still out on this issue"."We don't know why William Clayton would have written such a thing in his diary, or why it was even put into the Official History of the Church"."We don't know why blacks were denied the priesthood"."We don't really know who first populated the Americas, where Cumorah was, where the Three Nephites might live, why there are million year old fossils all over the place including human skeletons, how God could punish Eve for committing an act he'd forced her to commit, why Joseph calls God the Father 'Jehovah' in Section 109, how anyone could 'feel' darkness, why Brigham Young said what he did about Adam, etc.""We cannot finally determine the exact relationship between the Book of Abraham and the papyrus scrolls; (we do know, however, that the spirit testifies that the Book of Abraham is true)"."I don't know that we teach that. I don't know too much about it".Etc.Of course, in Mormonism, these admissions of ignorance are actually a source of great pride; in that state, being able to look at a mountain of facts which explodes a particular truth claim, and then still maintain belief in that truth claim by making yourself stupid about it, means to the believer that he is "humble", and that he has "faith", and that he isn't "swayed by every wind of doctrine", that he will "trust the spirit" rather than evidence that not even church propagandists would dare dispute. But all it really means, is that he's made a mistake: for, as he would know if he had not uncritically pre-committed himself to dogma, the Book of Abraham is the result of human ingenuity, not divinely-conferred powers of spontaneous translation; the scriptures are wrong about a universal flood; the human family is not all descended from two people in Missouri just five millenia ago, etc. If it is really, as Mormons would have it, a virtue to disbelieve all those things, then so would it also be a virtue to disbelieve that men have scaled Everest, that penicillin fights off infection, and that overeating causes obesity. But how could disbelieving in true things, or believing in false things, ever really be a VICE, especially if God is All-Intelligent and All-Knowing?For it to be a virtue to disbelieve true things, would mean that virtue equalled the ignorance always inspired by the uncritical acceptance of dogma - and that in turn would mean that within Mormonism, in practice, the glory of God is actually a defiant UNintelligence. Not that Mormons are the only ones to pride themselves on subscribing to an ideal, which they also pride themselves on routinely violating in practice. As Bob McCue noted at the conference, fanatics never do have a sense of irony.The pride Mormons take in defiant unintelligence can be most easily observed on apologetic bulletin boards. There, one can find no end of proud protestations of faithful ignorance. One can even find scorn and disdain for those who feel that willful unintelligence is rather more like a vice than a virtue. Of course, they (like all Christian apologists) do have St. Paul, who always had sharp words for the wisdom of the world, on their side - and we all know how reliable he was. He was so reliable, that not even the supposed one true church does anything but cherry-pick among his many exhortations and explanations, since most of them strike even the most deluded now as embarrassing. That is, in the very act of feeling good that St. Paul is on their side, they themselves destroy any credibility he might be given, by IGNORING so much of what the man says.It is perfectly true that many conclusions about the world derived from procedures like testing must be presumed to be incomplete or defective; and yet, these kinds of conclusions are the most reliable we have. Even Mormon propagandists and leaders concede this in deed, since they continue to re-shape "official church doctrine" in conformity with just those conclusions. To believe otherwise, is to believe that EVEN IF many thousands of swords, skeletons, and shields had been found in Joseph's NY Hill Cumorah, that church propagandists would STILL be spinning out such ad hoc absurdities as the Two Cumorahs Theory. Or, that EVEN IF all 6500 of Scott Woodwards Peruvian DNA tests had come up positive for Israelite ancestry, that he and church propagandists would STILL be saying that "no one ever should have thought the Native Americans descended from BOM peoples". But of course, they would not have said these things at all; rather, they would have been doing cartwheels if the evidence pointed to original Mormon doctrine being true, and claiming victory. Instead, they keep claiming the battle is not over yet, even though it ended, in truth's favour, the very first time the church changed its doctrine in response to physical evidence. The truth is, the battle has been over for a very long time, whether we wish to admit it or not.To repeat, not even those so defiantly proud of their ignorance, can help (albeit kicking and screaming) following the evidence where it leads. It is just that such folks are far more able, in the very act of following the evidence where it leads, to convince themselves they are NOT doing just that. This allows them to still feel pride in trusting the spirit more than the arm of flesh, in the very act of deferring to the arm of flesh over whatever it is they think the spirit is. Cool how that works - it must feel wonderful to feel absolutely right, despite that being an impossibility for anyone who's become a walking, talking paradox.Once upon a time, Mormons had "knowledge": "the Indians are the descendants of the Lamanites"; "Adam and Eve were the primal parents of the human race" (according to an official First Presidency statement under Joseph F. Smith); "Joseph Smith translated the papyrus scrolls"; "As man is, God once was", etc. Now, on each of these questions, and dozens of others, there is only a proclaimed (and that proudly) ignorance. The sad fact is, that our Mormon friends belong to a church which, at the moment, doesn't even have an official position on who the descendants of the peoples mentioned in its FOUNDING BOOK OF SCRIPTURE are - the very people which the book claims it was written to help "re-gather"! How embarrassing is *that*?Is there ANY religion so anxious to embrace ignorance as a defense strategy, as is Mormonism? The answer to every follow-up question (the one after the initial offering of a thought-terminating cliche) is only ever, "I don't know". And are there any religionists anywhere who exceed Mormons in the amount of pride they feel in unknowing everything they once knew? It is shocking.The Mormon Holy Ghost was supposed to be a revealer of "all things", but it seems to spend all its time obscuring everything...HMMMMM....!T.
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF TOTAL IGNORANCE
Church members enjoy quoting D and C 93's phrase, "the glory of God is intelligence". Yet, literally, any single line of inquiry put to any church member, including church propagandists at FARMS, only ever culminates in an admission of total ignorance.Examples of this:"We don't have all the answers now, but one day we will. Until then, we just need to put these things on the shelf"."We have no way of fully or finally verifying what, if anything, Joseph meant when he referred to Native Americans as 'Lamanites'"."We don't really know how to explain why there is no evidence there was a universal flood"."The jury's still out on this issue"."We don't know why William Clayton would have written such a thing in his diary, or why it was even put into the Official History of the Church"."We don't know why blacks were denied the priesthood"."We don't really know who first populated the Americas, where Cumorah was, where the Three Nephites might live, why there are million year old fossils all over the place including human skeletons, how God could punish Eve for committing an act he'd forced her to commit, why Joseph calls God the Father 'Jehovah' in Section 109, how anyone could 'feel' darkness, why Brigham Young said what he did about Adam, etc.""We cannot finally determine the exact relationship between the Book of Abraham and the papyrus scrolls; (we do know, however, that the spirit testifies that the Book of Abraham is true)"."I don't know that we teach that. I don't know too much about it".Etc.Of course, in Mormonism, these admissions of ignorance are actually a source of great pride; in that state, being able to look at a mountain of facts which explodes a particular truth claim, and then still maintain belief in that truth claim by making yourself stupid about it, means to the believer that he is "humble", and that he has "faith", and that he isn't "swayed by every wind of doctrine", that he will "trust the spirit" rather than evidence that not even church propagandists would dare dispute. But all it really means, is that he's made a mistake: for, as he would know if he had not uncritically pre-committed himself to dogma, the Book of Abraham is the result of human ingenuity, not divinely-conferred powers of spontaneous translation; the scriptures are wrong about a universal flood; the human family is not all descended from two people in Missouri just five millenia ago, etc. If it is really, as Mormons would have it, a virtue to disbelieve all those things, then so would it also be a virtue to disbelieve that men have scaled Everest, that penicillin fights off infection, and that overeating causes obesity. But how could disbelieving in true things, or believing in false things, ever really be a VICE, especially if God is All-Intelligent and All-Knowing?For it to be a virtue to disbelieve true things, would mean that virtue equalled the ignorance always inspired by the uncritical acceptance of dogma - and that in turn would mean that within Mormonism, in practice, the glory of God is actually a defiant UNintelligence. Not that Mormons are the only ones to pride themselves on subscribing to an ideal, which they also pride themselves on routinely violating in practice. As Bob McCue noted at the conference, fanatics never do have a sense of irony.The pride Mormons take in defiant unintelligence can be most easily observed on apologetic bulletin boards. There, one can find no end of proud protestations of faithful ignorance. One can even find scorn and disdain for those who feel that willful unintelligence is rather more like a vice than a virtue. Of course, they (like all Christian apologists) do have St. Paul, who always had sharp words for the wisdom of the world, on their side - and we all know how reliable he was. He was so reliable, that not even the supposed one true church does anything but cherry-pick among his many exhortations and explanations, since most of them strike even the most deluded now as embarrassing. That is, in the very act of feeling good that St. Paul is on their side, they themselves destroy any credibility he might be given, by IGNORING so much of what the man says.It is perfectly true that many conclusions about the world derived from procedures like testing must be presumed to be incomplete or defective; and yet, these kinds of conclusions are the most reliable we have. Even Mormon propagandists and leaders concede this in deed, since they continue to re-shape "official church doctrine" in conformity with just those conclusions. To believe otherwise, is to believe that EVEN IF many thousands of swords, skeletons, and shields had been found in Joseph's NY Hill Cumorah, that church propagandists would STILL be spinning out such ad hoc absurdities as the Two Cumorahs Theory. Or, that EVEN IF all 6500 of Scott Woodwards Peruvian DNA tests had come up positive for Israelite ancestry, that he and church propagandists would STILL be saying that "no one ever should have thought the Native Americans descended from BOM peoples". But of course, they would not have said these things at all; rather, they would have been doing cartwheels if the evidence pointed to original Mormon doctrine being true, and claiming victory. Instead, they keep claiming the battle is not over yet, even though it ended, in truth's favour, the very first time the church changed its doctrine in response to physical evidence. The truth is, the battle has been over for a very long time, whether we wish to admit it or not.To repeat, not even those so defiantly proud of their ignorance, can help (albeit kicking and screaming) following the evidence where it leads. It is just that such folks are far more able, in the very act of following the evidence where it leads, to convince themselves they are NOT doing just that. This allows them to still feel pride in trusting the spirit more than the arm of flesh, in the very act of deferring to the arm of flesh over whatever it is they think the spirit is. Cool how that works - it must feel wonderful to feel absolutely right, despite that being an impossibility for anyone who's become a walking, talking paradox.Once upon a time, Mormons had "knowledge": "the Indians are the descendants of the Lamanites"; "Adam and Eve were the primal parents of the human race" (according to an official First Presidency statement under Joseph F. Smith); "Joseph Smith translated the papyrus scrolls"; "As man is, God once was", etc. Now, on each of these questions, and dozens of others, there is only a proclaimed (and that proudly) ignorance. The sad fact is, that our Mormon friends belong to a church which, at the moment, doesn't even have an official position on who the descendants of the peoples mentioned in its FOUNDING BOOK OF SCRIPTURE are - the very people which the book claims it was written to help "re-gather"! How embarrassing is *that*?Is there ANY religion so anxious to embrace ignorance as a defense strategy, as is Mormonism? The answer to every follow-up question (the one after the initial offering of a thought-terminating cliche) is only ever, "I don't know". And are there any religionists anywhere who exceed Mormons in the amount of pride they feel in unknowing everything they once knew? It is shocking.The Mormon Holy Ghost was supposed to be a revealer of "all things", but it seems to spend all its time obscuring everything...HMMMMM....!T.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
My new favorite song:
Get Over It!
By: OK GO
Lot of knots, lot of snags,
lot of holes, lot of cracks lot of crags.
Lot of naggin' old hags, lot of fools, lot of fool scum bags.
Oh it's such a drag, what a chore,
oh your wounds are full of salt.
Everything's a stress and what's more,
well it's all somebody's fault.
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Get over it, get over it!
Make you sick, make you ill,
makes you cheat, slipping change from the till.
Had it up to the gills, makes you cry
while the milk still spills.
Ain't it just a bitch? What a pain, well it's all a crying shame.
What left to do but complain?
Better find someone to blame.
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Get over it, get over it!
Got a job, got a life,
got a four-door and a faithless wife.
Got those nice copper pipes, got an ex,
got a room for the night.
Aren't you such a catch?What a prize!
Got a body like a battle axe,
Love that perfect frown, honest eyes,
We ought to buy you a Cadillac.
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Get Over It!
By: OK GO
Lot of knots, lot of snags,
lot of holes, lot of cracks lot of crags.
Lot of naggin' old hags, lot of fools, lot of fool scum bags.
Oh it's such a drag, what a chore,
oh your wounds are full of salt.
Everything's a stress and what's more,
well it's all somebody's fault.
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Get over it, get over it!
Make you sick, make you ill,
makes you cheat, slipping change from the till.
Had it up to the gills, makes you cry
while the milk still spills.
Ain't it just a bitch? What a pain, well it's all a crying shame.
What left to do but complain?
Better find someone to blame.
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Get over it, get over it!
Got a job, got a life,
got a four-door and a faithless wife.
Got those nice copper pipes, got an ex,
got a room for the night.
Aren't you such a catch?What a prize!
Got a body like a battle axe,
Love that perfect frown, honest eyes,
We ought to buy you a Cadillac.
Hey! Get, get, get, get, get over it!
Sunday, November 12, 2006
I Know I sound Angry, but.....
I have to start somewhere I guess.
Some of these posts will involve my religious views.
Some are going to be about my relationship with my family.
Some will be funny, I promise.
Some will be sad, unfortunately.
Some will deal with my step-daughter's mommy, (aka Satan)
And a couple of angry ones will round out the meal.
I am nothing if not boring.
Tune in later, as I am new to this forum and spending many hours learning how to express myself in written word.
I have to start somewhere I guess.
Some of these posts will involve my religious views.
Some are going to be about my relationship with my family.
Some will be funny, I promise.
Some will be sad, unfortunately.
Some will deal with my step-daughter's mommy, (aka Satan)
And a couple of angry ones will round out the meal.
I am nothing if not boring.
Tune in later, as I am new to this forum and spending many hours learning how to express myself in written word.
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