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I'm sure this has come up, but what do people here see as the outcome of Dr. Peterson being removed from being editor of Mormon Studies Review? What percipitated the change? Nothing this big happens without Monson's okay, I'm sure. Dr. Peterson is an important figure in Mormonism. Any responses?

Welcome back from your trip to Mars.

Drifting wrote:Welcome back from your trip to Mars.

How's Venus?

Here's how I see this move. In order to survive, the Mormon church is going to have to stop trying to cover up its history and start dealing with it. In order to attract today's more educated populace, the church must deal with the fact that Joseph Smith was a shaman who pretty much led a bunch of credulous followers. He was able to manipulate very simple people, convincing them that he was in touch with God, and that he, in fact, was "god" to the Mormons (and if they didn't like it, they could go ahead and lump it).

Mormons try to rationalize away Smith "marrying" young teenie boppers (as young as 14), besides his own foster daughters. Now, most TBMs will try to cover this up with pseudo-intellectual gibberish, but the fact remains that Smith was simply paving the way for Jones and Koresh, who also engaged in questionable sexual acts, using "religion" as a cover to justify their sexual lust.

However, when the rest of the world looks at Smith's perversions (especially marrying teenagers and the wives of other men), they aren't so quick to dismiss this as some kind of God-directed act demanded by a sword-wielding angel. Rather, more sophisticated people see through Smith's claims to divine guidance when it comes to his immoral sexual acts. Any woman should!

On another issue, today's modern, less credulous population isn't so quick to embrace a book which describes a non-existent civilization, written on gold plates in a non-existent language. Now, Peterson and his staff can spend literally thousands of hours defending the Book of Mormon, but the bottom line is that those hours are wasted on promoting a myth. There is no other explanation for the total lack of artifact evidence, regardless of the highly speculative statements issued by Mormon "apologists."

So, how to save the church? Perhaps the Community of Christ has paved the way. Give token allegiance to Smith, but acknowledge his life as fallen and debased in many ways. Give lipservice to the Book of Mormon, but see it more in terms of pious literature rather than an actual narrative of real events. Begin to dialogue with genuine Christians.

Perhaps this is the beginning of change. Who knows!

I don't see the name Aurelia much these days.

By any chance, is there any connection to Aurelia Spencer Rogers, founder of the Primary?

gramps wrote:I don't see the name Aurelia much these days.

By any chance, is there any connection to Aurelia Spencer Rogers, founder of the Primary?

No, no relation. More in memory of:

http://www.srspreciousbloodnh.org/Found ... fault.aspx

Catherine Aurelia wrote:
How's Venus?

She was eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon! Who would have thought it?

That was what you were asking, right?

Catherine Aurelia wrote:I'm sure this has come up, but what do people here see as the outcome of Dr. Peterson being removed from being editor of Mormon Studies Review? What percipitated the change? Nothing this big happens without Monson's okay, I'm sure. Dr. Peterson is an important figure in Mormonism. Any responses?

There are multiple threads going on on this board (see the terrestial forum) and on MDDB here.

http://www.mormondialogue.org/forum/11- ... scussions/

Speculations vary from apocalyptic doom to the 2nd coming.

The reality is that, even for the majority of LDS, it is a non event that a few years from now will be forgotten. It does make interesting message board fodder.

Catherine Aurelia wrote:

Drifting wrote:Welcome back from your trip to Mars.

How's Venus?

Not as cute as Uranus...

Drifting wrote:Welcome back from your trip to Mars.

Catherine Aurelia wrote:How's Venus?

Drifting wrote:Not as cute as Uranus...

Astronomy class?