DCP’s Mormon scholars testify: abandoned?

[Kishkumen]

With all due respect to our good Reverend, I've seen the enterprise as a bit desperate. Whether some smart person believes a religion or not shouldn't really mean much. There are smart people believing all sorts of religious things and even crazy sounding non-religious things. Belief isn't the hallmark of what scholars leave behind. it's their scholarship. Once we make it about them, we lose.

"well this PhD guy said he believes in Scientology."

Is that an argument for scientology or an argument for how smart people can believe stupid things?

I suppose I"m far too sensitive about hero worship or cult of personality thinking to get much out of this type of thing.

I concur in the view that a scholar's belief in something or other should not be taken as an indication that said scholar is necessarily correct or that that thing is true, etc. On the other hand, the alleged predominance of atheism among the scholars and scientists is often taken as evidence that atheism is right by, well, atheists. The idea seems to be that if a preponderance of smart people seem to be atheists, then atheism is more valid than a belief in God. It could, to the contrary, be the case that smart people are influenced by their community to believe in, embrace, and see things through a fashionable materialist perspective. Mormon Scholars Testify, and other similar voices in other faiths, might be taken to show that atheism among the global intelligentsia is not dominant to the point of exclusive identification. You don't have to be an atheist to be smart, and you don't have to be smart to be an atheist. You can be smart and be a theist; theism is not the refuge of the intellectually inferior.

[dastardly stem]

With all due respect to our good Reverend, I've seen the enterprise as a bit desperate. Whether some smart person believes a religion or not shouldn't really mean much. There are smart people believing all sorts of religious things and even crazy sounding non-religious things. Belief isn't the hallmark of what scholars leave behind. it's their scholarship. Once we make it about them, we lose.

"well this PhD guy said he believes in Scientology."

Is that an argument for scientology or an argument for how smart people can believe stupid things?

I suppose I"m far too sensitive about hero worship or cult of personality thinking to get much out of this type of thing.

I concur in the view that a scholar's belief in something or other should not be taken as an indication that said scholar is necessarily correct or that that thing is true, etc. On the other hand, the alleged predominance of atheism among the scholars and scientists is often taken as evidence that atheism is right by, well, atheists. The idea seems to be that if a preponderance of smart people seem to be atheists, then atheism is more valid than a belief in God. It could, to the contrary, be the case that smart people are influenced by their community to believe in, embrace, and see things through a fashionable materialist perspective. Mormon Scholars Testify, and other similar voices in other faiths, might be taken to show that atheism among the global intelligentsia is not dominant to the point of exclusive identification. You don't have to be an atheist to be smart, and you don't have to be smart to be an atheist. You can be smart and be a theist; theism is not the refuge of the intellectually inferior.

Very good points, Kishkumen. And with that, I bow out. MST is a good thing that should be revived. And I hear you, it's nice to read the cogent thoughts of scholars as they pertain to their beliefs. I like seeing how people frame their ideas.

[Kishkumen]

Very good points, Kishkumen. And with that, I bow out. MST is a good thing that should be revived. And I hear you, it's nice to read the cogent thoughts of scholars as they pertain to their beliefs. I like seeing how people frame their ideas.

I hope I didn't chase you away! I thought you made a good point too.

[dastardly stem]

Very good points, Kishkumen. And with that, I bow out. MST is a good thing that should be revived. And I hear you, it's nice to read the cogent thoughts of scholars as they pertain to their beliefs. I like seeing how people frame their ideas.

I hope I didn't chase you away! I thought you made a good point too.

not in the least. I just came to my senses realizing MST is worth having around.

[Alphus and Omegus]

This seems to have been one of many non-profit initiatives that were launched with funds from a single donor and were never intended to be anything substantial or lasting. Unfortunately, a lot of donors only want to fund "new" things and are uninterested in growing or sustaining existing programs. MST is likely a victim of this mentality, which exists across non-profit organizations in many sectors and missions.

It would be great if there were a community of people who are thoughtful LDS believers to congregate and discuss their faith in an unofficial manner. I doubt that the church would ever want such a thing to exist though, because inevitably, some of these members would eventually become aware of some of the many facts that have been suppressed by authorities.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Wanna guess how many people MST converted to Mormonism?

0.

DCP takin’ L’s, yet again.

- Doc

[Salvete]

Wanna guess how many people MST converted to Mormonism?

0.

DCP takin’ L’s, yet again.

- Doc

Was that it’s objective?

And also, how do you know?

[drumdude]

Wanna guess how many people MST converted to Mormonism?

0.

DCP takin’ L’s, yet again.

- Doc

Was that it’s objective?

And also, how do you know?

DP: I had been thinking about the common LDS slogan "every member a missionary," and, sitting in heavily Mormon Utah County and teaching at super-heavily-Mormon BYU, wondered what, if anything, I could do to comply with that sense of obligation. The web seemed an obvious answer. I could, for virtually nothing, reach people around the world, at least potentially.

But what form should this take? I hadn't yet decided.

And then Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke (at BYU-Hawaii, I believe) about using the web to share our testimonies, expressions of our faith, and I began thinking, specifically, of a testimonial-based website.

https://www.patheos.com/resources/addit ... Relief Society-testify

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Wanna guess how many people MST converted to Mormonism?

0.

DCP takin’ L’s, yet again.

- Doc

Was that it’s objective?

And also, how do you know?

Yes, and because had his MST converted someone you better believe it’d have been trumpeted far and wide. Sledge, you’ve been reading his online stuff for years, to include being a regular at SeN.

> Doc Cam raises his arm to the square

“IN THE NAME OF SOME GUY FROM THE Bible, OR WHATEVER, AND BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST OR Jesus OR GOD, TAKE YOUR PICK, I REQUEST OF THEE THE FOLLOWING



IN THE NAME OF HIS HOLY NAME, I THINK IT’S Jesus OR POSSIBLY SOME OTHER HISTORICAL FIGURE, AMEN AND AMEN AND ABD AL-RAHMEN.”

- Doc

[Philo Sofee]

Wanna guess how many people MST converted to Mormonism?

0.

DCP takin’ L’s, yet again.

- Doc

Was that it’s objective?

And also, how do you know?

What other possible objective could exist for it?!