Gadianton wrote:There is just one detail that makes it different for the apologists we cross paths with occasionally. Ultimately, they are connected to the Church leadership at "the highest levels", and have done their work -- and it would seem thanks to certain recent revelations in a comment section out there, their dirtiest work -- at the direction of the Brethren. Perhaps not at the direction of a unified body of Brethren, as we might speculate, but the way they tell it, they've always had the full endorsement of the Church, and continue to do so. Even now, at least one GA appraises them of efforts to pull the plug on the new MI.
Name calling is always bad, but name calling and self-aggrandizement backed by a multi-billion dollar corporate face will always trigger public outrage. Gemli had some pretty good insights to that one day, as the fuming cantankerous cursed the "fake doctors" crowding their sacred comment section.
Yep. I resonate with your perspective on this, Gad. You know, I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could have voted for Trump, and I understand much less how any decent person could continue to support Trump at this point. It is possible, although I do not want it to be true, that some people lack the ability to see the problems with Trump. I don't think that reflects well on them. My opinion.
For the reasons you lay out above, I don't really understand Smoot. That said, there are other ways of looking at this. The Mopologists, you see, are among those who know the GAs as real people who say and do virtuous things. From their perspective, our criticisms of the GAs are baffling in the extreme. We are the carpers, cavilers, and critics of good men. The apologists obviously, by their own admission, do not see the Church as a faceless corporation. They see honorable and lovable grandpa type guys who stand up for helping the poor, doing the right thing, and testifying of Jesus Christ.
So our view is, to them, a monstrous distortion of the truth. Faceless corporation? How could that be? Evil designs to control and suppress others? No! A mission to save all humankind! To lighten the load of the suffering. You and I have it all wrong, Gad. If only we could see the truth, namely, that the LDS Church has the keys, and the authority from God, to save all of the children of God eternally and make them supernally blissful forever.
And you and I are attempting to spoil that. We are hurting good people who are striving for that eternal happiness in God's presence. Just sitting here having this conversation, we endanger some poor soul who clicks on the wrong link after a Google search. What if that person read something here that led them astray, that imperiled their eternal blessings?
If you really believe all of that, then I don't think you will have any compunction about portraying certain apostates as Smoot did in his allegory. And your friends engaged in the same important fight will pat you on the back. And the GAs will support your efforts in whatever way they can, without appearing to punch down themselves.
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist