DiscussMormonism.com

Lemmie wrote:

Blake
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 AT 11:12 AM

The personal attacks tell me all that I need to know about you cowards hiding behind anonymous posts. But I have the resources to find out who you are — and I will.

And then what? What's the point of making threats like this?

I know, right? I'd love to know what he meant by that. Good times.

Anyway. I had no idea who Blake T. Ostler was. I mean, how much of a nobody do you have to be to fly under someone's radar who's been actively engaged in Mormon-related topics and apologia since 2001? Literally no idea, so I googled his name and came up with this little gem from the second link:

https://gregkofford.com/blogs/news/auth ... e-t-ostler

Q: What began your interest in studying philosophy and theology?

A: I was a young whippersnapper when I ran into Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig [sic] who died earlier this year. Because I had raced motorcycles and often rode motorbikes with my Dad, it was the perfect intro to philosophy—and it is still the best-selling book related to philosophy of all time. I was only a Junior in High School student, but for some reason I thought I could tackle Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. I was foolish but did it anyway. I became fascinated with Kant's view that our consciousness depends on an organizational unity and categories that are not present in the things we experience, but that, in effect, we create the unity of consciousness and provide the categories to make sense of our experience and any concepts presented to us.

Admittedly I have no idea who Greg Kofford is, but that's beside the point. What's the deal with these mopologists all having been child prodigies devouring volumes of thick philosophical tomes resulting in polymaths who are never wrong about anything? It's the oddest thing... Psychologically fascinating, really.

- Doc

Blake
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 AT 11:12 AM

The personal attacks tell me all that I need to know about you cowards hiding behind anonymous posts. But I have the resources to find out who you are — and I will.
Lemmi
And then what? What's the point of making threats like this?

It literally does nothing to entice me to believe Russell M. Nelson is an actual prophet along the lines of the old Jewish ways. It literally does nothing to help me grasp my understanding of scripture is wrong and therefore I ought to believe the interpretations told to me instead of figure them out for myself. It certainly does nothing to convince me to go back and spend so much time in their buildings when the real cathedrals of spiritual renewal are the mountains, and fields of flowers and streams of the earth itself, which renews everyone's spirit regardless of professed religious preference.
So yeah, all this silly tit for tat, back and forth, one upmanship appears to me to be drivvel in the wind. I'd rather be letting my hair fly in the wind hiking the mountains around my house.....

I might add, if he thinks Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is still the best introduction to philosophy and is worth actually believing and attempting to live by its precepts, and I see no reason why he is wrong, then how on God's green earth is he still Mormon??? Because Pirsig's themes are not conjugal with Mormonism much. It is still fresh on my mind, since I just finished reading it last month, and I agree, READ THAT FANTASTIC BOOK!

That is one unfortunate looking meltdown.

I've known who he is because some years back his series on Exploring Mormon thought came out and I kinda liked them. I do remember him bragging how he at a young age, or something, read the Summa Theologiae in it's original Latin. But I've never known him otherwise.

Philo Sofee wrote:I might add, if he thinks Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is still the best introduction to philosophy and is worth actually believing and attempting to live by its precepts, and I see no reason why he is wrong, then how on God's green earth is he still Mormon??? Because Pirsig's themes are not conjugal with Mormonism much. It is still fresh on my mind, since I just finished reading it last month, and I agree, READ THAT FANTASTIC BOOK!

I remember the moment I realized, as a Mormon, that it was just like scripture to me. I started seeing lines it that really spoke to me. Then I found quotations and started sharing them. Some little ways into it he came up with a line, and I'm not looking it up just going from memory now just to test myself about how close I can get, that essentially said, 'the loudest and most polemic voices in politics or religion are likely those who aren't as sure about their position as they like to portray themselves to be'. I'm probably way off.

It caught me a bit off guard though. It got me really questioning the things that were said in church by leaders, etc. I mean it took a ton of years but perhaps the beginning of the end.

I shouldn't have tried to go by memory.

here's the quote I had in mind:

You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it's going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.

Stem wrote:I shouldn't have tried to go by memory.

here's the quote I had in mind:

You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it's going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.

Great quote.

Blake Ostler has passed...

quite a few gaseous anomalies ..

Did you think he died!!???

Gregg is a book publisher. Great guy.

Damn my comments got deleted. Guess I’m a trouble maker

Stem wrote:Damn my comments got deleted. Guess I’m a trouble maker

I saw a few comments were deleted. I guess Blake pulled some strings over there?

FYI, Blake claims to have found out the true identities of two commenters and is threatening to dox them.