Everybody Wang Chung wrote:Thanks for the kind words and advice Mak. They mean so much to me. Especially coming from someone as credible, consistent, congenial and nonjudgmental as you.
Surely you can't be so deluded as to think that you have any leg to stand on vis-à-vis credibility, consistency, congeniality, or a non-judgmental attitude.
More kind words from Mak.
Alex Trebek, "For $500: this young man was a forger and heavy drug user. After turning his life around, instead of showing a mature acceptance and humility that usually accompanies learning from such hard life lessons, he now spends a great deal of time bescumbering us with his angry, judgmental and snarky posts."
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
That said, with the Book of Mormon, we are not dealing with a civilization with no written record. What we are dealing with is a written record with no civilization. (Runtu, Feb 2015)
Everybody Wang Chung wrote:More kind words from Mak.
I'm just responding to some juvenile rhetoric. Having a chip on your shoulder doesn't give you caret blanche to be naïvely critical without anyone pointing it out.
Everybody Wang Chung wrote:Alex Trebek, "For $500: this young man was a forger and heavy drug user. After turning his life around, instead of showing a mature acceptance and humility that usually accompanies learning from such hard life lessons, he now spends a great deal of time bescumbering us with his angry, judgmental and snarky posts."
I'm not angry at all, I'm just pointing out how childish and naïve your rhetoric is. The fact that attempting to dodge the criticism via further childish and naïve rhetoric only proves the point seems to have escaped you. Big surprise.
maklelan wrote: I'm not angry at all, I'm just pointing out how childish and naïve your rhetoric is. The fact that attempting to dodge the criticism via further childish and naïve rhetoric only proves the point seems to have escaped you. Big surprise.
If you describe my rhetoric as childish and naïve, how would you describe your rhetoric?
Mature, Christlike and intelligent?
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
Everybody Wang Chung wrote:If you describe my rhetoric as childish and naïve, how would you describe your rhetoric?
Accurate.
Everybody Wang Chung wrote:Mature, Christlike and intelligent?
I'm not the one pretending that Mormons are required to bear their testimonies on command. That's you. I'm just pointing out that that's a pretty silly way to try to take a swipe at Mormons. If you honestly think that calling me immature and unchristlike is a valid defense of your position, then you really have no business being here.
maklelan wrote:I'm not the one pretending that Mormons are required to bear their testimonies on command. That's you.
Neither am I. Where did you get that from? General Conference?
maklelan wrote:I'm just pointing out that that's a pretty silly way to try to take a swipe at Mormons.
What is? What are you talking about?
maklelan wrote:If you honestly think that calling me immature and unchristlike is a valid defense of your position, then you really have no business being here.
But when you call me childish and immature and ignorant, it is a valid defense? Say what?! Holy double standard, Batman.
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
maklelan wrote:I'm not the one pretending that Mormons are required to bear their testimonies on command. That's you.
Neither am I. Where did you get that from? General Conference?
maklelan wrote:I'm just pointing out that that's a pretty silly way to try to take a swipe at Mormons.
What is? What are you talking about?
maklelan wrote:If you honestly think that calling me immature and unchristlike is a valid defense of your position, then you really have no business being here.
But when you call me childish and immature and ignorant, it is a valid defense? Say what?! Holy double standard, Batman.
Wang, Mak has always been right, will always be right, and will never not be right. My dad was one of those guys. I hate my dad. I pray Mak's kids don't grow up to hate him.
Sanctorian wrote:Wang, Mak has always been right, will always be right, and will never not be right. My dad was one of those guys. I hate my dad. I pray Mak's kids don't grow up to hate him.
As Mormon apologists go, Mak is one of the good guys. Sure he can be sanctimonious, and judgmental, but hell, who isn't.
You boys should save your venom, which I admit I find entertaining, for real dicks, like Bob Crockett and Tobin.
From my perspective, based on what I have seen and read so far by participants on this forum, it appears to me that Maklelan has more in common with Everybody Wang Chung than Maklelan realizes or is willing to admit.
Maklelan has also made it clear that his current job is contingent on his remaining a faithful, believing LDS in good standing. As long as that is true, given his obvious intelligence and what he obviously knows about the origins and history of Mormonism, I simply can't help taking his claim of being fully believing LDS with at least a tiny grain of salt. If I were in his position earning a livelihood for my family that depended on convincing my employers that I believed something I had serious doubts about, I am honestly unsure about what I would do.
No precept or claim is more likely to be false than one that can only be supported by invoking the claim of Divine authority for it--no matter who or what claims such authority.
“If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but if you really make them think, they'll hate you.”
― Harlan Ellison
Gunnar wrote:From my perspective, based on what I have seen and read so far by participants on this forum, it appears to me that Maklelan has more in common with Everybody Wang Chung than Maklelan realizes or is willing to admit.
Maklelan has also made it clear that his current job is contingent on his remaining a faithful, believing LDS in good standing. As long as that is true, given his obvious intelligence and what he obviously knows about the origins and history of Mormonism, I simply can't help taking his claim of being fully believing LDS with at least a tiny grain of salt. If I were in his position earning a livelihood for my family that depended on convincing my employers that I believed something I had serious doubts about, I am honestly unsure about what I would do.
