Faith-Promoting Rumor's and Space Doctrine
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:32 am
Mormonism involves two levels. The official fluff used to organize the social group and the unofficial fluff that is in between. The unofficial fluff is what makes up the faith promoting rumors and space doctrine. Useless daydream fodder to fill in the blanks for those who really can't attach to the spiritual, TBM-side of Mormonism.
Faith promoting rumors were rampant on my mission and so was Space Doctrine. Your life was not ruled by the missionaries, it was ruled by that stupid white handbook (the official fluff) but more so by your desire to not succumb to the evil that lurks between the structure of the white handbook.
I personally think that the boundaries were set by the official dotrine but the enforcing totalitarian nature of the rules were made by the missionary culture.
Early on in my mission I noticed as others do that there is no bogeyman, there was never a missionary in south America who's life was spared from death by machete but had massive wounds on his arms and lower legs (the garments protected him!!!). There are however two sisters who will never regain what was taken from them, left to fend for themselves in a Third World slum and still so brainwashed that the one remaining sister still wanted to complete her indentured servitude.
Space Doctrine was a VERY common theme, usually with the readers and the geeks. You know what I mean. We would sit for hours studying about Enish Go On Dosh and Hebrew Writing Forms. I read Nibley and mountains of craptastic FARMS papers equating a steel sword to a stone age club. I bought it hook line and sinker. The doctrine and personal history was sidelined because I was reading the 1900's equivalent of the more modern "Ancient Astronauts" theories.
It seems as if FARMS is now controlling a significant minority of Mormons, with Nibley as the Prophet of Internet Mormonism waiting to judge beside Joe, Jesus and that other being that appeared to Joe in the Grove.
Faith promoting rumors were rampant on my mission and so was Space Doctrine. Your life was not ruled by the missionaries, it was ruled by that stupid white handbook (the official fluff) but more so by your desire to not succumb to the evil that lurks between the structure of the white handbook.
I personally think that the boundaries were set by the official dotrine but the enforcing totalitarian nature of the rules were made by the missionary culture.
Early on in my mission I noticed as others do that there is no bogeyman, there was never a missionary in south America who's life was spared from death by machete but had massive wounds on his arms and lower legs (the garments protected him!!!). There are however two sisters who will never regain what was taken from them, left to fend for themselves in a Third World slum and still so brainwashed that the one remaining sister still wanted to complete her indentured servitude.
Space Doctrine was a VERY common theme, usually with the readers and the geeks. You know what I mean. We would sit for hours studying about Enish Go On Dosh and Hebrew Writing Forms. I read Nibley and mountains of craptastic FARMS papers equating a steel sword to a stone age club. I bought it hook line and sinker. The doctrine and personal history was sidelined because I was reading the 1900's equivalent of the more modern "Ancient Astronauts" theories.
It seems as if FARMS is now controlling a significant minority of Mormons, with Nibley as the Prophet of Internet Mormonism waiting to judge beside Joe, Jesus and that other being that appeared to Joe in the Grove.