? for Ray A

[_Bond...James Bond]

Or perhaps, something wrong with their distorted perceptions of Mormonism?

Perhaps. But you also dismissed all those 300 plus articles on the word of a Mormon apologist. If you haven't read them then how do you know they're all distorted? Have you read all those 300 plus articles to know they're distorted?

What's a "decent Mormon"?

One who does not encourage or support a board whose aim is to belittle Mormonism or its leaders and portray them in the worst possible light - at every opportunity. Is there anything positive about Mormonism here? I see one or two possible neutral threads in the Terrestrial Forum. This is the truth, Bond, even if most posters here tried to be fair or neutral, it is beyond their capability.

And MAD has neutral threads? Neutral threads are impossible to achieve because people write based on their own prejudices and opinions.

So who are the "decent Mormons" on this board who should leave?

[_Jersey Girl]

Ray

One who does not encourage or support a board whose aim is to belittle Mormonism or its leaders and portray them in the worst possible light - at every opportunity. Is there anything positive about Mormonism here? I see one or two possible neutral threads in the Terrestrial Forum. This is the truth, Bond, even if most posters here tried to be fair or neutral, it is beyond their capability.

Why in the holy name of hannah would you expect any person on a discussion board like this to be "fair and neutral"? Are we not permitted to have opinions in your world?

Are YOU neutral?

Jersey Girl

[_Ray A]

Why in the holy name of hannah would you expect any person on a discussion board like this to be "fair and neutral"? Are we not permitted to have opinions in your world?

Are YOU neutral?

Jersey Girl

You can have all the opinions you want, and all of them are biased against Mormonism. I don't find the atmosphere conducive to any productive discussion.

[_Jersey Girl]

Why in the holy name of hannah would you expect any person on a discussion board like this to be "fair and neutral"? Are we not permitted to have opinions in your world?

Are YOU neutral?

Jersey Girl

You can have all the opinions you want, and all of them are biased against Mormonism. I don't find the atmosphere conducive to any productive discussion.

Productive in what way, Ray? Could you describe what you think a productive discussion is?

Jersey Girl

[_Ray A]

Productive in what way, Ray? Could you describe what you think a productive discussion is?

Jersey Girl

A productive discussion is like what occurs on the Dan Vogel thread. Unfotunately the rest of the board shows no sign of that. Think about why so many LDS posters have such negative opinions of MDB. I'm sure they don't all expect to be given a sliver platter, but just think about why so few come here, and when they do, eventually leave. When someone smells bad, very few have the guts to tell them they need to start using deoderant.

[_Yoda]

What's a "decent Mormon"?

One who does not encourage or support a board whose aim is to belittle Mormonism or its leaders and portray them in the worst possible light - at every opportunity. Is there anything positive about Mormonism here? I see one or two possible neutral threads in the Terrestrial Forum. This is the truth, Bond, even if most posters here tried to be fair or neutral, it is beyond their capability.

If you honestly feel that the purpose of this board is to belittle Mormonism, then you need to re-read Shade's mission statement. That's not what this board is about. The purpose is to create a forum where posters feel comfortable discussing topics of interest regarding Mormonism in a lightly moderated environment. But let's face it. There are a lot of issues surrounding the Mormon Church which are controversal, and different people are going to have very passionate, heated opinions on these issues.

Shades made a statement on another thread several weeks ago (I can't remember which one) which sheds a different light on this. Currently, MDB is more "critic-heavy". However, if that were to evolve, and the board were to become more "apologist-heavy", Shades would be fine with that.

I think you are misrepresenting the board when you say that it was created to belittle Mormonism. If you read the Mormon Discussions Home Page, and read anything that Shades, who is the creator and founder of the board has posted, you can see that this is clearly not the case.

[_beastie]

Early Mormon leaders understood something that today's LDS believers do not seem to grasp. Today's Mormons seem to want exbelievers, who have concluded that the LDS church is fraudulent, to shut up and leave them alone. Early leaders understood that too much was at risk:

"This book must be either true or false. If true, it is one of the most important messages ever sent from God... If false, it is one of the most cunning, wicked, bold, deep-laid impositions ever palmed upon the world, calculated to deceive and ruin millions... The nature of the message in the Book of Mormon is such, that if true, no one can possibly be saved and reject it; If false, no one can possibly be saved and receive it... If, after a rigid examination, it be found an imposition, it should be extensively published to the world as such; the evidences and arguments on which the imposture was detected, should be clearly and logically stated, that those who have been sincerely yet unfortunately deceived, may perceive the nature of deception, and to be reclaimed, and that those who continue to publish the delusion may be exposed and silenced, not by physical force, neither by persecutions, bare assertions, nor ridicule, but by strong and powerful arguments - by evidences adduced from scripture and reason..."

"But on the other hand, if investigation should prove the Book of Mormon true ... the American and English nations ... should utterly reject both the Popish and Protestant ministry, together with all the churches which have been built up by them or that have sprung from them, as being entirely destitute of authority."
- Apostle Orson Pratt, Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, Liverpool, 1851, pp. 1-2

The LDS church makes audacious claims. It makes extremely important claims. If people come to a sincere conclusion that these claims are erroneous, they may feel a moral obligation to share the information.

[_Bond...James Bond]

If you honestly feel that the purpose of this board is to belittle Mormonism, then you need to re-read Shade's mission statement. That's not what this board is about. The purpose is to create a forum where posters feel comfortable discussing topics of interest regarding Mormonism in a lightly moderated enviornment. But let's face it. There are a lot of issues surrounding the Mormon Church which are controversal, and different people are going to have very passionate, heated opinions on these issues.

Shades made a statement on another thread several weeks ago (I can't remember which one) which sheds a different light on this. Currently, MDB is more "critic-heavy". However, if that were to evolve, and the board were to become more "apologist-heavy", Shades would be fine with that.

I think you are misrepresenting the board when you say that it was created to belittle Mormonism. If you read the Mormon Discussions Home Page, and read anything that Shades, who is the creator and founder of the board has posted, you can see that this is clearly not the case.

Here's the thread:

LINK

[_Yoda]

Why, thank you, my darling Bond! ;) See...this is why I'm a Bond girl.

Thanks for the link.

Here is the specific quote from Shades I was paraphrasing. Shades says it much better:

Unlike ZLMB and MA&D, I'm not going to spend time worrying about any sort of balance, 'cause the moment you try to curtail one side to attract the other, that's the moment when the specter of favoritism rears its ugly head. I refuse to do that. People will either find the open, unrestricted environment here to be to their liking or they won't. Whoever shows up, shows up. Although there appear to be more disbelievers here at the present time than believers, I'm not going to lose sleep over it. For all I know, a believer will invite all of his friends tomorrow and we'll become a staunchly pro-Mormon board by next week. THAT'S FINE WITH ME; I still won't reduce one side's freedoms to benefit another's.

[_beastie]

Hey, Ray, I noticed you posted on the MMM thread. You may want to consider sharing your opinion that BY and other church leaders share some responsibility for the massacre due to their violent rhetoric.