Faith-Promoting Rumor's and Space Doctrine

[_Mercury]

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.

[_Gazelam]

Nibley is respected because he makes honest conections between common Mormon doctrine and obscure Jewish and Christian writings. The man did his homework and left a clear trail to follow with plenty of footnotes.

The scriptures and teachings of the prophets are meant to give us a firm foundation. What we build on that firm foundation is up to us.

[_Mercury]

Nibley is respected because he makes honest conections between common Mormon doctrine and obscure Jewish and Christian writings. The man did his homework and left a clear trail to follow with plenty of footnotes.

The scriptures and teachings of the prophets are meant to give us a firm foundation. What we build on that firm foundation is up to us.

Got any more useless fluff?

[_Fortigurn]

Nibley is respected because he makes honest conections between common Mormon doctrine and obscure Jewish and Christian writings.

I believe he's not well respected outside the LDS community precisely because his connections were not always honest.

[_Gazelam]

Could you be more specific in what it is you have a problem with exactly.

You state that you read some of Nibleys work. Which of them did you specificly have a problem with?

[_Mercury]

Could you be more specific in what it is you have a problem with exactly.

You state that you read some of Nibleys work. Which of them did you specificly have a problem with?

Specifically any paper in which he espouses faith as reasoning to follow a certain line of study. Ignorance and blind belief are metnioned as strengths in what is otherwise an exercise in comparative mythology.

[_Gazelam]

So the house is ok, you just don't care for the foundation.

[_Mercury]

So the house is ok, you just don't care for the foundation.

What foundation? The family wealth ammassed by the Mormon Elite?

Oh, I think you meant metaphorically.

Once again, what foundation? The stories we told investigators on our missions and the scriptures we used to further have them buy into the scam are fabrications of the initial Confidence Game partnership.

Joseph Smith was doing this kind of thing before he was even talking about angelic visitations. And Who's story are we to believe? A convicted Confidence Man? I think not.

[_Gazelam]

Vegas

And all those times that you felt the Holy GHost, what do you attribute that to? I don't recall any time I ever broke out a pocketwatch and waved it in front of an investigators eyes and said "your feeling very sleepy, when you awake, you will believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God"

But I do recall asking someone to pray and ank if the church is true, then having them ave me down in the street and ask me to baptise them because they had received an answer and knew we had the authority to seal the name of Christ upon them.

Gaz

[_Mercury]

Vegas

And all those times that you felt the Holy GHost, what do you attribute that to?

I attribute it to wishful thinking as a result of sensory deprivation and preprogrammed results.

I don't recall any time I ever broke out a pocket watch and waved it in front of an investigators eyes and said "your feeling very sleepy, when you awake, you will believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God"

Your preconceived notions of what constitutes hypnotism are naïve.

But I do recall asking someone to pray and ank if the church is true, then having them ave me down in the street and ask me to baptise them because they had received an answer and knew we had the authority to seal the name of Christ upon them.

Gaz

No, what you did was force their hand, telling them in subtext that they need to make a decision. Why did we have to ask them. Why are you asking me these trivial questions in an effort to make it sound like what you did really mattered? We pimped a cult, plain and simple.