Mormon Interpreter reviews "Shaken Faith Syndrome"

[_Fence Sitter]

I had an in real life friend that recently shared a study with me (I don't have a link and/or proof to back this. Sorry) concerning the #1 reason why my LDS friends leave Mormonsim. The #1 reason was "they lost faith in Joseph Smith".

Wow! (in my opinion)

Peace,
Ceeboo

Jesus seems a little more abstract for Mormons than Joseph Smith does.

Seems like that would be self evident, I mean wouldn't you expect the number one reason people would leave Christianity would be a loss of faith in Jesus?

[_Chap]

I had an in real life friend that recently shared a study with me (I don't have a link and/or proof to back this. Sorry) concerning the #1 reason why my LDS friends leave Mormonsim. The #1 reason was "they lost faith in Joseph Smith".

Wow! (in my opinion)

Peace,
Ceeboo

Jesus seems a little more abstract for Mormons than Joseph Smith does.

Jesus' great advantage is that he is a good deal less easy to lose faith in, partly because we know so much less about him than we do about Joseph Smith.

[_Ceeboo]

Hey Chap

Jesus' great advantage is that he is a good deal less easy to lose faith in, partly because we know so much less about him than we do about Joseph Smith.

Yea, that's it!
When comparing these two equal human beings, one simpyand only had a "great advantage" over the other.

Only at the MDB!

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_Bob Loblaw]

Yea, that's it!
When comparing these two equal human beings, one simpyand only had a "great advantage" over the other.

Only at the MDB!

Peace,
Ceeboo

Chap makes a good point. We have a detailed record of Joseph Smith's adult life, whereas we have only the gospels to tell us about Jesus' life.

[_Ceeboo]

Hey Bob

Chap makes a good point.

To the majority of members here at the MDB....perhaps.

We have a detailed record of Joseph Smith's adult life,

Do you mean his teachings, practices, actions, claims, words, and works?

whereas we have only the gospels to tell us about Jesus' life.

"Only the Gospels"?

Are these not accounts of his teachings, practices, actions, claims, words, and works?

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_Bob Loblaw]

Hey Bob

Chap makes a good point.

To the majority of members here at the MDB....perhaps.

We have a detailed record of Joseph Smith's adult life,

Do you mean his teachings, practices, actions, claims, words, and works?

whereas we have only the gospels to tell us about Jesus' life.

"Only the Gospels"?

Are these not accounts of his teachings, practices, actions, claims, words, and works?

Peace,
Ceeboo

What I mean is that Joseph Smith is more proximate in time and detail than is Jesus for Mormons, which is why a lot of Mormons seem to identify with Smith more than Christ. That's not a knock against Jesus or Christianity.

[_Cicero]

The two chapters of Shaken Faith Syndrome that many Latter-day Saints may find the most difficult to grasp are chapter 3 (“Unrealistic Expectations of Prophets,” 19–30) and chapter 4 (“Confusing Tradition with Doctrine,” 31–34). In these two chapters Ash admonishes his LDS readers not to set prophets on a pedestal of perfection and inerrancy nor to confuse folk traditions (even popular traditions) with established doctrine.

Note to Ash and Smoot: The Church set up the "pedestal" for its leaders, not the critics. How can members realistically be expected not to put the leadership "on a pedestal" when this is what the official SS manual teaches?

Read D&C 1:38 and D&C 68:1–4 with class members. Emphasize that the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are latter-day prophets, seers, and revelators. They continue to receive revelation to guide the Church. Their direction is “the will of the Lord, … the mind of the Lord, … the word of the Lord, … the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” (D&C 68:4).

Source: Lesson 42: Continuing Revelation to Latter-day Prophets, Doctrine and Covenants and Church History: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual,

[_Darth J]

The reality is that most criticisms leveled against Joseph Smith and his revelations rest on dubious allegations, rank fallacies, specious reasoning, or unwarranted assumptions.

The reality is that Joseph Smith and his revelations rest on dubious allegations, rank fallacies, specious reasoning, or unwarranted assumptions.

[_just me]

"Only the Gospels"?

Are these not accounts of his teachings, practices, actions, claims, words, and works?

Peace,
Ceeboo

We don't know. Nobody does.

[_Aristotle Smith]

Re Joseph Smith vs. Jesus

While we know a lot more about the details of Joseph Smith's life, I don't think that accounts for making it more easy to believe in Jesus than in Joseph Smith, though it is a popular meme among ex-Mos.

What makes it hard to believe in Joseph Smith is the fact that he screwed other men's wives, young teenage girls, refused to follow his own rules (see Word of Wisdom), set up secret societies, lied continually (see polygamy in Nauvoo), pretended to translate documents, sought for power and money, etc.

Jesus had the good sense to do none of this.

That is why it's easier to believe in Jesus, because he doesn't come off as a bastard (though ironically, the literal sense of the word fit him perfectly).