Kishkumen wrote:I am not ignoring the Bible stories, Tobin. Listen, if you want to accept a crappy argument to defend a bad policy, be my guest. But it is a crappy argument and a bad policy. It is basic LDS 101 that the revelations of today govern the Church. It is also the case that the scriptures Trump policy. On this basis, I judge the modern revelation to baptize at 8, coupled with the spirit of Christ's teachings on children, to Trump policy.
It isn't a crappy argument. In your response before this one, you claimed there was no justification in scripture for waiting. Yet obviously Jesus did. So I'd submit that the idea that one must be baptized at 8 years old is nonsense. And isn't it also LDS 101 that the top LDS leaders are prophets, seers, and revelators? If they are what they claim, it seems like they are in a better position to decide what is revealed policy and what isn't. Maybe they felt this is what God wanted them to do. That is all the justification they need under LDS 101.
Kishkumen wrote:I am somewhat surprised, frankly, that you would defend the idea that the leaders can do as they damn well please without any regard to their own rule book and with impunity. Yes, as a practical matter that would seem to be the case, but it is troubling to see people doggedly argue the point as though it were a desirable outcome.
The LDS Church pretends to be God's one and only true church. Its leaders pretend they are doing what God wants them to on a constant basis. I think it should be obvious to anyone that they can do whatever the hell they want and say God put them up to it. You know what they say about absolute power don't you?
Kishkumen wrote:I don't often talk about what God wants, Tobin. That should tell you something. It means that I care enough about the value at stake to venture to say that if there is a God, he would only be worthy of my worship if he were not behind this policy. We are defined by our aspirations, I believe. I am comfortable being defined by the aspiration to see all children treated fairly and in a nurturing way. The LDS Church seems to value its tax exempt privilege more than its children. That is ass backwards, in my view.
I don't pretend to know what motivates each and every LDS leader, but I doubt for many of them tax exemption is the reason behind this policy. As I've pointed out repeatedly, the LDS Church is not a gay-friendly organization and there is a certain logic from their point-of-view in this policy.
"You lack vision, but I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on all day, all night.... Tire salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it'll be beautiful." -- Judge Doom