I spoke with my home teacher the other day, and he actually admitted to me that a happy life was more important to him than truth.
Is it just me or does an admission of this kind raise a huge red flag in your mind?
I spoke with someone yesterday. I asked them why they believed. They told me they believed because they would be dead if it wasn't for the church (paraphrased of course). I asked if I could show her alternative possibilities as to why she is alive would she consider that possibility? Her IMMEDIATE reply was "NO!"
Again, is it just me or does an admission of this kind raise a huge red flag in your mind?
I spoke with my wife many moons ago (we are separated now because of my new understanding of reality: the church is not true). She admitted to me that "even if the church wasn't true, it is STILL a great way to live and I choose to live that way."
I really don't think I should have to point out why these positions regarding their beliefs will not allow for greater truths to be easily accepted when they conflict with your religious beliefs. But lets try anyways.
For Mormons to consider:
If you take the position that truth is less important than happiness, you are likely to throw out truth to retain happiness. In the process however, you will not experience how happy you will feel with ACTUAL truth. How can you possibly judge whether you will be happy knowing the truth or not? I suggest opening your mind and being honest with yourself to find first what truth is, then how happiness is achieved through that truth.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Mormon Creed
Has anyone else seen this Mormon Creed before? From what I understand this became a popular slogan for Mormons when they were being persecuted for practicing polygamy. I first came across this slogan while on my mission. A member of the church had a huge church history library of church newspapers etc and on one of the old Mormon newspapers I spotted the "Mind Your Own Business" creed on the logo for the newspaper. I thought it was very odd at the time. The above picture used to hang in the Mormon Temple in Logan, Utah. Think about the hypocrisy of this! When the world looked scornfully at the church for doing something others considered morally reprehensible when it came to marriage, the church had no qualms declaring "Mind your own business! Saints will observe this!" But now, when it comes to gay rights and marriage, the table is turned, and they have no problem persecuting others and saints are NOT observing this creed. I also find it ironic that a church so keen on missionary work, could possibly approve of a creed that seems to suggest it is a virtue to stay out of other peoples business. How much more "in your business" can a church get than knocking on your door trying to convert you? I suppose they could always try to restrict your freedom to marry.
It's time for the church to take its own advice: Mind Your Own Business.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
101 reasons to doubt Mormonism.
http://packham.n4m.org/101.htm
I read through this list, and I wanted to share the ones that were interesting to me.
#6. The Book of Mormon says that wheat and barley were mainstay crops in ancient America. This is false. Only in Europe were those crops known and cultivated. And the actual staple crops grown in ancient America are never mentioned in the Book of Mormon: beans, sweet potatoes, squash, manioc, peppers, breadnut, fruits.
#8. Mormon scripture (D&C 84:86, 91) says that true missionaries from God will not rely on their own money or supplies ("purse or scrip") for support, and this will be a test to distinguish them from false missionaries. Modern Mormon missionaries now rely on themselves for support; i.e., they do "carry purse [and] scrip."
#16 Mormons waver on the ultimate authority for doctrine between the Bible, Mormon scriptures, statements of former Mormon prophets, statements of living Mormon prophets, and individual "revelation" - apparently depending on what they think gives them authority to believe what they want to believe. All of those sources are often mutually contradictory.
#34 The Book of Mormon portrays Lehi as a devout Jew, but he is completely ignorant of which tribe he belongs to (1 Nephi 5:14-16). This would be extremely unlikely.
#45 The D&C says (116, also 78:15 and 107:53-57) that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri, but the Book of Moses (PoGP, supposedly written by the prophet Moses, 3:10-16) says it was near the River Euphrates, which to Moses and his hearers meant the river in present-day Iraq.
#51 The "Word of Wisdom" (D&C 89:8) recommends using tobacco as a poultice for bruises, and for sick cattle. This has no medical basis in fact.
#54 A basic teaching of the Book of Mormon is that the American Indians are descendants of Israelites who arrived in America about 600 BC. Anthropologists have shown that there is no Hebrew ancestry in native Americans, who are rather descendants of immigrants from eastern Asia who came to America at least 15,000 years ago, long before Book of Mormon times.
#65 Many Mormons assert that the reason polygamy was practiced in early Utah was because there were not enough men to provide husbands for worthy women. This is historically false - Utah census records for the 19th century show that Utah had a considerable excess of men.
#66 The Book of Mormon (Ether 1:33 ff) portrays the Tower of Babel and the confusion of languages that occurred there as historical fact. No linguistic scholar accepts the Babel story as a historical event or as the origin of the world's different languages.
#72 Joseph Smith claimed to have seen in vision both the prophet Elijah and the prophet Elias (D&C 27:6-9). He apparently was unaware that in the Bible those two names refer to only one prophet (one is the Hebrew version of the name, the other Greek).
#74 "Zion's Camp" (the 1834 Mormon military expedition sent from Ohio to Missouri to protect Mormon settlers there) failed utterly, even though it was organized pursuant to revelations to Joseph Smith. One of the important factors causing its failure was that over one third of the army contracted cholera. Joseph Smith was at a loss as to how to deal with the disease, and God did not tell him how to prevent its spread (it could have been prevented if God had told Joseph Smith to boil all the drinking water).
#78 Joseph Smith produced an "inspired translation" of the Bible. It was not a translation in any sense, but rather his own corrections and additions to the King James translation, made without consulting any ancient texts or manuscripts. His changes are not supported by any non-Mormon biblical text scholarship, and in fact preserve many of the errors which biblical scholarship has since discovered in the King James version.
#90 Mormonism's view of gender is that there are only two (male and female). This is no longer considered scientifically accurate, since geneticists now recognize that some people are born with sexual traits of both genders, and surgery is needed to adjust the physical body of such a person to conform to one gender or the other. (See the website of the Intersex Society of North America.) If Mormon, such persons are denied entrance to Mormon temples, and thus are denied the possibility of attaining the highest degree of Mormon heaven.
#91 In Mormon theology "Lucifer" is the revealed name of Satan. Although many Christians also believe that, the idea is due to a mistaken translation of the passage in Isaiah (14:12; also Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 24:12), a mistake which occurred only when Isaiah was translated into Latin in the fourth century AD, long after the alleged date that Nephi was writing.
#108 The explanation in the Book of Mormon for writing the important records in Egyptian (Mormon 9:32-33) is that it would have required too much space on the precious gold plates to write in Hebrew. This does not make sense, since Hebrew is a very concise language, using consonants almost exclusively, compared to Egyptian, which required a large number of complex characters and would have been unsuitable for engraving in limited space.
I read through this list, and I wanted to share the ones that were interesting to me.
#6. The Book of Mormon says that wheat and barley were mainstay crops in ancient America. This is false. Only in Europe were those crops known and cultivated. And the actual staple crops grown in ancient America are never mentioned in the Book of Mormon: beans, sweet potatoes, squash, manioc, peppers, breadnut, fruits.
#8. Mormon scripture (D&C 84:86, 91) says that true missionaries from God will not rely on their own money or supplies ("purse or scrip") for support, and this will be a test to distinguish them from false missionaries. Modern Mormon missionaries now rely on themselves for support; i.e., they do "carry purse [and] scrip."
#16 Mormons waver on the ultimate authority for doctrine between the Bible, Mormon scriptures, statements of former Mormon prophets, statements of living Mormon prophets, and individual "revelation" - apparently depending on what they think gives them authority to believe what they want to believe. All of those sources are often mutually contradictory.
#34 The Book of Mormon portrays Lehi as a devout Jew, but he is completely ignorant of which tribe he belongs to (1 Nephi 5:14-16). This would be extremely unlikely.
#45 The D&C says (116, also 78:15 and 107:53-57) that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri, but the Book of Moses (PoGP, supposedly written by the prophet Moses, 3:10-16) says it was near the River Euphrates, which to Moses and his hearers meant the river in present-day Iraq.
#51 The "Word of Wisdom" (D&C 89:8) recommends using tobacco as a poultice for bruises, and for sick cattle. This has no medical basis in fact.
#54 A basic teaching of the Book of Mormon is that the American Indians are descendants of Israelites who arrived in America about 600 BC. Anthropologists have shown that there is no Hebrew ancestry in native Americans, who are rather descendants of immigrants from eastern Asia who came to America at least 15,000 years ago, long before Book of Mormon times.
#65 Many Mormons assert that the reason polygamy was practiced in early Utah was because there were not enough men to provide husbands for worthy women. This is historically false - Utah census records for the 19th century show that Utah had a considerable excess of men.
#66 The Book of Mormon (Ether 1:33 ff) portrays the Tower of Babel and the confusion of languages that occurred there as historical fact. No linguistic scholar accepts the Babel story as a historical event or as the origin of the world's different languages.
#72 Joseph Smith claimed to have seen in vision both the prophet Elijah and the prophet Elias (D&C 27:6-9). He apparently was unaware that in the Bible those two names refer to only one prophet (one is the Hebrew version of the name, the other Greek).
#74 "Zion's Camp" (the 1834 Mormon military expedition sent from Ohio to Missouri to protect Mormon settlers there) failed utterly, even though it was organized pursuant to revelations to Joseph Smith. One of the important factors causing its failure was that over one third of the army contracted cholera. Joseph Smith was at a loss as to how to deal with the disease, and God did not tell him how to prevent its spread (it could have been prevented if God had told Joseph Smith to boil all the drinking water).
#78 Joseph Smith produced an "inspired translation" of the Bible. It was not a translation in any sense, but rather his own corrections and additions to the King James translation, made without consulting any ancient texts or manuscripts. His changes are not supported by any non-Mormon biblical text scholarship, and in fact preserve many of the errors which biblical scholarship has since discovered in the King James version.
#90 Mormonism's view of gender is that there are only two (male and female). This is no longer considered scientifically accurate, since geneticists now recognize that some people are born with sexual traits of both genders, and surgery is needed to adjust the physical body of such a person to conform to one gender or the other. (See the website of the Intersex Society of North America.) If Mormon, such persons are denied entrance to Mormon temples, and thus are denied the possibility of attaining the highest degree of Mormon heaven.
#91 In Mormon theology "Lucifer" is the revealed name of Satan. Although many Christians also believe that, the idea is due to a mistaken translation of the passage in Isaiah (14:12; also Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 24:12), a mistake which occurred only when Isaiah was translated into Latin in the fourth century AD, long after the alleged date that Nephi was writing.
#108 The explanation in the Book of Mormon for writing the important records in Egyptian (Mormon 9:32-33) is that it would have required too much space on the precious gold plates to write in Hebrew. This does not make sense, since Hebrew is a very concise language, using consonants almost exclusively, compared to Egyptian, which required a large number of complex characters and would have been unsuitable for engraving in limited space.
Friday, June 4, 2010
The power of discernment.
My patriarchal blessing says I am blessed with the power of discernment... and I have discerned that the church is not true.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Life without fear?
Check out this link. It discusses the recent advances in neuroscience that could lead to 'artificial courage'. Think about the consequences of such a break through. As a Mormon, I was taught that this life is a test, and we are here for that purpose. What if we were able to turn on or off our petty human weaknesses at will? Inject our brain with courage. Increase our compassion and empathy. Turn off our sexual desires at whim. Decrease our anger by popping a pill. The meaning of sin would take on a whole new meaning. Religions would have to condemn the practice and look foolish, or embrace it and thereby make much of their doctrines obsolete. The idea of this life being a "test" to prove our worthiness to God would almost become meaningless.
For Mormons to consider:
In the world of the future, where we have total control over our biological weaknesses and our "natural man", will you be willing to admit that your religious ideas might possibly be wrong? And if you are willing to doubt your beliefs in this future scenario, would you be willing to consider you might be wrong as time marches on, and our technology brings us closer and closer to this realization? As your life continues, I hope you ponder upon the consequences of each new breakthrough in the field of genetics and biology and its relation to your faith.
So next time you get scared about speaking in front of a crowd, or you jump in fear of a barking dog, think about injecting your brain with some courage! And remember: this is only the beginning.
For Mormons to consider:
In the world of the future, where we have total control over our biological weaknesses and our "natural man", will you be willing to admit that your religious ideas might possibly be wrong? And if you are willing to doubt your beliefs in this future scenario, would you be willing to consider you might be wrong as time marches on, and our technology brings us closer and closer to this realization? As your life continues, I hope you ponder upon the consequences of each new breakthrough in the field of genetics and biology and its relation to your faith.
So next time you get scared about speaking in front of a crowd, or you jump in fear of a barking dog, think about injecting your brain with some courage! And remember: this is only the beginning.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Dry statements of evidence have little power against emotion and anecdote.
Our minds have the ability to be manipulated. Many of the ways in which we have these biases have been documented.
For Mormons to consider:
In order to be honest with yourself, you might want to think about why God does not guard against documented psychologically manipulative methods. Why do leaders not teach against them in church? Instead they use them extensively and without shame. In my opinion this practice casts doubt on the entire foundation of the gospel. Why do you think the leaders use these psychologically manipulative techniques? If you have truth, wouldn't you want to guard against such dishonest tactics, to give more validity to your truth claims?
We can not honestly say we have found truth when "God" allows these manipulative techniques to be used in obtaining "converts". We might still feel justified in believing, but we can never be justified in being CERTAIN of our beliefs. If only evidence could have the same ability to bring emotion and meaning into our lives as the many religious claims do!
Here is an interesting article about why sensible people deny truth.
For Mormons to consider:
In order to be honest with yourself, you might want to think about why God does not guard against documented psychologically manipulative methods. Why do leaders not teach against them in church? Instead they use them extensively and without shame. In my opinion this practice casts doubt on the entire foundation of the gospel. Why do you think the leaders use these psychologically manipulative techniques? If you have truth, wouldn't you want to guard against such dishonest tactics, to give more validity to your truth claims?
We can not honestly say we have found truth when "God" allows these manipulative techniques to be used in obtaining "converts". We might still feel justified in believing, but we can never be justified in being CERTAIN of our beliefs. If only evidence could have the same ability to bring emotion and meaning into our lives as the many religious claims do!
Here is an interesting article about why sensible people deny truth.
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