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 | Friday, May 8, 2009, at 08:28 AM New Book On Rescuing Wayward Children Original Author(s): ShocknAwe BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| http://www.ldsmag.com/rescue/090506book.html
Here's a new book to go along with your worthless copy of Shaken Faith Syndrome. "This frightening account of children abandoning their parents' beliefs and following paths of carnality and sin is played out in too many LDS families. Mormon made the point that no set of parents, not even the king of the land or the prophet of God, is safe from the effects of the plague of wayward children: “Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father….” 2 Clearly, Satan can reach into any family and snatch away any of our innocent children."Or maybe your children are simply learning that the church is a fraud because the internet is opening up a new world of facts. Hard to say. |
| | Friday, May 29, 2009, at 07:48 AM Waking Up In America By Marshall Evans - This Is Worth Reading Original Author(s): FeelingOfFreedom BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| An article I found at www.richarddawkins.net:
http://www.richarddawkins.net/article... Introductory note (by Richard Dawkins): I happened to have breakfast with Marshall Evans (not his real name) at the American Atheists conference in Atlanta in April 2009. He looks exactly what he is, an American military pilot, flying jets from aircraft carriers. Perhaps naively, I was surprised to meet such a man at an atheist conference, and I curiously asked him about his story. When I heard that he had been home schooled by fundamentalist parents, who had thrown away his treasured collection of science books because they mentioned Darwin, I wanted to hear more. When I heard that his atheism and his liberalism had caused his mother to disown him and his brother to sever all connection with him as ‘the enemy’, I was moved to ask him if he would like to write a brief account of his life for RD.net. He was modestly diffident about it at first, but I persuaded him, and here is the result. Richard Dawkins Waking up in America by Marshall Evans (this is a pseudonym, but the story is true) I am an American Atheist. I don’t believe in miracles, holy books, superstition, or any kind of faith in the afterlife. But, I wasn’t always this way. I was brought up to have faith in Jesus Christ (the only way to salvation) and the “Holy Spirit” was to be my personal messenger, an inner voice to guide me through life’s tricky paths and lead me to God – the creator of the universe – who resided in heaven to welcome me to eternal bliss upon fulfilling my purpose in life. Allow me a moment of special emphasis, I once truly believed all of this. My mother recently confided in me that she thought I would be something special when she was pregnant with me. Perhaps this was the reason why my parents were more lenient with me than my siblings when I began to question things. You see, when I was raised in the Judeo-Christian faith, there was always one problem that kept coming up; my mind was always at work. My sister once remarked that she could see the gears turning in my head. Those gears were beginning to turn mechanisms of doubt. Even so, I was told by my parents that doubt was a natural consequence of faith and that it only made our relationship with God stronger. So I was able to make sense of things. There was a sentimental logic in God sending his only son to die for the world. This type of self-sacrifice was a message for the world. It was a beautiful message of love which seemed to get perverted at times by sinful men who made a bad name for Christ. Yet, even they could be forgiven. This simple message was such a wonderful thing, right? Still, something was wrong. Eventually I would figure it all out. I could sense that there was something awesome about the universe. At that time in my life, all awe was taken up by God –about whose nature I could find only the most cryptic clues. Unfortunately for it, but fortunately for me, the Bible was unable to provide satisfactory answers for my increasing curiosity. I wanted to know everything I could about this wonderful world and the God who created it. Thus began my early interest in science. I would collect everything “science.” My school library had a program for earning “book bucks” which could be used to buy used books. Sometimes, I would trade classmates my lunch for book bucks, and I suspect that my teachers, once they realized what I was up to, made sure that I was simply given more of them. By age nine, I had two shelves of science books and I imagined it would take me a lifetime to read them all. Age nine was an important age. It was that same year that my parents decided that my siblings and I should be pulled from public school and schooled at home. After going through my science books (remember my hard earned book bucks), my parents discovered something in all of them: Darwin. There were either brazen descriptions of evolution or arrogant references to the age of the earth being in the billions – instead of 6000 years (fundamentally derived from Biblical truth). I never had a chance to read much of those science books. My parents threw them all away. As a momentary aside: In some circles of thought there is an evil in America that seeks to pervert and destroy God’s word. That evil is Darwin’s theory of evolution. Behind his theory lies a world view which subverts morality and causes society to act in the exact opposite of God’s word. Simply put, it is a lie from Satan that is being used by sinful men to pervert society and destroy God’s message – and eventually all of those who follow. At least that’s what my parents said. “…savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. [30] Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” -Acts, chapter 20, verse 29-30 I never fully questioned any of this as a child because it seemed like my parents knew what was best. When they talked about these things, the “friend versus foe” mechanism overrode critical thought. But I was still young and I had to be on their side. I would go on to become the “good” son. That, however, did not last. At age 18, despite my homeschooling, I managed to get into a university to pursue a higher education and a better life, a pursuit I was able to continue through attaining a Masters degree. After finishing graduate school, I joined the military and went on to fly jets from the flight decks of one of the most spectacular displays of scientific and technological innovation, U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. My parents were very proud of my accomplishments and even made reference to me as their “self-made man.” This reference has a special kind of irony for me. I actually went more than a decade calling myself an agnostic. One reason for that was the process by which I came to my non-belief in faith-based assertions of truth. More than that was a need to prevent division between my family and me. Agnosticism provided philosophical blinders to allow my family to view me as a “backsliding Christian” instead of a “traitor.” Eventually, I accepted that I am an atheist (under Dawkins’ scale, I am a 6 out of 7) and thus began my fall from grace. All of the taboos of thinking, formally part of my programming, have slowly eroded to a basic understanding of what we know versus what we don’t know – and this has helped shape my cultural and personal values. Now I have become, in the eyes of a few, one of the aforementioned “savage wolves.” Once I accepted that this life is it and came to terms with it, the idealistic principles of making the world a better place became much more focused. I became a more liberal person. When Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, my being a liberal as well as an Atheist was like I lived in Sodom and summered in Gomorrah to my family. Just before the election one of my brothers sent me email stating, “You are the enemy. Goodbye.” He then deleted me from his MySpace account. Then my mother called to disown me as her son. That conversation was painful. Not only did she disown me but said that I do not deserve to wear the uniform of a U.S. military service member because I had betrayed the Constitution of the United States, a document I swore to protect. I know what our constitution and our other founding documents say, and when I asked my mother how, specifically, I had betrayed our country, she couldn’t answer. I think the reason for that is that she has a religious idea of what the United Statesis about, not based on any particular item included by our founding fathers. It is true that America still faces an identity crisis, one that in my opinion will soon be resolved. Our country was founded on freedom and liberty, and I stand, now and always, behind those principles. In fact, I have discovered that the very reason to found a country on those principles was to preserve and protect the pool of ideas which have made our country great. That wasn’t the first time I was attacked for my atheism or liberalism. The U.S. military attracts many fundamentalist Christians. About five years ago, I had a roommate (a military colleague) who saw himself as a kind of Crusader for Christ serving in the army of God. This is not a fabrication of his ideology. He once told me that the historical Crusades were a “just and noble time for Christianity” – his words, not mine. Others have joined our military for this same reason. While I was his roommate, he was intent on trying to convert me back to Christianity. He had been a philosophy major, so I can see how it became frustrating for him when, time after time, I defended my position. He once got so frustrated that his response was to tell me that I shouldn’t be in the military since, as an atheist, I had no bearing on right and wrong; argumentum ad hominem. Eventually we ended up in an altercation in which he punched me in the face and broke my nose. I am not one to go around and tell everyone around me whatmy views are or to create division so let me be clear: This guy meant to convert or destroy me. Though uncommon in the majority of American society, this type of person is much more common in our military. As I said, I am an American Atheist, and the sad reality in America for many is that I have gone to the Dark Side. So here I am, trying to find my way in this life. How do I deal with such irrationality, from my family and colleagues, in a society that is meant to have enlightenment principles of liberty and freedom as its cornerstone? If you don’t know what it is then you probably shouldn’t read any more of this. I don’t want to spoil the trip for you. My personal quest for truth could be a work on its own. Suffice it to say, I have never discovered any form of absolute truth in my thinking. Instead, my journey has led me to discover the process needed to point me in the right direction. In short, I have come to terms with ambiguity in truth because I have realized the difference between meaningful truth and blind faith in assertions of absolutes. There was a moment at my university where I suddenly realized that my faith was invalid. It was a life changing moment. I can, and always will, remember the exact place, the exact time when, with absolute clarity, I saw that the enormity of possibility trumps any belief in truth that requires faith. I could never fully discover, not in a thousand lifetimes, all of the roads of possibilities without taking that shortcut of faith, a shortcut that dilutes the very idea of truth as a meaningful concept. My interest in science became a love affair on that day. For the first time, I could see how small I was in comparison to the universe of possibility. On that day I reconciled with my nemesis, which I now identify as the scientific process. I had made peace with it. Though science will never find all of the answers, we can now see the universe like none of our ancestors saw it before. Regardless of whether I find all of the answers to my questions, I have the conscious realization that I am only a small observer in a very big universe, a universe of infinite possibilities, and I am lucky to see just a glimpse of it. I am sure that someone has said that before, but it still seems profound. Then there’s my family. When my own mother disowned me, that had to have been the most insulting display of ignorance that I have ever witnessed. I didn’t get mad. Somehow, I could see things through her eyes and realized that she is trying to hold onto something that is slipping away from her. To her, being an American has a very religious and ideological significance that isn’t written down anywhere. It is a deeply held belief that exists in a declining minority of people, started by the “Christian Revival” movement of the early 19th century. It’s a form of identity which is becoming irrelevant, as it should. Though I may rejoice in this, I still have empathy. I took a page from Jesus and turned the other cheek. After my mother called me, I sent her flowers for Mother’s Day, and wrote these words: “All children come to differences with their parents at some point. That is just the nature of things. Whatever else you might think, I am still your son and you are still my mother. With Love and good memories!” My mother responded within days and we have reconciled in a private mother and son kind of way. I didn’t realize, when I sent the flowers, how significant the message was; which is why I shared the story in this article. We all come from a very frightening and confusing past, but in the end we are a product of those things. It’s an evolutionary concept that has implications in social memes. Some ideas which strive to exist in a free society are simply irrelevant and will cease to be; it’s a probabilistic certainty. This is true for the American identity as well. When Barack Obama was elected President of the United States, I watched in tears as he proclaimed the very message that humanity should, and I think will, aspire to. It’s a powerful message that will live with me and will probably shape the historical identity of what it means to be American: “To those – to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.” -Barack Obama, 11-04-08 America has come a long way. To those who don’t understand the significance of these words, let me put it in perspective. I have lived in a country where the scars of slavery, racism, and injustice have been an unfriendly and inhibiting source of division. On that night, November 4th, 2008, I saw a change that was, improbable as it may seem, an inevitable consequence of a free society –words spoken beyond the scars and anguish from which they arose. This is the power of ideas. My own ideas seem irrelevant against ones that are so great, and they should be since mine are just a few from the countless possible ideas. I have come to terms with my atheistic worldview, but more than that, I have struggled with and finally settled on my own identity as an American. My parents tried to shield me from things that they see as evil, but I had the freedom to form my own ideas. I am an Atheist. I am an American. Though I will never be perfect, neither will America. Ideas born within a free society are the closest we may ever get to sacred truth. Some ideas might even be immortal. Amen. |
| | Thursday, Jun 11, 2009, at 07:22 AM An Interesting View, "Beyond The Rainbow", By Judy Kennedy, 2004 Original Author(s): JW the Inquizzinator BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| http://books.google.com/books?id=KF9l...
"...Smith took license to misinterpret some of the esoteric teachings. For instance, the secret alchemical practices concerning sexual polarity and sacred union became debased in the practice of polygamy. Smith was rightly picking up on the fact that yes, we can all have more than one mate, spiritually speaking, as sex doesn't only happen between bodies. Intimate relations can occur, and more often than not do, on the planes of emotion, mind, and pure spirit. Yet indiscriminate sexual intercourse does not automatically ensure that the mating is secured on the higher plane. And this is when the trouble ensued." "After Smith's death, his disciple Brigham Young emerged as the next natural leader of the church. Young, like Smith, was a full-fledged master Mason....Though Young was a staunch defender of the practice of polygamy, pressure from the united States government forced the church to publicly abandon the practice in 1890. The church has never been the same since." "How it evolved into the conservative, dogmatic institution that it is today is another story, and a complex one at that.....Being the fully trained occultist that he was, he was undeniably familiar with the metaphor and symbolism in revealing spiritual principle. Therefore, it is equally certain that he intended his followers to focus more on the inner meaning of the symbols and the allegory than a strict literal interpretation. But that is not what happened. His indolent flock began to relinquish the personal knowing of gnosis and divine self-revelation to blind faith, belief and obedience to religious authority...." "Therefore, the imaginative vitality of the prophet's original revelations was effectively drained by Mormons looking to the church before the teaching and by valuing the preservation of the collective over the sanctity of the individual....." |
| | Wednesday, Jul 15, 2009, at 08:01 AM Book Review: Massacre At Mountain Meadows Original Author(s): JW the Inquizzinator BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/western_...
Snippet: Reviewed by Pamela Pierce, Utah State University, Logan "...Walker, Turley, and Leonard's research is most notable for including Assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson's field notes. Jenson was responsible for collecting accounts of the massacre in 1892. However, the authors' attempt to place the massacre within the psychological analysis of group violence needs more than the passing references they give...."Couldn't agree more... The trio's obvious purpose was to exonerate BY...period. Their dissection of the incidents' aftermath (e.g. not returning the children, not aiding prosecutors, no 'courts of love', etc) from the events leading up to the massacre and a sophomoric explanation of a local community gone wild makes this novel one that needs to be appropriately parked in the fiction section. |
| | Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009, at 08:10 AM Losing Ourselves Original Author(s): Chris Rowe BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| Eric Hoffer-An American philosopher has written a book titled "The True Believer" which is an exploration of mass movements and how they develop. He investigates the Socialist Movement, The French Revolution, Religious Movements (such as Mormonism), Zionism and the Nazi Movement.
One of his interesting observations is below: "Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for the lost faith in ourselves...all forms of dedication, devotion, loyalty and self surrender are in essence a desperate clinging to something which might give worth and meaning to our futile, spoiled lives...we can have confidence in ourselves, but the faith we have in our nation, religion, race or holy cause has to be extravagant and uncompromising. A substitute embraced in moderation cannot supplant and efface the self we want to forget." Maybe one of the remedies for the crutch of Mormonism (Or any other) is simply to begin having faith in ourselves, and go about rebuilding our undermined self confidence. Many of us here have been indoctrinated for so many years, being told that we are "natural men" inclined to sin, that we are under mental assault from the devil and that the only protection is to put on the armour of God (Including the shield of blind faith and the breastplate of self righteousness), that disagreeing with our priesthood leader is to question God himself (Whether by my voice or the voice of my servants it is the same constant nagging) etc etc. So how hard will the journey to freedom of mind be? My own experience suggests it's pretty tough, but when I consider the alternative of never really living a real life at all then the decisions an easy one. I can highly recommend Hoffers book, it's a relatively easy read written with a bit of wit. It also offers some thoughts/insights that explain the historic success of Mormonism (amongst the other movements); and why so many of them now struggle to motivate their troops. |
| | Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009, at 08:19 AM The 10 Most Damaging Critiques Of Mormonism Ever Written Original Author(s): CaliforniaKid BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| I select these for their historical significance, their persuasiveness, and their rhetorical force. Not all of these would be considered 100% accurate today, but all were landmark events in the history of anti-Mormonism, and all of them pose a number of enduring difficulties for LDS apologists. 1) The 1831 Ezra Booth letters. These chronicle a number of the great disappointments of the first few years of Mormon history, including the failure of a number of very important prophecies. They also expose the excesses of Mormon revivalism, the ambitions of Mormon separatism, and the Mormon obsession with secrecy. Booth writes very persuasively, and most of what he says rings historically true when compared with other documents. The early Mormons themselves recognized the publication of these letters as an utterly disastrous event. 2) The Hurlbut affidavits. Booth had mentioned Joseph Smith's interest in magic, but the publication of the Hurlbut affidavits in 1834 brought this to the fore in a whole new way. This remains one of the most problematic documentary collections in all of Mormon history, and much of what Hurlbut's witnesses said has only been confirmed-- even aggravated-- by further discoveries. 3) Fawn Brodie's No Man Knows My History. This was one of the great events of Mormon publishing history. Although Brodie largely followed in the vein of Riley before her, she wrote with great learning and in a very compelling and entertaining style. It's safe to say that she ushered in a new era of Mormon history and Joseph Smith biography. 4) Alexander Campbell's 1831 "Delusions". Still acknowledged as one of the most thorough and perceptive critiques of the Book of Mormon ever written, and a rhetorical tour de force to boot. 5) I. Woodbridge Riley's The Founder of Mormonism. Riley pioneered the psychobiographical approach later followed to some degree by Brodie and Vogel, and initiated the crucial shift from the Spalding theory to the Smithian authorship hypothesis. His work is lesser known than Brodie but no less significant as a landmark. 6) B. H. Roberts' 1921 "Book of Mormon Difficulties". It is partly Roberts' standing as one of the great apologists and a General Authority of the Church that makes his critique so significant, but it is also partly just the fact that it was just so thorough and learned a study. 7) The Nauvoo Expositor. William Law's publication exposed the secret practice of polygamy at Nauvoo. Not only were Law's accusations a devastating PR event for Mormonism, but the subsequent destruction of the press of course led to the martyrdom of the prophet. 8) Josiah Strong's 1885 Our Country. Strong revealed the "perils" of Mormonism to a frightened, nativist country. He showed how Mormonism was a constantly-expanding polygamous, theocratic kingdom with ambitions to rule the entire continent. I believe that Strong's 1885 publication was a major factor leading to the 1887 passage of the Edmunds-Tucker act, which dissolved the Church as an incorporation and seized all its assets, thus necessitating the Manifesto of 1890. 9) Franklin S. Spalding's Joseph Smith, Jr., as a Translator. Reverend Spalding got eight famous Egyptologists to absolutely blast Joseph Smith's interpretations of the Book of Abraham facsimiles. The contempt that bled through every page of these eminent men's statements provoked years of debate in the pages of the Deseret Evening News. During this debate the Egyptologists also predicted -- by determining which of the prophet's restorations were incorrect-- precisely where the lacunae in Facsimile 1 would turn out to be when the papyri were rediscovered years later. And for number 10, I'll invite you to nominate your own favorites! |
| | Tuesday, Jul 20, 2010, at 08:41 AM The Righteous Mind Original Author(s): furtherlightandroughage BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion by Jonathan Haidt
From the Book Proposal: "This book will be a friendly slap in the face to liberals and atheists, delivered by a liberal atheist who desperately wants his peers to wise up, drop their self-righteousness, and understand the moralities of conservatives and of religious groups. The central idea of the book is simple but its implications are far-reaching:http://www.righteousmind.com/ Definitely a book I will buy and read and encourage others to read. I don't get much out of the same old arguments by atheists and believers on RfM and hope that I will learn something from this and that we will have better conversations here--just having conversations rather than arguments will be an improvement. |
| | Wednesday, Jul 21, 2010, at 08:40 AM "You've Got To Find The Force Inside You." Joseph Campbell - My New World View Original Author(s): SusieQ#1 BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| This is a quote that I keep uppermost in my mind in this long and arduous process of leaving the beliefs of Mormonism and creating my own very personalized World View!
I have taken my World View from my religious beliefs from Mormonism, Christianity, Spirituality apart and put it back together keeping what I like, and discarding what does not work for in my new World View. (One part of that was the process of rewriting and deleting the automatic scripts that ran in my mind from Mormonism -- which I have posted from time to time.) Little by little, almost without a conscious knowing, I have been creating a World View that has some important components. Probably the most important one, the one that all else flows from is owning my own power--understanding what that kind of empowerment means in specific situations and with specific people. I have weighted carefully what I want in my new World View. How do I understand my life and others in it. What is acceptable to tolerate and what can be ignored or discarded. Part of that empowerment says that I am OK and other people's opinion (negative, critical, fault finding) is none of my business. I know who I am. I am the only one that knows who I really am. A good part of owning my own power is knowing where it lies and where it has no control, where I have no power. It is owning the power of gratitude. Seeing the best in people. Doing my best and reworking my program when it is not working.That I have complete control over. I own my self esteem, self respect, and self confidence. Specifically, it means that I do not "take" offense, and take things personally, even if others are offensive, either on purpose or through their ignorance (not knowing). I can make that work in many situations, but not all. Someone somewhere always knows how to get under my skin! I look for the best notions that are the most compatible with my natural personality and how my mind works. I know I am an extrovert (energized by people). I know I am an optimist -- see the glass half full as opposed to a pessimist -- sees the glass half empty. And works well with my sense of humor. That to me, is my very personal life-line to mental, psychological, emotional and physical health! Have to have that laughter! It is a requirement in my life like water! I can't life without it. I like "The Four Agreements -- A Toltec Wisdom Book "by Don Miguel Ruiz as it fits very nicely with how I was taught in my family home growing up. There was no "Toltec Wisdom" but there was a lot of adages, common sense (horse sense) and advice on how to live with our fellow human beings. He calls it: "A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom."I can't agree more! His list of agreements you make with yourself: 1. Be impeccable with your word. I grew up with the importance of your word: your word is your bond. This was a common saying of my family born in the late 1800's of Christian parents. Nobody needed a piece of paper or a contract. You said what you meant, you shook hands on it and you did it. 2. Don't take anything personally. That was very difficult for me as a child. Dad (actually my maternal grandfather) used to say: "Don't wear your feelings on your shirtsleeve." That lesson has stuck with me, however, it was difficult to live even as an adult. 3. Don't make assumptions We all assume, presume, have expectations. I was taught as a child to ask for what I wanted. Nobody could read my mind. Just say what you mean and mean what you say. I couldn't read my children or my husband's mind either. They needed to communicate! 4. Always do your best. I can't recall how many times I heard a member of my family tell me to "just do your best." And "where there's a will, there's a way." I had to learn that my "best" was not something I could quantify. I had to figure it out on my own . I had to find that way to make things happen. It was my "will" in control. I had that power myself. Took awhile to figure that out but it was a mind set that got me through a lot of tough times growing up. If we did our best, there is no self recrimination, no guilt, no regret. And that is how I intend to live my life. I am sure I can do my best in whatever I set my mind to. So what does this have to do with my very personal Exit Process from Mormonism? Everything. It is how I see myself in the Cosmos/Universe/world etc., how I find my place and know I am OK and I was OK all along. All of my life experiences contribute to who I am today. Mormonism is a big part of that and for that, I am very grateful. In my process, (research, reading, study) I determined that Mormonism was best understood as a God Myth with a savior. It is created out of supernatural, metaphysical claims, magical thinking, claims of miracles, and super human feats. There is a lot more to it, but that's the bulk of Mormonism. That is true for most religious belief systems. I realized that it was not important to have factual evidence for these claims. That has never been necessary. They are believed by faith just like other religions. They could believe in the supernatural events as if they were real and it was OK. That got me to the next step: What is my position on Mormonism in the Big Picture. I realized very quickly that I was passionate about Freedom of Religion, and Full Disclosure for Informed Consent and Choice. There in was a big problem with Mormonism. I didn't get Full Disclosure, nobody does. That was not a fun time for me when I realized what had been left out. It was even more difficult to let go of any personal angst and anger toward anyone personally. That included Joseph Smith on down. But I knew that if I was going to have peace in my life I had to do it! That was another problem for me to deal with. How do I deal with the "bait and switch" Building Relationships of Trust in Mormonism that I fell right into? Was I any different than anyone else?No,of course not. Human beings are prone to gravitate to a belief in a deity and that includes miracles, supernatural, angels, ghosts, metaphysical claims as well as the superstitions that go along with all of it. What's in my World View now? How has it evolved? I have evaluated my thoughts on Mormonism and concluded that there is no part of my World View that says there is some need to denigrate someone else's religious beliefs. I am not interested in tearing down Mormonism, hurling insults, name calling etc. Those are my Mormon friends and loved ones. If anyone would understand how cruel and nasty that is, I do! Mormons love their leaders and that is exactly as it ought to be. I can understand that. I did that also. So do other religious groups. They love their leaders. How someone worships their deity is out of my control. That is where owning my own power comes in. Ranting and raving and hurling insults, calling their leaders disrespectful names etc etc. etc is not a recipe for success. I tried calling it all "BS" and it sure didn't get me any respect! Won't do that again to my friends and loved ones! It won't build a working relationship if they have doubts and want to talk to someone. But it will destroy a relationship with loved ones and friends. I can't get someone out of Mormonism nor do I want to. I have no desire to see Mormonism destroyed. That's just not in my World View. I have to respect Mormons as people first. Understand, as only I can (because I lived it) that Mormonism is the way they construct their World View. That is what humans do. It is their right to do that, anyway they want. If they want to go to the Mormon temples, wear the garments, believe in the BOM, that is their right. That is true for all other religions. I can't begin to list the names of the religious beliefs I do not accept or believe, however, I will defend anyone to believe them if that is what they want. I will also assist and support anyone who wants to make a change. I know I have no way to determine anyone else's happiness. I do myself a great disservice when I start analyzing other folks, including Mormons. Nobody else is in charge of their lives but them. If they want to make a change, they will, if and when they can. There is a saying I like: "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." I changed my mind about my religious views. I no longer need a religious World View to explain my life and how I fit in the Cosmos. But, I understand that others do. They have a right to my respect (have the same rights to their religious freedom as I do) and I would hope they would respect my difference of opinion. Am I angry that there are no real Golden Plates from an angel or that Mormons think they are real and the Book of Mormon people and places and things are real? Nah. It struck my funny bone when I first read the real story on line on Dr. Shades, to be exact, back in 1999. I have been snickering and laughing about some of it ever since. I understand that it is not necessary to the belief by faith to have real evidences. It isn't for any other religion either. They are based mostly on very old mythology and superstitions, the Bible included. Are there great lessons in how to relate to each other as humans in those book? Ya. Sure there are. I'll make my choices in the people I want around me based on how they behave and how they treat me, not on their religious beliefs, no matter what they are. There are great people and jerks everywhere, it often has nothing to do with their religion. Someone asked me why I post on this board. The answer is simple: it's my duty as I see my place in the Cosmo to "pay it forward" to "give back" to those who need or want help and support in their own personal process leaving Mormonism. I will use that force inside me to continue to evolve and create my World View and continue to learn more and more about our humanness and how we relate to one another. And that, has resulted in making peace with it--all of my life, including Mormonism. I will continue to do my best and live by my personal code that is filled with gratitude for all of my life experiences. I want a life filled with joy and fun and a lot of laughter. That includes treating others the same way I want to be treated! And anther quote : "May the force be with you." And my favorite female leader of all time: "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Roosevelt, Eleanor Want to read more of Joseph Campbell? Read my favorite book" The Power of Myth." [These are my observations and conclusions. They are subject to change as I receive "further light and knowledge"!-] |
 | Friday, Apr 8, 2011, at 07:39 AM Mormons Stuck In The 19th Century Original Author(s): Hoggle BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| Found an interesting archaeology book from the past. It caused me to think that Mormons are really stuck in the 19th century.
The book is titled "Primitive Man in Ohio", by Warren K. Moorehead, published in 1892. From the Introduction, pages iii to v: "For many years the great majority of readers upon American archaeology and ethnology have believed in the existence throughout the Mississippi valley of a nation called, for want of a better name, "The Mound Builders." Hasty explorations of tumuli and enclosures in various parts of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys have been made by those desiring to further the popular belief. Books and numerous articles have been published in which the imagination was permitted to range unchecked. Statements were made without proper authority, speculations freely indulged in, and hypotheses were built upon foundations as unstable as those of sand. As a natural result, many persons were led to attribute a high degree of civilization to the moundbuilding tribes of the Mississippi valley. Fine relics or carved images taken from the mounds, the signification of which the collector could not satisfactorily explain, were accepted as evidence in support of the high status of these people. In spite of investigations and publications upon the part of learned institutions and private individuals, tending to dispel such deceptions, many intelligent people still retain false impressions while reading works that treat of primitive man." "It is the purpose of our book to do away with certain of these illusions. In attempting this we are aware that a herculean task has been undertaken. But the time has arrived when men prefer facts to flights of fancy. We are therefore quite confident that our material, so carefully collected and thoughtfully weighed, will not be cast aside and its place usurped by the rash statements of hasty and incompetent investigators. Why there should be so much speculation and uncertainty concerning the life of our aborigines is inexplicable to us. No question of equal importance could have been more easily determined had the early writers given as much care and patience to mound exploration as is given at the present time." "Some writers have misrepresented and distorted field testimony to uphold theories previously formed. As an illustration of this, and of the great damage that it has done, we need but call the attention of our readers to the famous "Holy Stone" of Newark." "An enthusiastic archaeologist resided many years ago at Newark, Ohio. He was thoroughly in love with his work, and his life's ambition was to discover the origin of man upon the American continent. He believed the lost ten tribes of Israel to be the ancestors of the mound-building tribes. After opening mound after mound and finding no evidence what ever in support of his hypothesis, he became desperate. He purchased a Hebrew Bible and primer, and shortly afterwards there was discovered in a stone box, in a mound that he had investigated, a slab, on one side of which was a likeness of Moses, and on the reverse an abridged form of the ten commandments. The stone attracted world-wide attention, and many publications were issued describing it. No one doubted the genuineness of the affair until after the man s death. In cleaning up his office the administrator found in a small rear room bits of slate with attempts at carving Hebrew characters upon them. They also found a fair copy of the wood-cut of Moses used asa frontispiece in the testament." "The influence of this over-zealous deceiver has gone throughout the length and breadth of our land, and one may still hear at lectures upon American archaeology statements concerning the Indian's descent from the Jew, basing such assertions upon the testimony of the supposed "Holy Stone of Newark," which, as is above shown, was simply a counterfeit." The above book can be read online at this link: http://www.archive.org/details/primit... About 118 years after that book was published, Glenn Beck pulled a publicity stunt that involved the Newark stone. It can be seen at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGQ13c... (The Newark Stone is seen at 3:47) His full program on this matter can be seen at this link: http://watchglennbeck.com/video/2010/... In the Mormon world, there are the "Heartland" believers that play with the Newark stone. The Meso-American followers use similar flights of fantasy south of the U.S. border. It is bad enough that the BofM is fiction, but even in the 21st century its influence still causes many intelligent people to retain false impressions of America's indigenous people. |
| | Tuesday, Apr 19, 2011, at 09:19 AM Reading Quinn's Mormon Hierarchy Original Author(s): NotAnymore BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| Extensions of Power is a very interesting albeit exhausting read but it does explain how the church has gotten to where it is today. Even though the author is one of the September 6 that was ex'ed in 1993, he is still apparently a believer.
But I find that much of his evidence goes a long way in explaining how the church is led by beaurocrats with egos moreso than inspired men of God. It does appear that those apostles with the strongest personalities are those that tend to overt the most control over the church. Also interesting, is that the church is sort of backed into a corner in regards to leaders that speak out of turn. They can't publically censure them because that would bring into question the Apostle's calling but they also can't endorse them if they are doing or saying things that the other brethren don't agree with. To say the least, it's an interesting dyanmic. It also seems to explain why the current church leadership seem so uninspiring and bland - leadership has obviously learned to pick modern apostles who are moderate conservatives but that also are small risks at creating drama or turmoil. And while I'm sure that there are still disputes amongst the "Lord's annoited" I believe the church has gotten very good at covering its tracks. Personally, I think it is this type of leadership that has led to an "obedience is the everything key to mortal success and post-mortal exaltation" belief that currently rules the day in modern church teachings. Gone are the days of personal revelation and free thought that existed in the early church. The truth is Mormons would crucify Christ just as the Jews did because of the "total obedience" to the Priesthood hierarchy. |
| | Monday, May 16, 2011, at 07:56 AM Book Review--Devil's Gate, Brigham Young And The Mormon Handcart Tragedy By Davis Roberts Original Author(s): Quoth the Raven "Nevermo" BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| Book Review--Devil’s Gate, Brigham Young and the Mormon Handcart Tragedy by Davis Roberts
I saw this book at the library and had to read it since mos and their frikkin handcarts is one of my pet peeves (as in why brag about an act of sheer stupidity?). This book addressed the two late summer of 1856, Willie and Martin groups where 200 of the 900 people died due to starvation and freezing and a large percentage was permanently disabled due to frostbite (gruesome stories of legs, feet, and hands amputated). The author, based on other westward expansion books, estimated that the “successful” handcart companies had a mortality rate of 7% compared to 4% of westward travelers who went in covered wagons (and who often went further and who encountered hostile Indians, which the handcarts groups never did). Young never claimed his plan was of divine origin, he created the scheme because he wanted enough Mormons in SLC to repel a US confrontation and he was cheap and it was the least expensive way to get foreign converts to Utah. He wasted lots of money on unsuccessful business ventures but human lives were expandable (which there truly were given the Danites and blood atonement). The divine origin of the handcart story was started almost immediately by Young’s toadies, and was spread to the clueless converts. The book was written by a nomo, so it dealt with the mythology of the handcarts, including the author telling some tour guides that their stories were myths. Their reaction was wide eyed confusion and the comment—“Well, how does anyone really know what was true?” As in, don’t mess with my illusions, thank you very much. He also reported how the tour guides were prone to attacks of crying when describing the suffering of the early handcart mobots (suffering that could easily have been avoided) and that everyone should “feel the spirit” of the place where so many died (needlessly). My favorite comment was that the handcart travelers died in order to inspire people now---yeah, try telling that to some person dying from starvation and cold…Hey, bud, ain’t this great, you are going to die because it will motivate mind controlled cultists to give up their evil ways and stay in the cult? The whole handcart concept was ridiculous from the start. The first handcart company was on the verge of starvation when wagons carrying food met them from SLC. This was considered as “success” so they kept dong it. The food allotment was insufficient for a person doing nothing, much less physical labor all day, and unless a supply wagon met them, they didn’t carry enough food for the journey. By the time the supply carts met them, people were given a few ounces of flour for the entire day. Young, of course, traveled to what would become SLC in a wagon, he never walked it, although he told how the travelers would get stronger and healthier so that they would walk 20 to 35 miles a day, when they actually averaged about 10 to 12. Because Young could not be wrong, the official references for the length of the trips was always under reported. The flour that saved the travelers lives…..was not free, they had to pay it back, and the cost of the handcarts had to be paid back with 10% interest. Some people worked their entire lives and never paid off their debt. Young knew that the two groups were leaving late, but did nothing to stop them. The letter documenting that the two groups were late was in the archives with the date it was received and Young’s secretary’s initials. After the fiasco, Young blamed everyone but himself. I guess he figured if they made it, good, if they didn’t, he could blame someone, and so what if a few of them died? The travelers could have stayed in the town of Florence for the winter, but they were shamed into continuing the trip. In true Mormon fashion, the white washing and myth making started immediately. Those who survived the Willie/Martin trip did not publicly describe the horror of the situation until 22 years later, the year after Young had died. One survivor wrote a several part story in the newspaper in which he told the true story and voiced the opinion that those who were still paying off their handcart/flour loan should be forgiven for the debt (the morg is the church that keeps on taking…). The church never officially forgave the debts but it is believed that they stopped dunning the handcart survivors. |
| | Friday, Aug 26, 2011, at 08:32 AM Will Bagley Presentation September 7th, Salt Lake Library Original Author(s): SL Cabbie BOOKS - COMMENTS AND REVIEWS - SECTION 2 -Guid- | ↑ |
| Ignore any possible "permanently suspended" rumors on this one (Modern Day Danites aren't prone to violence, but they can be awful liars). This free presentation is the first in what is hoped to become a series honoring Utah historian Dale L. Morgan.
http://mormonexpression.com/live-lectures/ I'm honored to call Will a close friend (who even embarasses me with a compliment now and then); I'm in the middle of "The Mormon Rebellion: America's First Civil War 1857-1858" that he co-authored with David Bigler. For years, in talking with tourists and others interested in the subject (my apologies, RWG, I may have got some stuff wrong on that cab tour; as Mitt Romney's daddy once said, "I was brainwashed"), I told the story of the event as being "cooked up" by journalists back East with President Buchanan needing a "distraction" from the politics of slavery and the likelihood of an impending civil war breaking out over that issue. This book delves into the actual complexities and demonstrates that the events were actually years in the making. Powerful factors the Mormons would rather have us ignore include Brigham Young's inflammatory rhetoric that can easily be interpreted as advocating treason and the difficulties Federal officials encountered when they entered Utah seeking to survey lands or establish consistent policies for treatment of Native Americans (Garlund Hurt was an early Indian agent, and he wound up fleeing Utah in the aftermath of the Mountain Meadows Massacre). The times were rife with conflict; Captain Gunnison was massacred in 1852 after publishing a book detailing Mormon polygamy to the Eastern public; the evidence probably exonerates Mormons directly, but when the Ute chief Wakara handed over six "guilty" participants (two blind old man, a woman, and three others), a Mormon jury brought back a "manslaughter" vedict (despite the judge's instructions), and the three convicted were never pursued after the escaped fromthe new territorial prison. Mormons routinely vilify both Bagley and Bigler and claim they have an "anti-Mormon" agenda with their writings, but RFM readers are more discriminating on that issue. Just over a week ago, PBS here re-ran "The Mormon Batallion," a documentary narrated and produced by Ken Verdoia. Both men are featured prominently, and Will's admiration for the obstacles those men--and women--overcame is obvious (there are real tears at one point), as is Bigler's. I find myself in a similar quandry; I want to claim the pioneer heritage and accomplishments of my ancestors while distancing myself from the religious fanaticism that motivated them. |