I have been unable to determine what could cause McChurch to publish essays that are so detrimental their claim of divine guidance. It must have been the angel with the flaming sword. How else do you explain it ?

The internet explains it.

Anybody and everybody could use it to find factual, well-researched, well-documented books and articles clearly showing the church leaders had been lying their asses off for 150+ years.

The only option they had was to "spin" the detrimental information. Sort of admit to some of it, deny some of it, and try to explain all of it away. Then (falsely) claim to be "completely honest and transparent."

It worked for some "questioning" members. It didn't for others. I think the Q15 considers the ones it didn't work for "acceptable losses." As long as they keep the others to scared to leave, who accept the spin.

They came out shortly after the Swedish Rescue so I'm thinking that was the cause.

It's also possible that the change in UK law and the Tom Phillips lawsuit had a hand in it. This is just my own theory, but as anti-fraud laws start to popup, the church can claim they provided the more accurate historical information.

How do childish attempts at wordsmith lying help them? They must be able to obtain wiser advice than this.

"How do childish attempts at wordsmith lying help them? They must be able to obtain wiser advice than this."

They're doing the best they can with what they have. It's like political spokesmen who have to "spin" indefensible issues or falsehoods to make them more palatable for public consumption. But you can only spin indefensible crap so much. Thus, the essays. The church leaders and essay writers probably hope that more members will accept the essays and remain faithful than will leave.

The essays are virtually unknown to mormons. For those of us who have studied since youth, and still do,65 years plus, the essays are prima facie proof of lying. No help to the church there either.

It really doesn't matter. If you tell cult members not to read it they won't!

they - the general membership - have not read the essays, only the extracts in the ensign. The essays are written in the usual style; so boring you half switch off whilst reading and do not really take in what you just read - linguistic hypnotism. Well, that's what happened when I read them and I had to do a double take and re-read paying more attention.

The general membership do not go exploring the LDS.org website, they just do the minimum they have to, which is getting the ensign delivered but mostly not read, preparing any lessons they have to give, etc, but not search the website the way an investigator would search the website, much to their own detriment.

English is not my first language. As a second-language reader. I found the essys very difficult to read. The prose was awkward and murky.

why is discussion of essay oct.22.2014 forbidden on this sight

The most clever deflection the church uses comes in trite little phrases such as ...oh thats old stuff everyone knows that...you werent paying attention...which sadly for most morms is true...another gold rebuttal is ...oh those were different times...yes two of Nelsons life spans puts us right at the start of the whole charade...i really doubt things have changed that much in two of nelsons life times....these trite little responses just shut down conversation immediately...and tbms are just tickled to keep it that way...my buddy knew nothing about plygmy or the istone until the essays came out happily gulped both down without even a belch ...his response was things were different then....alrighty then

I think the "why" of the Essays has to do with the concept of "Being Complelled" to do something. (see oft-LDS quoted Alma 32:13)

LDSHQ crafted the Essays, not because openness is the right thing to do, but because they were compelled to do so. A sore-spot discussion with a close TBM friend is my assertion that without the Internet, there would be no Essays.


The Internet is to the LDS as the Gutenberg Press is to Catholics.

Once the Internet was unleashed and widely available, LDSHQ was compelled to admit publicly that the Historical Record does not match the Official LDS Version of Things.

(What LDSHQ can't/won't admit is that the evidence also shows that the LDS Exclusive Divine Mandate and Truth Claim are demonstrably false.)

As mentioned above, LDSHQ chose to spin the now irrefutable facts via the Essays.

Unfortunately for LDSHQ, nothing can put clothes back on the Emperor. Their only hope is that LDS Members value tradition, social community, and perceived LDS Good Works over Truth.

Thank Ganesha that I finally took the time to see what all the "anti" hub-bub was all about. Turns out it was about Truth.


Neo-Galileo



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2016 03:54PM by neogalileo.

My ex turbo tbm wife divorced me over 3 items in the essay's.

Polygamy
Polyandry
Rock in the hat

I sent her the links to lds dot org and she replied and I quote

" Im not reading that ANTI-MORMON literature "

Have you ever heard of the internet? They just want to stay ahead of their own lies.

The deepest, darkest lies about the church are not addressed in any essays. I don't recall seeing an essay on JS relationship and illegitimate child with Fanny Alger. Where is the essay on "Temple penalties and Oath of Vengence"?

This is the sign of a religion getting older and less isolated.

Consider the Catholics who didn't admit anything nearly so fast by comparison. Now they actually brag about being open about the many things in their history that were, well, bad. And guess what! The Catholics don't care. They keep enabling and supporting their religion.


I think the Mormon church, a small speck compared to the Catholic Church, at least is smart enough to learn from the Catholic Church how to adapt. Getting Mormons exposed to the realities about their history is the first step to get those who remain to be like Catholics. They simply won't care how the religion came to be. They stay for the fancy rituals and hats or whatever (Mormons need to step up their props and chants).

Nothing quite so refreshing as a few good lawsuits to bring about change in the cult. But we'll never know the specifics. Part of the settlement always requires secracy. It's a milk before the meat kind of thing because we can't handle the truth. Then the church releases essays.

Maybe after a few more lawsuits, the church will start making good decisions instead of implementing 80 year old policies from a gerentocracy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2016 02:26PM by azsteve.

Don't you get it?
It really doesn't matter.

Why? Because the "true believer" BELIEVES. Period! End of quote!

The "true believer" pays no attention to evidence that does not confirm what they already believe. Therefore it is another smoke screen.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2016 05:13PM by desertman.