Posted by:
justrob
(
)
Date: February 06, 2013 01:56PM
I've thought about this a lot actually.
While it would be fun to launch into a tirade of evidence, I think people would just leave or shut off.
What would be much more effective, in my opinion, would be to talk about the spirit. Go into the fruits of the spirit, and ask of god, and burning in the bosom, etc...
Give a full on TBM-doctrinal lesson about the spirit.
Then say, "Brothers and sisters, I have memorized a hymn in the language of the Rapa Nui on Easter Island <or whatever obscure language you are convinced no one knows>. I would like to sing it for you now."
Then sing "I know that my redeemer lives" in that language.
Then say, "Brothers and sisters, can you feel that spirit? Can you? Everyone that can feel it, raise your hand. Ok, put your hands down. So we can all feel this spirit. That is the same spirit which testified to us that the church is true. That is the same spirit that testified that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the Book of Mormon was true! We know that the spirit cannot lie, and that it is constrained to testify of all truth. And that is why the spirit testified of my song, even though it was in a language that you could not understand. The spirit could understand it, and was constrained to testify. Even now, you can feel it, can't you?" <you'll see general nodding>
Then you pull the rug, "As you know, brothers and sisters, hymns cannot be translated directly into another language, as it has to fit the music. So we take some lyrical liberties and make a new song, so to speak. I would like to read for you the direct translation of the song I just sang-- so you can know exactly the lyrics of which the spirit was bearing testimony:
--I know that Jesus hates this church
--He'd tell you that it's all a fraud
--That leaders don't speak to him
--They've been tricked, as have all of you
--etc... (whatever lyrics you memorized)
By this point, they'd be physically escorting me out.
But if they didn't, I would follow it up with this:
"Know that your emotions are not reliable. You just felt the spirit, as did the bishopric and everyone here... and you were deceived. So too it is with Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, & this church. You have been deceived by your own desire to believe, which has produced this euphoric/emotional feeling you felt & you identified it with the spirit. Don't FEEL that the church is true, STUDY it, and decide for yourselves. If you would like the facts, you can talk to me."
I have done small-scale versions of this before. I have sung some of the most blasphemous things in Spanish & Italian that a person could think of, and had TBMs comment on feeling the spirit even across the boundaries of language.
It's actually very similar to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oudWotUMWcUBut Derren Brown did it to an atheist (a much harder task than what I've proposed)