I thought this was interesting:


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/27/opinion/religion-and-doubt.html?ref=mormonschurchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints&_r=0

It's conceivable that TSCC could eventually spin the BoM into some of of allegorical narrative, and that would solve about 20% of the historical issues the church faces.

However, when you found a cult based on a personality there's is just no way around explaining away that the founder is a con man and child rapist.

I think they're already working on the go around as to con man / child rapist .... they have been de-emphasizing the first vision in missionary discussions and increasing the size of the font in "Jesus Christ" on the sides of their church. It screams now "The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints.

I think they haven't quite figured out how to de-literalize their dogma, so the allegorical narrative option probably won't save them as to the historical accuracy of the BOM.

Joseph Smith's office door had something like "President of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints."
Sorry, but it wasn't new when the church dusted if off a couple decades ago.

So if it is spun that way by LDS Inc...

Do they state their treatment of black people was just because they are mean?

Do they state their beloved and expensive temple ordinances are simply an allegory that people could understand with research instead of money?

Joe Smith did not have to marry all those women, because he was not physically threatened but rather simply horny?

LDS must follow its doctrine. They can stop teaching certain parts, but by doing so, risk alienating the old school, hardcore, loyal tithe payers.

LDS Inc has painted themselves in a corner.

The good Rabbi's solution: "Might I suggest that they use the tactic used by many modern Jews dealing with biblical narratives that defy credulity, from a six-day story of creation to Jonah living inside a large fish. We distinguish between left-brain narratives (meant to convey factual truth) and right-brain narratives (meant to make a point through a story; the message will be true even if the story isn’t factually defensible)."

So . . . you have to be a halfwit to close the credibility gap?

By this read, any idiotic story with a cog-diss produced "moral" could be the left-brain manufactured truth.

Perhaps the rock in the hat thing was to tell Joey which side of his head to use at which time.

All of western religion is based on myth and that is a problem with no solution. A successful entrepenuer should see this opportunity and fill the need with something in the realm of believable...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2013 10:13PM by elciz.

They are already kinda leaning that way with the Book of Abraham. Both the word "translated" and some of the text are no longer being taken literally!

The Book of Mormon will probably follow eventually, once they get desperate enough.

It think the part the good Rabbi misses here, is that the LDS Church has used the literalness of these stories and events to keep its membership in obedient submission to the will of the prophet and his acolytes. Just think of the "Sunday School" type answers you would hear at the typical LDS ward.

Why should you go on a mission? Well...because it's the one true church, Joseph Smith was a true prophet who restored the church, he translated the Book of Mormon. This is a great and marvelous work and the only means of salvation for all those people "out in the mission field.

Why pay tithing? We have been commanded by priesthood leaders, who were ordained with priesthood power restored by Peter, James, and John etc...

I doubt Mormons will be as docile, without that literal belief in the restoration events. Plus, the current leaders have a long track record of teaching these things as literal events. Going back on it could undermine their credibility and authority--presuming that they want to keep the Mormon carousel going. In my opinion, that's what the big 15 are worried about.

Agreed. They can't back down now after having claimed to be the only church containing the fulness of the gospel and being led by living prophets. Diminish the first vision, the BoM, etc... and there are very few that would still pay tithing, attend the temple, etc...

The facts are a problem because the church's conduct has been immoral. Helen Mar Kimball isn't an allegory. You can't say the actions of GBH during Prop 8 are just a story.

Didn't Joseph just marry all his wives except Emma allegorically? He didn't live with them; he didn't support them; he didn't raise children with them; he just bedded them.

Didn't Fanny Alger live with them at one point? So that's at least one wife.

To be honest, I don't think we know for sure. It seems he didn't have children with them, but as for whether he supported them and whether he had sex with them, there's no way of really knowing.

Obviously we'll want to imagine that Joseph Smith had sex with all his wives hundreds of times, and obviously TBMs will want to imagine that he never had sex with any of his wives except Emma. Realistically, it's probably somewhere inbetween those two extremes.

Fanny did not live with Joseph as his wife. She lived in the house as Emma's helper. When the affair was discovered, Fanny was promptly shunted out of town.

I hope they don't follow the Rabbi's advice. After all, I am counting on the moon turning to blood one day....