The problem is that many of the scientific advances humans have made have come at the expense of a belief in a god being and its powers. From what I've observed thus far, we humans use the concept of God to 1) justify our own behaviors; and 2) criticize the behaviors of those we don't like. The only reason I consider myself an agnostic over an atheist is that while I am absolutely convinced that
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From everything I've read on this board and elsewhere on the subject (I was never a Mormon thankfully), the whole trick of recovering from Mormonism is rebuilding your own belief in yourself from the ground up. This includes learning to trust in both yourself and your own judgments, even if you do make mistakes. I wish you luck in your efforts.
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While I would like to take credit for the essay below, I have to say that it came from a friend who emailed it to a listserv for the blind that I'm on (his name is at the bottom of the piece). Read and enjoy! The Creation of God. No my dears, God is not dead, for he never existed. It is Man's imagination that has lifted him above other creatures. Imagination enabled Man to explore and
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Most humans are both poor and superstitious. This is why many follow this or that religious leader instead of trying to figure out their own way. Thankfully, a former Mormon missionary tried to convert me just once (the LDS woman I considered dating three-and-a-half years ago). I feigned falling asleep, and she never tried again.
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While the article didn't "sicken" me or anything like that, I wondered why the LDS church printed it. Specifically, I'm wondering if fewer unwed Mormons are giving up their infants for adoption through LDS Family Services, and the church is trying to provide support to this sponsored group. Fortunately, though my brother and his LDS ex-wife were divorced many moons ago (before the bi
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Nick Humphrey Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > blindguy Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > might say. I am usually very suspicious of > people > > who make a 180-degree shift in their morality > > overnight > how are you suspicious? what are you suspicious > of? Fair questions. I
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I think it is important to recognize that the vast majority of humans do not change the values they were raised with, and those that do tend to gradually change those values over time as they gain knowledge they didn't have previously. It is really a minority of people who radically change their own morality overnight after they have changed their minds about religion, as SusieQ#1 might say. I am
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Below is a commentary by Robin Marty (website) and the response I had to it which I wrote for an email listserv I'm on. While the article is wholly political in nature, my response is much more about religions (including Mormonism) and should (but probably won't) raise red flags about the control of churches over peoples' lives. http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/the-real-problem-w
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According to a news item I heard on NPR this morning, jury selection will begin today for the trial of Brian David Mitchell in Salt Lake City for the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart some 8 (if memory serves) years back. According to NPR's Howard Berks, the LDS church is allowing Elizabeth Smart to return home early from her mission in Paris to testify for the prosecution. The defense (no surprise)
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What I think she and people like her are afraid of is that there will be fewer partners available for Mormon marriage if people drop out of the church to become homosexuals (remember, she believes this is a choice). Personally, I would like it if there were fewer marriages in Mormon temples because of homosexuality, but I don't think that will be the deciding factor when determining where and
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You wanted to know why people like this woman are afraid of homosexuals being around their children? It's because such people (and this goes beyond Mormonism) believe that 1) homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, not a question of genetics; and 2) given that, the only way for there to be more homosexuals is for homosexual adults to recruit the children of heterosexuals. In my view, she is wrong
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjQ-AT2FQK4 JAWS and NVDA are two screen-reading speech synthesizers used by blind people like myself. You could call this the battle of the crappy speech synthesizers. Listening to this, it is very funny, though I have no idea about the visuals. For the record, I am currently using JAWS.
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This topic sounds like something that Opie and Anthony would approve of (For those not in the know, Opie and Anthony were two radio shock jocks who got fired after a couple, responding to a dare from them, were caught having sexual relations in the foyer of St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral in New York City).
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As a totally blind person, the idea that people did not do what they said was something I had a lot of problems understanding. The reason? Because I couldn't see what people actually did, I always assumed that what they said they did was true. Curiously enough, one of my favorite books that explored this subject was the late French Georges Simenon's detective novel, "Maigret at the Corone
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The experience you describe of non-assimilation happens a lot in the U.S. with first-generation move-ins. However, assimilation usually begins with the second generation (children of the move-ins), and is usually completed by the third generation (the move-ins' grandchildren). This is how it happens with Hispanics where I live, and the process repeats itself with other nationalities. We often wan
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I think you make a good point. Per http://mormonstories.org/?p=223, Philip Barlow, the USU professor, is, in fact, a practicing Mormon.
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I certainly hope this is not too political--it is definitely Mormon-related. Apparently, Washington Post columnist Dana Millbank has written a book ("Tears of a Clown") in which he gives the backstory to Glen Beck's use of the term "The Constitution is hanging by a thread" and the development of the White Horse prophecy. On this evening's edition of NPR's "All Things C
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http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/marriage/mf0135.htm After reading the article at the above-posted link, one might think so. Note the second suggestion about respecting your husband's authority and the text beneath it. I think she would do Julie Beck proud! However, she is not quite Julie Beck. Note that Danielle does not go into ironing clothes (as Julie Beck did a few years back)
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No, he didn't, at least not according to the four gospels. In fact, the only two sexual issues Jesus touched on according to those sources were divorce ("don't do it") and adultery ("Go Thy way and sin no more"). There is another line about cutting off one's hand if it causes one to sin which many believe to be about mastaurbation, but Jesus, in fact, does not spell that out.
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Many on this board have argued that because of its nontraditional beliefs regarding the nature of God, the planet Qelob, etc., the Mormon church would never be able to forge an alliance with other churches. There is now evidence that this is in fact happening, and what is occurring predates Glen Beck and his efforts by at least ten years. The article at the link below describes the fruits of u
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When I was first interested in dating the LDS woman whom I proofread the braille version of the AIMS test (required for all students from 4th to 12th grades in the state of Arizona), I sent her an email of my interest. She responded by sending me an email back asking if I was ready to accept D&C32, which I now know is the chapter that authorizes polligamy. On the other hand, the LDS church
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Despite my response to Amartin's post, I find myself in agreement with you. Just because one's first period occurs at nine years of age does not necessarily mean that one is ready to engage in sexual activity at that age.
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Here is the link to the Wikipedia article to which you refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_tachell Assuming the article is true (anyone can edit Wikipedia entries), then I change my mind and now agree with Danny on this issue. Mr. Tatchell appears to recognize complexeties within human beings that the law (and other humans) do not always recognize. This doesn't mean that I condone ped
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Right you are, in both cases. The U.S. Supreme Court (and any Federal court, for that matter) can make any ruling on whatever issue it wants. However, there is no enforcement mechanism. Remember, it is the office of the executive branch (the U.S. President) that is supposed to enforce the laws. If enough people, including the President believe the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to be in error, the
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Actually, you and I are not really that far apart. If you read my message again, you will note that I am making the comparison between modern-day Mormonism and modern-day Catholicism. I fully concur that some of the stuff the Roman church has done over the 1.9 millenia of its existance makes the Mormons look like amateurs (the Inquisition? Father Charles Coughlin)? In addition, I can still hear w
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It is true that the U.S. Constitution does not give the federal courts, specifically the U.S. Supreme Court, the job of being the final arbiter of Constitutional disputes. However, the precedence that gives the U.S. Supreme Court that very right goes back to 1803, a scant sixteen years after the U.S. Constitution was written and ratified, and a case called Marbury vs. Madison. Remembering this fr
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While I agree with you, Danny, about the nature of religion and its roles in the moral crises of our time, I don't think that modern-day Catholicism comes anywhere near modern-day Mormonism in terms of membership control, no matter what the current pope may wish. True, their attitudes on a number of moral issues are quite similar, but Mormonism is so much more authoritarian than Catholicism. Here
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There is growing evidence that girls in western societies are starting their periods at younger ages which may be why Mr. Tachell believes what he believes. Still, I think Matt is right. For the sake of public perception, Mr. Dawkins probably shouldn't have been on the same platform as Mr. Tachell. Come to think of it, I wonder, given Mr. Tachell's views on when young girls should be consid
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I suppose this woman views her receipt of the LDS gospel as a "blessing", because she believes it will help her to overcome her attraction to other women, something she has been trained to believe is wrong. Unfortunately, the available evidence indicates that denying your own attractions has many more disadvantages than benefits.
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http://thin.npr.org/s.php?sId=129883333&rid=2 Although this story aired the night before Roman Catholic pontiff Benedict XVI came to Britain, it got me to thinking how, compared to his predecessor, John Paul II, really patrician this pope is. He often seems clueless as to how people will react to what he says, and he is not very popular among the Catholic faithful. John Paul II, his predec
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