Hello Henry...as squeebee mentioned, Tom Phillips is NOT a plaintiff to the criminal charges... Edited...cuz I jumped to conclusions. :-/
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Oh, yeah...that would probably do it. ;-P
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Tom Phillips brought the charges on behalf of Stephen Bloor & Christopher Ralph. I'm wondering why he wouldn't be filing charges against Monson for himself? I would think the "pay-to-play" aspects of getting a second anointing would be pretty powerful fraud? Not to downplay Steve & Chris, but Tom was up to his elbows in being duped with his callings as bishop, stake presi
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WOW! Congratulations!! My wife bought me an iPad in November 2012. I started bringing it to church and that's when I looked up on google the scripture, D&C 49:16 which states a man should be married to only ONE wife (I wanted to understand how polygamy ever happened if God revealed to JS in 1831 that you should be married to only one wife). Well, that little iPad opened our eyes and w
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I totally agree. Admitting the doctrine is ridiculous and just living the basic concept of "love thy neighbor" makes him, at best, a regular Christian. I wonder if he has a temple recommend? If he does, he obviously thinks there's more to Mormonism then just being nice to people.
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I really wonder why the translation method for the BoM wasn't part of the lawsuit? Not, whether or not JS actually translated a 'divine' work, but how we're always taught/shown it was through the "Urim & Thummin spectacles" with JS actually reading off the plates. The peepstone in his hat method of translating, without the plates even being present is probably my biggest infuria
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Wow...now that's talent!
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That's amazing!
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frogdogs - You're right about the reactions of nevermos once you're able to explain the manipulation. It's the people we don't get to sit and talk with that have a harder time empathizing about what we've been through.
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While I completely agree with your assessment of the bullying tactics employed by TSCC, I think many nevermos find it ridiculous that you'd be forced into paying tithing. Unless you've been part of the/a cult, you just can't empathize that well with the brainwashing and manipulation tactics that indoctrinate victims. Most people would find it absolutely silly to think a Mormon truly believes
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The indirect effect the lawsuit has is that it'll make more people think about the "requirement" of paying tithing to gain exaltation. I think there will be more discussion about how people are being forced to pay or not have certain FAMILY members attend. It's a huge tactic the church has used for 100 years to strong-arm people into paying tithing.
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I just saw this on Leno...pretty funny!
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Great story! My wife and I (along with 3 kids) left the church last year after 40 years of complete activity. The part about your kids not understanding the racism hit home with me. Just a week or two after I found out the church was a great fraud (but still keeping the truth from our kids), our, then 15-yr-old, son asked me why we denied blacks the priesthood until 1978. He just learned about i
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Right out of the Twilight Zone! I spent two years teaching the Lamanite Navajo's that they're going to "blossom as a rose." And the BoM was written by their ancestors. That was in 1992-94. And, we all know that Blacks were less valiant...the Book of Abraham tells us so. (Abraham ch.3 & 1:26) It's amazing how quickly we forget... :(
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I agree...I'm glad Simon responded so quickly! I just can't believe how easy these essays are picked apart and the collateral damage to current doctrine they're causing! I just can't wait to see which essay they'll release next. :)
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Chump, I completely agree that, on the surface, all they're saying is the BoM is more about the nephite/lamanite spirituality versus just giving a complete secular history. But, it's a double entendre. The essay CLEARLY states they're accepting an evolutionary view of humanity versus a garden of Eden creation beginning. The only way they can explain away no DNA evidence is to say it's been
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I couldn't get past all the food they were passing around!
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Up till last week, I would've agreed about Blacks and the Priesthood. But the new one about BoM DNA is seriously stunning in my opinion. TSCC is basically saying the BoM should be taken "spiritually" not historically, and that the leaders believe in evolution and not Adam & Eve. I just can't wrap my head around that one.
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I still remember some comments our, then, bishop made several years ago over the pulpit, the Sunday morning before the Super Bowl started. He challenged everyone to NOT watch the game and instead read the scriptures as a family. Yeah, right.
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I'm at the movie with my son right now so I don't have the reference but BH Roberts discusses it, very matter-of-factly, in his papers that were published in the book, Book of Mormom Studies. If no one else finds them first, I'll grab my book when I get home and list them. BB Roberts absolutely believed that no other inhabitants could have lived in the Americas. He was very distressed about
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You should go buy two copies of the 1830, 1st edition BoM and then get the Tanner's book that has all the changes to it. Then, sit him down and say you'd like to read it with him...out loud, together, while verifying the many corrections/changes that have been made over the years. Comparing the original "most perfect book" with your current edition, "more perfect-er edition."
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From page 116 of the Seminary manual: "The Lord calls Oliver Cowdery to preach the gospel to the Lamanites "Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 28:8–10 aloud, and ask the class to identify what the Lord called Oliver Cowdery to do. "What did the Lord call Oliver to do? (Preach the gospel among the Lamanites.) "What can we learn about personal revelati
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Am I an idiot or are they not talking about genetic markers and mutations that go back multiple-thousands of years, even tens of thousands of years? Don't their current theories of the "evolution" of DNA completely nullify Noah's historic flood and Adam & Eve? I'm so confused.
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I had a George moment (from Seinfeld) when I wish I had gone out with a bang by bringing a rock and hat to Fast and Testimony meeting for my last time. I wanted to get up to the podium and say, "I've been doing a lot of study about the history of the church." Then present the rock and the hat and say, "Some of you may know what this is and how Joseph Smith used it to translate
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Wait, wait...I don't think the obvious has been discussed...If a living person gave up their gold filling, what did they replace it with? The only way, logically, would be to remove the whole tooth. Otherwise, I believe it'd cost more to pull out the old filling and have it replaced with something different. Right?
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Welcome to the fun! Can I ask you a personal question about being ex'ed? You say, "I was excommunicated 5 years ago and have found it difficult to free myself from the baggage that is left upon departure from Mormonism." Were you ex'ed because of personal decisions on your life that weren't within the moral guidelines of the church? The reason I ask is, when my DW and I foun
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The 15 are never all together just in case some of them die. Someone must remain living so the fullness of the penishood can be perpetuated by the laying on of hands for the gift of lying to others.
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I can't wait to read the online comments. ;)
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Great news! I hope they make it into a tv documentary!
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DW and I headed back to Utah for a funeral and made a stop by Deseret Book. Talk about a great and spacious building! The hypocrisy of members villainizing non Mormons who publish books, saying they're just out to get evil money. Talk about a cult bookstore. Beyond all the books by general authorities, they had "values" gumballs and cupcake liners. Zillions of plaques and pictures,
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