Richard Bushman's Recent AMA by Hawkgrrl

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SilentDawning
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Re: Richard Bushman's Recent AMA by Hawkgrrl

Post by SilentDawning »

Absolutely fantastic!!!! This is not an apologistic argument, it is not a skeptical one, it defies classification!. Here is one quote:

Question: There are many people with a fraction of your knowledge of church history that throw up their hands and give up. They say looking any further into the truthfulness is futile, because what they’ve come to know negates the possibility of truth. What fundamental difference is there in those who let the knowledge negate their faith and those who let knowledge sustain it?

Answer: It is hard to explain. People on each side dream up explanations of the other. The believers say you must be sinning; the unbelievers say you are biased by your background and emotional factors. I don’t know the actual answer. I have come recently to ask people how they feel about Christ. If they still value him, I think they will be okay. But many have given up on Christ and even on God. Their problem in other words is a Christian, not just a Mormon, problem. I don’t know why that happens. People are left without a spiritual anchor of any kind. My hope is that wherever they land they will have the strength to reconstruct a belief they can live by. I don’t like it when anti-Mormonism becomes their religion. That is not a good way to live.
"It doesn't have to be about the Church (church) all the time!" -- SD

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."

A man asked Jesus "do all roads lead to you?" Jesus responds,”most roads don’t lead anywhere, but I will travel any road to find you.” Adapted from The Shack, William Young

"The wise man has the power" -- adapted from What A Fool Believes -- The Doobie Brothers
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nibbler
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Re: Richard Bushman's Recent AMA by Hawkgrrl

Post by nibbler »

But many have given up on Christ and even on God. Their problem in other words is a Christian, not just a Mormon, problem. I don’t know why that happens. People are left without a spiritual anchor of any kind.
I'm not sure where the confusion comes from. Some people stop deconstructing at the borders of Mormonism, questioning Christianity and religion in general is still off limits. Other people continue on to deconstruct everything. There's just as much material, if not more, to deconstruct with respect to Christianity, Abrahamic religions, Zoroastrianism, etc.

We see this same sort of thing play out (more dramatically) on every TV show ever filmed. You lied to me about your evil twin cousin wrecking the Jetta? Was the whole story a lie? Do you even have an evil twin cousin?

Humans like to get at the truth of the matter, it's our security blanket. When we find a flaw in perceived perfection we want to get to the bottom of things so we can redefine our concept of perfection. We think that the surer foundation provides the answer to the discomfort that resulted from discovering the flaw.

I haven't given up on Christ and god (I've redefined them) but I understand why some people do... and that's a completely valid position from which to anchor oneself spiritually.
My hope is that wherever they land they will have the strength to reconstruct a belief they can live by. I don’t like it when anti-Mormonism becomes their religion. That is not a good way to live.
I agree with this 100%.
I kept a diary right after I was born. Day 1: Tired from the move. Day 2: Everyone thinks I'm an idiot.
— Steven Wright
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LookingHard
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Re: Richard Bushman's Recent AMA by Hawkgrrl

Post by LookingHard »

nibbler wrote:
I haven't given up on Christ and god (I've redefined them) but I understand why some people do... and that's a completely valid position from which to anchor oneself spiritually.
My hope is that wherever they land they will have the strength to reconstruct a belief they can live by. I don’t like it when anti-Mormonism becomes their religion. That is not a good way to live.
I agree with this 100%.
I am where Nibbler is at. I didn't lose my faith in Christ and God (but I do view them quite different and their role quite different). But now I absolutely frame it as a belief and hope, nothing even close to knowledge.
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