Phineas

Sounds a lot like another leader in our day. 😉

Works for me.

Is it evil-speaking to acknowledge the human frailties of a prophet?

I always found this to be a very odd story to include in the Book of Mormon. It’s so mundane. Nephi’s bow breaks. Everybody is upset. Nephi makes another one. Problem solved. Maybe somebody can explain to me why I should care about this story. Also, on my recent reading of the story, I noticed something even more strange. Other people had bows too. Nephi’s bow wasn’t the only one. Why was it such a big deal that Nephi’s bow broke?

Yeah. I never understood this line of criticism. In an ongoing saga, characters evolve. They have character archs. Phineas and Ferb isn’t a saga. It repeats the same gimmicks in every episode. And that’s fine for a children’s cartoon. But with a saga like Star Wars, I like to have things shaken up a bit. To each their own.

You’re right. It’s close to universalism. The idea is that all can be saved. Not that all will be saved.

The plan of salvation makes no sense if there is no progression between kingdoms. Why place a time limit on our progression towards divinity?

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Very good points. I have trouble accepting Brandt Gardner’s theory that all the language of skin color is entirely metaphorical. But whatever you believe about the skin color language, The Book of Mormon certainly has an anti-tribalism message if not a an anti-racism message. The crowning event of the book is Christ coming and bringing about a society without any “ites.”

If we are going to be burning books for not being racially sensitive enough, we should be burning all the copies of the Book of Mormon. While the Book of Mormon does have a tolerant egalitarian message, it’s a mistake to sweep the more difficult passages under the rug. It’s a losing conversation to say there is no racism in the Book of Mormon at all.

The problem with the Sequel Trilogy is that it was too similar to the OT but not as good. I still like the trilogy but it could have been a lot better. I would have been happy had they went with Lucas' story treatment. It would have been much more original and inventive as well having a more singular vision. Call me crazy but I thought TLJ was the best of the ST. It was the most original of the three.

If you had cancer, would you choose a highly skilled oncologist with bad character or an incompetent oncologist with good character? We all need to come to terms with the fact that people suck. We need to have a mature and nuanced view of history and historical figures. People can have terrible flaws but still accomplish great things. Christopher Columbus had flaws but his accomplishments changed the course of human history. Thomas Jefferson was a slave holder but but made invaluable contributions to the the founding of our nation. Brigham Young said and did some bad things but he was a great colonizer and leader who kept the church together. And on and on and on. This is the problem with hero worship. Our heroes will always let us down in one way or another.

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/01/18/error-printed-lds-church/ So according to this article, the church made a mistake in the printed Come Follow Me manual for the Book of Mormon followed by a correction in the digital version. I honestly don't see the the mistake. While the wording in the digital version is a lot better, there is nothing incorrect about the original. If there is a problem with racial insensitivity, the problem is with the Book of Mormon itself. Not the manual.

Disney had to sneak in the lesbian kiss because there is still a large percentage of their viewers who are conservative Christians. There was a lot of speculation that there would be a Finn/Poe gay relationship, but that didn't happen. Now there is still speculation that Elsa in the Frozen movies will eventually get a girlfriend. She never found herself a prince in the second one and remains single. The possibility is still there for Frozen 3, but as long as there a plenty of families that hold traditional views about sexuality, Disney isn't going to go that far. Like it or not, homosexuality will only continue to be normalized in our entertainment.

I read it a while ago. I haven't retained a lot of the information. The purpose of the book was to convey just how much nuance there is in the development of our doctrine. Not just in the modern church but going all the way back into the Old Testament. It is clear that the most of our theology has evolved and changed over time. But I am personally comfortable with this fact. Human beings have always been engaged in trying to make sense of the universe and the divine. Its a process. We shouldn't expect to have everything figured out all at once.

Why do feminists exist in free western societies? They’re badly needed in other parts of the word.

I know that this is a very controversial hot-button issue. And I know there are Latter-day Saints on both sides. But I find it surprising how little the church actually talks about it given how hot of an issue it is right now. There was one brief mention of it in Elder Anderson’s recent conference address while speaking about the Proclamation. Now there is this new Alabama law bill signed into law. I am actually shocked at how strict it is. It goes even further than the church’s policy. No exceptions for rape and incest. A life is a life even if it is conceived in a wicked manner. Personally I am on the pro-life side. I understand the pro-choice side but I feel siding with the life of the baby to be the morally superior position. It’s the more excellent way. I find myself cheering for Alabama. Should Latter-day Saints embrace a stricter position on abortion like what we are seeing in Alabama? Does the church’s position fall short? Or is this Alabama bill too extreme?

I loved the talk on the immediate goodness of God. I think I teared up as he told those real-life stories.

Sealing along with every other church ritual is an outward expression of an inward commitment. When I bring my wife flowers on Valentine's Day, I am expressing my commitment to her even though the flowers have no efficacy to them. Sealing is an expression of commitment to both God, your spouse, and the rest of God’s children.

What if we end up with an ordinary General Conference? That will be a shocker.

The part of the news release that stood out to me was this: “We want to reduce the hate and contention so common today.” I was indifferent to the 2015 policy but I am all for reducing hate and contention. This is a happy moment.

-The Church will take a firmer stance on abortion. Or at least have a speaker give a serious talk on the subject. I am amazed at how little we hear about abortion from the brethren. Baby killing is a big deal.

I need a good chili recipe for a ward cook off. Anybody got anything?

I agree with most everything you say here. We need to see all people as individuals rather than members of groups. We all must exercise personal responsibility for own happiness and success in life.