Guest missingsomething Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 if everyone remains politely quiet, then Satan wins. It is that simple.I agree... you dont have to stay quiet.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missingsomething Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Depends on the prophet! The prophets are real people, not clones of each other. They have their own opinions, agendas, and ways of operating. Some of them will encourage questioning, others won't. Personally, I think questioning is not only permissible, but necessary to true religion. The Restoration would never have happened, after all, had not Joseph Smith asked questions--he really went out on a limb!Asking questions and openly discussing things do not automatically "bring the spirit of contention." The spirit of contention is something that we, as individuals, bring to the table and does not flow from the act of questioning. When you discuss things with people, remember that they are people, worthy of your love and respect even if their opinion is stupid. That should help avoid contention.Peace,HEPAwesome points. I would say the church's stance is to question each doctrine for yourself to gain your own testimony of it from the spirit. THank you for a thoughtful response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rameumptom Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 So how does one do that on a forum? A forum is words on a page. There is no body language on a forum. If someone is reading a particular tone that is the way they are interpreting it and may not even be what the person posting intended.This is why they invented the emoticon. :):confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rameumptom Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Awesome! I guess that forgive and forget thing really works!Or Pam's memory is going..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tough Grits Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) Do the prophets provoke us to think (as in outside the box) intend us to question... if it brings the spirit of contention. Or do they want us to just ponder and pray about something.One gentleman today said that they do want us to debate... and a sister said discuss not debate.Im asking your thoughts. My thought is that too many people give an opinion in a discussion as if their opinion was a fact, an absolute.In my opinion----a discussion is not just between individuals who agree on a subject matter. I have had many discussions where there were differing viewpoints and the conversation never got ugly or contentious.However, I have seen plenty of "right fighting". Almost always, the "right fighting" that I have witnessed has turned into hurt feelings, anger, contention, tears, and/or withdrawal of the Spirit.Now, others can label the "right fighting" however they choose. But from what I have witnessed, when a person issues a statement in arrogance, one upmanship, and/or anger then they are no longer discussing anything. They are making a stance and defying others to challenge or refute it. To me, that is when the Spirit is lost.Our RS, EQ, HP, and Sunday School classes are a place of learning. Not all people can learn simply by lecture (I can't--I get bored). Some of us need visuals, discussions, background information, in-depth explanations, etc.Our teachers are called to be leaders of a discussion, where the Spirit is supposed guide the teacher and the participants in gaining further knowledge. Sometimes this requires questions to be asked and answered.The answers are not necessarily always going to come from the teacher. The answers can come from new members, long-time members, young, old, male, female, what-have-you. I guess my thoughts are that discussions are vital and essential, as long as each person asks, answers, and participates with the Spirit. It is when the Spirit is lost, that the discussion becomes a matter of "right-fighting" or out-right ugliness.But those are just my thoughts. Edited July 29, 2009 by Tough Grits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dec2057 Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Sounds like a problem with the wording. What means one thing to someone may mean something else to another. There should not be blind acceptance without the person questioning within himself or herself whether it is true and applies to them. This is not confrontational or aggressive conflict, this is simply finding our personal path back home. I think the rule of thumb is if the conversation gets negative, it's time to walk away. Contention is from the devil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Another issue to consider is that conversation is an art. Just because you can "speak" it does not mean you know how t converse. We have no formal training, any longer, in how to present and argument or even to propose an idea without bias or advocacy. We tend to think that the universe ends at the tip of our nose and MUST be subject to OUR interpretation. That is the fastest way to a fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Or Pam's memory is going..... Ram I don't think I like your "tone." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moksha Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 I had a sudden insight while cooking dinner. I was stirring a large pot and realized it was hard work. It made me gain a greater appreciation for all the pot stirrers here. Without them the ingredients in our stew would clump together and we would have burnt spots, while other parts of the stew would be underdone. If we did not have protagonists and antagonists on this or any message board, we would simply go around and make cooing sounds to one another and have a mediocre stew. Stew over that for awhile... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 I hate stew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prospectmom Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 and that is how these threads continue... :} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rameumptom Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Ram I don't think I like your "tone." Pam, are you trying to discuss or debate this? And should my feelings be hurt and me offended by it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john doe Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Personally, I don't like pot-stirrers. They are here only to cause controversy and to get people to fight internally. That does no one any good. I work with pot-stirrers and they cause much more pain and stress than is useful. They do those things for their own entertainment, they think it is funny to watch people become upset about half-truths and lies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Pam, are you trying to discuss or debate this? And should my feelings be hurt and me offended by it? Only you can choose to be hurt or offended by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prospectmom Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Only you can choose to be hurt or offended by it. Should we start a thread ... Wise sayings from Pam???????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 hahaha no. That would probably be the shortest thread in history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prospectmom Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Actually you have put out some good one liners latley and tho it would take some digging and time I am sure there are more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rameumptom Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Only you can choose to be hurt or offended by it. Well, I suppose that's so. However, my TULIP friends would say I have no free will of my own, and so if I'm offended it was predestined that way....And as it is, when it comes to the women in life, many men feel there is no free will, except to say, "Yes, dear." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Believer_1829 Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Well then what the difference btwn a debate vs discussion then?The perspective of the people engaged in the dialogue...Some people like to ask thought provoking question for no other reason then to think a little deeper and hear others opinions.Others believe that anything that remotely questions or even speculates about any aspect of their chosen religion is a debate and consider it "bashing". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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