president monsons death HOW DOES ONE BEST RESPOND TO THE NEW YORK TIMES MONSON OBITUARY?

[greenheron]

Today I communicated with the New York Times:

 

Sir:

 

I wish NYT had produced a more balanced, fair obituary for President Monson. In that obituary you have violated good sense in writing, as when you attempt to "slip in" what the Times obviously considers unacceptable facts relating to him and his presidency. There is no place for this in the country's supposed newspaper of record--especially in an obituary. If an institution like NYT wants to slur a dead man, it ought to do so with openness and clarity, not with effeteness and passiveness.

The way for a prestigious newspaper to do its part to help heal a nation, or even a world, is to give a quintessentially American hero consideration similar to that which it has given to the Hefners and Castros, and to study their Strunk.

 

Senator McCarthy, I am not, nor have I ever been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

Joseph Downs

San Diego

 

[zil]

Welcome, @greenheron!  Decent of you to stand up for us, President Monson, and just plain integrity in reporting.

[prisonchaplain]

The elephant in the room of public discourse as that mainstream Protestant and Catholic Christianity, Islam, and Orthodox Judaism--representing nearly 2/3rds of the earth's population--remain morally opposed to LGBT behavior. Media outlets, like the NYT, cannot attack Islam, since it is perceived as a maligned minority, in the U.S. It's just so much easier to take pot-shots at the LDS faith community. The message is still out--conservative religion is outdated, bigoted and unworthy. Yet, by attacking the LDS faith, they figure there won't be much outcry. Then, like frogs in a kettle, they can gradually expand their attacks on the rest of us. The problem is that this time, most people of good will have the sense to know just how wrong and awful it is to use an obituary to make political jabs.

So.. kudos to the OP. He's spot on. 

Edited January 16, 2018 by prisonchaplain

[Guest]

I really don't care what the NYT said.  I don't care what the far left says about the Church, because they make no claims that their criticisms come from God.  Their reasoning makes no claim to be anything other than the reasoning of men.  I just ignore the criticisms about the LGBT stuff or laugh it off.

It hurts a lot more when evangelicals bash the Church (e.g. Robert Jeffress) because they claim to speak for God when they do so, and their criticisms (e.g., the trinity, faith vs. works, etc.) merits more attention.

Edited January 16, 2018 by DoctorLemon

[Vort]

30 minutes ago, DoctorLemon said:

It hurts a lot more when evangelicals bash the Church (e.g. Robert Jeffress) because they claim to speak for God when they do so, and their criticisms (e.g., the trinity, faith vs. works, etc.) merits more attention.

Only if you think such criticism is something other than tinkling cymbals and sounding brass.

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, Vort said:

Only if you think such criticism is something other than tinkling cymbals and sounding brass.

I think part of the problem is I live in Texas, where I am constantly being told that Mormons are a "non-Christian cult" on a daily basis.  It is a little like being the sane person in the mental asylum sometimes - I have a testimony and know why I believe what I believe, but sometimes the constant criticism day after day by protestant fundamentalists can play mind games with you!

Or maybe it is a personal weakness I need to work on, too - fearing man (in this case Protestant fundamentalists) more than God.  Or maybe a little bit of both.

Maybe someday I will get to a point I can dismiss Jeffress the same way I dismiss Dehlin - with a laugh!  I am not there yet, though.

Edited January 16, 2018 by DoctorLemon

[pam]

4 hours ago, greenheron said:

Today I communicated with the New York Times:

 

Sir:

 

I wish NYT had produced a more balanced, fair obituary for President Monson. In that obituary you have violated good sense in writing, as when you attempt to "slip in" what the Times obviously considers unacceptable facts relating to him and his presidency. There is no place for this in the country's supposed newspaper of record--especially in an obituary. If an institution like NYT wants to slur a dead man, it ought to do so with openness and clarity, not with effeteness and passiveness.

The way for a prestigious newspaper to do its part to help heal a nation, or even a world, is to give a quintessentially American hero consideration similar to that which it has given to the Hefners and Castros, and to study their Strunk.

 

Senator McCarthy, I am not, nor have I ever been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

Joseph Downs

San Diego

 

San Diego.  My hometown.  What part of San Diego?  I went to jr. high and high school with a Lewis Downs.

[NightSG]

20 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

I think part of the problem is I live in Texas, where I am constantly being told that Mormons are a "non-Christian cult" on a daily basis. 

Maybe if you'd at least stop eating Catholic babies in public...

OTOH, I'd have to say that out here, the Church pretty much invites that.  Whenever there's any sort of interfaith effort,  whether it's charitable relief, general outreach or just a get together for general goodwill among local churches, LDS are either conspicuously entirely absent, or off doing their own thing rather than simply stepping up to serve with everyone else.  When you see Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Southern Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Independent Baptists, other Independent Baptists, (I dunno - their buildings are like three blocks apart and I've never heard any explanation of what it is they disagree on) Catholics, CoC, DoC, CRC, Episcopals, SDA, and AoG working side by side to get something done, it's not hard to draw some pretty negative conclusions about any church that doesn't join in, especially when you can count the non-participating local churches on two fingers. 

Heck, back before most of the local Amish got too old to deal with the heat and moved north, even they would show up from time to time.  Rabbi Walker would invite himself because there was usually free food.

Edited January 17, 2018 by NightSG

[Sunday21]

@greenheron. Welcome! Nice to have you here. Look forward to your posts!

[prisonchaplain]

On 1/15/2018 at 6:28 PM, DoctorLemon said:

It hurts a lot more when evangelicals bash the Church (e.g. Robert Jeffress) because they claim to speak for God when they do so, and their criticisms (e.g., the trinity, faith vs. works, etc.) merits more attention.

If Rev. Jeffress used President Monson's death as a launching pad to issue another declaration that LDS doctrine does not line up with that of historic Christianity, then yeah, shame on him. If it's just that he believes LDS teaching is heretical, and puts souls in danger, then perhaps following that article of faith about letting others worship and believe as the will would help. You believe in the Great Apostasy, he believes the historic doctrines of the Trinity, etc. are true. Then again, it's probably difficult to ignore when the vast majority of the population agrees with him. I kinda feel the same way about the secular fundamentalists here in the Pacific NW. I love them, but it's hard to like them when they are so hostile and certain.