Posted by Cezoram on February 22, 1999 at 08:32:42:
In Reply to: Change posted by Gunnar on February 22, 1999 at 05:15:53:
: Nevertheless, the church can be and often is a powerful influence for good and decency, and has made a positive difference in the lives of many people. I am very dismayed by the strong tendency of too many critics of Mormonism to throw the baby out with the bath water.
I agree with that. But how does one effectively "weigh" the good it does against the negative? While giving some a sense of happiness, security, or whatever, it's stressing out others, financially and mentally; taking in lots of money while using very little of it to do good in the "secular" world -- acting very much like the "Zoramites" did in the Book of Mormon! Ultimately each individual and/or his/her family must decide if it's worth it.
: : No breaks until all your research into the church is through - history, doctrine, the works.
: One criticism I have of the above statement is: When is one's research ever through? There is so much that has been written and said that it would take much more than a lifetime of full time, diligent study to thoroughly cover everything.
True. I'll admit that a lifetime wouldn't suffice, but we get so many that post with nothing going for them but a zealous spirit they may have picked up in seminary class. My statement was directed to the teenagers who have never really read the scriptures while contemplating the contents, let alone studied the true history of the early church and the characters involved.
Kim - and others like her/him - jump in here blasting and judging without ever weighing the evidence. They need to learn about both sides of church history, not just what the seminary books say. They need to know what the church is hiding and to think about it a bit before posting.
That's really all I meant.