My unresolved issues concerning the church

[All-American]

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[non sequitur]

Originally Posted by All-American

You give a sarcastic statement, you got a sarcastic response. Don't take a dump in the woods and expect the stench you left to smell like strawberries.

I'm not sure Robin was being sarcastic, but I'm pretty sure he was trying to push your buttons. Evidently he succeeded. I think it's great that people on this site have different POV's, and I like the fact that for the most part people have been able to disagree with each othere while respecting differing opinions. It would be a shame to lose that.

Robin, I think that it's great that you're on this site. You offer a different perspective and are well-spoken. I agree with much of what you say, but sometimes you tend to favor antagonism over dialogue. If you don't hit people over the head with your views, you'll get a lot further with people on this site. Just a suggestion.

[Robin]

r.f.

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by realtall

Joseph Smith and his 33 wives come to mind as well as other details about polygamy. The Expositor thing is in there(as well as reports that Joseph & Hyrum fled initialy to avoid being caught).There may be others but I am too tired to think of them right now.

Yeah, I agree on JS and polygamy. I suppose those in charge have a hard time reconciling the secretive nature of JS' polygamy with the principle of honesty. Also, talking about JS and polygamy opens the door to history that is difficult to explain.

On that topic, I was struck in Bushman's book by the lengths to which The Church went, when confronted by RLDS claims to the contrary circa the late 1800s, to establish the fact that JS practiced polygamy (for example, having his polygamous widows swear out affidavits to the intimate nature of their relationships, etc.). Quite a contrast to today where I think many Mormons are surprised to hear of his multiple wives. I wonder when the decision was made to quit talking about this.

My hope is that Bushman's book will lead to more mainstream openness on these subjects.