Joseph Smith Rings

[RockyBalboa]

Originally Posted by Sleeping in EQ

Being that mockery and misconstruance come easy to you, I don't doubt it. The person who can't get over himself is you, and many of us on CG know this.

lol............It is absolutely hilarious that you are so miffed about something so irrelevant and inconsequential.

This is fodder I shall use for sometime to come. Thank you for providing my laugh for the day.

SIEQ ...The man who's voice shall rise above and be delivered from the fetted and festering sewer of Mormon Culture. lol...........thank you...thank you for opening my eyes......lol

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by RockyBalboa

lol............It is absolutely hilarious that you are so miffed about something so irrelevant and inconsequential.

This is fodder I shall use for sometime to come. Thank you for providing my laugh for the day.

SIEQ ...The man who's voice shall rise above and be delivered from the fetted and festering sewer of Mormon Culture. lol...........thank you...thank you for opening my eyes......lol

I am not nearly as miffed as you want to make me out to be. I am minorly annoyed. You on the other hand, are not worth conversing with. You don't actually have anything to say worth listening to, aren't interested in representing people's points of view fairly, and just generally make a nuisance of yourself.

[RockyBalboa]

Originally Posted by Sleeping in EQ

I am not nearly as miffed as you want to make me out to be. I am minorly annoyed. You on the other hand, are not worth conversing with. You don't actually have anything to say worth listening to, aren't interested in representing people's points of view fairly, and just generally make a nuisance of yourself.

Idignation = minorly annoyed. riiiiight. And yet you keep on responding to me.....curiously you were going to ignore me about 123589235029385 posts ago. Methinks you secretly have a mancrush on me. Must be this cool ring I have....say....I know where you can get one.

[creekster]

I have to agree with Steelblue ont his one. Cheesy? Sure. It's also nothing I would buy or wear. But I really don't see what the big deal is. I think you're overreacting.

I gather your objection is that people are trying to look like Joseph Smith? If that was why they boiught it, it would be a little strnge. Maybe they buy it becasue they like that it reminds them of the message JS taught using it as a prop. King Follett discourse and all that. Is this worse than a CTR ring? I just don't see the issue here.

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by creekster

I have to agree with Steelblue ont his one. Cheesy? Sure. It's also nothing I would buy or wear. But I really don't see what the big deal is. I think you're overreacting.

I gather your objection is that people are trying to look like Joseph Smith? If that was why they boiught it, it would be a little strnge. Maybe they buy it becasue they like that it reminds them of the message JS taught using it as a prop. King Follett discourse and all that. Is this worse than a CTR ring? I just don't see the issue here.

People are saying I'm overreacting, but they haven't said how. Frankly, I haven't seen anyone actually summarize my objections accurately. I can tell you're trying here, and that you don't have a bone to pick, but this is different from a CTR ring. DB is selling it as the ring JS wore to his martyrdom, as a ring that was handed down among family, and at the same time, the Church discourages members from wearing crosses.

On the one hand someone could dismiss it as cheesy, but s/he would be ignoring the very real reasons for buying the thing in the first place. Will most people buy this to be cheesy? No. They'll buy it and wear it and be dead serious.

Just imagine, for a moment, someone noticing that ring and asking about it. The wearer explains that it's a replica of a ring that Joseph Smith wore. This will freak some people out, especially those who note that Mormons don't sport the usual Christian symbols. A reasonable person could think the whole thing bizarre without any malice or ill intent for Mormons.

This product has "bad idea" written all over it.

[tooblue]

Originally Posted by Sleeping in EQ

People are saying I'm overreacting, but they haven't said how. Frankly, I haven't seen anyone actually summarize my objections accurately. I can tell you're trying here, and that you don't have a bone to pick, but this is different from a CTR ring. DB is selling it as the ring JS wore to his martyrdom, as a ring that was handed down among family, and at the same time, the Church discourages members from wearing crosses.

On the one hand someone could dismiss it as cheesy, but s/he would be ignoring the very real reasons for buying the thing in the first place. Will most people buy this to be cheesy? No. They'll buy it and wear it and be dead serious.

Just imagine, for a moment, someone noticing that ring and asking about it. The wearer explains that it's a replica of a ring that Joseph Smith wore. This will freak some people out, especially those who note that Mormons don't sport the usual Christian symbols. A reasonable person could think the whole thing bizarre without any malice or ill intent for Mormons.

This product has "bad idea" written all over it.

To be honest, I agree with SEQ. It is more similar to a crucifix than CTR ring.

[Dan]

I have thought about getting one to have as a cool trinket (sp?), but then a Jupiter Talisman is only significant to an individual based on date of bitrh, etc. Personally, my talisman would then be different.

[Archaea]

Never heard of such a thing.

DB should be ashamed. Hopefully, it will go the way of the dodo bird.

[BigFatMeanie]

This is what I would call a "Mormon talisman". I've always thought it interesting the way Mormons use amulets/talismans. Traditionally talismans/amulets are used to bring the wearer luck and keep them safe. Of course, Mormons don't explicitly say "this will bring me luck and keep me safe". Instead, we say, "If I wear this CTR ring/Young Women's Medallion/Return with Honor ring/etc. then it will serve as a reminder and then maybe if I'm in some situation where I am tempted to do something wrong then maybe I'll see the reminder and it will help me to choose the right". I've always been of the opinion that those thoughts we're just a more long-winded version of "this will bring me luck and keep me safe". I really don't think Mormonism is very much different from other religions with respect to talismanry.

In Thailand, most Buddhists would wear some type of amulet - maybe a special stone or a little buddha statue or something. Sometimes even a carved little wooden penis was warn around the waist for children that were born after their mother's had worshipped at certain fertility shrines. I had a companion that was really bugged by these amulets. He was always talking about how wearing amulets was like idolatry. Of course, the guy would never even think of leaving the house without his CTR ring on and his little "white bible" in his pocket.

In the Philippines every Catholic household had a "Sacred Heart of Jesus" picture somewhere in the house. You know - the one with the flaming heart sticking outside of Jesus' body with a crown of thorns around the heart. Either that or they had a "Baby Jesus as King" picture - the one where a little baby is wearing a crown and holding a sceptre. Sometimes they even had a Sacred Heart of King Baby Jesus combo where the royal baby had the flaming disembodied heart thing. Again, there were many missionaries that were bothered by these pictures and equated it to idolatry. Of course, every Bishops office in the Church has a picture of the "The Brethren" in it. Mormons are also counseled to have pictures of temples and of Jesus in their homes to "help maintain the Spirit in the home". The implication of that counsel is that having various pictures/objects around us will help keep us safe or protect us - perhaps not directly but definitely indirectly. Otherwise, what is the point of having them displayed? Thus, it's not so different, in my opinion, from having a little "spirit shrine" or buddha shrine or other things that other religions do to help keep them safe and protect them.

[All-American]

Originally Posted by Sleeping in EQ

People are saying I'm overreacting, but they haven't said how. Frankly, I haven't seen anyone actually summarize my objections accurately. I can tell you're trying here, and that you don't have a bone to pick, but this is different from a CTR ring. DB is selling it as the ring JS wore to his martyrdom, as a ring that was handed down among family, and at the same time, the Church discourages members from wearing crosses.

On the one hand someone could dismiss it as cheesy, but s/he would be ignoring the very real reasons for buying the thing in the first place. Will most people buy this to be cheesy? No. They'll buy it and wear it and be dead serious.

Just imagine, for a moment, someone noticing that ring and asking about it. The wearer explains that it's a replica of a ring that Joseph Smith wore. This will freak some people out, especially those who note that Mormons don't sport the usual Christian symbols. A reasonable person could think the whole thing bizarre without any malice or ill intent for Mormons.

This product has "bad idea" written all over it.

Bad idea? Probably. Cheesy? Absolutely.

Worth noticing or acknowledging? Probably not.

I don't know that anybody disagrees with your objection, but rather to the degree with which you find it objectionable. It's a lot less about "who's right" than it is about "who cares."

I do think it is poor marketing. If they highlighted the fact that a similar ring was used to teach the nature of eternity, such a thing would have all the more significance. As an emblem of the martyrdom, you bet-- kind of creepy. It does have that dark-ages iconic feel to it. I just don't know that it is worth putting on your iconoclastic hat to take on this particular demon.