- RLD on Glory, Light, and Law: Redefining “Power” in the Doctrine and Covenants: “There’s no indication Jesus told his disciples why he needed a donkey (Luke 19:29-31), let alone persuaded them that obtaining one would be a good idea. He just commanded, and they obeyed. The dynamic is particularly clear in Jesus’ last recorded conversation with Peter (John 21:15-17): by first asking Peter if he loved him and then commanding him to feed his sheep, Jesus was clearly asking Peter to feed his sheep because he loved him, not because he had persuaded Peter that feeding sheep was a good idea. The Sermon on the Mount definitely contains elements of persuasion, but it does not attempt to persuade us of every point. Sometimes it expects us to have the faith (trust) to obey first, and then we will be persuaded by the results.” Apr 13, 08:14
- on Glory, Light, and Law: Redefining “Power” in the Doctrine and Covenants: “RLD, Certainly, church leaders may endeavor to persuade members to trust them, but they should not demand or compel that trust — like the Lord says, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned, by kindness, and pure knowledge, and without guile. You must not think that leaders are excused and may sidestep persuasion; indeed, I think this guidance from the Lord applies especially to leaders. That said, do you overstate your argument? Didn’t the Lord always take time to persuade his disciples, with long-suffering, gentleness and meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, pure knowledge, and without guile? It is not beneath the dignity of a leader to persuade a lower-ranking brother and fellow church member; rather, I think that is exactly what he asks (but doesn’t demand) of us. Yes, I think we have room for improvement among ourselves in this matter. Of course, I say this from the very bottom of our church hierarchy, and I acknowledge that some higher in the hierarchy may have a differing opinion. I appreciate the OP’s invitation to re-visit our conceptions of power in light of the Lord’s way.” Apr 13, 00:14
- on Glory, Light, and Law: Redefining “Power” in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Lord Acton was right about the natural man, as a lot of very “natural” men have demonstrated recently. God will only give his power to those who have experienced the mighty change of heart and been transformed into the image of Christ, who both taught and exemplified that the only legitimate use of power and authority is to serve others. It’s an interesting twist on who the celestial kingdom is for and why it’s not open to everyone unconditionally: it’s for those who can be trusted with God’s absolute power. ji, I think the example of Jesus is relevant to persuasion too. Jesus had no power to coerce his disciples. But he persuaded them to have faith (trust) in him, and then he often drew on that faith by giving them commandments without taking the time to persuade them that those particular commandments were necessary. Some local Church leaders probably draw on the faith of the members they oversee too much and should do more persuading. But it’s not inappropriate for them to ask members to trust them.” Apr 12, 21:18
- on Glory, Light, and Law: Redefining “Power” in the Doctrine and Covenants: “To me, perhaps the most important part of all this is the importance of persuasion — in the Lord’s economy, the only way to get someone to do something in anything related to the gospel is through persuasion, kindness, love, and so forth — we cannot use rank, or office, or compulsion, or shame, or embarrassment, or callings. This includes “assignments” from “high-ranking” church officers to lower-ranking officers and members. The “higher-ranking” church officer must love the lower-ranking member enough to persuade him or her, and of course the persuasion has to be to the understanding/satisfaction of the lower-ranking member. Everything has to be by persuasion, not by command. I think we still have room for improvement among ourselves in this matter.” Apr 11, 20:45
- on Latter-day Saints Report Fewer Sexual Partners, Fewer Affairs, and Less STDs: “This really tracks with what I have seen anecdotally over many years practicing medicine (the number of partners and frequency of STI’s, I wouldn’t know about porn use).” Apr 10, 19:30
- on Latter-day Saints Report Fewer Sexual Partners, Fewer Affairs, and Less STDs: “That’s an excellent point. With lifetime prevalence variables measurement is always tricky. The classic case is divorce, I’ve always said that by the time we know for sure what the lifetime prevalence of divorce is for a particular generation is we don’t care what it is for that generation, so we have to estimate using rules-of-thumb. So yes, if we were to take lifetime prevalence of cheating I’m assuming that’s going to be higher than this number.” Apr 10, 12:18
- on Latter-day Saints Report Fewer Sexual Partners, Fewer Affairs, and Less STDs: “One factor I wonder how to understand with such surveys is the range of ages. When it is large, such as “adults 18 or older,” then it is grouping together people who left high school three years ago with 67-year-old retirees. How do I sort out the meaning of an aggregate of their cumulative life experiences? If 13% of men say they have had affairs, should I interpret that to mean that another 13% have not yet but will before they die?” Apr 10, 09:37
- on A Review: Welding Another Link: Latter-day Saint Essays on Faith and Intellect: “Oman’s always worth reading, but $20 for a hundred-page paperback is steep.” Apr 10, 07:39
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “The three secrets are equally important to the miracle of Fatima. I think, specifically, predicting the end of the world war is as responsible for its lasting impact as the miracle of the sun. The miracle discussed here reminds me of the fulfillment of the prophecies of Samuel in the Book of Mormon, or Brigham Young taking on the appearance of Joseph Smith while preaching.” Apr 9, 17:10
- on The Book of Mormon Witnesses, The Miracle of the Sun, and Other Historically Plausible Miracles: “Stephen C, Thanks for sharing the sun miracle; super fun. My personal favorite with contemporary documentation is Joan of Arc, also told well on Astral Codex Ten: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-joan-of-arc. Pushback: You’re arguing that there’s something more rational in our faith’s founding miracles than the aimlessness inherent in others’. This is an interesting aspect of Mormonism: reason is important, to a point; faith is important, to a point; and those limits align nicely with our theology by confirming our own miracles and giving us space to look skeptically on those outside. Why did God let only a handful of people see the gold plates? He in His great wisdom knew this was best. Why would He help someone levitate? Well, He wouldn’t, so… I think you’re gently acknowledging that there’s something ungenerous in this line of thought; but my point is it’s an irony within common Mormon belief—God only does inexplicable things in ways *I* can understand.” Apr 9, 09:19
