If Scott Roskelley really believes that “millions” read that article in the Ensign

He wrote that the Ensign is read by millions, which is true, not necessary the article in question.

I don’t know him, so all I have to go off of are his words, where he says, “I suspect that [Scott Roskelley’s] statement about the likely readership of that article came from the same well of certitude that produced his ‘without the consent and approval of his wife Emma’ and ‘sexual relations with at least 12 of these women.’
“It’s odd that one who seems interested in ‘scientific fact’–whatever that is–is so willing to manufacture historical facts out of thin air and even thinner evidence.”

The structure of this post pretty directly ties Scott’s belief that Joseph entered some polygamous marriages without Emma’s consent and that some of his polygamous marriages were sexual to “manufactur[ing] historical facts out of thin air and even thinner evidence.”

If that’s not what you were trying to say, Mark B, then please forgive my criticism, but you formed the structure of your post poorly, because that’s the association that rises out of a natural reading of it. If that is what you were trying to say, then I believe you do need a primer on Joseph Smith’s polygamy. You may not agree with those statements, and that’s fine and legitimate, but the vast majority of scholars do, so it’s just inaccurate to say they’re being created out of thin air.

Unless, like Steve Smith talks about, you’re taking a view that all historical truth is actually unknowable, so all of what we consider history is based on insufficient evidence.

That’s not far off from my own view, particularly in relation to religious matters, so if that was what you were trying to say, then I sympathize.

Ardis, as for Lindsay Hansen Park, while she clearly (and openly) has anti-Latter-day Saint-institutional and anti-polygamous leanings, I feel she does a good job generally of trying to be as even-handed as she can. And Lindsay often (admittedly not always) does a very good job of not just saying what she believes, but telling what evidence there is to support that belief. For example, referring to Eliza R. Snow again, Lindsay points out the problems with the historicity of the oft-repeated story that Emma pushed Eliza down a set of stairs and thereby forced her to miscarry. She has also has tried to interview professionals from all different spectrums about polygamy, including the very conservative Latter-day Saint Brian Hales.

So is she perfect? No. Does she generally do great work, and is she much more balanced, even-handed, and thorough than most sources, including the recent lds.org essays on polygamy? Most certainly.

Sorry to disagree; I hope you’re not offended.

It’s odd that one who seems interested in “scientific fact”–whatever that is….

Well, it is quite odd that someone who defends the LDS church’s bold and often evidence-lacking claims about history and nature to the point of accepting those as facts (and I base this on the years of reading comments by Mark B, provided he is the same Mark B, posted on T&S) invokes an almost postmodernistic attitude towards that which is asserted as scientific fact. If you’re going to flirt with postmodernistic thinking, why do it just for your own convenience? Why not go the full nine yards and just completely adopt the postmodernist mantra altogether, which is that most claims about reality are overstated and overconfident, not only those made by scientists, but all religionists and religious organizations? If scientists and historians can’t know as much as they think they do about history and nature through reasoned scientific inquiry, then it would logically follow that religionists know even less about nature and history through some esoteric “spiritual” inquiry, which seems to be nothing more than intuition. Skepticism about what is “scientific fact” may be a valid question on its own, but it is absolutely useless as a defense against some unliked, and often confidently stated, narrative of reality in favor of a different confidently stated narrative of reality. If you don’t like what many strongly evidenced and logically sound narratives have to say about history and nature, how about you confront the issues on their own terms rather than protect your narrative of reality by retreating to postmodernistic cynicism? For the postmodernist frame of mind is no support for religious claims at all, but is a foe to all who think that their perception of reality can transcend mere perception itself.

The first 35 or so episodes are about Joseph’s polygamous marriages. If I remember right, Eliza R. Snow was one of the wives Joseph didn’t initially tell Emma about, so that might be a good place to start.

I suspect that his statement about the likely readership of that article came from the same well of certitude that produced his “without the consent and approval of his wife Emma” and “sexual relations with at least 12 of these women.”

It’s odd that one who seems interested in “scientific fact”–whatever that is–is so willing to manufacture historical facts out of thin air and even thinner evidence.

I’m probably a natural disbeliever, with a few exceptions. Listening to choirs at Temple Square moves me deeply every time. At least for an hour, I suspend disbelief and let the music take me to a better world. Christmas is another exception to my general agnostic nature. Something about Christmas stirs belief. The nativity stirs belief. The image of the nativity allows me to suspend disbelief, if only for a moment. I could probably find other elements of organized faith where I am able to temporarily “believe.” … And moments out in nature. I muster all kinds of faith when I’m out in the natural wonders of this world.

As I sit here, “reflection” does little for my belief, to be honest. The part of me that “believes” in things is not the part of me that “analyzes.” I’m going to give more thought to your distinction between disbelief and doubt. I think there might be something there. I also think you have it spot on that doubt leads to reflection and thought. However, it hasn’t been my experience that reflection and thought lead to increased belief. That hasn’t been my experience at all. But, if someone tells me they’ve had a different experience, I’d like to take them at their word.

Again, thanks for the thoughtful post.

Real faith is choosing the better part: moving forward in trust that God is in control…

God is in control of what? In order to meet your criteria of true faithfulness, specifically what do I have to believe he controls?