- Chad Nielsen on Snorkeling in Scripture: Joshua Sears on Why Latter-day Saints Need Study Bibles: “I wondered the same thing. I think the reason the SBL one is recommended is that it is new enough to use the NRSVUE instead of the older NRSV.” Dec 13, 23:26
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “Curtis, those peace agreements have not amounted to much. The Rwandan-aided insurgency in Congo continues. The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia escalated sharply this week and is ongoing. India disputes the claim that Trump brokered a peace deal. Israel had finished bombing Iran, and Iran no longer had the capability to respond. Nothing has changed in the tense relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan. But murder continues to be bad, and releasing propaganda videos is a way of inviting U.S. citizens to delight in bloodshed and other forms of cruelty. An individual may not have much power to stop what the government does, but they always have the choice of what they will applaud.” Dec 13, 21:47
- on Snorkeling in Scripture: Joshua Sears on Why Latter-day Saints Need Study Bibles: “Curious I’ve been reading the new oxford annotated study bible for about 8 years and love it. Wonder why this didn’t make the recommended list, the LDS KJV adapted a prior version for its Bible dictionary. Is SBL really a step up?” Dec 13, 20:47
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “Interesting. A post titled “Delighting in bloodshed” critiques an administration that, in less than a year, helped negotiate peace agreements between: * India and Pakistan * Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo * Israel and Iran * Thailand and Cambodia * Armenia and Azerbaijan There may be others I’ve forgotten. And of course while the efforts haven’t succeeded yet, Trump and his administration have been trying to get a deal between Russia and Ukraine. While it’s certainly not a slam dunk, and I do have some reservations, it’s possible to argue that the administration’s immigration policies and what’s happening with Venezuela will lead to less total bloodshed in the future than than if other alternatives were pursued. I don’t think I have enough knowledge or wisdom to make that call one way or another. I really don’t think you can accurately describe the current administration as “delighting in bloodshed.”” Dec 13, 19:10
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “I don’t know, Jonathan. As I say, I’m not sure about Trump’s tactics–but boy when we consider the scale of the drug wars in Mexico, Central and South America, the Philippines, and other places–and I’m talking about actual murders now, not ODs–it’s truly staggering. And I disagree about Trump’s message being unclear. Trump is a wild card. Who knows when he might send a stealth bomber your way.” Dec 13, 09:53
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “El Oso: Comparing Trump to Moroni doesn’t work at all. Trump lacks Moroni’s physical courage and commitment to truth and righteousness at any cost. There is simply no point of resemblance between them. Fortunately we have another Book of Mormon figure who is a near-perfect match: King Noah. They both lead lives of iniquity and immorality, love luxury and flattery, and are vengeful and deeply corrupt. And Trump’s effect on the spiritual lives of the people and the strength of the country he presides over is very similar to that of King Noah.” Dec 13, 04:42
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “Jack, murdering low-level drug smugglers while pardoning Ulbricht and Hernandez doesn’t send that message at all. And again: Sending a message by murdering people is horrific. It’s not a gray area or pushing the border, it’s a sin that will damn everyone involved. Terrorists commit acts of terror to achieve strategic or political ends. Words mean things. Drug smugglers may be horrible criminals who deserve punishment through the criminal justice system, but they are not terrorists. We do not execute drug dealers when they are tried and arrested in the U.S. We did not execute the Sackler family for earning billions from pushing Oxycontin; they got off with a fine. And in any case the drug responsible for most overdose deaths in the U.S. is fentanyl, which is not typically produced in Venezuela or transported through the Caribbean.” Dec 13, 04:25
- on Delighting in bloodshed: ““Bombing boats does nothing that sending the Coast Guard couldn’t have accomplished…” I agree in terms of the mechanics involved in capturing culprits and securing the goods. But what the coastguard can’t do is send a clear message to those in power that if you keep doing this we’re going to send a missile right down your chimney. In saying that I’m not suggesting that that’s the best way to handle the situation–I don’t know. But I think the message is clear: My guess is that by now Trump has these guys looking over their collective shoulder–and that in and of itself is a good thing, IMO. Re: “actual terrorists”: I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this particular point. Drugs have killed around a million people (more or less) over the last twenty years in the U.S. alone–not to mention the number of lives that have been ruined by them. Now I don’t want to do a “tit for tat” comparison between drug deaths and terrorist deaths. Even so, while I’m not sure how I feel about Trump’s tactics I have to say that I can’t disagree with his categorization of drug lords and their henchmen as terrorists.” Dec 13, 01:27
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “Jack, making a statement doesn’t justify killing 80 people (so far). If you need a Republican to convince you, see what Rand Paul has said. Bombing boats does nothing that sending the Coast Guard couldn’t have accomplished, and the Coast Guard can in addition collect intelligence and identify any innocent parties, such as human trafficking victims. Joe Biden largely put an end to the use of drones for killing people in the Middle East. Did you notice? While the Obama administration had its foreign policy failures, the situation was not comparable because there were actual terrorists and congressional authorization. And critically for us, we weren’t being fed drone strikes as propaganda and asked to applaud.” Dec 12, 22:14
- on Delighting in bloodshed: “Morgan, the Germans I know don’t think the analogy is strained at all. They wonder why it’s taking us so long to notice what’s happening. Take a look at the kinds of political parties our government is now supporting in Europe. From a distance, it’s easy to assume they’re just traditional conservative parties who want to reduce immigration, but they’re not. Their advertising and political rhetoric is crassly racist and fascist. Alma 48:11 informs us that “Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed.” I don’t think Moroni would murder 80 Lamanites who were 1000 miles away from Zarahemla at the time, and the Lamanites regularly waged actual war on the Nephites. Words like “terrorist” have particular meanings, and a “terrorist” is not someone who imports a product that millions of Americans are eager to buy. We are not in a state of war, there is no congressional authorization to use force, and no acts of terrorism have been committed. The Coast Guard regularly arrests drug smugglers. To kill smugglers without warning in this situation is simply murder. There’s also the unresolvable paradox of our military killing low-level smugglers without warning, while the president just pardoned the second leader of a massive drug-running operation (first Ross Ulbricht, now Juan Orlando Hernández). If we’re letting the leaders off scot-free but killing the people on boats, the claim of self-defense collapses. It’s just murder.” Dec 12, 22:02
