NOM

For those who may never have ventured to the Mormon Discussions and Dialogue forum, those who post there frequently are some kind of special. If you offer a concept just slightly unorthodox, you are immediately attacked.
I’ve been around lots of people in a half century, and these folks are awfully unique.
I think Ferris Bueller best describes them as if you shoved a lump of coal up their a$$, in a week you’d have a diamond.
I’m not attempting to talk bad about them, and don’t mean to belittle, but they just seem overly uptight and inflexible in thought. I find the average TBM to not be this obtuse.
What are your observations, and why?

Link to forum:
http://www.mormondialogue.org/forum/11- ... scussions/

Thin-skinmed, humorless and defensive are words that come to mind. Some of them are great people but the others make up for it. I never go there anymore because I don't appreciate that degree of uptightness.

I learned the hard way. My first attempt at posting there was back in the days of my smoldering faith crisis, to ask if anyone could point me to an example of archaeological evidence for the BoM in Mesoamerica. Holy cow, I have never been attacked like that. I thought it was a pretty reasonable question but you would have thought I had threatened to eat their children. I learned all about how stupid I must be to ask such a quwstion, and how I lack the academic credentials to participate in such a discussion, but I never got an answer.

Oh there used to be one guy over there that was really a total jerk. Very, very intelligent but just a totally arrogant a$$. A few of them are okay, but the majority are as Hagoth described, very thin skinned.

I went down the archeological road as well and they finally had to cough it up that there was no evidence. Nothing.
The best they could do was point me towards some BYU professor's life's work that is apparently a huge tome that describes a bunch of "parallels" between BoM peoples and the Mayans. Nothing concrete but a huge collection of "what ifs".

I was appalled that some poor sap had spent so much of his life's work on attempting to prove a fiction.

Really sad.

Don't you think that many of those people are called by the church specifically to go on that site to defend the church???

Yes, it would appear some are called as missionaries to defend on MDD.
Just seems like an overwhelming large group of numbskulls with inability to cope with real life.

MDD reminds me of politics. Whether you are democrat of republican, we can all agree that the two parties see the exact same situation very differently. No matter which side you are on, it can be difficult to understand how the other side can hold their view with a straight face. The views espoused by the MDD stalwarts are the same. They see things completely differently than I do (not willing to accept any amount of nuance), such that I have difficultly comprehending how they can hold the view in good conscience.

Ok, I’ll confess.

I visit that site from time to time but often get frustrated and leave after a few minutes.

I think they bring up great topics but then the herd rushes in and it all goes to crap. I’ve enjoyed reading some of the better “known to think” posters like Runtu, Happy Jack Wagon, yourself (2bize) and many others who used to post around the bloggernacle.

The problem is it’s a silo of people who think the same. NOM is probably guilty of that as well.

It would be interesting to have a board where everyone could express their views and discussions without it turning into an “us vs. them”, “believer vs. in-believer”, mentality.

But that’s the fundamental problem with the church. It’s “The Truth vs. Everyone Else”.

For those who may never have ventured to the Mormon Discussions and Dialogue forum, those who post there frequently are some kind of special. If you offer a concept just slightly unorthodox, you are immediately attacked.
I’ve been around lots of people in a half century, and these folks are awfully unique.
I think Ferris Bueller best describes them as if you shoved a lump of coal up their a$$, in a week you’d have a diamond.
I’m not attempting to talk bad about them, and don’t mean to belittle, but they just seem overly uptight and inflexible in thought. I find the average TBM to not be this obtuse.
What are your observations, and why?

I know a woman on another site who talks piously about living a Christ-centered life and showing Christ-like compassion to everyone, then volunteers on the MD&D board, where she gets into fierce arguments and tears people to shreds with personal attacks. She also openly encourages other MD&D members to pile on any skeptic or NOM who shows up.This happened to me before I realized what was going on.
The TBM's on MD&D consider themselves to be doing missionary work. If you voice any skepticism, they see you as making a three-fold attack: First on the missionaries, second on the church, and third on the Lord. It's all rolled up into the same ball, in their opinion. There is nothing like a "discussion" going on there. It's just proselytizing. They want to present the truth claims without interruption, and they want visitors to shut up and listen.
As a suggestion, it's best to avoid them; because they're highly toxic, full of personal attacks, and they encourage shaming and piling on. Not Christ-like at all. -- JMO - Wndr.

So people are actually assigned as missionaries to enforce faithfulness there? Does Satan also assign Screwtape & friends to have active accounts?

I used to post there years ago. I was eventually banned over joking with Dr. Dan Peterson that Mitt Romney may not have been completely mistaken about his dad marching with Dr. Martin Luther King. I suggested that perhaps Mitt saw him marching with his "spiritual eyes". This, of course, inflamed the MADD moderators who were very protective of Dr. Peterson. I do not think they are quite that censorious today.

Some of the posters are honest and friendly like Tacenda, Kathrine the Great, and Bluebell. The Nehor is usually funny and Cinepro makes great observations. I used to love Consiglieri's gospel doctrine lessons. A few are diehard attackers like SMAC and Scott Lloyd and help to remind you what type of site you are reading.

Hagoth wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 3:56 pm So people are actually assigned as missionaries to enforce faithfulness there? Does Satan also assign Screwtape & friends to have active accounts?

Yes, but most of us are double agents so you can't tell who was assigned by whom.

It's a nice change from whispering sexy ideas in people's ears all day, lemme tell ya.

moksha wrote: ↑Fri Jan 31, 2020 10:58 pm I used to post there years ago. I was eventually banned over joking with Dr. Dan Peterson that Mitt Romney may not have been completely mistaken about his dad marching with Dr. Martin Luther King. I suggested that perhaps Mitt saw him marching with his "spiritual eyes". This, of course, inflamed the MADD moderators who were very protective of Dr. Peterson. I do not think they are quite that censorious today.

Some of the posters are honest and friendly like Tacenda, Kathrine the Great, and Bluebell. The Nehor is usually funny and Cinepro makes great observations. I used to love Consiglieri's gospel doctrine lessons. A few are diehard attackers like SMAC and Scott Lloyd and help to remind you what type of site you are reading.

I’ve noticed that Scott Lloyd enjoys attacking even the TBMs who say anything remotely that may disagree with his own opinion...seems like a nice guy to be around. His wife probably doesn’t attempt to stand up from the pew after sacrament meeting until after he stands.

2bizE wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2020 8:03 pm If you offer a concept just slightly unorthodox, you are immediately attacked.

Did they used to go by “Mormon Apologetics Board” or something like that? If so, I was kind of treated like this by them. I offered a sincere plea for a last try at making Mormonism work for me. Some were kind, if not helpful with my disbelief. A couple or few were immediately all over me accusing me of lack of faith, being negative, or something like that. It was so long ago I can’t remember the details. I just remember thinking it seemed like the opposite of what I’d expect from those with real faith in Christ. I was shocked. I guess I was naive.

annotatedbom wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2020 8:47 pm Did they used to go by “Mormon Apologetics Board” or something like that? If so, I was kind of treated like this by them. I offered a sincere plea for a last try at making Mormonism work for me. Some were kind, if not helpful with my disbelief. A couple or few were immediately all over me accusing me of lack of faith, being negative, or something like that. It was so long ago I can’t remember the details. I just remember thinking it seemed like the opposite of what I’d expect from those with real faith in Christ. I was shocked. I guess I was naive.

It was first known as the FAIR board, then it became the MAD board, and now it is the MADD board. Some board members used to pounce on questioning members as if protecting the whole from doubts. It is like the questioning was blood in the water which drove them into a frenzy.

2bizE, did you post a reciprocating thread over there asking “How would you describe the folks on NOM?”

Red Ryder wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 2:05 pm 2bizE, did you post a reciprocating thread over there asking “How would you describe the folks on NOM?”

Last I heard NOM was the board "that shall not be named" over there. They really didn't want anyone to be curious about the NOM website. I would be surprised if they allowed such a direct question that actually identified us.

Red Ryder wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2020 2:05 pm 2bizE, did you post a reciprocating thread over there asking “How would you describe the folks on NOM?”

No, but It would be good entertainment to read through the results they would post. May be worth a try. Can you imagine their brains on NOM?