From: "David Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [TruthTalk] Why would a Mormon stay on TruthTalk? Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 11:31:32 -0500
Perry wrote: > Speaking only for myself, I have imagined nothing of > the sort that you described below.
Just for the record, I did not have you in mind when I wrote that. I was in a PalTalk discussion last night where such was suggested to me.
Perry wrote: > His actions have indicated to me that he has one of > two (or maybe a combination of the two) reasons for > being here besides the acceptable "public" reason. > 1) He wants to affirm and bolster his own faith by > proving that Protestants are all screwed up in their > theology, and that he can effectively defend his own > faith against anything and everything they believe, > or 2) he is testing Protestant theology to see if it > can be considered a viable Christian position, perhaps > for conversion.
Your two alternatives hold tenaciously to a religious motivation.
Yes, they do. This is a religous forum, not a sociology forum. Plus, his comments to postings of Protestants in response to what they say they believe generally do not reflect the attitude of one who wants to learn, but one who wants to refute. I.e., notone who wants to learn what protestants believe, but one who wants to refute what protestants believe. And, he primarily does this almost entirely without using LDS references, but by stating scritpure in the context of LDS prooftexts, taken out of context and twisted to reflect the LDS POV...not to proselytize for the LDS, but to refute the Protestant. He is either bolstering his own faith, or testing the protestant faith.
Perhaps you should consider some more academic motivations. For example, 3) he is sincerely curious as to how Protestants hold to certain beliefs that to him appear preposterous. To examine this, he must question some of the answers according to his own mindset and thinking, to see how the answers hold up.
The presence of cognitive dissonance, i. e., a difference between his stated reason and his actions precludes your #3. I DO beleive that he is sincerely curious, but he does not truly tell us the reason for that curiosity. He gives an acceptable reason which, while not truly a lie, is not fully the truth, either. (Similar to the argument LDS use for Satan's actions in the Garden: Part lie, part truth!) But, I cannot (and would not) say that DaveH is conciously lying since I do not know if his underlying reasons are truly unknown by him, or if he is intentionally not stating them.
Cognitive dissonance is not created where congruency is present. They are mutually exclusive. If he indeed was just curious, and his actions were congruent with his stated reason, there would be no dissonance. But, there is.
I have taught many classes at several Universities, and I know when a student is learning, vs. when a student is ther to refute what is being taught. The student who is refuting what is being taught is gernerally not there to learn. But is amazing how quickly they turn from debater to student after the first test. :-)
All I am saying is if DavidH is there to debate, he should say so. He shouldn't say he wants to be a student (learn), then attack the teacher (refute). DavidH has said before that he is not a student on this forum...but since he says he wants to "learn", he is casting himself in that role.
DaveH, if you want to debate that is great, but don't cast yourself as wanting to learn, then coming back and arguing with what the teacher has taught. You are at times like a wolf in sheeps' clothing.
Perry
Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida.
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"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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