So, here's the final reply that I posted to the BYU post by my friend.
I'm truly sorry if I've come off as combative or obstinate in these discussions. One thing that irritated me about this post was sweeping references to "false philosophies" and "agendas" without any specific examples. I went and did some studying and talked with my parents, and that has helped me clarify some things. Some BYU professors definitely teach things that I don't agree with. (Steven L. Peck of the biology department, for instance, openly says he believes his ancestors were apes.) Some of my mother's literature professors presented some pretty radical feminist ideas. But brothers and sisters, can we focus on the few loose cannons instead of launching a frontal assault on BYU itself? Friend, the way you talk, you would think the BYU faculty has been hijacked by orcs from Mordor, and that's what ruffled my feathers. The university as a whole is not off track. The university as a whole supports the mission statement of "assisting individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life." Classes are uplifting, inspiring, and tenets of the gospel are frequently discussed. Take Professor Katya Jordan who joined the church after the fall of the Soviet Union, who starts every class with a prayer and compares the harmful ideas of the Soviet Union with current democratic truths from the United States. Take Professor Dennis Packard, whose entire logic class was built around defending church doctrines against logical attacks. Take Professor Purves and Professor Volfevna (Volfevna is not LDS, for the record) who have taught me through such books as "Anna Karenina" and "Fathers and Sons" more about being a decent human being than any other people besides my parents Take Professor Ray Christensen who helped us understand the faulty logic behind the Supreme Court cases that laid the foundation for abortion and homosexual marriage. Take Professor John Bell of the biology department, and a former Stake President, who bears his testimony to us that the gospel is true, even if it seems to contradict some of the modern principles of evolutionary theory. Point at nearly any one of my professors (and I've had dozens now) and I will show you a good person who is NOT plotting behind close doors, who is NOT pushing some agenda straight from the Diabolical Office of Education, and who IS a worthy, endowed, charitable, serving member of the church. BYU is the Lord's university, headed by apostles and prophets, and if there are some tares growing among the wheat, let's not throw indiscriminate molotov cocktails into the field, because you will find both wheat and tares in your ward, in your stake and in the church at large, and you will burn far more wheat than you will tare. Thanks for the discussion, and thanks for getting me thinking about this topic. Sincerely, Jarom Harrison
So, here's what I've learned about fundamentalists. Those are the people who believe that the church as a whole is desperately lacking in spiritual sternness and only by hearkening to Joseph Smith and Ezra Taft Benson can we escape the terrible judgments of the Lord.
They're mostly right.
I mean, aren't they? They're right in substance. Evolution is not right. We ought not to apologize for our beliefs. We need to return to fundamentals. They play an important role in reminding people like me of the hard, stern side of the gospel. The requirement side. The repentance side.
But were I резко разойду with them is the incendiary manner in which they tend to proclaim their views. Yes, they're right, we all need to repent. All of us. But lambasting the church at large for being "wicked" is never going to work! That's not your job! That's the prophet's job!
So study, share, and be righteous, but let's not go off on our own private crusade to reform the Lord's kingdom. It's not yours. It's his.
Sincerely,
Jarom
I'm truly sorry if I've come off as combative or obstinate in these discussions. One thing that irritated me about this post was sweeping references to "false philosophies" and "agendas" without any specific examples. I went and did some studying and talked with my parents, and that has helped me clarify some things. Some BYU professors definitely teach things that I don't agree with. (Steven L. Peck of the biology department, for instance, openly says he believes his ancestors were apes.) Some of my mother's literature professors presented some pretty radical feminist ideas. But brothers and sisters, can we focus on the few loose cannons instead of launching a frontal assault on BYU itself? Friend, the way you talk, you would think the BYU faculty has been hijacked by orcs from Mordor, and that's what ruffled my feathers. The university as a whole is not off track. The university as a whole supports the mission statement of "assisting individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life." Classes are uplifting, inspiring, and tenets of the gospel are frequently discussed. Take Professor Katya Jordan who joined the church after the fall of the Soviet Union, who starts every class with a prayer and compares the harmful ideas of the Soviet Union with current democratic truths from the United States. Take Professor Dennis Packard, whose entire logic class was built around defending church doctrines against logical attacks. Take Professor Purves and Professor Volfevna (Volfevna is not LDS, for the record) who have taught me through such books as "Anna Karenina" and "Fathers and Sons" more about being a decent human being than any other people besides my parents Take Professor Ray Christensen who helped us understand the faulty logic behind the Supreme Court cases that laid the foundation for abortion and homosexual marriage. Take Professor John Bell of the biology department, and a former Stake President, who bears his testimony to us that the gospel is true, even if it seems to contradict some of the modern principles of evolutionary theory. Point at nearly any one of my professors (and I've had dozens now) and I will show you a good person who is NOT plotting behind close doors, who is NOT pushing some agenda straight from the Diabolical Office of Education, and who IS a worthy, endowed, charitable, serving member of the church. BYU is the Lord's university, headed by apostles and prophets, and if there are some tares growing among the wheat, let's not throw indiscriminate molotov cocktails into the field, because you will find both wheat and tares in your ward, in your stake and in the church at large, and you will burn far more wheat than you will tare. Thanks for the discussion, and thanks for getting me thinking about this topic. Sincerely, Jarom Harrison
So, here's what I've learned about fundamentalists. Those are the people who believe that the church as a whole is desperately lacking in spiritual sternness and only by hearkening to Joseph Smith and Ezra Taft Benson can we escape the terrible judgments of the Lord.
They're mostly right.
I mean, aren't they? They're right in substance. Evolution is not right. We ought not to apologize for our beliefs. We need to return to fundamentals. They play an important role in reminding people like me of the hard, stern side of the gospel. The requirement side. The repentance side.
But were I резко разойду with them is the incendiary manner in which they tend to proclaim their views. Yes, they're right, we all need to repent. All of us. But lambasting the church at large for being "wicked" is never going to work! That's not your job! That's the prophet's job!
So study, share, and be righteous, but let's not go off on our own private crusade to reform the Lord's kingdom. It's not yours. It's his.
Sincerely,
Jarom
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