Not wanting to JUMP to
conclusions, I have drawn none.
You should have said:
not wanting to face the facts I ignore them.
Each of us has to
face the matter-either the Church is true, or it is a
fraud. There is no middle ground. It is the Church and kingdom of God, or it
is nothing. President Gordon B. Hinckley. "Loyalty," April
Conference, 2003.
Everything may be sacrificed in order to maintain the integrity of
those essential facts. Thus, if Mormon Enigma reveals information
that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith, then it is
necessary to try to limit its influence and that of
its authors." - Apostle Dallin Oaks, footnote 28, Inside the Mind of Joseph
Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon, Introduction p. xliii
pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
AND
As the "Apostle" said “Some things that are true are not very
useful.”
OR
As Apostle Nelson said "Some truths are best left
unsaid."
OR
Apostle Dallin H. Oaks said ""Truth surely exists as an absolute, but
our use of truth should be disciplined by other values. ... When truth is
constrained by other virtues, the outcome is not falsehood but silence
for a season. As the scriptures say, there is “a time to keep silence, and
a time to speak.”
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
In a message dated 7/27/2005 2:13:51 P.M. Mountain Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
What
conclusions do you draw from Joe's involvement with
MAGIC?
Blainerb: I have drawn none,
since I am not convinced he was into magic to the extent you would have us
all believe. As usual, you have assigned meaning to events that are
basically shrouded in mystery--perhaps your conclusions are all wrong in the
first place. There is no proof they have the meanings you ascribe to
them. By the way, Sampson was promised that as long as his hair
was not cut, he would have power against his enemies. His hair was
like a covenant between him and God, and when the covenant was broken, his
powers were weakened. Is this magic? It could easily be said to
be such, especially with guys like you around jumping to conclusions. :>) Further, JS
gave a similar blessing to Orrin Porter Rockwell as was given
to Sampson, and since Orrin never allowed his hair to be cut, he was
never killed by his enemies, despite being in numerous gun fights with
them. I think talismans may have been seen in much the
same way by Joseph Smith--a covenant with God. Or maybe he just liked
the talisman's artwork. Who knows? Not wanting to JUMP to
conclusions, I have drawn none.
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