Nevo

What do I make of that scripture? The prophet is invoking YHWH's arm, which symbolizes his power. The deeds ascribed to YHWH's arm in these verses are deeds that the Lord himself performed in the past—subduing chaos at the creation and delivering the Israelites from Egypt. The Lord's reply in 51:12–19 makes it clear that verses 9–10 are addressed to him.

I think verses 13–16 are primarily addressed to "the inhabitants of the earth" (see v. 6, 11, 13, 17). I read "the arm of the Lord shall be revealed" as a poetic way of saying "the might of the Lord shall be revealed." I don't think "the arm of the Lord" refers to a person any more than "the anger of the Lord" in the preceding verse refers to a person. I don't believe there's some hidden subtext here about "the One Mighty and Strong, and the Davidic Servant."

Good video. I do wonder, however, why the plates were never seen by anyone who was skeptical of Joseph Smith's claims. Everyone who saw them already believed they existed and that Joseph Smith was receiving divine revelations and speaking with angels.

I've thought about this too, but I think I would be tempted to side with Dostoevsky: "I will tell you that I am a child of the century, a child of disbelief and doubt. I am that today and (I know it) will remain so until the grave. How much terrible torture this thirst for faith has cost me and costs me more even now, which is all the stronger in my soul the more arguments I can find against it. And yet, God sends me sometimes instants when I am completely calm; at those instants I love and feel loved by others, and it is at these instants that I have shaped for myself a Credo where

I don't disagree. But unlike you and LDS Watchman, I don't see this "slippery slope" as a bad thing necessarily. I think we absolutely should question the literalness of the scriptures. The truth can withstand investigation.

What did Paul say? "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men" (1 Cor. 14:20). Also Paul: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). There's a place for nursery stories, but I think at some point God expects us to use our minds and "put away childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11). You ask what good can possibly come from not believing that the stories in the scriptures actually happened. For one thing, I think you can avoid Jeremy Runnells-level disillusionment if you aren't "illusioned" in the fir

I, for one, will be very surprised if God requires 21st-century people to believe in the literal truth of Genesis 1-11, that the sun stood still for Joshua, that Jonah lived inside a fish for 3 days, etc., as a condition of their salvation.

You should stick with the Church News if that's what you're after. This was a feature story written for a national magazine about the Church. It wasn't about President Nelson. I suspect he's fine with it. The Church News seems pretty enthusiastic about the article, actually: https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2020-12-16/president-nelson-interview-atlantic-mckay-coppins-president-ballard-200092

That's not Zelph on the Shelf. That's Mike Norton, the temple videos guy.

Speaking of Zelph on the Shelf, guess what video popped up and auto-loaded immediately after I watched the This Is the Show episode "The CES Letter is too awful for Satan"? Zelph on the Shelf's response to the "Mo Wives, Mo Problems" video. The format was simple. They just watched the video and offered their reactions in real time. I thought the Zelph on the Shelf pair came across as better human beings, and I thought their arguments were stronger. The FairMormon video, in contrast, was glib and shallow, used terrible arguments, and showed zero empathy. If I were a Gen Z kid with questions, I

Well, I have to say I am disappointed that FairMormon's response to the uproar over the This Is the Show videos is to double-down and claim full responsibility for their content. If hosting shallow, crass, demeaning, belittling content "isn't a change in our course," then I guess I've been giving FairMormon too much credit all these years.

Very well said.

I did miss it. Little did I know then that this could be the smoking gun that takes down the Church.

This is pretty funny. Didn't know about this one. I love the motion to supplement the amended complaint. Apparently, there's been a breaking development in the case. Burningham advises the court that she discovered a "social media thread" that described "a lead or metal printing plate that had been in the church’s custody and control since the plate’s creation in 1842" that was used to print Facsimile #3 in the Book of Abraham, and that "ostensible former LDS Book of Abraham apologist, Paul Osborne, has taken the plate, first published in the hard bound Volume 4 of the Joseph Smith Papers

Yes, I did. And I'm happy to own it.