An Excellent Little Editorial

[selek1]

In the Priesthood Ban/Lineage thread, Jeremy Orbe-Smith links to an editorial in the Times and Seasons:

Everybody:

Times & Seasons has a fantastic little editorial on this issue, filled with some excellent links. It also contains a plug for the Juvenile Instructor (Matt Bowman's great site) which hosts an extremely valuable collection of resources on this issue. Go there now and read up!

I agree with him that the article (and the Ed Kimball piece he cited in the other thread) are both quite good.

The Kimball piece is an excellent primer on the historical record surrounding the issue.

I disagree, however, with Orbe-Smith's interpretation of the evidence presented and the conclusions he draws from that interpretation.

Orbe-Smith has spent the last several pages criticizing and dismissing those who state that "we don't know" the reasons behind the Ban. It is his conviction that the Ban was racist on its face and thus not of God.

On that note, he has spent the last several posts in increasingly bitter exchanges with those who disagree with him.

Yet, what do we find at the bottom of the editorial he himself recommended?

[fn6] Note that this isn’t meant to assume that God was behind the ban; my personal view is that fallible leaders incorporated their preexisting beliefs into their structuring of Church policies. But I realize that not everybody agrees with that; even those who denounce the racist folklore of the past can argue that we don’t have enough evidence to pin the blame on past leaders. Which is why, in the end, no matter what our beliefs and suspicions, the only completely true answer seems to be, We don’t know.

Do not start a thread to bash another poster.

[selek1]

As far as the article itself goes, I agree with those who believe Bott's statements (as presented) are way off the reservation. If these quotes are accurate and in context, I agree that he should be snapped back into line- and snapped back as hard as needs be.

I am particularly sympathetic to Commentor #12 (Cynthia).

That having been said, I am also waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Given the one-sided and sycophantic adoration we've seen of Helen Radke as of late, I can't help but wonder if we're getting the full and complete story.