Popular Post Sevenbak Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 So this just happened..."To my Mormon friends, my Latter-day Saint friends, think of him as Captain Moroni," Lee said at the Latter-day Saints for Trump event. Around 436,000 LDS members live in Arizona."He seeks not power, but to pull it down. He seeks not the praise of the world or the fake news, but he seeks the wellbeing and the peace of the American people," Lee said of Trump. https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lee-donal ... on-1543117 6 Link to comment
strappinglad Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Sssssttttttttrrrrrrrreeeeeettttttttccccccccccchhhhhhhhhh 3 Link to comment
Popular Post Sevenbak Posted October 29, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 Agreed! In addition to crossing a huge line, I think Mike Lee forgot about this passage... "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." 6 Link to comment
Popular Post Duncan Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 I'm pretty certain Captain Moroni wasn't ever on an Access Hollywood bus getting taped 8 Link to comment
Popular Post Sevenbak Posted October 29, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 6 minutes ago, Duncan said: I'm pretty certain Captain Moroni wasn't ever on an Access Hollywood bus getting taped Or paid off hookers... 6 Link to comment
pogi Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) That hit my funny bone. Mike Lee is funnier than I thought. Edited October 29, 2020 by pogi Link to comment
stemelbow Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 If I squint I see some comparison and might get where Mike Lee is coming from. Quote He seeks not power, but to pull it down. He seeks not the praise of the world or the fake news, but he seeks the wellbeing and the peace of the American people I don't see Trump as the devil as some do. I see him more of a duffus who through circumstance and ambition has found success. But, that doesn't mean he doesn't have an interest in wellbeing and peace for the American people. He's likely got some inklings to that effect inside him. As i see it we're all pretty complex creatures with competing motivations running us. I don't think he's any different. When kids were put in cages under Trump's leadership, that was very Captain Moroni-esque. He was taking a harsh measure to, in his mind, get the job done. When Trump cleared Lafayette Square of dissenters, he was doing something one can imagine Captain Moroni would have done. Dissenters are worth putting aside, even at the cost of Constitutional disrespect But if situations were reversed would Trump be the guy, like Moroni, who commanded the execution of many so those who supported him might have a better future? I don't know. I doubt we'd ever know. Trump can't get away with executing people in our day--one would hope. Moroni killed many people who disagreed with him. If Nephites weren't with him, they were seen as against him. He put them to death. If prisoners didn't comply with Moroni's demands, they were killed. Moroni too sought the wellbeing and peace of his people. Those that weren't his, though, he treated as if they shouldn't be there and didn't matter. Of course the big difference here is Trump has a life of ease compared to Moroni. Moroni, as his brief story suggests, was good at war and war strategy. I think on the face of it, the comparison is silly because Trump couldn't lead an army defeating larger armies at hand to hand combat. He'd likely yell at them to go win and then hide in a cave or something. But there's no reason to take the comparison that far. If Moroni was as big a duffus as Trump saying all sorts of insane things, well, then, maybe they were one and the same. Of course the BoM story isn't real and Capt M is just a cute little character used to inspire...so maybe it works on that level for those who support Trump. Link to comment
smac97 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Per this article (Op-Ed commentary, actually), by a retired BYU professor, Trump is Korihor: Quote In my view, Mr. Trump has few values consistent with LDS beliefs. Instead, he is more closely akin to the evil figure in the Book of Mormon known as Korihor, an opposition figure to Christian ethics who swayed many believers in ancient times. Mormon scripture records that Korihor emphasized that which is visible and tangible, like money, sex and power, not ethics or character. Trump and his co-religionist, Korihor, think that decent values and morality are psychological abnormalities, products of “derangement” and a “frenzied mind.” (Alma 30:16.) Assuming that there is no God and since religion is a farce, Korihor and his descendant, Mr. Trump, conclude people can live as they please without fear of eternal consequences. Korihor argued that “ye cannot know of things which ye do not see” (Alma 30:15-18). In other words, there’s no real shame unless one is caught. And when caught, engage in denial. Always. There’s neither crime nor sin, unfairness nor fairness, and no eternal consequence of actions. The powerful ought to “enjoy their rights and privileges,” and “make use of that which is their own” (Alma 30:17) as they take wealth from the masses while paying no taxes. Korihor is accused of what may be Trump’s greatest sin, being “possessed of a “lying spirit” (Alma 30:42), revealed in 21,000 documented lies from Mr. Trump so far. In contrast to Christian humility and simplicity, Trump values ego and control. In similar fashion, we read in Alma 30:17 of Korihor that “every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.” Sound familiar? After being caught for his crimes, Korihor is told the devil had power over him (Alma 30:42). In reading these words, I think of Trump’s attacks on women, fellow politicians and our military dead who he described as “losers” and “suckers.” I'm reminded of the parable of the Blind Man and the Elephant: Quote It is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and conceptualize what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the elephant's body, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the elephant based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest and they come to blows. Thanks, -Smac 1 Link to comment
Popular Post Kevin Christensen Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) Having read the Book of Mormon, and Nibley's essay on Freeman and Kingman in the Book of Mormon, I missed the parts of the story where Captain Moroni paid off mistresses, separated children from refugee parents as deterrent, hired corrupt and ignorant people to undermine the government, flattered and schmoozed tyrants, stacked the courts, deregulated environmental and financial protections, sought to gut healthcare, refused to personally go down to battle himself (bone spur deferments), denigrated science, undermined relationships with close allies, cut both taxes and accountability for the rich, demonized immigrants and refugees, pressured Ukraine to provide smears of his legitimate political opponents, had his science office declare victory over a pandemic at the same time that infections set new record highs and leading all nations in deaths by a shocking margin, demonstrating in every divisive superspreader rally that he cares nothing for the blood of his people ..., lied constantly and shamelessly, and most importantly, having defeated invaders, declined to retire from government to demonstrate that he really did not mean it when he said, "I seek not for power but to tear it down." FWIW, Kevin Christensen Canonsburg, PA Edited October 30, 2020 by Kevin Christensen Correction in last sentence for consistency. 18 Link to comment
CA Steve Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Kind of a scary comparison when you think about what happened to the people Moroni was leading. Link to comment
Popular Post BlueDreams Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) He especially hits home with that passage about Captain Moroni Picking up the banner of liberty and then said "Ouch! my bone spurs are acting up....you know I think that Ammonite - who should consider himself lucky we even let him into our Nephite lands - can probably hold this for me while I watch from a distance and work the markets/banks for millions of dollars" Classic Captain Moroni right there Edited October 29, 2020 by BlueDreams 11 Link to comment
Popular Post pogi Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Kevin Christensen said: Having read the Book of Mormon, and Nibley's essay on Freeman and Kingman in the Book of Mormon, I missed the parts of the story where Captain Moroni paid off mistresses, separated children from refugee parents as deterrent, hired corrupt and ignorant people to undermine the government, flattered and schmoozed tyrants, stacked the courts, deregulated environmental and financial protections, sought to gut healthcare, refused to personally go down to battle himself (bone spur deferments), denigrated science, undermined relationships with close allies, cut both taxes and accountability for the rich, demonized immigrants and refugees, pressured Ukraine to provide smears of his legitimate political opponents, had his science office declare victory over a pandemic at the same time that infections set new record highs and leading all nations in deaths by a shocking margin, demonstrating in every divisive superspreader rally that he cares nothing for the blood of his people ..., lied constantly and shamelessly, and most importantly, having defeated invaders, retired from government to demonstrate that when he said, "I seek not for power but to tear it down." FWIW, Kevin Christensen Canonsburg, PA True, but Trump (like Captain Moroni) did fancy himself a "wartime President" (for all of maybe 4 days or so). Never mind that he tucked his tail in retreat when he realized that bleach won't work. Edited October 29, 2020 by pogi 5 Link to comment
Sevenbak Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 16 minutes ago, BlueDreams said: He especially hits home with that passage about Captain Moroni Picking up the banner of liberty and then said "Ouch! my bone spurs are acting up....you know I think that Ammonite - who should consider himself lucky we even let him into our Nephite lands - can probably hold this for me while I watch from a distance and work the markets/banks for millions of dollars" Classic Captain Moroni right there Millions of Senines perhaps? 1 Link to comment
phaedrus ut Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 My LDS relatives who are Republican Trump supporters were offended by this, my Jack Mormon friends found offense, and my liberal exmormon friends still managed to be offended. That's a pretty shaky wagon to hitch your political future to. Phaedrus 4 Link to comment
Popular Post T-Shirt Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 First of all, Mike Lee did not compare Donald Trump to Captain Moroni in all aspects of his life, he only compared them in regards to power and peace. Second, Mike Lee did not like Donald Trump and did not vote for him. However, his opinion of him changed as he worked closely with him. A brief article about this is found here: https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/10/25/21529154/senator-mike-lee-donald-trump-election-2020-support-gop-republican-supreme-court-conservatism 5 Link to comment
Popular Post BlueDreams Posted October 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted October 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, T-Shirt said: First of all, Mike Lee did not compare Donald Trump to Captain Moroni in all aspects of his life, he only compared them in regards to power and peace. Second, Mike Lee did not like Donald Trump and did not vote for him. However, his opinion of him changed as he worked closely with him. A brief article about this is found here: https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/10/25/21529154/senator-mike-lee-donald-trump-election-2020-support-gop-republican-supreme-court-conservatism Okay, let's move past the questionable assumption that Trump doesn't think about power and is trying to arbitrate peace in the US for just a second. In my family, my husband, myself, and my younger brother who are all active LDS often describe Trump as King Noah. We make several analogies to his evil and hedonistic tendencies. We note his love of accumulating wealth and filling the system with personal loyalists who support or enable evil things or things that foster greater inequalities. He's enabled at times some of our worst tendencies based on his own, primarily racism, xenophobia, and mysogyny. And he's left our nation more divided, vulnerable to a plague and some of our enemies, and more alienated from our allies. Oh and his chief judges and self tend to misrepresent things and warp scripture to fit their evil designs (see Session and child separation policies or trump looking to the heavens and calling himself the chosen one). So for me and my husband and my brother, the shoe fits. I'm assuming for you and others who may be more supportive of Trump, you may take offense with mixing politics with scripture in this manner. And I'm assuming you'd especially take offense if I shared said analogy in a push for biden in front of a public forum specifically trying to reach out to LDS voters. Maybe I'm wrong. But the same reason you likely wouldn't be pleased with this is likely the same reason many others are pissed by Lee's response. It's inappropriate and feeds a problem of using religion to bolster your political perspectives....which leaves us more open to assuming that those who don't hold the same political views might be in religiously shakey ground. With luv, BD 12 Link to comment
BlueDreams Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) duplicate Edited October 29, 2020 by BlueDreams Link to comment
Storm Rider Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 2 hours ago, Sevenbak said: So this just happened..."To my Mormon friends, my Latter-day Saint friends, think of him as Captain Moroni," Lee said at the Latter-day Saints for Trump event. Around 436,000 LDS members live in Arizona."He seeks not power, but to pull it down. He seeks not the praise of the world or the fake news, but he seeks the wellbeing and the peace of the American people," Lee said of Trump. https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lee-donal ... on-1543117 He needs to bite off his tongue. No, that man has nothing to do with character. A pox on both their houses - they are good reflections of one another; one just is a fellow that is not as offensive, but both cannot keep their feet out of their mouths. 1 Link to comment
Meadowchik Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) In 2007, I was really uncomfortable with the comparisons of Obama to Moses, and I likewise dislike the comparisons of the POTUS to Moroni. I don't have an issue with actual comparisons of character when those fit, but in both cases the comparisons seemed to be more about the voters' relationship to the political figure as one that is salvific in nature. Such a mentality dangerously approaches very undemocratic and less principled concepts about the role of government. I see government essentially as a contract between people, comprised of agreed-upon terms, with the American contract as a democratic republic to be one consisting of agreed-upon values of governance including standard ways those values can be expressed by the voice of the people through its government. I do not see the US government as one based on a figurehead who has within them the ability or right to govern unilaterally, nor to even have the ability to do so successfully. It is very disheartening to see and in my opinion it is not in the best interest of any nation. Edited October 29, 2020 by Meadowchik 2 Link to comment
longview Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 I am grateful for Trump to sacrifice his luxurious life to come in and make extensive reforms and to drain the swamp. He is working for free (he has donated every one of his presidential paychecks to worthy causes) and continues to fight FOR America even though his assets have been dwindling steadily. Everything the opposition has accused Trump of, actually have been perpetrated by THEM! Thank the LORD for Trump. I pray for him as well as many throughout the world. 2 Link to comment
Tacenda Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Just now, longview said: I am grateful for Trump to sacrifice his luxurious life to come in and make extensive reforms and to drain the swamp. He is working for free (he has donated every one of his presidential paychecks to worthy causes) and continues to fight FOR America even though his assets have been dwindling steadily. Everything the opposition has accused Trump of, actually have been perpetrated by THEM! Thank the LORD for Trump. I pray for him as well as many throughout the world. I'd rather he get paid a salary, it's cheaper than all of his golf trips. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2019/07/10/trumps-golf-trips-could-cost-taxpayers-over-340-million/amp/ Link to comment
longview Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 2 minutes ago, Tacenda said: I'd rather he get paid a salary, it's cheaper than all of his golf trips. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2019/07/10/trumps-golf-trips-could-cost-taxpayers-over-340-million/amp/ Nothing but slander. Trump golfs at Mar-a-Lago Club of which he is the owner. You really should do your homework before trying to slime people. 2 Link to comment
Meadowchik Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 4 minutes ago, longview said: Nothing but slander. Trump golfs at Mar-a-Lago Club of which he is the owner. You really should do your homework before trying to slime people. She might be talking about the other costs of the trips, which greatly outweigh the regular fees of any private golf course. 4 Link to comment
CV75 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Sevenbak said: So this just happened..."To my Mormon friends, my Latter-day Saint friends, think of him as Captain Moroni," Lee said at the Latter-day Saints for Trump event. Around 436,000 LDS members live in Arizona."He seeks not power, but to pull it down. He seeks not the praise of the world or the fake news, but he seeks the wellbeing and the peace of the American people," Lee said of Trump. https://www.newsweek.com/mike-lee-donal ... on-1543117 I wish he was in my Sunday School class... Edited October 29, 2020 by CV75 Link to comment
pogi Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 (edited) 56 minutes ago, T-Shirt said: First of all, Mike Lee did not compare Donald Trump to Captain Moroni in all aspects of his life, he only compared them in regards to power and peace. Second, Mike Lee did not like Donald Trump and did not vote for him. However, his opinion of him changed as he worked closely with him. A brief article about this is found here: https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2020/10/25/21529154/senator-mike-lee-donald-trump-election-2020-support-gop-republican-supreme-court-conservatism Quote He seeks not power Trump = power hungry. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/04/14/trump-power-constitution-coronavirus/ Quote He seeks not the praise of the world Trump: ‘Nobody’s ever done a better job than I’m doing as president’ I somehow can't imagine Captain Moroni saying that. A few more: I Am The Best: A Prose Poem By Donald J. Trump I am the most successful person ever to run for president. Nobody’s ever been more successful than me. I have the best words. I am the best builder. Nobody builds walls better than me. I build the best product. Nobody can build a wall like Trump. I’ve always had people say, “Donald, you have the most beautiful hands.” I have the steadiest hands. I have a very good brain. Somebody made the statement that Donald Trump has built or owns the greatest collection of golf courses, ever, in the history of golf. And I believe that is 100 percent true. I have the best courses in the world. I went to one of the best schools. On trade, there’s nobody more conservative than me. I’m the most conservative when it comes to military, when it comes to the border, when it comes to security, when it comes to illegal immigration: all of these things. I think I’m the most conservative person there is. I am the only one who can fix our southern border. There is nobody more against Obamacare than me. I could fix TV talk shows that are doing poorly. There is tremendous talent out there waiting to be tapped, and nobody sees it! I am the worst thing that ever happened to ISIS. I will be the greatest jobs president God ever created. Nobody knows jobs like I do. I will create jobs like no one else. Nobody has more respect for women than I do. No one has done more for people with disabilities than me. I will help the veterans like no one else. No one has done so much for equality as I have. I am the only one who can beat Hillary Clinton. I am Hillary Clinton’s worst nightmare. Quote he seeks the wellbeing and the peace of the American people Trump, the peacemaker...that is funny too. He has brought a dark cloud of division and rancor that has tarnished the office of the Presidency and displayed its ugly face all over Twitter. Trump is more like a conquistador than a peace maker. Quote "That our great country deserves a leader who cares for us, who will fight for our families, who will honor the sacred trust of the presidency, who will do his best every day to be honest, wise, and good." Honesty, decency, and goodness are not attributes that I would ascribe to Trump. I would never use the word "sacred" and "Trump" in the same sentence. He is cunning (I don't know if I would go as far as to say "wise") like a snake, however - and just as unflinchingly reactive to bite. Edited October 29, 2020 by pogi 4 Link to comment
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