Mormons, lawyers told to ask 'the right questions' (OPEN)

Mormon Times ^ | February 13, 2009 | By Carrie Sheffield

[greyfoxx39]

Mormons, lawyers told to ask 'the right questions'

By Carrie Sheffield

For Mormon Times
Published: Friday, Feb. 13, 2009

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Ward clerks keep meticulous records of who attends sacrament meeting each week, but church leaders should instead be concerning themselves with who isn't attending, said Elder Clayton Christensen during an address at Harvard Law School.

Christensen, an Area Authority Seventy and a professor at Harvard Business School, told a crowd of attorneys attending the J. Reuben Clark Law Society annual conference that this mindset is one of many examples of church and civic leaders failing to frame their questions properly and suffering failures as a result.

Christensen cited the New Testament passage of Matthew 18:12, where Jesus Christ tells the parable of the lost sheep and how a shepherd is willing to leave his flock of 99 to rescue one gone astray.

"I think that only people who are worse than lawyers at asking the right questions are business managers and business academics," Christensen quipped, "and the only people who are worse than managers at asking the right question are Mormons."

The Rhodes scholar, bestselling author and former White House fellow delved into what he saw as major flaws in deliberation within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the U.S. government. Christensen said society is "so eager to jump into a debate about what a solution is or what the right answer is that we have skipped over this critical step of framing the question correctly."

Christensen said church leaders, particularly mission presidents, should place greater priority on maintaining new converts rather than pushing missionaries heavily for new baptisms.

He said failing to extend callings to those who are unworthy or less-active is a major reason for stagnant membership growth rates in the church. He shared two stories of men who failed to keep the Word of Wisdom health code, yet lived in wards under bishops who extended them important church callings. These men later went on to become fully re-activated and offer great contributions to the church.

Many wards suffer from what Christensen called "the S.T.P. problem," an acronym for "Same Ten People," where strong, capable and worthy members are recycled into the top callings, leaving the marginalized and less-active members on the periphery of inactivity and low-profile callings.

Christensen instructed the audience, which included many Brigham Young University and Harvard law students, about the importance of maintaining solid priorities despite worldly success.

http://www.mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/mormon_experience/?id=6274

 

 

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[Godzilla]

Well heres some questions for them

If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons? (2 Nephi 30:6, prior to the 1981 revision).

If the Book of Mormon is true, then why has the Mormon church changed it? Examples are: 1 Nephi 11:21; 19:20; 20:1 and Alma 29:4. Compare these with the original Book of Mormon. (Gerald and Sandra Tanner have counted 3913 changes in the book of Mormon, excluding punctuation changes.)

How did Joseph Smith carry home the golden plates of the Book of Mormon, and how did the witnesses lift them so easily? (They weighed about 230 lbs. Gold, with a density of 19.3 weighs 1204.7 lbs. per cubic foot. The plates were 7" x 8" by about 6". See Articles of Faith, by Talmage, page 262, 34th ed.)

If Moroni devoutly practiced the Mormon Gospel, why is he an angel now rather than a God? (Doc. & Cov. 132:17,37)

Why do Mormons emphasize part of the Word of Wisdom and ignore the part forbidding the eating of meat except in winter, cold or famine? (Doc. & Cov. 89:12,13).

Why did the Nauvoo House not stand forever and ever? (Doc. & Cov. 124:56-60).

If Jesus was conceived as a result of a physical union between God and Mary, how was Jesus born of a virgin? (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 50).

How did Nephi with a few men on a new continent build a temple like Solomon's while Solomon needed 163,300 workmen and seven years to build his temple? (1 Kings 5:13-18 and 2 Nephi 5:15-17).

Why was Joseph Smith still preaching against polygamy in October 1843 after he got his revelation in July 1843 commanding the practice of polygamy? (Doc. & Cov. 132; and History of the Church Vol. 6, page 46, or Teachings of the Prophet, page 324).

God rejected the fig leaf aprons which Adam and Eve made (Gen. 3:21). Why do Mormons memorialize the fall by using fig leaf aprons in the secret temple ceremonies?

[colorcountry]

And they should always remember the words of the LDS Apostle, Dallin Oaks:

Evil speaking of the Lord’s anointed is in a class by itself. It is one thing to depreciate a person who exercises corporate power or even government power. It is quite another thing to criticize or depreciate a person for the performance of an office to which he or she has been called of God. It does not matter that the criticism is true.

Sister, must I remind you that not everything that is true is useful.

Channeling mormon-dude's little sister.

[Tennessee Nana]

How did Joseph Smith carry home the golden plates of the Book of Mormon, and how did the witnesses lift them so easily? (They weighed about 230 lbs. Gold, with a density of 19.3 weighs 1204.7 lbs. per cubic foot. The plates were 7” x 8” by about 6”. See Articles of Faith, by Talmage, page 262, 34th ed.)
_____________________________________________

If Joe Smith found some golden plates...ie “treasure” that he was hunting for before and AFTER the find, why didnt he just melt it down and sell it ???

And have you ever heard of God being an “Indian giver” ????

[the long march]

I like those questions

[colorcountry]

Why was Joseph Smith still preaching against polygamy in October 1843 after he got his revelation in July 1843 commanding the practice of polygamy? (Doc. & Cov. 132;

According to the latest printing of the DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS section 132.

Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831

[Godzilla]

More questions

General questions:

Why did the angel take Nephi Plates back to heaven? Do they not belong with man? Would not their existence prove once for all that Mormonism is truth? God allowed the Jews to carry the 10 commandments for several centuries in their original physical form, written by the finger of God Himself!

"Will you, as a Mormon, please read the Bible cover to cover and ask God to reveal to you that it contains all of God's message to man and that parts are not lost or altered and that the Book of Mormon is false?"

How can we be assured that the translation of the B of M into French or any other language is correct? Only the English translation is claimed to be inspired!

How do you account for the stunning parallels in both content and order between the B of M and the View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith? Published in 1823 (7 years before the B of M) less than 100 miles from the Joseph Smith's parents home.

Mormon Article of Faith #8: "We Believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." Why do you only add the phrase, "as far as it is translated correctly" to describe the Bible and not after the book of Mormon when in fact there are far more translating errors in the Book of Mormon than the Bible?

Joseph Smith said that there are men living on the moon who dress like Quakers and live to be nearly 1000 years old. Since he was wrong about the moon, is it safe to trust him regarding the way to Heaven? (The Young Woman's Journal, Vol. 3, pages 263-264. See repreint in Mormonism --Shadow or Reality? by Jerald and Sandra Tanner, page 4.)

What about Chariots (Alma 18:9)? There is no evidence of actual wheeled vehicle usage in the 2,000 BC to 400 AD time frame in Ancient America.

Why does the Book of Mormon imply a seven day week (Mosiah 13:18) when it was not known to Ancient Americans? The Mesoamericans used a variety of calendars, none of which match the Old World calendar. The Maya seemed to be oversupplied in the calendar department. One calendar consisted of a 260-day cycle divided into 13 'months' of twenty days. (This calendar was used by most of the ancient Mesoamericans). Each day was presided over by it's own god. Another consists of a 365-day cycle, also divided into 'months' of twenty days, eighteen of them in fact. The five leftover days were called the 'resting, or sleep of the year'. Another consists of a 3276-day cycle divided into four quadrants of 819 days (the product of 7*9*13, all sacred numbers to the Maya). And then, of course, there was the so-called 'long count' calendar, which simply counted days from the creation of the world (August 11, 3114 BC, if anyone wants to know). (Linda Schele, 'A Forest of Kings', pg. 78)

Why does the Book of Mormon mention Bellows (1 Nephi 17:11), Brass (2 Nephi 5:15), Breast Plates & Copper (Mosiah 8:10), Iron (Jarom 1:8), Gold and Silver currency (Alma 11), Silver (Jarom 1:8), and Steel Swords (Ether 7:9)? No evidence indicates that these items existed during Book of Mormon times. Tom Ferguson: "Metallurgy does not appear in the region until about the 9th century A.D."

Why does the Book of Mormon mention the following animals: Ass, Bull, Calf, Cattle, Cow, domestic Goat (the Nephites claimed to have found the domestic goat!), Horse (the horse plays a major role in the Nephite and Lamanite societies), Ox, domestic Sheep, Sow, Swine, & Elephants (contrary to the dated information on this site, non-LDS indicate that there is no evidence of elephants in the New World and the mammoth and mastodon of North America have been extinct for thousands years--see Stan Larson's "Quest for the Gold Plates" pages 184-188? None of these animals even existed in America during the era and timescale of Book of Mormon times.

Why aren't animals such as Coatimundis, Deer, Jaguars, Tapir, Monkeys, Sloths, Turkeys, etc.. mentioned when they were animals that existed? They were unknown to Joseph Smith, but later discovered to have lived here at the time the Nephites were supposed to have co-existed with them.

Why is plow agriculture such as Barley (Alma 11:7) and Wheat (Mosiah 9:9) included in the Book of Mormon when it didn't exist during that time period? "There's a whole system of production of wheat and barley . . . It's a specialized production of food. You have to know something to make flax [the source of linen], and especially in tropical climates. Grapes and olives . . . all these are cultures that are highly developed and amount to systems, and so the Book of Mormon is saying that these systems existed here." (BYU anthropology professor, Dr. Raymond T. Matheny, August 25, 1984 Sunstone conference in Salt Lake City). Welch claims barley existed in the Book of Mormon based on one find in Phoenix, Arizona! Arizona is hardly the setting of the Book of Mormon. Why aren't the foods known to ancient America such as chocolate, lima beans, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, manioc, etc. included in the Book of Mormon?

[Godzilla]

Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831

You mean he had been preaching against polygamy for 12 years while practising it for the same period

I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

[colorcountry]

You mean he had been preaching against polygamy for 12 years while practising it for the same period

Practicing? I'd say he was an expert!

[Godzilla]

Another question they should ask. If the Book of Mormon is the “most correct book of any on earth” (History of the Church, vol. 4:461), then why does it not contain essential Mormon doctrines such as...

Church organization
Plurality of Gods
Plurality of wives doctrine
Word of Wisdom
God is an exalted man
Celestial marriage
Men may become Gods
Three degrees of glory
Baptism for the dead
Eternal progression
The Aaronic Priesthood
Temple works of washings, anointing, endowments, sealing.

[Godzilla]

Practicing? I'd say he was an expert!

LOL, I guess if he hadn't gotten it figured out after 12 years there would be reasons for serious concerns.

[Some hope remaining.]

Ward clerks keep meticulous records of who attends sacrament meeting each week, but church leaders should instead be concerning themselves with who isn't attending,

Hmm, the opening statement isn't even true. They keep track of how many people attend sacrament meeting but not names. You'd think the guy would know that. They only take attendance with names in sunday school classes, etc.

:p

[greyfoxx39]

Another good question, why did Nephi kill Laban? Laban didn't do anything to Nephi.

There was nobody else trying to kill Nephi, and poor Laban was just lying there face-planted after partying too hearty. There is no circumstance under which what Nephi did would be considered justifiable.

On top of which, he also
2) desecrated and mutilated the body (a felony)
3) committed felony theft (the plates)
4) committed fraud by impersonation
5) kidnapping
6) and finally, stole the dude's clothes.

[Godzilla]

Another good question, why did Nephi kill Laban? Laban didn't do anything to Nephi.

How could he, Nephi Did Not Exist in Jerusalem at the Commencement of the First Year of the Reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah. He would have just been deported from Jerusalem to Babylon.

[ejonesie22]

Ah, just another thread where the “haters” can gather sharing what our beloved Prophet, doctirnes and scriptures “SAY”, not what they “MEAN”.

As if truth is an important element of “The Truth”...

Pathetic that people actually think ones words and doctrine has to match ones words and doctrine.

Gentiles, so simple minded...

[Utah Binger]

It all boils down to this: If these good Mormon attorneys are so bright and have developed abilities to explore conceptual ideas and advanced thinking, why are they so flippin’ (Mormon Cussing) stupid as to not see the obvious and made up shallowness of the dogma and the just plain silliness of it all.

They are liars (to themselves) every one of them! Poor souls.

[greyfoxx39]

Right on!

How is the convalescence coming along?

[Godzilla]

Gotta remember, attorneys are an odd fish. They can cuddle up to the very devil himself one moment then just hide behind a ‘code of ethics’. Why won’t sharks eat lawyers - professional respect.

[colorcountry]

Yeah Bing, even a stupid fool like me figgerd it out. What the heck is wrong with these educated fools.