In order to succeed, cults must isolate members from their families and the broader community.

"They don't care about you... You're one of us now."

So, where exactly do we find the cultish behavior?

Is it in the LDS Church who, from the outset, has placed family and civic 1/6 responsibility at the center of Latter-day Saint life? Who has, from the beginning, sent its members across the globe on missions to immerse themselves in foreign cultures and serve diverse peoples? Who has, for decades, encouraged its members to obtain the highest 2/6

The discussion of Kolob in Abraham is much like the creation story in Genesis… It’s a perceptual (not scientific) description of man’s relationship to God and his creations.

Go back and read Abraham 3. Notice how a hierarchy of perception is created, with the earth as the 1/4 lowest point. And as you move upward, away from the earth and in the direction of God, the revolution of the suns- from sunrise to sunset- become longer and longer.

If you consider what that would mean… it would mean as you elevate closer and closer God, the light grows 2/4

The #cesletter doesn’t disprove any core claims of the Latter-day Saints.

But its effectiveness in creating doubt among so many demonstrates we’ve done a poor job explaining revelation, and it’s limitations.

This thread is my attempt to begin that discussion. 1/13 I propose we lay out some principles of revelation to help us understand what it is and isn’t, and what it’s like receiving it.

To be clear, this is not me just trying to force something to work. It’s based, not only on personal experience, but also in scripture. 2/13

The Bible laid the philosophical foundation for science.

But, Christianity’s incomplete understanding paved the way for its own dissolution into nihilistic atheism.

The restored gospel provides key insights to maintain a scientific view, sans the nihilism.

Here’s how… 1/19 Christianity had to contend with several world views (which would have proven antithetical to science) before it could emerge to shape the modern world. Chief among those was Ancient Greek philosophy.

The Greek and Judeo-Christian philosophies actually complimented 2/19

A 19th century unschooled farm boy, dictating, in a 3 month period, over 500 pages of internally consistent narrative and well crafted prose, containing:
-Over 200 named characters
-Over 150 named locations
-Several distinct cultures
-3 calendar systems 1/7

https://twitter.com/monique_derr/status/1569127056231002112

-A workable system of weights and measurements
-Genealogies
-Realistic descriptions of battles and war strategy
-Multiple literary genres
-Distinct writing voices
-Profound, innovative and biblically sound theological discourses
-Over 1,000 intertextual relationships 2/7

Religion, at its core, is the process of discovering and acting out axiomatic beliefs without material evidence that they should be accepted.

Perception isn’t possible without axioms. There’s no such thing as a non-religious person, nor a non-religious society. 1/6 The only question is… What is your religion centered on? Truth or lies?

But how do you tell a true axiom from a false one if, like I said, there is no material evidence to support one over the other?

This kind of truth is only discovered through experience. 2/6

There is a hedonistic, selfish libertinism that has taken hold of the Left, and also certain elements of the Right.

There is always a balance that must be struck between the oppressive culture and the deadly chaos it protects us from. But so many today have lived in the lap 1/5 of luxury for so long, they have no notion of the horror that ensues when modern society breaks down.

For ages, humans have found purpose in taking their role, their place, in society and fulfilling it well. This did, though, become overly prescriptive and oppressive. 2/5

Nitpick the Book of Mormon all you want, but there is no better antidote to the postmodern problem than Alma 32.

Is there an infinite number of ways to interpret the world? Yes. But you can’t just throw whatever crap you want into the ground and grow a fruitful tree. 1/10 You also can’t just throw a good seed into the ground and fail to nourish it.

And there are an infinite number of things you could hypothetically do to the seed, or to the young tree. But there are very specific things you MUST do if you want a tree that bears good fruit. 2/10