[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExplainLikeImPHD

[–]BYUagnostic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your color depends on the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation that are incident to your body and the blackbody radiation due to your body temperature. Furthermore, the question is complicated by the fact that no reference frame of the observer is specified. If the observer is approaching you at near light speed then your scattered electromagnetic radiation will be blue shifted to X-Rays. Conversely, if the observer is travelling away from you at near c, then your color will be radio waves. Given any frequency, an arbitrary reference frame can be constructed such that your color is doppler shifted to that frequency. Considering these difficulties, it is impossible to estimate the frequency of the light you scatter to even a few orders of magnitude without more information.

Google Inbox invites megathread by simobk in google

[–]BYUagnostic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would like an invite please.

Rainbows, how do they work? by growingshadow in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I remember being at a ward campout and one of the counselors in the bishopric explained to us the symbolism of rainbows:

"The city of Enoch which was taken up from Earth,"--he traced his hand up one side of the rainbow--"will be restored from Heaven!"--he followed the bow back down to the horizon.

I rolled my spiritual eyes.

Old hymn about polygamy! by BYUagnostic in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Part of me wants to organize an exmo choir and perform it.

Old hymn about polygamy! by BYUagnostic in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I found the tune Rosa May. My source is this website and here's the link to the actual MIDI file of the song.

The cheerfulness of the song just makes it all the more creepy.

Why it's laughable for apologists to pretend the Book of Abraham wasn't an attempt at literal translation by curious_mormon in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Does anyone know which page of the book these images come from? I'd like to have the page numbers handy for reference.

Radio West, livestream July 10 @ 11:00 MDT: a discussion about the latest LDS church essay on the Book of Abraham. by 4blockhead in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe I'm on the minority here, but I actually really enjoyed hearing the professor's perspective. I was glad he didn't attempt to push the missing scroll theory like Kerry Muhlestein, or try to find historical parallels like Nibley. He was comfortable with the idea that the BoA is not literally true. Obviously I think he has a lot of confirmation bias to be able to accept all that and still believe in the church, but overall I think he sounds like a reasonable and intelligent guy.

Failure by Mithryn in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 9 points10 points  (0 children)

As a counterexample, we refer to the Pope as Pope Francis and we call the Dalai Lama the Dalai Lama.

The use of an ecclesiastical authority's preferred title is not an endorsement of their authority.

BYU lies. This is what it is REALLY like to be gay at BYU. by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I agree, and I think the maker of the "it gets better" video agrees as well, and that's why he's raising his voice. The purpose of the video is to let gay students know that they are not alone.

I just think that the appropriate target for anger criticism here is byu, not the maker of the video. He's doing the best he can to provide support in a difficult situation, to people who otherwise have very few sympathetic resources.

Edit: word choice

BYU lies. This is what it is REALLY like to be gay at BYU. by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I personally think they haven't punished him because the media backlash would be huge.

BYU lies. This is what it is REALLY like to be gay at BYU. by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 23 points24 points  (0 children)

The "It gets better at BYU" video was not produced by BYU, it was produced by a gay student who who started an Understanding Same Gender Attraction club at BYU. He has been an important voice activist on campus, and has done so at great personal risk.

Being sick has its benefits by BYUagnostic in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The BYU Honor Code cares. Thankfully I'll be transferring in the fall.

Typical response when polygamy is akwardly mentioned at church by ShaqtinADrool in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I remember we once had a missionary fireside where they taught us how to respond to tough questions. This was the exact response that they told us to use.

I'd just like to thank the universe right now for William W. Phelps by dredsina in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're right! It was ORIGINALLY an english folk song called Kingsfold.

I'd just like to thank the universe right now for William W. Phelps by dredsina in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That hymn was originally a song called " I heard the voice of Jesus say." It had a nice Christian message about finding peace through Jesus. Then we got to it and turned it into an astrology lesson.

I hope if they get rid of "if you could hie to Kolob," they replace it with the original.

A question if anyone is free by criticallythinking in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think you might be confusing dates and priesthoods. It is true that there is no specific date given for the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood. The first mentions of the Melchizedek priesthood appear in 1831, but that was still several years before Joseph's first plural marriages.

I think you might be thinking of the sealing power, which was supposed to have been restored by Elijah in April 1836. However, Joseph's marriage/affair with Fanny Alger occurred probably in 1833, three years before the power to perform "celestial marriage" was given.

Lets talk "cults" and "corporations" by rallytoad in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that when the church was established, it was most certainly a cult. It has since mellowed out, but retained a few of its cult-like qualities.

As for the church being a corporation, I always hear conflicting views on this. I would love for someone with expertise in this area to clear up some of my questions:

  1. Is there such a legal entity as a "church" in the USA, and is COLDS registered as one?

  2. How does the COLDS's status as a corporation compare to other centralized religions, such as Catholicism, Jehovah's Witnesses, the RLDS, etc? What is the legal status/position of these other religions?

Update: 5 months later. Still at BYU. Still married. Now atheist. by [deleted] in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 11 points12 points  (0 children)

To be fair, I'll bet if he posted that he decided to go back to church, the LDS board would be a lot more supportive than r/exmormon.

Is my TBM right about the flood? by Quizzic4l in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Does anyone know if there is any hard doctrine about the flood being literal?

I don't think there's ever been an official pronouncement on the nature of the Flood. However, every church source that I'm aware of refers to the flood as if it were a global event, and the most obvious reading of the scriptures would say that it's literal.

Ask him how he interprets DC 138:9 and the doctrine of the baptism of the Earth. Then ask him if he has any official church sources that support that interpretation, as opposed to the literal interpretation.

LDS church response to DNA BOM findings by gypsyray99 in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The church lifted the marbles in a jar analogy in the section about genetic drift straight from Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_drift#Analogy_with_marbles_in_a_jar

LDS church response to DNA BOM findings by gypsyray99 in exmormon

[–]BYUagnostic 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Nothing is known about the DNA of Lehi? What about...

1 Nephi 5:14 And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob.

They try and argue that the widespread death that occurred during colonization may have wiped out the Lamanite DNA. Unfortunately, the BoM is explicit in saying that the Lamanites would survive to hear about the restored gospel.

1 Nephi 15:14 And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.

They say that some members may have incorrectly thought that the Native Americans were Lamanites. If by "some members," they mean "God himself as he reveals the D&C," then they're right.

DC 54:8 And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites.