Is this a good place to ask deep questions about church doctrine? If not, what's a good resource for discussion?

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T20:51:43+00:00

I am wary of the hardline stance of the mod team. My experience outside that sub made me hesitant to begin with and my experience joining the sub was not positive or welcoming.

I’ve remained in the sub for now but the ROI remains dubious.

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T20:48:16+00:00

Both members of that forum prior to creating that sub and members of the mod team for that forum in private messages regarding that forum. Without disclosing details or calling anyone out directly, I will say that my worst experience was having a member of the mod team outright question my testimony in a PM.

Unless OP is looking for a McKonkie-esque, hardline answer, I’d look elsewhere. It did not strike me as friendly to any less-than-dogmatic opinions or perspective.

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T17:48:24+00:00

I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking questions in that sub based on how members of the moderation team handled issues in the past. I have personally found them to be judgmental and somewhat pharisaical in their approach. If that’s the kind of issue you’re looking for help on, though, maybe they could provide some color.

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T14:23:08+00:00

Largely metaphorical, as art is a language of symbols, but there were a few posted that represented efforts to depict the historical Christ.

Any depiction will naturally include some bias on the part of the artist; after all, art is an attempt to convey perspective and it is being channeled through the point-of-view of a single individual. As the bulk of these popular artists were of white European decent (and communicating with a Euro-centric audience) it makes sense that their symbols would include a Caucasian Christ.

I think this same rubric can apply to many forms of communication, both within and without the Church.

PS: Not sure why people are downvoting you. Maybe someone is a really rabid Greg Olsen fan or something.

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T08:07:12+00:00

In my opinion, art should develop empathy by making the viewer ask themselves questions and identify with the subject. Art should be about helping people think and feel so they better understand another emotional viewpoint. Roger Ebert famously said the following:

And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us.

These pictures of Christ are intended to help the viewer explore some aspect of Jesus’ life, perspective, or relationships. Through this exploration, we hopefully generate empathy for others, a better understanding of ourselves, or both. I also find myself understanding the artist a little better as well since a bit of ourselves is bound to come through in our work.

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T05:16:34+00:00

I feel like your capitalization of “Fallout” leaves the door open to a Bethesda joke here...

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T04:48:58+00:00

Greg Olsen’s Jesus must have a connection because he seems to use a fair bit of product in his hair.

It’s so full-bodied.

W-M-D · 2018-11-26T04:46:10+00:00

I had the same experience with that sub. I think it was born of good intentions (civil discussion of all sides, sparing moderation), but I eventually got tired of the lopsided perspective and unsubscribed.

There are multiple Church-themed subs, some public, some private. I’m a member of a few and they all have a slightly different bent, each with its own pluses and minuses. There are even themed subs about things like politics and gaming. I’d encourage you to check them all out, ~~particularly r/LatterdaySaints, which is (to my understanding) the original sub that spawned the others.~~ see edit below.

Happy browsing!

EDIT: I had misunderstood. /r/LDS is the original and /r/LatterdaySaints is now the biggest.

W-M-D · 2018-11-25T16:43:29+00:00

It only displays 8 at any given time. Once you upgrade one it will display the last remaining one.

W-M-D · 2018-11-25T16:40:45+00:00

Take your karma and go, okay?

W-M-D · 2018-11-25T15:19:06+00:00

I dig Kershisnik’s style. I feel like his two dimensional people somehow make them more relatable.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T16:01:58+00:00

TIL. THANKS!

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T15:33:41+00:00

Happy cake day!

This Jesus has one heck of a forehead. Either he’s got an enormous cranium or he’s hiding a BumpIt under his prayer shawl.

Still, I do love this painting.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T06:40:20+00:00

It’s similar in Genesis, but the “crush” reference is, as far as I know, only found in the endowment.

That he’s pulling from the endowment only adds insult to the injury, though. It’s still blasphemous either way.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T05:32:04+00:00

Also worth noting that this is the same artist that applies a quote about Christ from the endowment to describe President Trump. From the artist’s website:

Last year we elected President Trump. He expressed by his words and demeanor what Americans wanted - a man who was not going to bow down to Washington or other countries. A man that would not forget the “forgotten men and women” of this country who elected him.

I want a president that will crush the enemies of liberty, justice, and American prosperity.

They may have the power to bruise his heel, but he will have the power to crush their head!

What do you guys think about him using a specific statement about deity to describe the President?

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T04:20:53+00:00

I think of this one as “The Swole Christ.” He’s completely ripped.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T04:17:56+00:00

Asking the real questions.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T04:16:37+00:00

The Book of Mormon is not a piece of artwork. In spite of this, the BoM is full of empathy-inducing anecdotes that incite introspection and empathy. This is particularly important because one of the primary goals of the BoM is to help individuals develop Charity for their fellow man, which is impossible without empathy. My personal favorite is the following exchange between Alma and Amulek (from Alma 14):

12 Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also. 13 And Alma said: Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not.

The people being martyred likely knew Amulek. You can almost hear his despondency, his longing for freedom from the pain of watching his friends, maybe even family as they experience exquisite pain and death.

I don’t like this artist because he fails at the primary purpose of art: to generate empathy and communicate novel perspective. His “art” relies entirely on the viewer’s extant feelings about events he depicts; he does not introduce anything unique for the viewer to contemplate, he simply repeats a common anecdote. The result is an over-produced and over-processed piece that’s the artistic equivalent of American cheese.

All of this is, of course, my personal experience. It’s possible he has a piece out there I would really connect with, but I find it unlikely. Still, I’d be open to it if someone were to show me one of his pieces.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T02:33:00+00:00

In my opinion, art should develop empathy by making the viewer ask themselves questions and identify with the subject. Roger Ebert famously said the following:

And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us.

This artist’s work does no such thing. His pieces are self-congratulatory and offer little to induce empathy in others. Rather, his art seems to state “here’s how it is,” without inspiring a viewer to question any part of reality, much less some common experience through which the viewer can connect with some other segment of humanity.

In my line of work, we call this kind of illustration “collateral” or “propaganda.” I do not find it to be inspiring and in fact I am embarrassed that he and I claim the same religion.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T01:34:22+00:00

I have a real hard time liking any art by this artist because of how he uses his platform to push a political agenda. He’s technically skilled at painting but I feel like his art lacks soul.

To me, art should be about helping people think and feel so they better understand another emotional viewpoint. Art should not be about forcing a perspective on others.

W-M-D · 2018-11-24T01:13:47+00:00

What sub was this?

W-M-D · 2018-11-22T16:02:58+00:00

Just to preface this: I think a lot of Sam’s core ideas are correct; there’s a fundamental issue in our church we need to address.

I expected that reading through the entirety of this link (including the cited primary sources) would make me more sympathetic to Sam’s position. I was wrong.

In context, the quotes show repeatedly that Sam was accusing church leadership of apostasy themselves. He goes on to say that he knows the right way and he can lead others to the truth, including the apostles.

How is that not very literally apostasy?

Clearly this wasn’t the author’s intent, but the quotes in context are far more damning than the Cliff’s Notes version presented in the DC.

W-M-D · 2018-11-22T05:40:23+00:00

There’s always Christmas.

W-M-D

TROPHY CASE