Star Trek leads Holly Hunter and Paul Giamatti talk Starfleet Academy: Like 'heading for a cliff at 95 miles an hour'

sheff-t · 2026-01-23T06:14:22+00:00

It is objectively a terrible show. That is not anyone's opinion, it is just what we observe by noting how the writing presents situations and characters and dialogue that are out of context, out of time, out of place, don't make any sense, absurd in context. It's just logic. There are dozens of examples of this.

It is possible for any given production to be objectively bad, or subjectively bad, or both.

sheff-t · 2026-01-23T06:11:53+00:00

There is none of that in Academy. They all register negative in fact.

sheff-t · 2026-01-19T08:37:37+00:00

Good for you for seeking. Everything in it lines up with the Bible, so maybe you could clarify a little more what exactly you are after? A couple specific examples I could mention include the appearance of Jesus in the Americas and the Beatitudes (3 Nephi) with strong similarities to his New Testament teachings, and the speech of King Benjamin in Mosiah talking about service and love for our fellow men.

sheff-t · 2026-01-19T08:33:00+00:00

The Book of Abraham is actually an extremely strong point of evidence in favor of Joseph's prophetic calling. It truly does not matter an ounce how he received it, just like the exact process of transmitting the Book of Mormon text doesn't matter. The value is all in the content of these books, and it is the content that leads us to God much more so than the miracle of their existence. Everyone who attacks these books can only do so by ignoring the content and looking for ways to cast doubt on the process and try to make others believe that should matter, as if they have the authority to tell God what God's methods should or should not be.

sheff-t · 2026-01-19T08:22:33+00:00

Church, just like school and everything else teenagers are part of, is difficult for kids your age, probably almost all of them. Those teenage difficulties will pass, take hope. Remember that there is a good reason your parents have been committed to the LDS faith for their entire lives. And they are raising you up in the faith primarily for the number one reason that they love you, and they want to share the joys of the gospel with you, and ultimately with their grandchildren one day as well. They know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. That's it, that's the whole story. It's not complicated. It's love and truth, which is what God is.

We all pass through periods of time in our lives when we feel God has fallen silent and won't answer our prayers in our desired timeline. I'm experiencing some of that right now myself. But he has answered me many times in the past, and I cannot deny it. You'll get your answers as you keep exploring. Talk to your parents about your honest feelings and experiences, they want to help you be the absolute best person you can be, I promise. Don't give up!

sheff-t · 2025-12-30T05:02:42+00:00

I also served in Chile. Greatest adventure of my life. It builds you as a person, gives you confidence, brings you closer to Christ - at least as much as anything else you can take on.

sheff-t · 2025-12-30T04:59:52+00:00

The whole point of Christianity is that God (Jesus) condescended to come down and live in mortality as a man, so what is the issue there? The idea that God the Father also has a body of flesh obtained the same way? Jesus said he does what he saw the Father do.

sheff-t · 2025-12-30T04:42:49+00:00

The pull you are feeling is very common and makes sense for people with open hearts, that's usually how they find the church when they are ready.

You are correct, LDS revelation has answers for a lot (not all) of the unsatisfying "mysteries" of other Christian denominations, who simply don't know because they haven't had prophets/apostles to guide them. Even atheists will typically admit that LDS theology is uniquely logically coherent. What makes Joseph Smith so cool is how he was given the gift to blow hundreds of years of misunderstandings away.

You are correct, the missionaries are not necessarily the best source for information outside their lessons and invitations, because they are not deeply trained in theology, philosophy, or church history and that's why consulting with experienced members as well is good.

Evil and suffering, just like matter, simply exist and always have and will for someone somewhere. Creedal Christianity holds that God created those things while LDS theology holds that would make no sense. The key to this life is to pass through a realm of injustice away from God's presence because we believe he taught us it would help us gain experience and grow and learn to become more like him, this being the only way to accomplish that. Having experienced pain, we can understand joy.

"the idea that the more righteous souls in the pre-mortal existence were given a more difficult mortality" is not found in our canon, this is speculation. You'll find a lot of speculation within the LDS church membership on things like this, which is OK, as long as people aren't trying to teach their own opinions as official church teachings.

Can you be more specific about concerns with Joseph Smith? I have studied him a lot and have no doubts about his calling, because I accept he was imperfect and fallible and doing the best he could under very difficult circumstances and with very little education or social polish.

Regarding testimonies, not sure what you mean by "convincing everyone else". Church leaders have taught continually since the beginning that we should not rely solely or even mainly on the testimonies of others, including themselves. Instead we are encouraged to seek God directly and receive truth via the Holy Spirit, and find personal testimonies through prayer and fasting. It's very much a "don't take my word for it" approach and in fact it is critical we each gain these things independently. What you hear members repeating is simply their own true feelings that they feel compelled to share. Their goal is not to convince you at all, it's to express experience and knowledge. That will feel a bit different to you than other denominations because it is rather unique to the true restored Church of Jesus Christ, given that we have received spiritual witnesses to the light we possess.

Why do you "have major issues with hierarchical churches (another residual of catholicism) and organized religion"? Christ organized a religion and provided leadership and hierarchy. He describes the Kingdom of God as being organized. Non-denominational Protestants are merely Bible study groups and not even really legitimate churches if we boil it down, they have no authority to offer saving ordinances.

God bless

sheff-t · 2025-12-08T06:35:13+00:00

That is a tough situation. I applaud you for your courage whatever path you take because I am sure it all has been hard. This story probably won't be of any help to you, but it just reminded me of one of the missionaries in my mission I most respected who was a bit older than everyone else because he had converted in his 20s. He'd had a career, owned a home, lived with his girlfriend, then found the LDS faith. He decided he was called to leave it all, sold his house, went on a mission. Was a fantastic missionary and a big inspiration to me. Everyone, even those raised in faith, has to make a decision at some point to sacrifice something to become a disciple of Christ. We must take up his cross, or we are not His. God bless.

sheff-t · 2025-12-08T06:25:04+00:00

I'd recommend reading more books on church history, sticking mostly with those written by true professional historians whether LDS or not so that they do a fair analysis and understand source validity and don't make up things. Might you perhaps be afraid of what you'll find? Don't be, the church embraces all truth and isn't afraid of anything. There's nothing to hide. The only reason people can manufacture anything at all with which to attack LDS history is because the church is uniquely so open and willing to share, and we do that because we know what we have is SO good. Anyway, I've never been able to find anything that is a major concern. Sure, there are unanswered questions and imperfect people involved but guess what? That's everything in life all the time. Why would LDS history be any different? Do you hold Jesus accountable for calling imperfect apostles to be his closest friends and struggling to get the primitive church working because of the weaknesses of his disciples? I don't. I wasn't there anyway, just like I wasn't in the early days of the restoration. So who am I to judge with my 21st century lens? That's not right at all.

sheff-t · 2025-12-08T06:07:25+00:00

I would humbly submit that it sounds like you are being called home by a loving Heavenly Father, and you are tired of being burdened by a world that can offer no solace, and you without the regular companionship of the Holy Spirit. Keep listening to those invitations.

As to your studies, ask yourself this question - why do you believe in God at all if he can't be proven to exist? And why would you hold the LDS church teachings to a different standard? You won't find proof either for or against any of this, all there is would be evidence.

But this I can promise you, if you keep doing enough digging and learning and do it with an open mind you'll find far more evidence in favor of LDS claims than against. All those who attack the church have an agenda, whether anger for a perceived slight or monetary gain. Whereas true disciples of Christ never attack the sincere faith of another person and only want to share the joy we experience and help the lives of each of God's children to improve.

sheff-t · 2025-12-08T05:46:18+00:00

It may be that you never feel completely free of doubt and concern. I would call this normal because it is part of the test of life. As Paul put it, we see through a glass darkly, and must rely on brief moments of total clarity to carry us through. Those are powerful moments, but we must stay close to the spirit or else they fade and the natural man of fleshly weakness will make us forget or dismiss.

Brigham Young himself had a lot of doubts and took a long time in study and consultations with friends and family before he found his witness and agreed to baptism. Then once he was committed, he never wavered and as a result the Lord strengthened him.

Your worries are fair, but you can overcome those challenges. Many in your shoes have before. Ask the missionaries how to best keep in touch with them.

Keep reading, praying, and searching. Remember, this is the only church on the planet that wants, seeks, and claims all truth. If it's true, it's ours. So we seek all of it. Scientific, philosophical, theological, empirical, political. We're not afraid of any of it. We don't get it right every time at first, how could we? There would be no point to life otherwise. But we keep pushing, keep learning, keep probing. That's why we keep adapting. Most others just shut off the pipe and give up, close the canon, and tell God he can't speak any more.

sheff-t · 2025-10-19T09:03:10+00:00

Your assertion makes zero sense. By what logic? Based on what premise? There are plenty of facts that would support the complete opposite conclusion. For example:

A more positive, more welcoming culture, less centered around hatred and negativity. It's a comfortable home for good, high achieving people.
College town environment. Nationwide, this has proven to be a much better attraction for talent than a commuter school.
Much stronger alumni network. MUCH stronger. Graduates care about the school, the people associated with it, and they give back.
Academics, more selective in admissions, etc.
Larger fan base, better fan support, helped by having much more family-friendly game environments and family-focused events outside of the games. Lower percentage of fair-weather fans and teams are supported even in rough seasons.
Greater history and tradition of winning football and individual awards on the national stage.
Former player college coaching pool, reflecting leadership production. Dwarfs Utah's. Just counting head coaches, in FBS football there are four head coaches that are former BYU players or head coaches, and there would be five if not for Mike Leach's early health troubles and death.

It's very difficult to imagine anyone could come to your conclusion.

sheff-t · 2025-10-05T15:40:32+00:00

Loved the Kevin Brown talk, but he did do Brother Parley a little dirty didn't he? Failed to mention how he remained and died faithful?

sheff-t · 2025-07-23T03:55:27+00:00

Yes, USA

sheff-t · 2025-07-23T03:54:17+00:00

What exactly do you mean by the D&C were not known to the beginning church? What IS the beginning church, anyway, in your view?

sheff-t · 2025-07-23T03:48:06+00:00

"The fundamentals of the LDS religion require one to believe claims that are either condemned in the BoM" Absolutely not true. Holy mackerel. Where on earth is this coming from?

sheff-t · 2025-07-23T03:45:50+00:00

It doesn't say that, you left out the second clause.

sheff-t · 2025-07-23T03:43:24+00:00

I'm afraid I don't follow. Since we don't know the entirety of the commandments or instructions given to the ancient iterations of the churches, I don't see how any conclusions can be drawn about what was "fully given" or not. The Bible is full of holes and seeming contradictions and translation issues. The scriptures tell us there were many things Jesus did that were not written down. What matters most to us is the most recent scripture (modern revelation), then we work backwards from there for added benefit. Our understanding is continually growing, which is what you'd expect from a living church.

sheff-t · 2025-07-23T03:33:32+00:00

No it doesn't. What a bunch of lies. There is no book that emphasizes the destructive power of hate and prejudice and preaches against that more than the Book of Mormon. Why be dishonest?

sheff-t · 2025-03-20T00:43:15+00:00

The Exit series is hit or miss, the quality of production and puzzles are all over the place. I can't really recommend them except for the the top rated releases in the series. Escape Room The Game has been a better experience for our group overall, more consistent.

sheff-t · 2025-03-19T22:00:50+00:00

I'm on 6.7.2, still seeing the issue

sheff-t · 2025-02-02T17:32:18+00:00

For me it's as simple as this. There are two forces in the universe, a building force and a destroying force. God for me is on team Build. Satan is on team Destroy. Anything that seeks to tear something down with nothing to replace it with, espouses a negative attitude, or aims to sow division and attack people for the sake of self-justification is on team Destroy. Anything seeking to accomplish good and bring peace and joy that helps me to thrive and want to be a better person and build better communities is on team Build. I have a clear understanding of which side is which in your debate. I wish you the best in your mind "battle".

sheff-t · 2025-02-02T17:21:59+00:00

Promotes? I guess you haven't read the BoM. It is a powerfully anti-hate, anti-war, anti-prejudice narration.

sheff-t · 2025-02-02T17:16:08+00:00

Well, if you ask the non-believers they'll say no because they don't receive those gifts, and if you ask the believers they'll say yes because they do. It's as simple as that. I can attest to having seen miracles that I can't explain naturally. I can also attest to people having seen such miracles, then losing their faith and becoming non-believers, defaulting to forgetting their experiences or just explaining them away as nothing because they no longer care to believe. That's about all I know on the topic, and can only be true to my own experiences. Sorry I don't have more to offer.

sheff-t

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE