"Some things that are true are not very useful." Elder Boyd K. Packer

-
Background: I am trying to dissect the following article: “The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect” by Elder Boyd K. Packer, BYU Studies 21, no. 3 (1981).

The statement is this: "There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful..."

http://byustudies.byu.edu/PDFLibrary/21.3Packer.pdf

Reasons to agree (with packer)

Reasons to disagree (with packer)
  1. Joseph Smith taught the following in May 1843, later recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 131:6: “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” So why is Packer trying to keep some truths from us?
  2. We should be allowed to determine for ourselves what is "useful".

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

You should write the Life History of your Grandmothers Gwendolyn Higbee Matheson (Mom's Mom)

-
Image
This is my mom's mom's life history. Also check out the ongoing projects for my   dad ,  mom , and   and  dad's mom .  Typed by Michael Laub, from a photocopy of the original that Gwendolyn typed on a typewriter. Comments by me in parenthesis Henry Gordon, Gwendolyn Higbee, And LaVane Matheson   It must have been a sad day when I was born. I was the fifth child in less than nine years, and arthritis had made mother ( Sarah Ann Jones ) a cripple long before that December 5, 1891. She was bed-fast most of the time until she died early in 1895 (10th of March) when I was a little over 3 yrs. old. Five little children had to be parceled out with relatives, and it fell to my lot to live with Grandmother Higbee. So you see I went to live in a large home that had already housed many children and where no more were to come. (click below to read more)
Read more

You should write your father's Life History

-
Image
Best reasons to agree : +6 Its hard to understand yourself very well without trying to figure out parents. Your kids will want to know about their grandparents. If your kids become famous, biographers will want to know about your family.  Writing about your parents can be a fun activity that brings your family together. Its a good way to remember stuff.  A well rounded person can have fun, work hard, relax, and also find time to write about their experiences, or document what they are doing, or did.  You can't just do stuff all the time... you also have to reflect... going through the process of gathering stories, photos, and memories allows you to process, and look back... Best reasons to disagree : -1  Every time you spend doing one thing is time you can't spend doing something else.  Score: # of reasons to agree: +6 # of reasons to disagree: -1 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0 # of reasons to agree with reason...
Read more

The Art Institute of Chicago is Better than the Denver Museum of Art

-
Image
Best reasons to agree : +1 The Art Institute of Chicago is bigger, and bigger museums are better. the second largest art museum in the United States, after the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Art Institute of Chicago has over 260,000 works of art. You run out of things to see when going to the Denver art museum, because it doesn't change very often. Best reasons to disagree : -1 Its less expensive to stay and park in Denver, in 2012 parking was $28 in Chicago and $4 in Denver.  Images that agree : Coffin and Mummy of Paankhenamun, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 22 (c. 945–715 B.C.) Cartonnage, gold leaf, pigment; human remains Ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife gave rise to the complex art and science of mummification. This vividly painted Mummy Case was the innermost of a series of shells that housed the body of a deceased person. The hieroglyphic inscriptions and painted scenes identify this mummy as Paankhenamun, a doorkeeper in th...
Read more

It is worth the effort that caring for animals takes in order to keep them part of our lives -0.5

-
Image
Killer whales should not be kept in captivity. Reasons to agree : Over seas zoos are cooler, because they let you have more of an experience with animals Our pets put up with our kids playing with (tormenting) them. See video below for proof. Cats are good on a farm for killing mice. Dogs are good for scaring away possums  raccoon  and field mice.   No one's house needs to be so clean that they don't have animals.  Having animals can help you prepare for your death, and the deaths of those you love. Animals usually have a shorter life span than we do. We don't talk about death enough. It is true that the sun will burn out, and we are the only species that has a chance to escape this earth, but we will be lonely if we can't take any other species with us. Animals experience human emotions .  Reasons to agree :  Pets are a mess. Pets shed. Pets poop and pee in your house or in your yard. Pets ki...
Read more

Trampolines are not too dangerous and are good for kids +2

-
Image
Reasons to agree : +7 Their is little risk of falling off a trampoline if you have netting. Trampolines are no more dangerous than football. Trampolines are perhaps no more dangerous than swimming pools, but they are much less expensive, and take less maintenance.  Trampolines with netting on the side are not too dangerous.  Kids jump on beds. You can't stop kids from jumping on stuff. Cars are dangerous, and we aren't going to stop driving cars are we? Obviously its not that simple. For instance, cars are more important than trampolines. But it is not required that you drive to unimportant places. Therefore, you can compare the danger and importance of driving to a park to jumping on the trampoline: both are recreational activities with some risk. The question is how much risk? How important is the activity? Obviously, a trampoline derives its importance as a form of recreation, and so you can't answer the question without first asking yourself ho...
Read more

It is hard work but can be humorous teaching kids manners and hygiene

-
Image
Best Videos that agree : +2   Best reasons to agree : + Kids eat things they should not eat.  Kids lick bird poop off sliding glass windows.  When you find brown stuff in their bed, and say it looks like poop, they just might tell you, "Don't worry, it doesn't taste like poop." When you ask why they tested it, they might say, "don't worry I didn't eat it, I just put my teeth on it". PS: it was, against all assurances, poop. We told her she needs to wash her hands, because she might get sick, she tells us, "I'm already sick" (she had a runny nose). Kids eat dirt. Kids eat rolly pollies (not ours, yet) Kids eat things that shouldn't be eaten, but won't eat anything you try to feed them.  It is funny seeing a little brain that has not yet learned that it is impolite to suck your toes in public... Score: # of reasons to agree: +3 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with re...
Read more

You should go to the Illinois Train Museum in Union IL +2

-
Image
Background : Before James loved animals, he loved trains. He spoke about them all the time. In particular was a train movie we got from the library that he must have watched 30 times. I ended up driving up their with James on day, and Megan stayed home. Best reasons to agree : +3 Kids like trains.  The Illinois Train Museum has lots of trains.  Trains are cool. Trains are some of the biggest things that people will see move. Trains have changed a lot over time. Trains used to be very important to our county's development. Learning about trains will also allow you to learn a little about what our grand parent's lives were like. Best reasons to disagree : -1 Union Illinois is 59 miles from Chicago. It would be cooler if it was a little bit closer.  Score: # of reasons to agree: +3 # of reasons to disagree: -1 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0 Total Idea Score: +2 Don't like the...
Read more

You should try to convince your kids to not use drugs

-
Image
Best reasons to agree : +5 Drugs addiction will often kill you. Drugs addiction often causes people to live on the street.  Drugs will often cause you to steel from and lie to your family. Drugs will addict you. Addiction takes control of your life. It is bad to loose control of your life. In general most parents should tell their kids not to use drugs. Obviously there is a right and a wrong way to do it. You should wait until they are the right age, but not too long. If you are struggling with your kids, and they have no respect for you, perhaps you should find someone that they respect more.  Best reasons to disagree : -5 All kids will rebel to some degree against their parents. This is a natural process of finding yourself, and creating your own separate identity. By telling your kids not to use drugs this creates a situation when they will have a physiological or emotional reason to do the opposite.   Telling kids not to use drugs only...
Read more

My kids enjoy visits from their grandparents

-
Image
Images that agree : Friday Morning Walk around the block.    Grandma didn't get as many hugs last time. She is very happy this time    Ali also likes her Grandpa.    Phis is doing better staying in his stroller. Stupid camera strap. Phil's shoes were wet from yesterday at the duck pond so he went for his walk in in PJs and shoe-less.
Read more

We should allow some development in our beautiful places +5

-
Image
Best reasons to agree : +6 Buildings don't always ruin a place's aesthetic beauty.  We shouldn't build if there is a delicate echo system, but it is OK if the echo system is strong.  It is better to build in beautiful places, so that people can enjoy them, than to build in productive farm land.  People who want to protect our beautiful places for future generations, should not try to keep them as prim-eval forest, but well cared for gardens. They can regulate the heck out of development, and only allow LEED certified, well thought out beautiful buildings. But a place's beauty should not automatically disqualify development, as long as the development is well thought out and managed, and public spaces are preserved for the poor to also enjoy the beauty.  Echo-tourism can be a sustainable way for us to fund wild-life habitat.  Our country needs, and will make money. We have choices. You can't...
Read more