The LDS church is wrong to use uses logical fallacies to keep people in the Church

Reasons the unstated assumptions required to accept or reject this belief (the Church uses logical fallacies) are true.

1. Straw man: Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk in 1985 titled "Reading Church History" where he warns members about "alternate voices" that might present challenging or controversial aspects of Church history. He said, "Alternate voices are usually negative. They specialize in sowing doubts and nurturing grievances. They see only weaknesses and faults and are blind to the inspired accomplishments and miracles that surround them." This could be seen as a straw man argument as it generalizes critics and their concerns. (Source: Elder Dallin H. Oaks, CES Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History, 16 Aug. 1985)

2. Appeal to authority: An example is the teaching that when the prophet speaks, the debate is over. This phrase comes from a 1945 Improvement Era message by President Heber J. Grant, which said, "When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan—it is God's plan. When they point the way, there is no other which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end of controversy." (Source: Improvement Era, June 1945, 354)

3. Begging the question: An example is found in the LDS missionary guide, "Preach My Gospel," which instructs missionaries to encourage investigators to ask God if the Book of Mormon is not true, promising they will receive a confirmation of its truth. This assumes the Book of Mormon is true and that personal spiritual experiences are a reliable test of truth. (Source: "Preach My Gospel," p. 39)

4. False dilemma: LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley said in General Conference in 2002, "Each of us has to face the matter—either the Church is true, or it is a fraud. There is no middle ground. It is the Church and kingdom of God, or it is nothing." This statement presents a false dilemma, not allowing for nuance or middle ground in belief. (Source: President Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, April 2003)

Unstated assumptions required to accept/reject this belief:

To Accept:

1. The LDS church does indeed use logical fallacies to retain members.
2. Logical fallacies are inherently wrong or harmful.

To Reject:

1. The LDS church does not use logical fallacies, or if it does, they are not significant in retaining members.
2. Logical fallacies may be acceptable in certain contexts or for certain ends.

Alternative ways to express this belief could include:

1. It's inappropriate for the LDS church to use logical fallacies to maintain membership.
2. The LDS church shouldn't rely on logical fallacies to retain its followers.
3. Employing logical fallacies as a means to keep followers is not a practice the LDS church should engage in.

Objective Criteria for Assessing the Validity of this Belief:

1. Evidence of the church employing logical fallacies as a tool to maintain membership.
2. Statements from the LDS church leadership encouraging the use of logical fallacies.
3. Accounts of members who felt they were manipulated by logical fallacies.
4. Peer-reviewed studies or articles discussing the use of logical fallacies in religious retention, specifically in the LDS church.

Reasons to agree: +

1. The LDS church exploits people by tricking them with the confirmation bias, when they tell people to bear their testimony of things, before they really know it is true. 




1. Reasons to agree: +




1. The confirmation bias is a tendency of people to favor information that confirms the hypotheses they have already accepted. A series of experiments in the 1960s suggested that people are biased toward confirming their existing beliefs. Later work re-interpreted these results as a tendency to test ideas in a one-sided way, focusing on one possibility and ignoring alternatives. In certain situations, this tendency can bias people's conclusions. Confirmation biases contribute to overconfidence in personal beliefs and can maintain or strengthen beliefs in the face of contrary evidence. When the Church tells people to "find their testimony in the process of bearing it" they use the confirmation bias, to make people feel good about what they just said. 






2. The LDS church is wrong to tell people that "good feelings" are valid reasons to believe the church. 


3. The LDS church is wrong to tell people that "bad feelings" are valid reasons to disbelieve those who criticize the church. People who were raised in the church will naturally experience bad feelings when considering the concept that everything they once believed might be wrong. These feelings are natural to the situation, independently of are going to have good feelings when deciding to stay in the church their parents  friends, and family were are in. These feelings naturally arise from friends, family, and tradition independently of the truthfulness of the church. 

Common or Shared Interests:

1. Truth and integrity in religious practices.
2. Fair treatment of individuals within the church community.
3. The well-being of the LDS church community, despite differing opinions on how to achieve it.

Opposing Interests or Obstacles:

1. Prioritizing unity and strength within the LDS community over critical examination of retention methods.
2. Personal and emotional investments in the church that may make objective assessment difficult.
3. Resistance to acknowledging potential flaws in the church's practices.

Reasons to disagree: -

1. Believers may argue that the LDS church uses methods common to many religions to maintain membership, and these methods should not be labeled as "logical fallacies."
2. They may argue that feelings, both positive and negative, play a crucial role in religious belief and community, and shouldn't be dismissed as invalid.
3. They might state that focusing on the experiences of those who feel misled ignores the experiences of those who find genuine fulfillment in the church.

Scriptures that agree: +

Scriptures that disagree: -

Images That agree: +

Images That disagree: -


Videos (e.g., movies, YouTube, TikTok) That agree: +

1. "The Village" - This film illustrates how a community can use fear and misinformation to control its members.
2. "The Truman Show" - This movie portrays a man's journey of questioning and escaping a manufactured reality.
3. Ex-Mormon TikTok - A collection of user-generated videos on TikTok discussing personal experiences with leaving the LDS church.

Videos (e.g., movies, YouTube, TikTok) That disagree: -

1. "God's Army" - A film depicting the struggles and faith of LDS missionaries.
2. "The Other Side of Heaven" - A movie based on the experiences of an LDS missionary, showing his faith and commitment.
3. LDS General Conference YouTube Channel - A collection of videos featuring speeches and lessons from LDS General Conference.

Website that agree: +

1. Recovery from Mormonism - A website providing resources and support for those questioning or leaving the LDS church.
2. The CES Letter - A document outlining many criticisms of LDS doctrine and history.

Websites that disagree: -

1. FairMormon - A website dedicated to defending the LDS faith against criticisms.
2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Official Site - The official website of the LDS church, providing doctrinal teachings and resources.

Podcast that agree: +

1. "Mormon Stories" - A podcast featuring interviews with individuals about their experiences in the LDS church.
2. "The CES Letter Podcast" - A podcast delving into the contents of the CES Letter and criticisms of the LDS church.

Podcast that disagree: -

1. "The Daily" by the LDS church - A podcast featuring daily spiritual teachings and insights from LDS leaders.
2. "FairMormon Podcast" - A podcast that addresses criticisms of the LDS church.

Unbiased Experts who agree: +

1. Steven Hassan - A mental health professional specializing in cult behavior and mind control techniques.
2. Robert Jay Lifton - A psychiatrist known for his studies on the psychological causes and effects of war and political violence, and for his theory of thought reform.

Unbiased Experts who disagree: -

1. Terryl Givens - A well-known LDS apologist and scholar of religion and literature.
2. Richard L. Bushman - A prominent historian and member of the LDS church.

Benefits/Costs:

Benefits of Agreement:

1. Psychological Freedom: Agreeing with the notion that the LDS church uses logical fallacies to retain members can potentially lead to psychological freedom. The awareness and understanding of such tactics may help individuals exercise their free will and make informed decisions.

2. Intellectual Growth: The process of questioning, analyzing, and evaluating these tactics can stimulate intellectual growth and critical thinking.

3. Authenticity: Acknowledging these tactics could lead to a more authentic faith journey, as it encourages individuals to seek truth based on reliable evidence and personal conviction, rather than emotional manipulation or logical fallacies.

Costs of Agreement:

1. Potential for Disillusionment: Disagreeing with the idea that the LDS church uses logical fallacies could lead to feelings of disillusionment or betrayal if an individual later realizes these tactics are being used. This could result in emotional turmoil.

2. Relationship Strain: Disagreeing with this belief could potentially strain relationships with family and friends who accept that the church uses such tactics. This could lead to social exclusion, loss of community, or familial tension.

3. Loss of Familiar Framework: The LDS Church, like many religious institutions, provides a moral framework, community, and sense of purpose. Ignoring or denying the church's use of logical fallacies might prevent an individual from critically examining their moral and ethical outlook.

Common Interest:

1. Pursuit of Truth: Both sides are likely interested in the pursuit of truth, though they may have different views on how to best achieve this.

2. Respect for Religious Freedom: Both sides likely value religious freedom, including the right to critically examine one's beliefs and the teachings of one's religious institution.

Opposing Interest:

1. Interpretation of Evidence: Those who agree that the LDS Church uses logical fallacies may desire to examine and discuss evidence that supports this view, while those who disagree may resist or reject the same evidence.

2. Value of Faith Versus Skepticism: Those in agreement might value skepticism and critical thinking over faith when it comes to religious beliefs, whereas those in disagreement might prioritize faith.

The most promising strategies to foster dialogue and mutual respect, highlight logical fallacies, and guide all participants toward the truth

1. Education: Encourage everyone to learn about logical fallacies and how they are used in discourse. This can be done through workshops, seminars, or even online courses. Highlighting the importance of critical thinking skills and logical reasoning in everyday decision-making can also help.

2. Open Dialogue: Establish platforms where open and respectful conversations can take place. This might be a physical meeting or an online forum. The key is to ensure that everyone feels heard and that their perspectives are respected.

3. Neutral Facilitators: Employ neutral facilitators in discussions to ensure the conversation remains balanced and fair. These individuals can help keep the discussion on track, mediate disputes, and help participants recognize when a logical fallacy has been used.

4. Constructive Criticism: Encourage the practice of constructive criticism, where logical fallacies can be pointed out not as a personal attack, but as a means to improve one's argument and understanding.

5. Transparency: Encourage transparency in discussions, particularly where religious beliefs are concerned. This can involve acknowledging biases and being open about the sources of information.

6. Promote Empathy: Foster an environment that promotes empathy and understanding. Encourage participants to consider the perspectives of others, even when they disagree. This can help to decrease hostility and increase respect among differing viewpoints.

7. Use of Evidence-Based Arguments: Promote the use of evidence-based arguments in discussions. This can help to shift the focus from subjective feelings or beliefs to a more objective assessment of the facts.

The LDS Church supports a black and white view that everyone who is not with the Church is an enemy of Good

Reasons to agree: +

1. The LDS Church supports an unhealthy black and white view of the world. (+3)

Reasons to disagree: -

Scriptures that agree: +

Scriptures that disagree: -

Images That agree: +

Images That disagree: -



Valid Interest of those who agree: +

Valid Interest of those who disagree: -





Videos That agree: +

Videos That disagree: -



Website that agree: +

Websites that disagree: -



Podcast that agree: +

Podcast that disagree: -



Unbiased Experts who agree: +

Unbiased Experts who disagree: -

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: 0

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Common Interest:

Opposing Interest:



Related arguments:

Mormon prophets disagree

Reasons to agree: +

1. Brigham Young taught that Adam was God the Father. Other Prophets don't.


2. Early prophets of the Church said that the Church would never give up Polygamy, but they did.

Reasons to disagree: -

Scriptures that agree: +

Scriptures that disagree: -

Images That agree: +

Images That disagree: -



Valid Interest of those who agree: +

Valid Interest of those who disagree: -





Videos That agree: +

Videos That disagree: -



Website that agree: +

Websites that disagree: -



Podcast that agree: +

Podcast that disagree: -

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: +0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: 0

Common Interest:

Opposing Interest:



Related arguments:



Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

The Book of Mormon couldn't have been written without the help of God.

Reasons to agree: +3

1. It is hard to produce a totally unique, consistent story with solid spiritual beliefs that inspire people.
2. The Book of Mormon is very helpful to millions of people.
3. The Book of Mormon is relevant today. -1
4. The fact that there are many similarities between modern gangs and the Gadianton Robbers contributes to the belief that the Book of Mormon is relevant today.

Reasons to agree: -2

1. Most of the relevant parts in the BOM are copied from the Bible
2. Most of the war stories in the BOM have very limited application to modern-day life.

Score:

# of reasons to agree: +4

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: -1

Total: 3

Reasons to disagree: -2

1. Smith had lots of help on the BOM. First from his wife. Then Oliver Cowdry 
2. The BOM is not a totally unique story +13
1. Reasons to agree: +1
1. There are many similarities between the BOM and View of the Hebrews by Ethan Smith: +13
1. Reasons to agree: +12


1. both have extensive quotations from the prophecies of Isaiah in the Old Testament; 


2. Both have the Israelite origin of the American Indian; 


3. Both have the future gathering of Israel and restoration of the Ten Lost Tribes; 


4. Both have the peopling of the New World from the Old via a long journey northward, which encountered "seas" of "many waters;" 


5. Both have a religious motive for the migration; 


6. Both have the division of the migrants into civilized and uncivilized groups with long wars between them and the eventual 


7. Both have destruction of the civilized by the uncivilized; 


8. Both have the assumption that all native peoples were descended from Israelites and their languages from Hebrew; 


9. Both have the burial of a "lost book" with "yellow leaves;" 


10. Both have the description of extensive military fortifications with military observatories or "watch towers" overlooking them; 


11. Both have a change from monarchy to republican forms of government, and 


12. Both have the preaching of the gospel in ancient America.




2. Website that agree: +1




1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Book_of_Mormon

Score:

# of reasons to disagree: +2
# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 1 + 12 + 1 = 14
Total: 16

Total Idea Score: 2 - 16 = -14

Anachronisms:

• DNA analysis proves that Native Americans are not descendants of Israel, like the Book of Mormon and LDS Prophets have taught. +7
• The Book of Mormon mentions several animals, plants, and technologies for which there is no evidence in pre-Columbian history. +7
• God wouldn’t have changed native American DNA as a way to test our faith with designed implausibility. +5
  
  

Value of Concepts in the Book:

• There are lots of good concepts in the Book of Mormon. +3
  
  
• There are lots of bad concepts in the Book of Mormon. +3
• The Book of Mormon is racist. +0
• There are fewer deep life improving concepts in the book of Mormon, and more damaging concepts, than the average book of similar length. +3

Origins

• Joseph Smith did not translate the Book of Mormon from ancient scriptures with assistance from God.  +15
• There are a lot of good explanations for how the book of Mormon was written that don’t involve God. +15
• There are too many historical problems with the book of Mormon to say that it is true or inspired. +12
• The Book of Mormon borrows too much from the Bible. +6
• Joseph Smith did not translate the Book of Mormon from ancient scriptures with assistance from God.

Testimony

• There are a lot of good explanations for how the book of Mormon was written that don’t involve God. +15
• There are so many problems with the Book of Mormon that you should doubt spiritual feeling you think you have when reading it.

• The LDS church lies about Joseph Smith

The LDS church is cult-like

Reasons to agree

1. The church used to have you promise to slit your throat, if you broke your covenants. This is pretty messed up. 

Reasons to disagree

1.  There are some people with strong opinions within the church, that don't agree with those around them, and don't care what the leaders say. 


2. The church no longer has you make weird life or death promises. 


3. Mormons believe in Christ. The same Christ of the New Testament. They accept the new testament. They try to live the teachings of Jesus. 


4. Calling Mormons a cult is an insult to Mormons, and those who love Mormons. It is a way of dismissing them, and saying they are not real people that cry, live, and love, and die. 


5. My mother is a Mormon. She is the best person whom I have ever known. When you say Mormons are members of a cult, and you are insulting her, and I want to knock your block off. 


6. When you call people a member of a cult, you are trying to say that they are bad people. 


7. Yes, their have always been wierd things about the Church that bothered people, but you can't just focus on these things, and say everyone who is a member is weird. These members also had problems, but they looked at the whole picture, and came down on the side that the good outweighted the bad. Every Church has some wierd stuff. Perhaps not as bad as Mormons, but you have to admit that the Mormons have some good stuff that non-Mormons don't have. It is wrong to only focus on the bad, and then say they are a cult. You have to look at the good also, if you want to be considered fair. 

Scriptures that agree

1. 
   

Scriptures that disagree

1. 
   

Score:

# of reasons to agree: 1

# of reasons to disagree: -7

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: -6

Images That agree

Images That disagree



Interest of those who agree: +

Interest of those who disagree: -



Common Interest:

Opposing Interest:



Videos That agree

Videos That disagree



Website that agree

Websites that disagree



Related arguments:



Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

LDS prophets do not seem to have the gift of prophesy

Reasons to agree

1. LDS Church leaders have often prophesied things that did not happen. +2


2. The fact that LDS Church leaders were unable to see through Mark William Hofmann is evidence that suggest that LDS prophets do not seem to have the gift of prophesy. 


3. Joseph Smith seems to have been fooled by the Kinderhook plates. But more than just being tricked, he claimed to have the power to translate them, and made up stuff about them.

Reasons to disagree

1.   

Website that agree

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hofmann


2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinderhook_plates

Websites that disagree

1. 
   

Score:

# of reasons to agree: 2

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 2

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: 4

Scriptures that agree

1. 
   

Scriptures that disagree

1. 
   

Images That agree

Images That disagree







Interest of those who agree

Interest of those who disagree



Common Interest

Opposing Interest





Videos That agree

Videos That disagree







Related arguments:



Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

The LDS church lies about Joseph Smith

Reasons to agree: +2

1. My mission president told us that Joseph Smith never consummated any of his marriages to any of his wives but Emma. However, I've heard that, when the re-organized church was saying he never practiced Polygamy, Brigham Young got sworn affidavits from women in Utah, that he consummated their relationship  That they were married in every sense of the word. 


2. Not telling all the truth, and letting people make up their own minds is a form of lying. If the church really wanted to be 100% honest, like the 10 commandments teach, they should frankley admit Joseph Smiths mistakes.

Reasons to disagree: -0

1.  

Score:

# of reasons to agree: 2

# of reasons to disagree: -0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0

# of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0

Total Idea Score: 0

Website that agree: +2

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joseph_Smith's_wives. I grew up in the church in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I never knew any of this stuff.


2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_Latter_Day_Saint_polygamy

Websites that disagree: -2

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You should try and read Modern Library's 100 best novels

Reasons to agree:

1. The books on the "Modern Library's 100 best novels" list are good
1. Reasons to agree:
1. #13 on the list: "1984," by George Orwell is a good book
1. Reasons to agree:
1. Art imitates real life, and real life imitates art. People form the 1950s soviet union say that is what it was like, only 1984 was a little worse. 1984 is an accurate warning. You can't ask much more than a book's main point to be based in an important truth. 
2. Number 31 on the list, "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, is good. 
1. Reasons to agree:
1. Truth is beauty and beauty is truth. If a book is not truthful it is not beautiful. However, obvious truths are often ignored, because people would rather be unique than diligent. A good book can vividly explain obvious truths in such a way that people would feel stupid to ignore. It is an obvious truth that workers' revolution tend to go wrong. However people keep ignoring this fact, because the motivations behind workers revolutions are so strong. Orwell creates an allegory from which you see how stupid these people are. Truths well told:
1. Whenever you give power to people they typically succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. 

Reasons to disagree: 

1.  Just because someone said a book is important doesn't make it so. 
2. #10 on the list: "The Grapes of Wrath," by John Steinbeck, is not a great book +8
3. #2 on the list: "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is not a good book
4. #1 on the list. "Ulysses," by James Joyce is a great book

Websites that agree:

1. http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

Read:

• 41. "Lord of the Flies," William Golding
• 74. "A Farewell to Arms," Ernest Hemingway

Need to Read?

• 3. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," James Joyce
• 4. "Lolita," Vladimir Nabokov
• 5. "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley
• 6. "The Sound and the Fury," William Faulkner
• 7. "Catch-22," Joseph Heller
• 8. "Darkness at Noon," Arthur Koestler
• 9. "Sons and Lovers," D. H. Lawrence
• 11. "Under the Volcano," Malcolm Lowry
• 12. "The Way of All Flesh," Samuel Butler
• 14. "I, Claudius," Robert Graves
• 15. "To the Lighthouse," Virginia Woolf
• 16. "An American Tragedy," Theodore Dreiser
• 17. "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," Carson McCullers
• 18. "Slaughterhouse Five," Kurt Vonnegut
• 19. "Invisible Man," Ralph Ellison
• 20. "Native Son," Richard Wright
• 21. "Henderson the Rain King," Saul Bellow
• 22. "Appointment in Samarra," John O' Hara
• 23. "U.S.A." (trilogy), John Dos Passos
• 24. "Winesburg, Ohio," Sherwood Anderson
• 25. "A Passage to India," E. M. Forster
• 26. "The Wings of the Dove," Henry James
• 27. "The Ambassadors," Henry James
• 28. "Tender Is the Night," F. Scott Fitzgerald
• 29. "The Studs Lonigan Trilogy," James T. Farrell
• 30. "The Good Soldier," Ford Madox Ford
• 32. "The Golden Bowl," Henry James
• 33. "Sister Carrie," Theodore Dreiser
• 34. "A Handful of Dust," Evelyn Waugh
• 35. "As I Lay Dying," William Faulkner
• 36. "All the King's Men," Robert Penn Warren
• 37. "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," Thornton Wilder
• 38. "Howards End," E. M. Forster
• 39. "Go Tell It on the Mountain," James Baldwin
• 40. "The Heart of the Matter," Graham Greene
• 42. "Deliverance," James Dickey
• 43. "A Dance to the Music of Time" (series), Anthony Powell
• 44. "Point Counter Point," Aldous Huxley
• 45. "The Sun Also Rises," Ernest Hemingway
• 46. "The Secret Agent," Joseph Conrad
• 47. "Nostromo," Joseph Conrad
• 48. "The Rainbow," D. H. Lawrence
• 49. "Women in Love," D. H. Lawrence
• 50. "Tropic of Cancer," Henry Miller
• 51. "The Naked and the Dead," Norman Mailer
• 52. "Portnoy's Complaint," Philip Roth
• 53. "Pale Fire," Vladimir Nabokov
• 54. "Light in August," William Faulkner
• 55. "On the Road," Jack Kerouac
• 56. "The Maltese Falcon," Dashiell Hammett
• 57. "Parade's End," Ford Madox Ford
• 58. "The Age of Innocence," Edith Wharton
• 59. "Zuleika Dobson," Max Beerbohm
• 60. "The Moviegoer," Walker Percy
• 61. "Death Comes to the Archbishop," Willa Cather
• 62. "From Here to Eternity," James Jones
• 63. "The Wapshot Chronicles," John Cheever
• 64. "The Catcher in the Rye," J. D. Salinger
• 65. "A Clockwork Orange," Anthony Burgess
• 66. "Of Human Bondage," W. Somerset Maugham
• 67. "Heart of Darkness," Joseph Conrad
• 68. "Main Street," Sinclair Lewis
• 69. "The House of Mirth," Edith Wharton
• 70. "The Alexandria Quartet," Lawrence Durrell
• 71. "A High Wind in Jamaica," Richard Hughes
• 72. "A House for Ms. Biswas," V. S. Naipaul
• 73. "The Day of the Locust," Nathaniel West
• 75. "Scoop," Evelyn Waugh
• 76. "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," Muriel Spark
• 77. "Finnegans Wake," James Joyce
• 78. "Kim," Rudyard Kipling
• 79. "A Room With a View," E. M. Forster
• 80. "Brideshead Revisited," Evelyn Waugh
• 81. "The Adventures of Augie March," Saul Bellow
• 82. "Angle of Repose," Wallace Stegner
• 83. "A Bend in the River," V. S. Naipaul
• 84. "The Death of the Heart," Elizabeth Bowen
• 85. "Lord Jim," Joseph Conrad
• 86. "Ragtime," E. L. Doctorow
• 87. "The Old Wives' Tale," Arnold Bennett
• 88. "The Call of the Wild," Jack London
• 89. "Loving," Henry Green
• 90. "Midnight's Children," Salman Rushdie
• 91. "Tobacco Road," Erskine Caldwell
• 92. "Ironweed," William Kennedy
• 93. "The Magus," John Fowles
• 94. "Wide Sargasso Sea," Jean Rhys
• 95. "Under the Net," Iris Murdoch
• 96. "Sophie's Choice," William Styron
• 97. "The Sheltering Sky," Paul Bowles
• 98. "The Postman Always Rings Twice," James M. Cain
• 99. "The Ginger Man," J. P. Donleavy
• 100. "The Magnificent Ambersons," Booth Tarkington

"Ulysses," by James Joyce is not a great book

Reasons to agree:

1. Works of literature should not be measured by how much work went into them. Sure a lot of work went into writing Ulysses. But writing shouldn't just be a game where someone says, look at all this fancy work I can do, and people pat themselves on the back for being able to notice the fancy work. 
2. Ulysses is tiresome
3. Ulysses is tedious
4. Joyce is a pseudo-intellectual. Scientist are intellects. They propose a hypothesis  Make it as clear as possible, and gather evidence to support or weaken the hypothesis. If Joyce believes things, he should state them clearly, make a list of logical reasons to support those conclusion, and encourage other people to submit their reasons to agree or disagree with his conclusion. We can do that now. Lets advance the science of thinking. Lets be clear. Lets be organized. If you believe your ideas are important you owe it to your readers to be clear, comprehensible, and transparent. Genius does not need to hide itself so that only fellow geniuses can comprehend, but true Genius is making truth plain.
5. "By turning literature from entertaining stories into puzzle solving, I believe he has turned many children away from reading." (From Amazon).

"The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is not a good book

Reasons to agree:

1. There is no reason Gatsby should love Daisy. Yes we all get it. People fall in love for bad reasons, and this ends in tragedy. You should fall in love with real people, not your allusion of what you think these people are like. But you shouldn't waste your time reading stupid stories about stupid people that do stupid things. From an Amazon review: "But unhappy endings need not be the same thing as nihilism. Gatsby's universe is a highly nihilistic one, a world so far gone that even the saddest ideals seem priceless simply for being ideals. Perhaps it's the kind of cynicism the book represents--it's not "grumpy old man" cynicism like Vonnegut or Twain, which at least feels earned and honest".

You should listen to Librivox

Reasons to agree: +2

1. They are free, if you have a computer or MP3 player.
2. Librivox has good books. The following books are good:
1. The Grapes of Wrath
2. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
3. The Man Who Would be King by Rudyard Kipling
4. The Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare
5.  Howards End By EM Forster
6. Poetics By Aristotle
7. Treasure Island By Robert Louis Stevenson
8. The Awful German Language By Mark Twain
9. The Sayings Of Confucius By Confucius
10. Anna Karenina Book By Leo Tolstoy
11. Les Miserables Volume By Victor Hugo
12. Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen
13.  The Autobigraphy Of Benjamin Franklin Ed By Frank Woodworth Pine
14. The Return Of Sherlock Holmes By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
15. Great Expectations By Charles Dickens
16. The Secret Garden By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Reasons to disagree: -2

1. Each Chapter has the "This is a librivox recording..." thing
2. Listening to a book on tape may be more distracting than listening to music

Websites that agree: +1

1. http://librivox.org/

Score: +1

The Grapes of Wrath is not a great book

Score: 2 + 2 +1 +3 = 8

1. Reasons to agree:
1. Good books should be relevant to you. The Grapes of Wrath is not very relevant today 
1. Reasons to agree: + 2
1. Poverty in America has drastically changed from the time of the Great Depression
1. Reasons to agree: + 3
1. We have food stamps.
2. We now have disability
3.  Kids are not starving to death in America in more. 
2. Yes we all know that things were tough. The great depression was hard. Life sucked. But life has always sucked. Why should I read about it now? People live like that overseas. 
2. Tragedies with no hope are great at pointing out how wonderful the author is, but there is often little reason to read them.
1. Reasons to agree: + 1
1. Why waste your time learning about depressing stuff? Life is short. Write about your own problems. Better yet, try to fix your problems. But why read about other people's problems? Why read about fake other people's problems? If you want to read about other people's problems, why not read about important real people from history? Better yet, why not read about people who overcame problems like Lincoln, Washington, John Adams?

http://archive.org/details/TheGrapesOfWrath_557

You should post your kids old school work on line +2

Reasons to agree: +5

1. The internet has more room than the refrigerator
2. Grandparents can't see your refrigerator, if they live thousands of miles away.
3. You can usually assume other people will want to be treated the way you want to be treated. I wish my parents had access to scanners and the internet when I was little.
4. Kids will want to see their work when they are older. If you house burns down, has water damage, or you loose things, or throw them away, the internet can back them up.
5. Kids will need to get used to their efforts being evaluated by others including their teachers, their boss, and the public.

Reasons to agree: -2

1. Kids might think you are making fun of them, by posting their early work.
2. You don't have the right to publish things, unless they give you permission. 

Belief Score: +5 -3 = +2

Images that agree:

Soft: Echolocation, a piano, and a bat in a cave
Load: An elephant, a lion, and and avalanche









Self Portrait





Gealaejea







James Laub, Mammal, Warm bloodid, A mammal has fur, warmblood and drinks milk












James, 2012. Their little mistakes are cute, because they remind us how much there is to learn, and reminds us when we were little, and trying to figure stuff out. If you look carefully you will notice the following: no "x" in the alphabet, includes "and" as a letter on the keyboard, as = us, momy = money, nise = nice. That's my son. And just so adults don't get too high and mighty, you might notice that the question omitted the word "give".









James, 2012: James: "She will make a thump!" I love breakfast! Today I had jeltin and cereal. The jeltin was shalbe flaber. The cerial had brownshager. on it. Do you like breakfast? Items in the above image: James sitting at our table. Megan climbing under the table. She will make a thump. A fly in our Kitchen. The ceiling fan, faucet, and cupboards.












James, 2012: "When I grow up I want to be a zoo keeper. I want to be a dophim chaner. I want to swim with dolphim. I want to look at Dolphim emery day. I will never choe my jod. I like dolphim. I want to make sher that the dolphim are helfy. And thay git lots of exersise. I want thme to be good. the end. James"











James, 2012, Dolphin are sort









James, 2012: "My fabrite animal is a humpback whales! It lives in the sea. It eats crill"

Maintaining a list of family rules that you believe in will help you be a better parent if you

Reasons to agree: + 2

1. It is helpful to tell parents to make rules and set punishments. 
1. Reasons to agree:
1. Kids need rules. 
2. There are studies that show that kids feel anxious, nervous and scared when they feel like they are responsible for everything, and can do whatever they want because they are afraid. Rules set some sort of order, if they are based in common sense.
3. You can't punish people, if they don't know something is wrong. If you really don't want kids to do stuff, you should sit down ahead of time and make a rule of all those things
2. You shouldn't use a set list, but update it and modify it based on things the kids are struggling with.

Lists of Rules

1. Below is are rules to consider, based on your family needs. You should pick the ones you like, print it and put it on your fridge
1. Tell the truth.
2. You should have your 2nd grader do homework and 15 minutes of grade level reading before they can choose their own activities.
1. Reasons to agree:
1. Grade level reading may be harder, but you won't improve unless you push yourself.
2. They have done studies that prove that watching too much TV is bad.
3. The later it gets in the day, the harder it is for your brain to think well. 
4. You should do important things first. That way if you run out of time, you got the important things done.
5. Daily routines help form good habits. It's nice not to have to figure out what to do each day. 
2. Reasons to disagree:
1. You could also do 1 hr and 45 minutes of reading a week. This probably allows kids to get more engrossed in a story, and get addicted to it better. They don't have to read it all at the same time.
1. Reasons to disagree:
1. 2nd graders usually don't have long enough attention spans to do more than 15 minutes of reading. 
2. Daily routines are sort of boring and monotonous. 
3. Treat each other with respect. no yelling, hitting, kicking, name-calling, put-downs. Go to room for violations? Green, Yellow, Red Cards?
4. No arguing with parents. We want and value your input and ideas, but arguing means you have made your points more than once.
5. Respect each other’s property. Ask permission to use something that doesn't belong to you.
6. Do what Mom and Dad say the first time.without complaining or throwing a fit!
7. Ask permission before you go somewhere.
8. Put things away that you take out.
9. Look for ways to be kind and helpful to each other.
10. Reasons to disagree:
1. Putting a reminder to tell the truth is not necessarily, and accomplishes nothing. It sends the signal that a piece of paper on a fridge can improve their lives, and that you don't think they will tell the truth without the paper, or that they weren't telling the truth before the paper.
11. Don't swear
1. Reasons to disagree:
1. You need to learn to speak intelligently
12. No more than x hours of TV a day
13. Kids should be given specific rules about how to avoid harming their processions and things that belong to the family.
1. You should keep expensive things out of the reach of those who don't know or don't care about their safety (don't give pears to swine). This includes Wii remotes, snow globes, expensive toy animals with breakable parts. 
2. You should keep your stuff organized. Everything that is good is a result of Order. Chaos is a part of everything that is bad.
3. You should keep dirt and goo away from things that are clean
1. Reasons to agree:
1. You should take off your muddy shoes before coming inside.
2. You should wash your hands after meals, and playing with dirty things
3. You should not pick your nose and wipe it on stuff.
4. Cleanliness is next to godliness. 
5. You should cover your mouth with your elbow when you sneeze
6. You should wear a smock or a bib when you move things that drip unexpectedly, like eating or painting with  fluids with properties you have not yet learned, or with wet surfaces that your brain can not remember to avoid.
14. Kids should not allow their carelessness result in harm to their toys or the families property, especially expensive things like the car, or difficult to fix portions of the house. As kids age they need to learn to take care of "their" things, which involves keeping up with an organizational scheme that you help them with. 
15. Reasons to disagree:
1. If you plan on driving your car until it has very little value, than the scratches or upholstery might not limit its value as much as the age of the motor, transmission, etc. 
16. Reasons to agree:
1. It is OK to want your cars and house to look presentable while you own it, even if some day it will be scrapped and rebuilt. People make bad assumptions about those with broken down homes and cars.
2. It takes effort to earn money to buy things. It takes effort to keep things nice. Kids need to learn that it is wrong to take for granted efforts of others in their behalf. 
1. Reasons to agree:
1. Everyone should learn to take care of their stuff, keep it 
2. Reasons to disagree:
1. Kids that don't value nice things will naturally value your efforts to keep things nice
17. Do homework before fun (don't reward with treats)

Webpages that agree: 1

1. http://singleparents.about.com/od/discipline/a/groundrules.htm

Images that agree:

This post has a lot of drills and techniques that can help you be a good basketball coach for 7 year olds

Balanced athletic competition in a team environment promotes sportsmanship, cooperation, leadership skills, and the benefits of exercise and hard work.

Definition of "good coach"

1. You have to define what a good coach is, before you can do a good job of becoming one.
1. A good coach will:
1. be trustworthy
1. show up 10 minutes early
2. cancel as early as possible in the case of emergencies
2. respectful to the kids
3. be fair to the kids
4. find kids that need a hobby and have the interest and help them apply themselves
5. help kids enjoy striving for excellence
6. get different kids to work well together 
7. help kids set achievable, measurable goals
8. help kids have fun
9. not show favoritism
10. a good coach can find lots of reasons to motivate kids to improve their skills
1. Reasons to agree: 
1. A good coach can motivate their kids by showing them that practice can be good social group activity.
2. A good coach can motivate their kids by showing them that practice can be fun. 
3. A good coach can motivate their kids by showing them that they can set and accomplish goals that they first believed were impossible. 
4. A good coach can motivate their kids to apply them selves by telling them about the rewards of being active
1. Reasons to disagree: 
1. You are lying if you tell your kids activity levels will make them healthy. Activity is not as important as diet. 
2. Kids don't care

Basketball drills for 7 year olds

1. The best way to teach a skill is for you to demonstrate the skill in action, and then pick a volunteer to try and demonstrate it. Using their names, you can then kindly correct any mistakes they make and praise efforts to improve. This will let the other kids learn from the volunteer's mistakes. Then you should let them all practice, and you can go around similarly working with other kids. Seeing the volunteer be OK with being corrected, and still have social rewards of attention will let them know it is OK to be critiqued. 
2. You shouldn't let kids dribble when you are talking, but if they are standing in line it is OK.
1. Reasons to agree: +2
1. Kids need all the practice dribbling as possible. Why would you stop them from practicing?
2. Kids shouldn't get bored at basketball practice. It should be one of the few times that their short attention spans are not exhausted. You shouldn't have them standing in line waiting for their turn very often. If you have more than one basketball hoop you should use it. You can divide the group into smaller groups. 
2. Reasons to disagree: +1
1. Towards the beginning of the year, when they are learning drills, they may need to watch the other kids to figure out what to do.
3. Dribbling
1. Red Light, Green Light is a good basketball practice
1. Reasons to agree: +1
1. This drill helps players learn how to stop suddenly with the ball without losing it, such as if they're being trapped by a defender. Line up all players on the baseline with a ball. Stand at the far free throw line facing the players. Yell "green light" and have all the players start running at you while dribbling the ball. Yell "red light," upon which all the players must stop and dribble the ball in place. Repeat the drill by having the players stop and start again until one player reaches where you are on the court. That player is the winner. 
2. You should have kids dribble high and slow and low and fast.
1. Reasons to agree: +2
1. You have to dribble low and fast to keep people from getting the ball. 
2. You have to dribble higher to run faster
3. "Sharks and minnows" teaches kids (minnows) how to: dribble, avoid defense, and (sharks) defense techniques. 
1. Reasons to agree
1. Sharks and Minnows has kids who are minnows try to get from one side of the basketball court to the other. One "shark" tries to make the "minnows" loose control of their ball or pick up their dribble. Those kids that lost control, become "sharks" when the remaining kids try to dribble back to the other side. This usually goes a 3 or 4 rounds. The last "minnow" to loose their dribble is the winner. 
2. Tips. 
1. Some kids loose their dribble, but try to sneak back into the pack. You need to have them go to the sideline. The kids should also police each other, because it gets a little chaotic. 
1. My son likes being a shark, and purposefully looses his dribble. Give them swirlies until behavior improves.
4. You should show kids how to dribble, and let them try to dribble more than 20 times with each hand, standing still.
5. You need to explain to kids the concept of traveling.
1. Reasons to disagree: +1
1. Most 7 year olds don't understand that you can pivot on one foot (like your shoe has been nailed to the floor), but that you can't lift up your second foot. 
2. Reasons to agree: -1
1. When you dribble you keep your body between the defense and the ball. You need to be able to dribble with both hands to go both directions. 
6. You should help your kids take the ball in circles around their ankles and wastes
7. You should help your kids dribble the ball in circles around their back and between their legs.
8. You should let the kids "try and get the ball from the coach".
1. Reasons to agree:
1. It is a good way to demonstrate defensive dribbling, faking one direction, and going another direction.
2. As said above, "A good coach can motivate their kids by showing them that practice can be good social group activity." 
3. Kids enjoy teaming up against authority figures. This is harmless when done in athletic competitions, as long as you let them win, and are careful with them.
2. Tips
1. Don't let your ego get to big. Go easy. Parents are watching, and you don't want to hurt the kids!
2. This probably works best with no more than 3 or 4 kids.
3. If their are other kids that are very good at dribbling  you can use them as good examples to also demonstrate their skills. 
9. You should have kids stand in one place while dribbling and pivot, to practice dribbling. 
1. Reasons to agree
1. When kids are all running it is hard to watch them all
1. This is one of the great advantage of basketball, it teaches good hand-eye coordination
2. Reasons to disagree
1. They will get dizzy
2. This isn't something to do very often
10. You should have kids walk forward, backwards, around cones, around the court to practice dribbling.
1. Reasons to disagree
1. Kids will rarely have to dribble backwards
11. 
    
12. You should have kids see how fast they can make a basketball go around their ankles, waste, and head both clockwise and counterclockwise. 
1. Reasons to agree
1. Whatever team has the most coordinated kids will probably win
2. Reasons to diagree
1. Most 7 year olds can't do this
4. Passing
1. You need to explain to kids that when they pass they need to send the ball to a place that is easy for the person on their team to get it, but hard for the person on the other team to get it. For 7 year olds, the defense is often supposed to stay within a box, which helps. 
2. You should explain and demonstrate bounce passes to kids. 
1. Reasons to agree
1. Once the kids know the advantage of a bounce pass, they will be more likely to use them at the correct time.
2. The bounce pass should be used in specific situations. It is good to use because people can't easily reach to the ground fast enough to stop the ball before it bounces up into the hands of your teammate. 
3. You should explain and demonstrate the chest passes to kids.  
1. Reasons to agree
1. The bounce past should be used when you have a direct line of sight. Kids often have difficulty controlling a pass, or throwing the ball in a straight line.  
4. You should do experiments to see if kids can through longer with a 1-handed long pass or an overhead two hand pass. Explain that if they use the right technique, as they get older, they will be able to through the ball further with a 1-handed long pass, as they take a step, put the ball back further, and have a longer follow through.
1. Reasons to agree
1. If you want to win, the 1-handed long pass is the fastest way to make a fast break. 
5. Shooting
1. You should explain and demonstrate the different basketball shots
1. Reasons to agree
1. Kids don't understand geometry. They think you just have to throw the ball at the hoop. They don't understand that it has to come up above the hoop, and drop down through it. You also should briefly explain the geometry of a backboard shot. 
6. Rebounding
1. You should explain and demonstrate proper boxing out
1. Reasons to agree
1. It is hard to remember not to hold your opponent
7. Hand-Ball Coordination
1. You should try to get kids to get the ball to go around
8. If they are not motivated you can tell you want to see who can do it best. If this becomes a distraction, don't do it. Let competition motivate, but not be the only motivator. 1/4 competition against other, 1/4 against themselves, 1/4 fun, and 1/4 oversize. 
9. You should tell older kids that they might be good this year, but they need to practice hard because they will be the young kids next year. Its more fun when you are good. You don't have to be great, but it is not as fun when you are the worst. 

Links:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_moves