03-03-2007, 11:28 PM | #41 | |
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Did Benson create more LDS conservatives by virtue of his vocal position on many issues, or did he act as a magnet for sentiments already coalescing within the culture? By the time he became president, I doubt he had any effect, as towards the end, he was a figure head for GBH. Even late as President of the Twelve, he had significantly mollified his political discussions. I wish he had never been so political, because he was drawn to the whackiest of positions, adding legitimacy to them for many LDS. How was the Civil Rights movement linked to communism? I imagine the LDS culture would not have been so behind the times though if several of its prominent leaders had not been so radical in their viewpoints. Leaders do not spring up in a vacuum, but rather act as voices already whispering within the community. The federal oppression of the Church created an atmosphere where ETB's radical Bircher positions could live. In my view, ETB was both an echo of what already existed within the LDS community, yet a legitimizing for others who may have been on the fence or undecided.
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03-04-2007, 01:27 PM | #42 | |
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03-04-2007, 01:30 PM | #43 |
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Bush has said similar things frequently, and he did even more during the primary races to attract attention to his "conservativism."
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03-04-2007, 01:32 PM | #44 |
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03-04-2007, 05:24 PM | #45 |
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The only one who has come close to doing that is Bush and today an overwhelming majority of Americans have a low regard for him. Of the four I'd say Reagan and Romney are a lot less religious than Bush and Carter.Romney's religiosity seems Clintonian to me. I doubt very much he is a true believer.
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03-04-2007, 05:35 PM | #46 |
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Precisely my point. Nobody respects Bush anymore. You won't see anyone trying to ge ino his skin this election as Bush Sr. did Reagan for example.
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Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster |
03-04-2007, 06:04 PM | #47 | |
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03-04-2007, 06:20 PM | #48 |
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Just what makes you doubt that he is a true believer?
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03-04-2007, 07:04 PM | #49 | |
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If you look at the root of the word "liberal" there is the notion of ceaseless questioning and testing the established order. Mormon liberals choose to compartmentalize their liberalism in a way I choose not to and seems often disingenuous. With respect to social issues our views are very close. But there are many aspects of liberals whether or not Mormon that I dislike. I abhore the hostile attitude toward Western culture and the idea that our icons are recognized as such because they were white men. This problem is insidious in a place like Seattle where schools would sooner have a special cultural study focus on Africa or India as Great Britain or ancient Rome. What results is just bad education and ignorance. Unfortuantely, home schooling is the only sure fire way to get away form it and I'm not a fan of that. This is why when anyone says Gibbon or Melville was a bad writer my antena goes up. I am also a big fan of Adam Smith's invisible hand; economic as well as individual liberty. I'm not saying other cultures aren't totally worthwhile of course including to study and experience. One of the glories of ours is its absoprtive quality. But we need to understand ourselves first.
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Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster Last edited by SeattleUte; 03-04-2007 at 07:40 PM. |
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03-04-2007, 07:29 PM | #50 |
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I know a lot of guys like him.
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