tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post7372784512987869203..comments2023-08-14T04:46:03.133-04:00Comments on The Mormon Monk: Why You Should Never Open Your Eyes at the ColosseumThe Mormon Monkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00973424196784188481noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post-73285557291691887332009-03-28T00:02:00.000-04:002009-03-28T00:02:00.000-04:00Love it. I also appreciate Mark's comment. I don't...Love it. I also appreciate Mark's comment. I don't think Zach meant that we should literraly close our eyes to the evil around us... but more that we can choose to see without really seeing. <BR/><BR/>It's the difference between someone who flips through the channels and stumbles upon something less than savory and chooses to watch and the person who chooses to ignore it and move on to the next channel.<BR/><BR/>BenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post-70777490451150458412009-03-16T12:08:00.000-04:002009-03-16T12:08:00.000-04:00I applaud the spirit with which this was written. ...I applaud the spirit with which this was written. I also find the comments section worth contemplating. Good food for thought.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616038477865625828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post-7731128637562218992009-03-14T12:16:00.000-04:002009-03-14T12:16:00.000-04:00Interesting...and very applicable with todays porn...Interesting...and very applicable with todays pornography.<BR/>momAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post-51910456914955311612009-03-10T10:35:00.000-04:002009-03-10T10:35:00.000-04:00Stuart pointed me to your blog some time ago. I so...Stuart pointed me to your blog some time ago. I sometimes read your posts via Google Reader. It's good to write and think- keep it coming.<BR/><BR/>This post is interesting, but I do not think Augustine's story of Alypius accurately portrays human spirituality, psychology, or behavior, at least in the way it has been presented here. Furthermore, I believe it promotes a view common in Mormondom that is ultimately damaging - that the best way to remain righteous is to close our eyes and cover our ears whenever we anticipate being exposed to things that are "bad" (irregardless of whether that anticipation is accurate or even if what we deem "bad" is actually so). Simply and respectfully put, I don't think this is Truth.<BR/><BR/>When have you seen a person so fundamentally and adamantly opposed to an action or belief turn that belief completely on its end in a moment of forced experience? I've never observed it, and I don't believe our souls work this way. If we indeed did work this way, then our safety would lie in avoiding all evil, something that is not only unrealistic but is also simply not possible or even in the intentions and plan of our Heavenly Father! No, our freedom lies in our ability to understand right and wrong and to choose what we desire, <B>particularly</B> in the face of intense exposure to that which is evil.<BR/><BR/>The idea that Alypius's mistake lied in opening his eyes is, in my opinion, erroneous. Whether Alypius didn't understand principles of truth and love, or he flatly rejected them in the face of mob excitement, or he was just posing as a pious Christian before going to the Colosseum, or a beautiful woman sat next to him that he wanted to impress, or what his material mistakes actually were we will never know! Augustine probably didn't know, either. <BR/><BR/>The bottom line is that Alypius chose evil. His mistake was in that choice - not in his failure to extricate himself from that evil (I recognize that sometimes this choice <I>does</I> involve removing one's self from the situation, but extrication is often not the solution).<BR/><BR/>The scriptures counsel us to understand the world, its people, and its histories. We must understand the world and at least be aware of its evil if we hope to change it. <BR/><BR/>There was a missionary in my MTC district who, in the course of conversation, revealed to my companion and I that he didn't know what "pot" was. I commend this Elder and his parents' ability to protect him from mind-numbing drugs, but I don't commend them for shielding him from knowledge of their existence. As one who, although born in Utah, has lived outside of that awesome state for more than 12 years of my life, I think it is our duty to engage with those who believe differently than we do, in an effort to bring us all to a greater understanding of Truth. Tell me, if this Elder came across an investigator that refused to give up recreational use of pot, how on earth would he have been able to speak to him about it if he didn't even know what it was? He couldn't. I understand this is a hypothetical, but I've experienced this hypothetical many times on many subjects.<BR/><BR/>Lastly, I ask this question: if keeping our eyes closed in this Colosseum of life is truly the ideal we should strive for, where is the scriptural evidence for this philosophy? Why aren't we all monks? What individual in the scriptures is an example of having done this? Did Moroni, in witnessing all the war, killing, carnage and destruction (some of it performed, no doubt, by his very own hands) somehow keep his eyes closed to the evil surrounding him? No, I don't think he did, and neither should we. <BR/><BR/>Our safety lies in the Truth, not in avoiding the influence of its antithesis.<BR/><BR/>====<BR/>I type fast, and sometimes before I know it I've written a short novel. So sorry for this long comment. Sometimes when I respond at length it has the effect of getting people riled up. It's as if writing a lot raises the stakes in some prideful contest. Please don't interpret my comments this way - I only respond because I want to respectfully engage you on this topic.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09929188373092846208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post-1356232901142393862009-03-10T09:12:00.000-04:002009-03-10T09:12:00.000-04:00Bravo!Bravo!Aaron H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08955209430145581209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4966828753692497089.post-81950669715435115972009-03-10T08:14:00.000-04:002009-03-10T08:14:00.000-04:00You did a nice job sharing this. You were right,it...You did a nice job sharing this. You were right,it needed to be posted. Great job. Amy JoThe Mormon Monkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00973424196784188481noreply@blogger.com