Difference between revisions of "MormonWiki:Point of view"
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It is expected that the content accessible through MormonWiki.com will have a point of view, and that point of view will be favorable to the faith claims of the Restoration, in general, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in particular. | It is expected that the content accessible through MormonWiki.com will have a point of view, and that point of view will be favorable to the faith claims of the Restoration, in general, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in particular. | ||
| − | Much has been made concerning the concept of a | + | Much has been made concerning the concept of a “neutral point of view,” which is the goal of sites such as [http://en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia]. While such a point of view is desirable for an encyclopedic end-user publication such as Wikipedia, it is not really applicable to MormonWiki.com. This site does not plan on or intend to be a publication, it is not geared for end-users, and it is not intended to be encyclopedic. MormonWiki.com has an entirely different purpose which is different from a site such as Wikipedia. |
The point of view which should be evident in all content available through MormonWiki.com includes the following: | The point of view which should be evident in all content available through MormonWiki.com includes the following: | ||
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*The church established by Jesus Christ during His mortal ministry fell into apostasy and the priesthood power possessed by that organization was taken from the earth shortly after the death of the ancient apostles. | *The church established by Jesus Christ during His mortal ministry fell into apostasy and the priesthood power possessed by that organization was taken from the earth shortly after the death of the ancient apostles. | ||
| − | *The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ occurred with the prophetic call of Joseph Smith. He established a church and founded a religion that represented a restoration of the fullness of the gospel, along with all the priesthood authority necessary for man to function as | + | *The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ occurred with the prophetic call of Joseph Smith. He established a church and founded a religion that represented a restoration of the fullness of the gospel, along with all the priesthood authority necessary for man to function as God’s representatives on earth. |
| − | *The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living Church. It is divine in its inception and inspired in its organization and efforts. It is an earthly organization consisting of fallible men and women seeking to be | + | *The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living Church. It is divine in its inception and inspired in its organization and efforts. It is an earthly organization consisting of fallible men and women seeking to be God’s chosen people, attempting to carry out a divine mandate with heavenly assistance. |
*God still speaks to men today, as in days of old, through His chosen messengers, the prophets. God can also talk to and inspire individuals. Continuing revelation is possible on both an individual and, through the prophet, to the Church as a whole. | *God still speaks to men today, as in days of old, through His chosen messengers, the prophets. God can also talk to and inspire individuals. Continuing revelation is possible on both an individual and, through the prophet, to the Church as a whole. | ||
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Further, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view neutral point of view], as designed and implemented at sites like Wikipedia, is designed to give voice to all points of view and indifferently recognize the relative acceptance of the views by individuals. The faith claims of Mormonism, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in particular, have never been the claims held by the majority of people. Mormonism can't be completely explained or proved without referring to personal spiritual experiences and without taking a "position" relative to the validity of those spiritual experiences. Faith in God has never been a popularity contest, and a dispassionate telling of all sides of the Mormon story is antithetical to the passion that should be attendant to a faithful retelling of that story. | Further, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view neutral point of view], as designed and implemented at sites like Wikipedia, is designed to give voice to all points of view and indifferently recognize the relative acceptance of the views by individuals. The faith claims of Mormonism, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in particular, have never been the claims held by the majority of people. Mormonism can't be completely explained or proved without referring to personal spiritual experiences and without taking a "position" relative to the validity of those spiritual experiences. Faith in God has never been a popularity contest, and a dispassionate telling of all sides of the Mormon story is antithetical to the passion that should be attendant to a faithful retelling of that story. | ||
| − | Does this mean that MormonWiki.com is biased in the way it presents information? Yes, if by | + | Does this mean that MormonWiki.com is biased in the way it presents information? Yes, if by “bias” you mean that it adopts a particular viewpoint. Whether such a biased telling is inherently of less value than a telling that seeks an arbitrary neutral point of view is left to the reader to determine. |
Latest revision as of 11:35, 18 August 2008
It is expected that the content accessible through MormonWiki.com will have a point of view, and that point of view will be favorable to the faith claims of the Restoration, in general, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in particular.
Much has been made concerning the concept of a “neutral point of view,” which is the goal of sites such as Wikipedia. While such a point of view is desirable for an encyclopedic end-user publication such as Wikipedia, it is not really applicable to MormonWiki.com. This site does not plan on or intend to be a publication, it is not geared for end-users, and it is not intended to be encyclopedic. MormonWiki.com has an entirely different purpose which is different from a site such as Wikipedia.
The point of view which should be evident in all content available through MormonWiki.com includes the following:
- Jesus Christ actually lived, breathed, walked, talked, suffered, died, and was resurrected. He is the divine and literal Son of God, the Father, and the Savior of the world.
- The church established by Jesus Christ during His mortal ministry fell into apostasy and the priesthood power possessed by that organization was taken from the earth shortly after the death of the ancient apostles.
- The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ occurred with the prophetic call of Joseph Smith. He established a church and founded a religion that represented a restoration of the fullness of the gospel, along with all the priesthood authority necessary for man to function as God’s representatives on earth.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living Church. It is divine in its inception and inspired in its organization and efforts. It is an earthly organization consisting of fallible men and women seeking to be God’s chosen people, attempting to carry out a divine mandate with heavenly assistance.
- God still speaks to men today, as in days of old, through His chosen messengers, the prophets. God can also talk to and inspire individuals. Continuing revelation is possible on both an individual and, through the prophet, to the Church as a whole.
One only need do some searching on the Internet to discover that the faith claims of the Church are open to many different interpretations. By definition, a neutral point of view gives credence to those points of view. It is the position of MormonWiki.com that those points of view are not of equal value, and that points of view which are favorable to the faith claims of the Church are inherently of more value than those which denigrate those claims or remove the divine from consideration.
Further, a neutral point of view, as designed and implemented at sites like Wikipedia, is designed to give voice to all points of view and indifferently recognize the relative acceptance of the views by individuals. The faith claims of Mormonism, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in particular, have never been the claims held by the majority of people. Mormonism can't be completely explained or proved without referring to personal spiritual experiences and without taking a "position" relative to the validity of those spiritual experiences. Faith in God has never been a popularity contest, and a dispassionate telling of all sides of the Mormon story is antithetical to the passion that should be attendant to a faithful retelling of that story.
Does this mean that MormonWiki.com is biased in the way it presents information? Yes, if by “bias” you mean that it adopts a particular viewpoint. Whether such a biased telling is inherently of less value than a telling that seeks an arbitrary neutral point of view is left to the reader to determine.
