Zoo Testimony

[Solon]

Like I said, I'm not consulting the Vulgate as an authoritative source. I'm looking at it from a historiographical perspective.

I know. I was just trying to be funny and take a swipe at Latinists. The Vulgate is good stuff.

This has been interesting for me to look at, and I think there are a few possible solutions, each with its own merits. I want to make sure I haven't sounded too adamant, since language always has wiggle room - especially Greek.

(EDIT: If I have sounded too adamant, I apologize. Just giving it my best shot.)

[All-American]

Look, I'm just saying that thread hijacks are annoying enough, but when only three people on the entire board can follow the discussion, maybe it needs to be moved somewhere else.

Maybe you should learn greek. Or stop being so pissy. Whichever is easier for you.

[Solon]

Maybe you should learn greek. Or stop being so pissy. Whichever is easier for you.

What he said.

If you don't want to read it, you don't have to. I don't read a lot of stuff around here and have been pleased with the results.

[JohnnyLingo]

Maybe you should learn greek. Or stop being so pissy. Whichever is easier for you.

I was unaware that asking people literally speaking Greek to move their discussion somewhere else was being pissy.

My bad. Carry on.

[All-American]

I know. I was just trying to be funny and take a swipe at Latinists. The Vulgate is good stuff.

This has been interesting for me to look at, and I think there are a few possible solutions, each with its own merits. I want to make sure I haven't sounded too adamant, since language always has wiggle room - especially Greek.

(EDIT: If I have sounded too adamant, I apologize. Just giving it my best shot.)

Oh, please. Stop trying to be unpretentious. It's not very becoming of a classicist.

Embrace the arrogance, amice mei.

[Solon]

In form, perhaps, but in function? I don't know how that would fit in this particular sentence.

I agree. It's possible, I guess, that the guy who wrote the lines just thought that this verb in this instance needed an accusative. And then we get to spend all day today dissecting it.

His revenge is complete.

[Solon]

Oh, please. Stop trying to be unpretentious. It's not very becoming of a classicist.

Embrace the arrogance, amice mei.

No way. I'm too short, and Mormon Red Death had good things to say about you.

Plus, I might need a job someday as your donut delivery guy.

[Solon]

I was unaware that asking people literally speaking Greek to move their discussion somewhere else was being pissy.

My bad. Carry on.

literally typing it. Not speaking.

(now I'm being pissy, I guess. sorry)

[SeattleUte]

I have to say that some of the dialog here is rather puerile, IMO, and hard to get through. I did jnot read it all closely. It is very possible that my idea has already been presented. If so, feel free to ridicule.

Why does the story represent an "intervention" by God into man's affairs? If our goal is to align our will with God's, to do what He would do, to seek spiritual power in a way that allows us to act as God would have us act, and believe as God would have us believe, then perhaps making ourselves available to promptings is all that is required. Perhaps God sends promptings to everyone, all the time. Perhaps only those persons (both in and out of the LDS church) who are listening get the message. Having received it and acted on it lives may be changed and disasters averted, but it is not because of the capricious intervention of God, per se, but because of the fulfilled desire to seek his will and direction, which He makes available to everyone.

IOW, the premise that this story represents an atypical intervention may be faulty. God winds up the earth as clock and lets it run, but part of the machine may be his dispensation of guiding wisdom and insight, which we only rarely put ourselves in position to receive.

Let me see if I can explore a bit what you might mean to say in this very mature post. Our young resident got a feeling something was going to happen near the gorilla cages that would require his assistance. He seems to have figured this out after the fact; as related to us at the time all he felt was a yen to visit the gorrillas (BTW, IMO the gorillas are the highlight of any zoo; I think it's fairly common to not want to miss them). So, according to the resident, there was something supernatural, something divine that happened to him as he debated his next course at the Louisville zoo, and not just a yen to visit the gorillas that coinceded through shear happenstance with the derailment. Fair enough?

Does this mean that God knew the train was about to derail? Why didn't he stop it? Did he cause it? Why was he so intent (above all) on getting this young resident to the scene of the accident as it happened? So he could tell this faith promoting story about himself in sacracment meeting? Any other reason? Were there reports of unavailability of emergency care specialists at the scene? What really is the point of the story? What lesson are we to glean from this about how to put ourselves in a position to acces the machine's guiding wisdom and light? Does this mean that feature of the machine is only available to Mormons?

[CardiacCoug]

What really is the point of the story? What lesson are we to glean from this about how to put ourselves in a position to acces the machine's guiding wisdom and light? Does this mean that feature of the machine is only available to Mormons?

Faith-promoting stories like these are basically archetypal LDS narratives. We hear similar stories with similar patterns told very frequently in meetings from the time we are little kids.

Then when a stressful or momentous event occurs, it's easy to analyze most stories retrospectively and fit the story into the archetypal pattern.

This story seems like a great example of this phenomenon. There have been other stories on this board and especially on CB that fit this archetypal narrative pattern as well.

[Indy Coug]

Faith-promoting stories like these are basically archetypal LDS narratives. We hear similar stories with similar patterns told very frequently in meetings from the time we are little kids.

Then when a stressful or momentous event occurs, it's easy to analyze most stories retrospectively and fit the story into the archetypal pattern.

This story seems like a great example of this phenomenon. There have been other stories on this board and especially on CB that fit this archetypal narrative pattern as well.

There are no miracles, just certain happenstances interpreted with personal filters. Gotcha.

[wuapinmon]

Maybe you should learn greek. Or stop being so pissy. Whichever is easier for you.

On the jacket liner notes to Sublime's self-titled album, they provide the lyrics to all of the songs, save one, "Caress Me Down." The song is a mixture of Spanish and English. Instead of the lyrics it just says "Learn Spanish."

Lingo, I don't speak Greek, but I find their discussion interesting and fascinating and it makes me want to learn some Greek, ancient that is.

[CardiacCoug]

There are no miracles, just certain happenstances interpreted with personal filters. Gotcha.

Nobody can prove that miracles don't occur.

I just think most faith-promoting stories like this are better explained as a retrospective analysis of events in the form of a familiar archetypal narrative pattern.

Now if this resident had some sort of prospective documentation of the promptings he was receiving to visit the gorillas for some important medical purpose, I would view that as evidence that a miracle may have occurred in this case.

[Indy Coug]

Nobody can prove that miracles don't occur.

I just think most faith-promoting stories like this are better explained as a retrospective analysis of events in the form of a familiar archetypal narrative pattern.

Now if this resident had some sort of prospective documentation of the promptings he was receiving to visit the gorillas for some important medical purpose, I would view that as evidence that a miracle may have occurred in this case.

[VADER]I find your lack of faith disturbing.[/VADER]

[Solon]

On the jacket liner notes to Sublime's self-titled album, they provide the lyrics to all of the songs, save one, "Caress Me Down." The song is a mixture of Spanish and English. Instead of the lyrics it just says "Learn Spanish."

Lingo, I don't speak Greek, but I find their discussion interesting and fascinating and it makes me want to learn some Greek, ancient that is.

Aaah, Sublime. You're treating me well today, Wuap, in the music category.

"Reefers."