Pyrrhic Victories and Potemkin Villages
FEATURES
- “Crawling Over, Under, or Around Section 132”: The Debate Over Joseph Smith and Polygamy by Daniel C. Peterson
- The Trojan Horse of AI by Marianna Richardson
- An Open Letter to the Mayor of Fairview, Texas by C.D. Cunningham
- The Man Who Entered Alone: How Israel’s High Priest Pointed to Christ by Patrick D. Degn
- Looking Upon the Serpent by Paul Bishop
- Your Hardest Family Question: How can I say “no” and still be Christ-like? by Geoff Steurer, MS, LMFT
- How We Learn to Be Strong and of Good Courage–Come Follow Me Podcast, Joshua 1-8, 23, 24 by Scot and Maurine Proctor
- Stepping into Moses’ Shoes: Joshua’s Divine Commission by Daniel C. Peterson
- Fooling the Supercomputer (Part 1) by Daris Howard
- Your Grand Connections Are Both Powerful and Tender by Mary Bell
















Comments | Return to Story
Glen DanielsenAugust 29, 2016
"Changing our public discourse to avoid Pyrrhic victories and Potemkin villages begins when we get comfortable with being uncomfortable and engage in dialogue." Does this liberal view mean we must be more accommodating to nonsense or 'get comfortable' with it? I see the wisdom in the cautions presented in this article, but taken too far they are not wise. Because we teach correct principles does not mean all we do is facade. On the other hand, I liked President Uchtdorf's perspective when he spoke about Potemkin villages in a General Conference address to caution that we don't have to present an embellished picture when we share the gospel. In this article though, I think the author fails to give good examples to clarify his point. If the need for civility and thoughtful discourse is the author's goal, then I agree. As always, the gospel itself will provide our guide: avoid a spirit of contention, and remember love.
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