Difference between revisions of "Template:Antispeak"

| admit = "'''Admit'''"—Critics claim that apologists only "admit" facts, while critics "disclose the truth."

|apologist='''Dismissal of apologists' use of new data as simply a desperate ploy'''—When the facts don't stack up in the critics' favor, simply imply that apologists are executing a desperate ploy to try and distract you.

|beg the question='''Begging the question''': Critics will often assume what they are trying to prove in how they frame questions or describe issues.

| caricature='''Caricature believers' arguments'''—Rather than accurately report and respond to an argument offered by a believer, the critic caricaturizes it and then criticizes their own straw man version.

| change opinion='''Believers aren't allowed to change their opinions''': if believers don't abandon their faith because of the critics' arguments, they are "ignoring the evidence."  When believers change their opinions as new data become available, the critics declare that this means the believers are being inconsistent or caving in.

|despair='''Believers are characterized to be in a state of "desperation" or "despair" or "grasping at straws"'''—Critics wish to make it appear that believers are never on solid ground based upon facts and that any attempt to support their belief is an act of desperation or despair.

|doesn't count='''Doesn't count''': Critics like to claim the Church ''never'' or ''rarely'' does something, and then insist that every counter-example doesn't really count (if they mention them at all).  This lets them ignore all evidence contrary to their position.

| ex-mormon='''Quotes from Ex-Mormon message board posts do not produce the best evidence'''—Ex-mormon message board posts tend to let their rhetoric obscure facts.

|fundamentalism='''Fundamentalist thinking'''—The critic reveals extremely rigid, unrealistic expectations which he or she attributes to "the Church" or "the gospel," and then criticizes the Church or its leaders from being unable to meet this impossible standard.

| loaded= '''Loaded language''' —Critics often use negative terms, biased language, or casual terms to make LDS matters seem bizarre, evil, or absurd.

| liars= '''Liars''' —Critics often assume or claim that LDS leaders or members are lying or dishonest. They do not consider or grant that even if they are in error, they might have made an error innocently or unintentionally. Any error (real or perceived) is evidence of ''lying''.

|honest='''Believers not being honest'''—Critics imply that if you do not accept their view, that you are "intellectually dishonest."

|mocking='''Mocking language and hyperbole'''—The critic intentionally exaggerates claims in order to mock believers.

|mutually exclusive='''Mutually exclusive claims'''—When critics need an attack against the Church, ''any'' excuse will do, even if they are mutually self-contradictory: if one argument is true, the other cannot be. They hope we don't notice that an internally consistent story is not being told.

| repeat = '''Repetition''' —Critics often repeat the same claim again and again, as if repetition improved their argument. Or, they use the same 'shock-quote' multiple times.

| shrill='''Shrillness makes you appear silly and inaccurate''' —When critics become shrill, they sacrifice accuracy and begin making silly sarcastic claims.

|truth='''Critics are "lovers of truth" and "truth seekers," while believers are "desperate" and "liars"'''—Critics always portray themselves as "truth seekers," and imply that believer are liars.

| warm fuzzies = "'''Warm fuzzies'''"—A mocking term used by critics to describe "feeling the spirit."

|spaghetti='''Spaghetti defense'''—Critics cannot figure out how something happened, so they will throw every possible explanation at it that they can in the hope that one of them will "stick to the wall."

|trivialization='''Trivialization'''—Critics take a complex idea and attempt to trivialize it down to a few simple sound bites in order to prove their position.

|circular reasoning='''Circular reasoning'''—The premise used by the critic depends upon validity of the conclusion.

|sarcasm='''Sarcastic reasoning'''—The critic makes sarcastic claims that are intended to generate an emotional reaction.

|pretending='''Pretending to be believers'''—The critics pretend to be believers by using phrases such as "we believe," even though they do not.

|speaking for Jesus='''Speaking for Jesus'''—The critic, despite not believing in God, presumes to "speak for Jesus".

|speaking for God='''Speaking for God'''—The critic, despite not believing in God, presumes to know what God ought to require.

|generalization='''Generalization'''—The non-believing critic attempts to speak on behalf of the majority of believing Church members.

|non-sequitur='''Non-sequitur'''—The critic makes a statement having little or no relevance to what preceded it.

|unsupported='''Unsupported implication'''—The critic wishes to make an implication based upon anonymous sources or heresay.

|wishful thinking='''Wishful thinking'''—Critics often come up with ideas on ex-Mormon message boards that represent "wishful thinking" that supports their idea that the Church is in decline.

|corporation='''The Church as a corporation'''—Critics like to portray the Church as a for-profit business.

|misquote='''The source has been misquoted'''—Because the critic simply copies what they think are source quotes from other web sites, the quote does not match the source.