There is an analogy, often employed by defenders of the Latter-day
Saint faith, when trying to divert attention away from critics of the faith.
(…and to be clear, I have used the names Ford and
Chevrolet randomly, for the purposes of the analogy—not as any reflection on
the cars or companies in any real sense)
It is some variation of the following:
If you were considering buying a Ford, would you go to
the Chevrolet dealership for information?
It is an analogy so flawed it beggars belief that
anybody with a capacity to reason would ever propose it.
The more appropriate analogy would be:
If you were considering
buying a Ford, and discovered
(i)
that 75%[i] of Ford buyers returned
their vehicle within the first year, never to buy another Ford, and
(ii)
that the Ford corporation was trying to
disparage those who returned their cars, saying that there was something wrong
with the car owner rather than something wrong with the car, and
(iii)
that the Ford corporation did not want
potential buyers to know why almost all previous buyers returned their cars…
…would it not be
incumbent on you to find out why almost everybody returned their cars, why the car
company was disparaging the returners, and what it was that the company did not want you to
find out prior to your purchase?
[i] LDS Statistician David
Stewart suggest a 20-30% retention rate for new converts (http://cumorah.com/lawoftheharvest.pdf
pp. 257-280), and GA Historian Marlin K. Jensen puts it at about 25% (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mormonchurch-idUSTRE80T1CM20120131)
