The Ridiculous Car Purchase Analogy.

 

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?

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[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)