User talk:Ryancormack

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Welcome!

Hello, Ryancormack, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question and then place {{helpme}} before the question on your talk page. Again, welcome!  Can't sleep, clown will eat me 20:59, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Please cite sources

Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia! We welcome and appreciate your contributions, such as Oxygen, but we regretfully cannot accept original research. Please find and add a reliable citation to your recent edit so we can verify your work. Uncited information may be removed at any time. Thanks for your efforts, and happy editing! Can't sleep, clown will eat me 21:06, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Freemasonry and the Latter Day Saint movement

I've removed your speedy deletion tag from this article. Clearly people care about the topic -- the references illustrate that quite well. In any case, placing a speedy deletion tag on a page for the sole reason that you don't consider it interesting is inappropriate. If you find that the article could be improved upon in some way, please take advantage of the Talk page. Tijuana Brass (talk) 01:47, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

No problem. I've made the same mistake before too.
There are details at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion if you want to pursue an AfD on it, but after editing LDS-related articles here for over a year, I can tell you that it'll be a wasted effort -- the arguments against it won't be enough to sway it towards deletion. By that, I don't mean that your arguments aren't valid, bur there's an extensive amount of research that has gone into the relationship between Mormonism and Freemasonry (from both perspectives on the church; I remember reading a few FARMS papers on it when I was a member). It runs much deeper than, say, describing the relationship between Mormonism and Methodism, and stretches beyond temple practice.
Now, regarding what you mentioned about the topic being played up by some of the LDS Church's more vocal critics, well, yes, it has been at times. We're aiming at encyclopedic articles, so if you feel that the article here has not met the Wikipedia guidelines of neutral point of view or verifiability, head over to the talk page again and we can look at it. Keep in mind, though, that when it comes to articles on faith, it's exceedingly difficult to find a wording that its adherents feel is ideal. If something is in the article which isn't supported by an accepted citation, then it can be changed, but if the main argument is that it criticizes a belief system... well, I understand the frustration, but that's not a reason for it to be removed.
Hope this helps. I know it's not an easy balance to strike. Tijuana Brass (talk) 17:42, 7 December 2007 (UTC)