"The Ignorance of Mocking Mormonism"

[Not Buying It]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... 5/?ref=yfp

Oh please. We have to read this kind of shallowness in the Deseret News, is it really necessary to read it in The Atlantic as well? Yes, the article that triggered this one was a bit snide and dismissive of the beliefs of the LDS Church, but I reject the premise that Mormons are oh so wonderful because of their wacky beliefs. Believing in the Book of Mormon in spite of the fact it's an obvious hoax is not what makes many Mormons nice people.

And no, Mormons are not the last, the only, or most frequently mocked religious group in America, in spite of what this author would have you believe.

[Hagoth]

Well, it was written by the editorial page editor of the Deseret News. Maybe this is the the first wave of some new Mormons-are-awesome propaganda for a pending political move by Mitt.

[foolmeonce]

Gotta hand to it Mormons they sure are good at perceiving themselves as victims.

After I left the church and started making real friends, it surprised me how many people really don't care one way or the other about the Mormons. Especially now that missionaries stopped the non-stop tracting, most people really don't give it much of a thought.

[Emower]

After I left the church and started making real friends, it surprised me how many people really don't care one way or the other about the Mormons. Especially now that missionaries stopped the non-stop tracting, most people really don't give it much of a thought.

Totally. Before we thought that Mormonism is a big deal because the scriptures point to that fact and prophesy about that fact, and all the prophets since have told us that it is the biggest deal in the world, and the church inserts itself into our lives and masquerades as the biggest deal it can possibly be. After we have had a faith crisis it legitimately becomes the biggest deal in our lives for a different reason as we try to figure out our path forward. But after truly stepping back and gauging other people's interests in different topics both religious and non, it becomes very clear that Mormonism is not the big deal we all thought they were. Kind of like a bad Ex.

[azflyer]

I really liked it. While Mormonism certainly has its pitfalls, the doctrines of Mormonism do compel people to action, and much of that action is directed at doing good.

[RubinHighlander]

Yet, those who study Mormonism closely often come to appreciate that distinct Latter-day Saint behavior is strongly tethered to distinct Latter-day Saint theology.

Hated it! The whole narrative of the good things Mormons do or how they act is somehow more unique and more special than anyone else, that "distinct LDS behavior". That part really bugs me and that's what is wrong with any and all religions, claiming they are more special or chosen than anyone else on this planet.

What gives me the credibility to hate that narrative? I used to believe it! I feel sad and embarrassed about it. I publicly apologize for all the times I thought that way and put other religions or people down because they were not members.

[Not Buying It]

I really liked it. While Mormonism certainly has its pitfalls, the doctrines of Mormonism do compel people to action, and much of that action is directed at doing good.

True, but as our friend RubinHighlander just pointed out, it is framed as if that is unique to Mormonism, as though the Church's goofy and esoteric doctrines somehow produce citizens that are more moral, provide more service, have more integrity, and are generally more reliable than any other organization produces. Which is demonstrably false.

I agree that the Church produces nice people most of the time. I disagree that it is the only organization that does, and certainly not the one that does it best. The article didn't just argue that Mormonism produces people who do good things - it argues that the Church uniquely produces people who do good things.

And I found the persecution complex infused throughout the article insufferably obnoxious. Mormons are considerably less persecuted than a whole bunch of other groups I could name in society today, but the article makes it sound like we are the last group to experience unfettered discrimination. Utter rubbish.

I hated this article. It exemplifies many of the things I hate about the Church - the smugness, false pride in Mormonism's uniqueness, the tendency to cry "persecution" when relative to other groups persecution is actually rare and inconsequential, the holier-than-thou-martyr-making - it made my skin crawl.