The Mormons
My first experience with the Mormons was on the Queen Elizabeth on which I as a teen exchange student and a group of young Mormon missionaries were traveling from NYC to Britain. They were nice people and we socialized occasionally on our nearly week long trip across the Atlantic. My impression was positive.
A decade or so later a family close to us was converted suddenly by the Mormons. I became, thus, aware of the details of Mormonism that were not always entirely obvious to the outsider. To list some of them:
1) The Mormons at that time excluded African Americans from their church or at least its inner circles. The Mormon obsession with genealogy was apparently focused on excluding any suspect individuals who might have had African American ancestors. Later at some date the Mormons dropped this racist exclusion.
2) The Mormons believe that only Mormons in good standing can achieve salvation in the after life. Thus, Mormons have an obligation to rescue their relatives — even baptizing them into their church after death. We spent about the next ten years with Mormon visitors trying to convert us. As the last batch departed, I heard one of them say over our intercom, “we had better tell X that there is no hope with this one.”
3) The Mormon church, as the Catholic one, is dominated by its head — ordinarily someone quite advanced in age — who determines what is right and wrong for Mormons to believe and do.
4) Women are denigrated by the Mormons and expected to have as many children as possible. I have been saddened to see young Mormons with great intellectual abilities condemned to husband service.
5) The Mormons are not just another Protestant Church. The Book of Mormon, which may have been constructed out of a penny dreadful early 19th century novel, insists on a Mormon way that distinguishes Mormons from all other Christians who are damned and who will go to Hell unless they are converted to the true Mormon faith.
6) The Mormons are obliged to tithe (give 10% of their earnings to their church for Mormon charitable and other uses). Thus, Mormons tend to reject state aid programs that benefit others.
Bottom Line: I would feel distinctly uncomfortable having a Mormon President of the U.S. The Church of Latter Day Saints is a bit too close to a cult for my sense of well-being. Only the Mormon G-d could know what a Mormon Commander-in-Chief would determine to be the right things for our massive American military forces to do. The flip flops of the current Mormon candidate for the Republican presidential designation are disconcerting to follow. I would expect at the very least to see threats of regressive and repressive practices — particularly directed towards women and those suffering from poverty and disabilities.
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Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
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5 users commented in " The Mormons "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a Trackback1 – If you’re going to throw stones, now would be a good time to evaluate the racist past of other denominations lest you set yourself up as a hypocrite. Were blacks excluded from leadership roles? Yes. Was it a terrible thing? Again Yes. Is it done and gone? Yes, yes , and yes…What more do you want?
2 – Again, if you’re going to condemn Mormons for feeling the need to share their religion, you best be condemning nearly every christian denomination out there.
3 – So?
4 – You make it sound like Mormons lock up their wives in the basement and make them pump out babies. Your comments are baseless. If anything the LDS church can be critiqued for is expecting too much from women. From PTA and community groups to church callings to full time jobs, the expectation to able to do it all is there, its unfair and the church has some work to do to alleviate the stress placed upon women. Your caricature of modern mormon life is insulting and completely out of touch with reality.
5 – Again, you do not know what you are talking about. The charge that the Book of Mormon was a copy of a 19th century novel were leveled when it first came out, and subsequently dismissed when a copy of said novel was discovered. There is no comparison. Also, Mormon doctrine does not condemn anyone to hell for not believing. In fact, the only way to make it into the Mormon version of hell is to know for a fact that God lives and then to deny his existence. However, Mormons being condemned to hell by mainstream Christianity is a regular occurrence. I find it surprising that for someone who claims to have known Mormons for so long would get this fundamental belief so terribly wrong.
6 – Reject state aid that benefits others? Do Mormons take care of their own? Of course they do, but you conveniently leave out the fact that the LDS church has sent millions in aid to others regardless of faith. Trucks were departing SLC en route to Louisiana before Katrina even hit. Can you say as much for your state aid?
Bottom Line: The only accusations you level against Mr. Romney that hold any water are his recently acquired conservative credentials. Your remaining ‘concerns’ could have been leveled against any candidate of faith, particularly when one lacks even a basic understanding of that faith.
Mr. Kent may have met and known some Mormons, but he obviously does not understand Mormonism.
1. “Racist exclusion.” To this day, Jews restrict the priesthood to a small group of Jews who descend from Aaron. Is that racist? Are we going to discuss the many religions who justified slavery as “biblical,” while Mormons opposed slavery?
Whatever the reasons for the pre-1978 policy, Latter-day Saints universally rejoiced when the priesthood ban on African ancestry was lifted. Romney said, “I pulled over the side of the road and literally broke down. In was that important to me to see that change in our church.” Today the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing rapidly in the inner cities of America, in Brazil, and in Africa, with local congregations led by faithful people of African descent who serve, like local LDS leaders everywhere, without pay.
2. ” . . .only Mormons in good standing can achieve salvation in the after life.” Wrong. LDS believe that all people who ever lived will be resurrected, and that the vast majority will eventually find themselves in one of three degrees of glory, the lowest of which is wonderful beyond our imagination. But to achieve “exaltation” — to dwell with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the highest degree of glory — requires faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins by one who has authority from Christ, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring in faith to the end.
” . . . even baptizing them into their church after death.” Mormonism is the only religion that teaches that every person who has ever lived on earth has *equal opportunity* for exaltation. We do not baptized the dead; rather we baptize *for* the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29) We are baptized in our temples as proxies for those who have died, because the ordinance must be performed on earth. This gives the dead the opportunity, before resurrection day, to accept or reject this saving ordinance of their own free will and choice. Their choice is known only to God, and we do not count them as members of our church.
For more, see http://hthalljr.googlepages.com\choice.html
3. “Dominated by its head.” The Head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” is Jesus Christ, and all Latter-day Saints have equal access to him. The earthly organization is led by apostles and prophets, just as it was in the primitive Church after the ascension of Christ. The decisions of the First Presidency (three men) and the quorum of Twelve Apostles are not binding unless they are unanimous. Can you imagine any organization being governed by unanimous consent? Nor do we blindly follow their decisions — we are urged to prayerfully seek personal confirmation from our Heavenly Father. Our standard for leadership was set down by Joseph Smith, “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile.” (Doctrine & Covenants 121:41-42 ; http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/121/41-42#41 )
4. “Women are denigrated.” This is completely without foundation and betrays a low opinion of motherhood. Children are certainly honored and welcomed in Latter-day Saint homes, but couples counsel together and with the Lord — not with the church — about the size of their families. My three married daughters and my daughter-in-law each have great intellectual ability and educational achievement. They have chosen, while their children are young, to focus most of their talents on raising their children to become happy, well-adjusted, responsible, contributing adults; yet they still find time for community service. You denigrate them with the term “husband service.” They have chosen husbands who respect and honor them, and they yoke themselves equally with their husbands in service to family and mankind.
5. “Book of Mormon . . . penny dreadful early 19th century novel.” Is this your personal, informed review? Have you read it and tested its promise, that God will confirm its truth to anyone who reads it and asks him, “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having Faith in Christ?” (Moroni 10:4-5 ; http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/4-5#4 ). Millions have put the book to that test, as have I. Call it what you want, but it is true! Beyond its spiritual depth, it poses a serious intellectual challenge to serious scholars, as well as to anyone who thinks an unschooled farm boy could have dictated most of it to a scribe over the course of 90 days.
” . . . all other Christians who are damned and who will go to Hell.” Wrong. See, again, my response to (2) above. Most people, whether Christian or not, will find themselves in a place of glory beyond understanding, and all who eventually accept Christ, whether in this life or in the next, will be exalted to the highest degree of glory.
6. “. . .obliged to tithe . . .” Our offerings are all free will. “Mormons tend to reject state aid programs that benefit others.” First of all, our humanitarian assistance is not limited to our own people. Secondly, the Church has a policy of strict political neutrality, and you will find Mormons on both sides of issues involving state aid to the needy.
Finally: “Only the Mormon G-d . . . ” We believe in that all people are the spirit children of one Heavenly Father, and we believe that he hears the prayers of all his children, regardless of what they call him or how they imagine him. ” . . . could know what a Mormon Commander-in-Chief would determine to be the right things for our massive American military forces to do.” I would expect from him exactly what I would expect for any Commander-in-Chief, respect for his oath of office and for the rule of law, informed by respect for life and individual liberty.
“. . . the flip flops of the current Mormon candidate . . . ” Anyone who participates in public discourse, as you do here, must surely do so in the hopes of persuading others to change their opinions. If I change my mind to agree with you, have I made an “informed, rational choice,” or have I “flip-flopped?”
” . . . threats of regressive and repressive practices — particularly directed towards women and those suffering from poverty and disabilities.” The only reasonable indicator of future behavior is past behavior. I doubt that you will find any such tendencies in the past behavior of the “Mormon Candidate.” If so, those would come from personal failings, and not from any dictates of his religion.
I am pretty much of the ‘athiest’ school of religion, if there is a God, then fine, if there isn’t one, then fine. I have no real axe to grind.
The one thing that has always bothered me about the Mormon theory is Joseph Smith. He has a great story, and yes I have read it. But what I find really hard to swallow is how he managed to forget where the gold tablets were. These things were pretty damn big. If I found a bunch of gold tablets, I am pretty certain I would be able to find them again!
In fact I would have dragged one back home with me to prove it!
In my opinion the Joe Smith story is right up there with something that L. Ron Hubbard would have come out with!
The gold plates were returned. Not lost or forgot where they were left. As for women, our women in Kentucky seem to have the role of telling the men how to run the Church. They harp on their husbands until they get their way. It is a lay leadership.
I am sure some of the things you relate are true. There are some Mormons who are more fundamental as in all religions. You could look at today’s Washington Post on LDS Missionaires in all Black DC with their Church 10% African and 90% African-American. They seem to like being LDS.
That you would opine about Mormons and begin with an anecdote of traveling to Europe by ship is telling (it didn’t have sails did it?). If you’re reflections of any faith precede the rock and roll, you may want to bring your observations up to date. Since your earliest reflections, the Mormon faith has grown immensely in Africa and worldwide and now has more adherents outside the US than inside. A far cry from the days of yore you spoke of.
If Mormon women are denigrated as you claim, I think someone forgot to tell my wife. She was too busy completing her Master’s degree and taking a responsible position at a fortune 500 company to notice her “denigration”. Recently after career success and the birth of our son, she decided to stay at home (again, her decision not mine). While I work long hours at a stressful, difficult job, she spends her spare time volunteering and educating our son. Man I wish I was denigrated. And can you tell me more about this “husband service”. It sounds awesome.
You also claim that Mormons believe that all non-Mormons are damned to hell. As a former missionary and representitive of my church we never taught any such thing. This claim is completely false and without basis.
If I seem a bit miffed, please try to put yourself in my shoes. Imagine that I completely misrepresented your faith and used it as a basis for disenfranchising and entire religion (6 million people in the US) from holding public office.
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