For those at all familiar with the term Mormon, this is what they know about it:

1. Polygamy - "How many wives do you have?"
2. Donny and Marie Osmond
3. Mormon missionaries on bikes who annoy them.
4. Golden Bible (That is what they call the Book of Mormon)
5. Temple Square in Salt Lake City
6. Mormon Tabernacle Chior
7. Big families


And that's about it.

I sure didn't know about the undies for a very long time- even while living amongst them I didn't know about the undies. I think that info comes along way down the road for most nonmormons.

Sorry about the typos. I should have proof read.

Yeah, I agree. Many know about Magic Underwear.

mostly want to know what it was like to live in Utah and how accurate is Big Love.

They know they are a CULT (that may be the number one thing they know about them). Most people that I have talked with outside of Utah think Mormons are a CULT, right along with Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists, the Moonies, and Hari-Krishnas.

Do they know that CULT is always spelled with the caps lock key on?

I would say #5 is not so well known outside of the USA, although the rest are probably pretty accurate all around the world.

there is a lot of confusion between the JW's and the Morg.... and both are seen as cults in my experience

I've a nevermo, lived around Mormons most of my life, and in UT for over 10 years, been on this board for 7?, 8? years, and never heard the BOM referred to as the Golden Bible. That's a new one for me.

In the UK, they are considered weird because they refuse tea and coffee.

I think most people can understand religions that prohibit alcohol because we've all seen the damage it can do to some people (and many around them), but tea and coffee? What's wrong about them?

When I first heard about this, I felt it was an example of a made-up religion trying to sound like a real one by having its own "special" prohibitions...

Seems I was right ;)

Agreed - though I don't think many know about Temple Square. I get the "Mormons are nice people" a lot, but that's about where the knowledge stops in addition to the things listed above.

and I agree with EssexExMo, a lot of people have the LDS confused with the JWs.

And quite a few know about the 'magic underwear.' I once had a friend in high school ask me if we wore it when we bathed/had sex - I was horrified and told her no. Little did I know that there are some nutjobs who do!

They know about polygamy, Mitt Romney, Glenn Beck and magic underwear. I was on a combat team with three Mormons and 12 others Soldiers. I was the ranking officer and the 12 other Soldiers asked me to keep the Mormons in their own room because they were so weird. We had one female medic who called them "creepy." The Mormons had no idea how the rest of the team felt about them. After we reassembled with our Utah unit and were heading home, I heard one of the Mormons telling other unit Mormons how the combat team experience was a God-provided chance for them to do missionary work because they didn't swear or smoke and were a special example of clean living. In truth, most of the team didn't smoke and these guys were seen as peculiar because they were in the Mormon fantasy fog. I've seen so many Mormons get into the fantasy fog where they think they are special, but are only out of touch and weird.

I would be interested in hearing more about what the mormons did that the others considered so creepy or weird ... I know some stuff gets annoying and they like to shove it in people's faces ...err, I mean, be good examples to others ... just wondering what it was in combat situation.

We I married my Mo husband...I just knew...1,2,5,6,7

That was it...boy I wish I had know a lot more...

stormy

Luckily, nobody there had even heard of Mormonism. It was nice being in an area untouched by the Mormon Church's stupidity.

I didn't know about Joseph Smith, but I knew the name Brigham Young. Okay… I REALLY didn't want to date myself, but when Jim mcMahon played with The Bears, it was a big deal he was a Mormon. I bet people think of Steve Young that way too.

Of course, now people are going to think Prop 8.

Outside North America they think Mormons are Amish and the mishies are Jehova's Witnesses!

They've never heard of Mo Tab, Temple Square, polygamy or the Osmonds. OK, maybe some Brits in their late forties remember the Osmonds.

If they know anything about it at all.

But I wish I could forget

Most people who have heard anything about the LDS Church in the last 5 years know 3 things: Prop 8, Big Love and Mitt Romney.

Those are the faces that most people see of the church, and none of them are flattering. Even Mormons in 2008 criticized Romney for acting embarrassed by the church.

Many that I have known over the years have the misconception that the church sends relief all over the world. Not hardly.

Ron

Whenever I visit my family in Missouri,,they always have a lot of questions about the mormons. Seems they are more of a courosity than anything else. They have seen them peddling around the small towns.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2011 11:13AM by unworthy.