Newsweek seems to be doing its best to make mormonism sound good. They posted a new article titled "Mormons Rock!" Their summary:

"They've conquered Broadway, talk radio, the U.S. Senate-and they may win the White House. Why Mitt Romney and 6 million Mormons have the secret to success."

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/06/05/mormons-rock.html

Excerpts:

"...Those inclined to think of Mormons as a band of zealots bent on amending the Constitution to outlaw cappuccino may never be convinced. But the rest of us might benefit from hearing the country’s most prominent and influential Mormons tell the truth about their faith: that the distinctiveness of the Mormons is actually the secret of their success."

"Mormonism’s astonishing growth from its founding 181 years ago in upstate New York to its current status as the fourth-largest religious denomination in America, with just over 6 million members domestically and about 14 million worldwide, has been fueled by a ferocious underdog energy derived from an experience of brutal persecution...."

Someone with more accurate information needs to write to Newsweek and tell them they've swallowed LDS Church propaganda whole.

during the campaign. Those early dreams of exploring issues were just dreams.

and from what I could tell, they didn't like the articles. They were saying Newsweek really isn't the news magazine it used to be and look how small it is, etc., etc., so why should anyone take it seriously.

So--what we may see as Newsweek making it look positive, the mormons may not be.

I saw an interview this morning on MSNBC with the Author of the article. He's mormon. Which explains the fluff.

The Newsweek article online lists three authors:

With McKay Coppins, Andrew Romano, and David A. Graham

Who did you see in the interview? Was it McKay Coppins?

He's featured regularly in Michael Ash's favorite sanctuary of silliness, MormonTimes...

http://www.mormontimes.com/author/McKay%20Coppins

No free cab rides for guessing who he was named after...

Thanks, SL Cabbie. Newsweek does NOT post a disclaimer noting that McKay Coppins is a TBM.

Arrgh. Such blatant disregard for journalistic standards.

The howler I saw was one on Jon Huntsman, Jr. that described him as "tall and lean."

Since I'd encountered the then-Utah Governor in the breezeway of the Salt Lake Hilton a few years ago, and noted he was a bit vertically challenged (like several inches below my almost 5'11"), I Googled the author and found out she, too, was a BYU grad...

A search on my moniker would probably yield the post if you want to do the footwork...

I'm a little busy with history; RFM regular "Hoggle" and I have made a "discovery" of a story of a Hofmann forgery that was "translated" by a non-Mormon scholar (Mormons have no monopoly on nutwads) and a couple of Mormon apologists were hyping that one for a time...

More on that one down the road...

"they've conquered broadway"??

The Book of Mormon musical is all about poking fun at the church. And the people behind it are either ex-mormons or never mo's.

TSCC has nothing to do with that production and its success.

Yeah, in fact Donny and Marie chastised Joy Behar for seeing the show and praising it. They claim it's "not the best place" to learn about their faith... of course, Donny and Marie have yet to see the show themselves.

There were Osmonds starring lead roles in major Broadway shows! Or was it the London West End? Maybe it was in Melbourne, Australia? Wait, I know, it was Backwater, Canada!

Next: Udapimp, Idaho.

They wanted to get on the ground floor of operations near where Jesus was promised to reappear...

"It's hardly surprising that support for low taxes and a minimum of government regulation would appeal to a community that once endured severe government-sponsored oppression."

There's that persecution theme again.

More fluff:

"More than many other faiths, the Mormon church prepares its members to engage intelligently with the broader culture and the wider world."

One has to wonder if the author actually watched the much-touted Broadway play, which made a point of highlighting the immature and unworldly aspects of mormon missionaries.


"But the roots of Mormonism’s distinctiveness go beyond the church’s history and organizational structure. They go all the way down to some of the church’s unique theological doctrines. The Mormons believe, for example, in “eternal progression,” which means both that God himself was once a human being and that we can follow his example to evolve into gods ourselves. This progression toward ever-higher stages of divine perfection extends beyond death, continuing into the afterlife."

Way to spin the weird god-was-a-man doctrine.


"For Kim Clark, a Mormon and former dean of the Harvard Business School, this doctrine explains a lot about the church’s drive toward economic and educational achievement. “Your whole eternal identity as a person is defined by eternal progression,” says Clark. “We know that…there will be opportunities to grow and learn and become like our heavenly father, to do what he does. That’s a very powerful thing.”

In case you couldn't guess from the penishood-like statement, Kim B. Clark is not female. Nope, that's a mormon man talking.

The Newsweek article fails to clarify that only mormon men get to "become like our heavenly father, to do what he does." No females need apply.

The Mormon church, sharing racist, sexist, and homophobic views and practices with other major religious and nonreligious powers, has managed to acquire power at levels high enough that a national magazine writes this B.S. in their favor.

Very unfortunate. But there it is.

Mormons are out in force defending mormonism, and also generally agreeing that the article is "fair and balanced."

"Much is made of peculiar Mormon practices like baptism for the dead and eternal marriage but behind them are uniquely Mormon ideas like - every person is a child of God, every person deserves the same opportunities and marriage is meant to be forever. Most people cry at a funeral; Mormons tend to laugh and hug and share stories. There's something about the way Mormons do family life that acts like a self-fulfilling prophecy: Families can be "together forever" when there's "love at home." A child growing up Mormon typically has a built-in support network. As that child grows to maturity, he or she becomes part of someone else's support network. Mormonism may not work for everybody but it definitely works for the Mormons because it works pretty well."

"I thought the article was fairly well balanced and accurate, especially compared to some of the things I've read about the LDS Church recently."

"I too thought is was well written. Very respectful."

Newsweek's coverage of the "Book of Mormon" Broadway play follows the same track as the "Mormons Rock!" article:

"The Book of Mormon once inspired persecution. Today it’s the inspiration behind a hit Broadway musical..."

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/06/05/mormons-take-the-stage.html?obref=obinsite

That fluff piece, in addition to being scary as hell, was a sorry example of journalism.

I'm actually having heart palpitations. Originally I thought "HA!", people will begin to investigate Mo-ism en masse, and the lies will topple the tower. That stroke-off just proved that idea as total fantasy.

So, they snatched up a mo to write the fluff with research consisting of LDS pamphlets, you tube commercials, and TBM testamonies?..... Hey Bill, there's something heavy going on in Houston. Why don't you get over there and get the story, or better yet, get one of those Enron guys to write up a piece for us......

Then the resultant posts by the I'm a mormon crowd. I'm a feminist and a morgbot woman. Or my wife has advanced degrees and is a feminist mormon. I honestly don't know whether to laugh or scream. I think I have to agree with Heresy, this is what we're going to get.

It will all be all right. Just ignore history and all the backroom chatter. It is not the truth. The truth is what we tell you it is. Shh.... It's just a shower.....

that the Mormons who are vigorously attacking the naysayers seem to want things both ways. They want people to think of Mormons as a whole as "hardworking", "nice", "community-oriented", "American", and "down-to-earth". However, when a person brings up negative the experiences they've had with church members, these same people who demand that we look at Mormons as a whole in a positive light claim that we shouldn't judge Mormons as a whole by the negative actions of a few. So... which way should it be? It seems like they only want people to judge them as a whole if they're going by the positive stereotypes... but they don't people to judge Mormons by the actual negative experiences they might have had.

I myself have known a few decent Mormons... hell, I married one! Of course, he left the church a few years after we got married... I have also known a few asshole Mormons. So I can conclude that many Mormons are basically pretty normal, except when it comes to their church. Mormons seem to want to be seen and judged as "just regular people", but at the same time, want to be seen as "special people" with the answers to life's mysteries. I don't see how they can have it both ways.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 01:55PM by knotheadusc.

So is Newsweek supporting polygamy and assassination attempts now?

Damn, that could be bad for their reputation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 01:50PM by Strykary.

Here's some more mormon propaganda from Newsweek:
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/06/05/everyday-saints/david-neeleman.html

And here's another article shaped to put the best possible spin on the mormon faith: http://www.newsweek.com/content/newsweek/2011/06/05/elizabeth-smart-s-new-mission.html

A post in the comments notes, in part:
"Mormons believe in things that are demonstrably false. They think the Native Americans sailed across the Atlantic at around the time of Jesus' death. They think the reason for dark skin is a curse from god...."

This is followed by one of the mormon commenters writing:
"The sky is pink. Gravity is only temporary. See, I can write inaccurate sentences as well. Now we have both wasted three minutes of our life that we will never be able to recover. Too bad other people will waste two minutes of their life reading both of our writings."

And here's another one:
"I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and, yes, I am a Mormon. Every single thing I have said is true and can be verified by God if you will only ask Him with faith and a desire to know (and to follow) what God says is true and correct (see James 1:5). If you don't really want to know, God will not tell you for He will force no one to heaven."

Newsweek is a propaganda rag run by the CIA. I doubt it is profitable, and exists on subsidies. They are trying to create theater for the upcoming bogus "elections".

lol...

I love the tone on here. Oh no! The Mormons got some great pub in a respected mag, but! but!... It's not true!

Maybe the crowd here are the ones out of touch with the real LDS culture and identity....

You must be a Mormon if you think that the article-- a spin-piece written by a Mormon--accurately reflects the general attitudes of non-Mormons toward Mormons.

they act like they are the center of the universe. Profits, and members stroke their egos, and build them up as being chosen, and the shining, guiding lights of the world.

These things serve only to confirm what they already believe about themselves: that they are super special, chosen, persecuted, misunderstood, the source of the most good in the world, etc.

A national publication like Newsweek should know better than to repeat the propaganda of TSCC, and parrot conference brag sessions. They are supposed to value the facts - apparently not! If they are going to trot out the extermination nonsense (because of course it means satan really hates them, which means gawd really loves them, so it all must be twoo!), they need to tell the WHOLE story.

So according to a Newsweek genius they have the "secret to success"? Really? How myopic, and ignorant! How DID the world manage before the birth of JS? There IS an entire world out there, but LD$ are so self-important they cannot see it, because they are too busy looking at themselves, and talking about themselves.

LD$ are "having a moment". The world is laughing at them.

Why are certain political candidates, and other well known members, "ashamed of the gospel of jeezus"? If it's good enough for missionaries to sell, why are they so embarrassed to share a little? LD$ think they have the one true way vital to salvation. How can you not share just a little? I wonder what could be wrong that would make them not want to share.....

Please tell about how the Constitution is hanging by a thread, and how it will be saved.

They like to think the world is looking at them, impressed with them, accepting of them yet persecuting them, fawning over them, eager to be like them, all of which are so far from the truth. They might as well be on another planet - like Kolob.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2011 04:14AM by atheist&happy:-).

newsweek is my fav-

You missed the point, completely-
Newsweek ran a fluff piece about TSCC written by a member. It wasn't news, nor was it "pub" as you termed it. It was propaganda for LD$INC. Nothing more. It made casual mention of the peculiarities that nonmo's have trouble with in an attempt to downplay the lunacy/idiocy. Also breezed, re-wrote, over and put a nice and homey feel to episodes of nastiness in church history.

Like the Detroit papers running stories about Chambers Bros. cronies. All family men, values learned from their moms, giving back to the community etc. Total fluff ignoring the fact that they were responsible for 1/2 the crack and murders.

Greg Gunhold kinda rocked, a bit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aug53zQfro8&feature=related
(Gunhold was the guitar player)

a minor hit, 1981-ish
http://www.aor-fm.com/albums/588/harderallthetime.mp3