When I found out Mormonism was not true, I wrote a letter about it to some Protestant relatives, expecting a lot of sympathy. They didn't hate the Mormon Church that much, if at all. When I have brought up the subject of Mormonism to outsiders, I haven't heard much criticism. Maybe it would be better if people hated Mormonism more than they actually do. They are too apathetic, which is good from the Mormon perspective.

Exmormons/jackmormons who have been personally damaged by Mormonism seem to hate Mormonism the most, but that is because they know the harm it does. Outsiders are not too familiar with the harm. Exmormons/jackmormons do a lot of research to convince themselves they are doing the right thing, but outsiders don't have the same incentive to do much research on Mormonism.

I have not dealt, personally with any hate re: Mormonism from outsiders or the non-active LDS nor former LDS have not expressed any hate either, not friends or relatives. I have not experienced it IRL (in real life.) They may not like Mormonism or choose it for themselves, but they are still supportive of other loved ones that are members. Most non-LDS people I have dealt with personally have expressed they think highly of Mormons, often share their personal stories, how they "take care of their own" etc. and what they have done for someone they know. I know some non LDS who have been very frustrated with working with some types of Mormons, a very authoritative male, for instance, or a co-worker that thinks that "The God Makers" was valuable, etc.

The haters are mostly online, in my experience. And many hate other former LDS as they are not hateful or angry enough to suit them... !! :-)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2015 04:23PM by SusieQ#1.

After leaving, what I found out was that, like almost everything else, the church had always lied to me about how "hated" mormonism was.
Most people don't "hate" it. Most people know nothing about it other than that it's a really silly, really minor religious sect. The small percentage of people who know a bit about it just consider it ridiculous. There's just a tiny group of usually hard-core evangelical christians who "hate" it and rail against it. And us ex-mos, who are angry about being lied to and fleeced for so long.

Outsiders mostly don't *care* about it.

They might not respect it or they might just not know or care about it. I don't think anyone hates Mormonism unless it's personally damaged them.

then throw me in that mix, Cheryl.

Don't know any kolobians, but damn do I hate their cult and what it has done to destroy scouting in the inner cities.

and by destroy, I mean obliterate.

Boy Scouts of Utah, indeed.

The only people i've come across that dislike mormons(other than the exmo's) is the ministers of other churches. They sometimes get the community wound up and try to turn them anti mormon. The reason being is that mormonism takes money out of their pockets. Other than that, I don't think they think much of anything.

Um... sounds like you've been listening to too many mormons. LOL

As I traveled around the country, had people ask about the Mormons. Didn't seem to hate or dislike them as much as was curious. Tried to give a basic view of what they believed in and didn't. Some people still think polygamy is part of the Mormons. Had some very interesting conservations.

"Most people know nothing about it other than that it's a really silly, really minor religious sect."

Exactly. I sometimes get weird looks when coworkers find out I went to BYU, like they're wondering if I'm a polygamist or something, but that's about it. Nobody has ever expressed any interest in what Mormons believe, etc... I do have a coworker with a son that was dating a Mormon. He studied up and said "Nice people, but it's not for us."

There are many in Utah that hate the church for a variety of reasons (political, social, etc...), but you don't really see that anywhere else.

Right, outsiders simply don't care about Mormonism. Outside of the Morridor Mormonism is a tiny, insignificant, slightly ridiculous group that doesn't count for anything. Their missionaries can be annoying but all you have to do is ignore them.

Outsiders are also polite. That's why they say nice things when they meet a real Mormon socially.

This. Most people I know in NY don't even give it a thought. On the flipside, I find that my intense dislike of TSCC is something that people don't get.

Some of this has to do with the fact that most people are not outwardly religious, and (at least in regards to religion) have an attitude of "live and let live". They don't get my anger at this sham, but they definitely don't get the deep devotion and massive dedication to TSCC that TBMs have.

However, when we lived in TX, there was probably more of a dislike of Mormons, especially relating to Southern Baptists. We did know families who would not want your Mormon kids playing with their Baptist kids. I think this was probably an outlier - similar to TBMs in Zion that don't want their future missionaries to play with gentile kids. Most people were pretty nice.

That's true, outside the Morridor, Mormonism is so insignificant that most people don't care either way about it. They just know that sometimes, teenagers on bikes knock on their doors.

The greater majority of people know little or nothing about mormonism other than when a celebrity is known to be mormon or that mormonism and Utah are basically one and the same in their eyes.

And the vast majority don't give a crap about mormonism, hell, most people are content to be lulled to sleep by lying talking heads. Learning about mormons is not a priority...

No. Most people don't care about Mormonism unless they're impacted by it or live in Utah-- which then they quickly learn to hate it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2015 04:44PM by hangar18.

hanger: you hit the nail on the head, i didn't give a crap about mormonism, until i lived in utah county for 6 years, now i despise lds inc.

>> but outsiders don't have the same incentive to do much research on Mormonism.

Until I moved next to a collection of abusive Mormon neighbors, I had grown up with an outsiders myth of how they were strong people, good neighbors, and had great families. Most people think the best of others until they have a reason to think differently. Probably no one outside knows much about Mormonism because LDS people aren't very open with the rest of society and keep to their own, so who out here would ever hear about it. They are just those funny guys going door to door in suits. Who knew?

I don't hate LDS now, because hate is toxic to me. But I am a little annoyed that they disrupt so many lives with their chaotic tithing based scam. Especially naive young people, to me that deserves being stood up to. From now on people will hear about what I think when it comes up in conversation. That's my payback for all the times my neighbors cost me money to fix my property when they vandalized it. Being anti is now part of my therapy ...for how ever long that lasts.

Right or wrong, I'm spreading the word. I'm putting notches on my belt for blocking converts too. Like I said, therapy. LOL

> I don't hate LDS now, because hate is toxic to me.
> But I am a little annoyed Being anti is now part of my
> therapy ...for how ever long that lasts.

Love that! Same here!

What you describe would be flatly defined as hate by any mormon on the planet. Just sayin'...

csuprovograd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What you describe would be flatly defined as hate by any mormon on the planet. Just sayin'...


Good. They picked the wrong guy when they messed with my family.

It's an exorcism.

I guess csuprovograd thinks you, and only you, should turn the other cheek to abuse.

I don't think that's what he was saying. He was taking issue with torturednevermo's statement that hate was toxic. Semantics on both sides, I guess.

But I wouldn't blame a feeling of hate. Sounds like at least the next door mormons deserve it.

I notice that some people define themselves from their own opinions, such as "hate is toxic, so I don't hate, but I really have strong negative feelings about mormons---but it ain't hate". OTOH, the mormons interpret the same feelings as hate...

That's all. No idea what the comment about cheeks even means.

"hate is toxic, so I don't hate, but I really have strong negative feelings about mormons---but it ain't hate"

I call it discernment.

torturednevermo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "hate is toxic, so I don't hate, but I really have
> strong negative feelings about mormons---but it
> ain't hate"
>
> I call it discernment.


Tomato, tomahtoe...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2015 05:51PM by csuprovograd.

Well, call it whatever you wish. All I know is that ever since I came here and started getting it out of me, instead of bottling it up inside of me, that the following has happened:

The one neighbour realized after ten years that he wasn’t winning, and sold his house and left in a sulk.
His next-door buddy is divorcing his wife, so I’m off their radar now ...little to busy for me.
MY next-door member got busted by immigration (wasn’t me) and sent packing.
His roommates got evicted for damage when they tried to switch the lease, they're gone now.
And the old guy on the other side, who was the worst, is now cowering in his house in lonely horror. He has to stay ...with me.

So, whatever we define my feelings as, getting them out here has worked. After 10 years of hell, this has all happened in the three months since I came here to rfm.

It’s an exorcism ….hooray!

Ok, ok, the exorcism thing was just a joke, it's obviously all just a coincidence. Sorry for the bad humour. Although when I was discussing the recent implosion with a friend, he did say "Gee, you should consider moving to Utah." I just said, "No, the game has been painful to me as well, and I don't much care for a rematch." LOL

I think they just got themselves into such a tizzy because they couldn't get me to react, that they just eventually self destructed and took themselves out like dominoes. Taoism, love it.

I'm not going to abuse anyone. It's not in my nature. Just a simple exorcism, that's all.

exorcism: the ceremony that seeks to expel an evil spirit from a person or place.

So far, my imaginary god is stronger than their imaginary god, so...

... nany nany boo boo ...



Where IS the sarcasm button here anyway?

This exactly. Strong people, clean-cut kids, don't drink or smoke. Super friendly at first. What's not to like? Then .... hmmmm ... a little weird ... no sleepovers for the kids? Did you just call my religion the whore of babylon? Why did your kid just give me a dirty look about my coffee pot?

Then, you start in on my daughter behind my back.

Honestly, the vast majority of the world notices someone's haircut more than they notice their Mormonism. The world just really doesn't care.

I think the "goth" movement was larger. And more noticeable.

Most people don't know much about it beyond the Mormons' polygamous past. I believe that "polygamy" is still the first association with the word "Mormon" for outsiders. If they know something of the church's dogma, then they find the religion odd. If they know a lot about the dogma they find it very odd.

Nevermos have a much greater sense of privacy than Mormons, so if the door-knocking gets excessive, it will not engender good feelings.

They don't like mormons all that much in New England. Hate is a strong word, but they don't like it very much. It's looked down upon.

I think more people hate them when they live in the morridor. So many of them try to control the laws and convert everybody. It gets annoying

Most "Outsiders" live in Asia and have never heard of Mormonism at all. Full stop.

Outsiders don't really know much about the CULT. That's way we need to let them know and why we need to be strong as ex-Mos and continue to inform the public. When people ask why we can't leave it alnoe, it is because we need to inform people of how horrifying and damaging the CULT is.
YOu can't hate, like, or love something you don't know much about so we need to make them know so they will at least know enough to form a real opinion of the CULT.
When people really understand the damage it causes, most of them become angry (especially if they have loved ones in it).

"try to control the laws" - ??? They don't try to control the laws, they DO CONTROL THE LAWS. The moridor is a theocracy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2015 05:52PM by verilyverily.

Outside the US, it's either unknown (Asia, Soviet Bloc), or gets lumped with JW's, 7DA's, the Amish, and/or the Mennonites. At best, you'll get a query about polygamy; at worst, it'll be something about Saturday worship or blood transfusions. People simply don't care. With globalization, lots of people are simply having to get used to people with kooky/bizarre beliefs; at this point, we have more polygamists in my company's offices in Ireland than we do in Utah (those polygamists happen to be from Africa).

In the US and Canada, most don't care. There are a few folks in my parent company that like hiring Mormons, just because they tend to be good salesmen and won't embarrass the company (no drunken histrionics, no gaffes like swearing at a customer... that sort of thing). But it doesn't enter into their hiring criteria at all.

For most people, it simply doesn't matter. How much does anyone here know about Jehovah's Witnesses? Or Christiadelphians, for that matter?

The only people that really seem to bear the church something rising to the level of hatred are ex-Mormons. I don't hate the church, but I understand why others would choose to. The members I grew up with are decent people and good role models. That doesn't make their church 'true,' though, and the collateral damage (bad marriages, lost years of life to missionary service, so on) ensures I'll be shielding any future children I might have from it.

The church is rapidly losing influence in Utah and elsewhere. It'll continue chugging along on bureaucratic inertia, but its heyday is over.

I've been lurking for a while. I had a good friend who was Mormon, she wanted the Perfect Mormon Dream as much as anyone, but she was kind of brash, and not a great beauty, so none of the RM's looked at her twice. I wondered what kind of religion would put a great person like her off to the side, but I didn't think much about it. She loaned me a Book of Mormon, and I read about 5 minutes' worth. I just laughed and handed it back to her, but she was pretty cool.

Many years later as a leader for my son's Cub Scout pack and Scout troop, I ran into a lot of Mormons, some of whom were pretty arrogant toward us non-Mo Scouters, and I and the other non-Mos were treated like outsiders a lot of the time. I remember a meeting for new leaders, and after a parade of people saying stuff like "My name is Ann Smily," and I'm from WARD 2XX! I made it a point to say, "I'm [name] from Pack 1XX; it's a Cub Scout pack."

Well, I read up. My issue was that a lot of Mormons I know (a LOT in eastern Washington state) seem pretty intelligent, but the stuff they believed made we wonder. Understanding the level of control imposed by this church has given me some perspective. You can have a great brain, but if you never switch it on, no one would ever know. Now, I just want everybody out!

I'm over 50, and grew up in the Deep South. I don't think I even knew anyone who was Mormon. People were aware of Mormons, because of the choir, but other than that, it wasn't that big a deal.

As I grew older (remember this is the heart of evangelical territory), any reference to the Mormon church were as a cult, lumped in with the Jehovah Witnesses, Scientologists, and Moonies. It wasn't hatred, but it was definitely looked down upon. Still is, in most regards.

True hatred came later for me. When I married a woman who used to be a Mormon, but later went back after our son was born. I saw the pull, the tracking down, the guilt laid on by family, etc.

In many respects, it has damaged my life to a great degree. It has come between my wife and me. Hell, we "lived in sin" and went bar-hopping before we got married, and now I sometimes feel that I'm a huge disappointment to her because I could NEVER adapt to the lifestyle.

I hate how it makes her feel about herself. If I outlive her, I have resolved to take all of her Mormony things and burn them before I notify her family, just so they can't gather it up only to return it to my family one day... "I thought you'd like to have this. It belonged to your grandmother..." That sort of thing.

I'll tell you this. One hell of a lot more here in California than did before Prop. 8.

God should have warned the profit to stay out of politics - especially in a state where mormons are in the minority.

Most people treat it with tolerant contempt. If they acknowledge it at all.

But indifference is an insult to them.

Most of the nevermo's I know think Mormons are weird, self centered and dishonest (in their business dealings, especially with non Mormons), and hate the fact Mormon missionaries (or JW's) bug them.

Ron Burr

The opposite of love isn't hate - it's indifference. The overwhelming majority of the world either hasn't heard of Mormonism or else doesn't care about Mormonism. Really, how much do you care about or hate Scientologists. Probably you just shrug it off. Indifference.