I'll just let you read this one:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/15/a-mormon-passover-seder/

The book shall be called "The Mormon and the Bankers"! No LMAO...but rather sackcloth and ashes!

All Jews aren't bankers!

As the article says they've been doing it since 1973. I participated in one while I was there. Very nice experience and a much more meaningful ritual than those found in the LDS temples.

I had an Isaiah class from Professor Ludlow when I was at BYU in the early 1980s. He was also my bishop in one of the BYU wards. Very nice guy. Liked him and liked his class. He was easy to talk with. I never did attend a Seder, though. I imagine it would be a good experience.

It was in 1977, and they were called Branch Presidents at the time. I agree that he was a nice guy. I also took a class from him, and I went to the seder which I enjoyed.

TG

If it helps to increase religious understanding and tolerance for the Jewish people, it's a good thing.

The song lyrics are a bit odd, though!

I had been to several Passover seders when I lived in the South and really enjoyed them. They really were a highlight of Spring for me. So when I heard about the one Ludlow does at BYU, and how supposedly-authentic it was, I decided to spend the money to go. WHAT A JOKE!

I have to admit, it was set up nice, decorated with a lot of stuff from Israel, tables looked nice, even had wine (grape juice) glasses. I knew that the wine would be sprarkling grape juice and that there would at least be an opening and closing prayer. But somehow I was stupid enough to think that was all the mormonism there would be in it. Yes, I know, it's BYU, I should have known it would be all about Mormons.

I won't go into all the stupid things Ludlow brought into it. He would stop in the middle of reading the Hagaddah and try to connect it to something in the Book of Mormon. People were just in shock and awe. I just rolled my eyes. If you really stretced your brain you could follow his thinking.

Then he goes into so much detail about why the Jews clear their home of all leavening and bread and flour and why the Passover meal is Kosher and then we have our "authentic" Passover meal. It consisted of BREADED chicken cutlet, GRAVEY, YEAST rolls and topped off with carrot CAKE!!! And it was lost on everyone. Not one person said, "um, what's wrong with this picture?" I mean the meal was delicious, but it was a typical Mormon nice meal. There was noting kosher (let alone kosher for Passover) or even ethnic about it.

Then we finish reading the Hagaddah and he explains the cup that is left for Elijah by the open door and goes on and on explaining the story and belief. Then, it gets real quiet and he sort of whispers in the micropone and says, "Now, what do we know that the Jews don't?" Pretty soon everyone starts gasping and tears are rolling down their face and they GET IT! I didn't even begin to get it and I'm thinking, "Ok, what am I missing?"

Well, of course, they don't know that since 1830-something the Jews have been futily celebrating Passover, waiting for Elijah to come and turn the hearts of the children to the fathers, blah, blah, blah, and guess what? They missed it! He already came! He appeared to Horney Joe in the Kirtland temple and he restored the keys and turned the hearts of the children and what's more...... drum roll please...... HE CAME DURING PASSOVER WEEK!!!!!!

There was not a dry eye in the room, including mine because I got up and left the room. I was just sick. I have Jewish friends and have shared Passover with them and it nauseated me how someone like that can take one of their most sacred holidays and sacred traditions and pervert it and turn it into something that was ALL ABOUT THE MORMONS! But Ludlow is good, and still does these many times every year and people go to them over and over because he has them all convinced that if anything proves the Mormon church to be the church of God, Passover traditions do. It's just sick. Sick, sick, sick!

I'm back in the South now. This week I've been invited to a Seder that I'll enjoy with some Jewish friends. Real wine, real traditions and a wonderful family tradition I'll get to share.

I just hate it every year when I read about Ludlow's Passover Seder in stories that make it sound like it's respectful to the Jewish people when it's exactly the opposite. People need to know how Mormons interpret the "turn the hearts of the children to the fathers" scripture. It means making everyone who ever lived, including Jews, including Jews killed in the Holocaust, into Mormons.

When my ex and I lived in the Bay area, he was a bishop. He worked with some Jewish co-workers who invited us to a Seder in the city. It was very interesting until we got to the bitter herbs part. I thought the air smelled a little and found out it was Marijuauna! I was horrified that we would get busted and the headline would read "Mormon Bishop caught with drugs". hahaha

I've said this every year. I have Jewish friends, when they stopped laughing about this, because it is so bizarre, they were deeply offended.

I highly doubt that Mormons would consider it benign if another faith co-opted their religious rites in order to serve their own spiritual agenda. It's disgusting that Mormons are so disrespectful of another faith.

I'm just pissed. This isn't a demonstration of "religious tolerance"!!! It's a demonstration of how Mormons think another faith's rites are fundamentally ALL ABOUT MORMONISM.

Gawd, Mormons can be so idiotic. I'm embarrassed that I was ever associated with this church. I wish I could resign again.

And they would be so incensed if I were to have similar reenactment (with editorial) of their temple rituals.

The least they could do is make the food authentic and kosher.