"We probably have a lot more in common than you think." The aspects of the church that make it uniquely Mormon have been greatly de-emphasized.

https://www.comeuntochrist.org/

I saw a snapshot of what the campaign looks like on social media. It shows a young Mormon family entering a chapel or stake center, followed by other people. They are all dressed very conservatively. You would not be able to differentiate this presentation from any other conservative Christian church.

https://i.redd.it/0p8w257se7031.jpg

The difference is Mormonism's insistence on using "unto" instead of a simple "to." Because Mormonism, having a fragile ego, believes it makes them look cultured and intelligent. It just makes them look stuffy and out of touch.

olderelder Wrote:
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> The difference is Mormonism's insistence on using
> "unto" instead of a simple "to." Because
> Mormonism, having a fragile ego, believes it makes
> them look cultured and intelligent. It just makes
> them look stuffy and out of touch.

That's a valid argument. It does fit it in with their scriptural use. Remember the "I'm a Mormon" campaign, which was cool and trendy (or thought it was), with diversity quotas and which used the name most people use for the church.

Plus "un" is a negative prefix as in "unwelcome", "unjust", "unfair", so perhaps it means "Come away from Christ".

Using Christ as a shill! Genius.

Who says Mormons aren't clever?

Let Jesus tell YOU about the Book of Mormon!

The Mormon church would have been much smarter to emphasize Masonic teachings.

Also, the Book of Mormon which is a proven fraud, has painted them into a corner.

Christian churches are a dime a dozen and Mormonism will get nowhere by trying to attach itself to its well-known doctrines when Mormonism has such an odd-ball history.

Once again, church leaders are on the wrong side of common sense.

Because I see the deception and know what they are up to. This is chilling.

I saw this new "campaign" of theirs operating firsthand when we visited UT TBM family last summer. One family member in particular who is uber TBM laid on the "niceness" rather heavily. To anyone who knows nothing about Mormonism her behavior would seem perfectly natural. To us it was nothing short of "chilling".

The church isn't getting anywhere. The internet is bursting with the truth. Lots of good stories of the church disciplining its members over petty and mundane things. And then there's the bigger issues that the church prays will simply go away.

I've never been in another religion's church buildings that look like that.

I think we sell the nonmembers short in terms of being aware of the niceness. My nonmember boyfriend works with a lot of mormons. They are very passive aggressive. He has to watch his back all the time. He can't stand mormons.

What I found extremely funny a few years ago is my brother is a manager and my boyfriend is a manager. They were chatting about their jobs and dealing with mormons. At the same time, they both said, "They lie."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2019 01:19PM by cl2.

I'm sorry, but having been in a number of Christian churches of all denominations all over the country, I've never seen one that looked like that inside either!

Epic fail.

We’ve had people being very friendly with us all of a sudden. People that have shunned are all of a sudden very huggy and nice. It’s amazing now, because we can see through their falseness and know exactly what they are up to. Falseness...sounds like a new word like “ ponderize” ;)

The wife's dress has kind of a plunging neckline, don't you think? Just beginning to show a hint of cleavage… are women's garments that revealing now? Or is she simply not wearing them *for an official church PR photo*?

Maybe it's just a shadow, but it sure looks like a black eye to me. Regardless, the boy doesn't look happy.

When I was young, I looked that way after my Mom spanked me a few times to behave well at church.

messygoop Wrote:
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> Regardless, the boy doesn't look happy.


He looks like his BS detector went off.

Maybe that's not his wife. Maybe he's a single dad. Maybe she's the Mormon and working a flirt-to-convert on him. He has just asked her again if, as promised, they'll have sex if he relents and goes to her church. She's giving him a big oh-yeah-baby smile.

Meanwhile, the boy has noticed there aren't any other kids there, just old people.

So listening to someone mumble while reading a conference talk in sacrament meeting is worshipping?

The Mormon church is soooo clueless! They think all they have to do to make other Christians think they are mainstream is to use catchphrases like "Come unto Jesus," lol.

I walk past a very popular mainstream christian church just about every day. They advertise. There's a big sigh out in front with the hours of the Sunday services, information about events/activities all are welcome to attend, and their web address for more info. It's a really fun place for local singles. Seems there's always a fun activity and a big crowd on Sundays. It's a very welcoming place.

I recently drove past the Mormon church. No sign in front letting people know when the services are. No sign letting people know of upcoming activities. From the outside, it doesn't look very welcoming. As far as I know, Mormons don't want a bunch of strangers joining sacrament meeting on a Sunday. It would make them uncomfortable wondering what the untrained member of the congregation was going to talk about. Joseph Smith? Moroni? Nephi? Baptisms for the dead? They don't want strangers listening to the weird stuff.

They don’t know it’s a cliche. I could use a good “Come to Jesus” talk.

Good point about no meeting times advertised outside the church building. In the stake centres/wards here the sign outside with the church name on it does say "Visitors Welcome". But when would you go if it doesn't state the meeting days and times? And would you just show up to a strange place you'd never been before? Doubtful. That's why the campaign for members to send missionaries to every non-member they know and get new people in the church that way. The mishies I knew weren't even all that enthusiastic to get their investigators to attend the church meetings. They emphasized baptism first, church attendance later, questions only then and ideally never.

That should be a person's first clue. If even the missionaries of the church don't want to take a chance on you seeing behind the curtain. {{slaps self for being clueless enough not to figure it out in time to avoid baptism and hellishness}}.

Haven't seen too many people formally dressed at church services in my part of the world for a very long time.

heartbroken Wrote:
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> I walk past a very popular mainstream christian
> church just about every day. They advertise. There's a big sigh out in front with the hours of the Sunday services, information about events/activities...fun place for local singles.

Yep, here, no sign, no posted hours, no fun activities! Probably because signs cost money, activities cost money...


> As far as I know, Mormons don't want a bunch of strangers joining sacrament meeting...

Yes! Can you imagine a bus load of people coming in? They would wonder, as I did, why are these old men going up front and sobbing???

Oh no, what if someone saw meeting times posted, came, actually enjoyed things, and met some people they really connected with, only to find they lived in the wrong ward? Oh dear God, that would upset the sacred holy order of the universe!

olderelder Wrote:
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> ... only to find they lived in the wrong ward?

Hilarious!!!

heartbroken Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I walk past a very popular mainstream christian
> church just about every day. They advertise.
> There's a big sigh out in front with the hours of
> the Sunday services, information about
> events/activities all are welcome to attend, and
> their web address for more info.

Yes, why is that? Never anything to tell you when services are, unlike other churches.

And why do they never let anyone know when stake conference is, so any visitors to smaller chapels find them locked and empty.

On the linked web page: I guess kudos for writing “humankind” rather than mankind but “people” could have worked...

The emphasis on “join a community “ ha! Truth in advertising: TRY to join a non-welcoming community of people who will be suspicious of you ... (just my experience ) ...and expect you to work for free babysitting other people’s children...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2019 06:13PM by mel.

the commercial seems almost like a Scientology add. Scientologists are always advertising the broadness of their membership, that they are global with diversity. Now mormondom is doing the same thing.

To be fair that picture is quite accurate. Could be anywhere although our chapel didn't have that kind of woodwork.

Woodwork? What woodwork? Just looked at that picture again and it had gone. Touch of the Mandela Effect (no, I'm not a believer).

That picture could be straight out of my old ward, or a dozen other I've visited. It looks a bit like a JW meeting and I've been to them once or rwice.

count the laminated pews.

is a Mormon or a professional Jesus impersonator with a good agent. I wonder if he does children's birthday parties. I was thinking of hiring a clown for my nephew's birthday party. But now I'm thinking screw clowns! Jesus will be much more impressive. I haven't heard of any kids recently whose parents got Jesus to come to their birthday parties.

Wally Prince Wrote:
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> is a Mormon or a professional Jesus impersonator
> with a good agent. I wonder if he does children's
> birthday parties. I was thinking of hiring a
> clown for my nephew's birthday party. But now I'm
> thinking screw clowns! Jesus will be much more
> impressive. I haven't heard of any kids recently
> whose parents got Jesus to come to their birthday
> parties.

There's a limited range you can play with that look - Kris Kristoferson and Kenny Rogers biopics, 1970s vulcanologists, Osama bin Laden, Ned Kelly and Ivan the Terrible.

Joseph Smith? If Mormons keep focusing on this Jesus character, they're going to lose sight of the whole reason that the church exists in the first place.

Without Joseph Smith and his restored keys, restored priesthood, revelations and such, people will have a hard time figuring out why they should join this expensive Jesus worshiping club (10% of gross income for life), when there are so many cheaper and funner alternatives everywhere.

Funner but none funnier!

Just as one example, other churches may get into a merch sideline by selling t-shirts with slogans on them (e.g. "Jesus Loves You" or "WWJD"). But the LSD church sells underwear to its members, after convincing them that (i) they can only buy the underwear if they first join an exclusive club that they can only qualify to join if they pay 10% of their gross income to the church; and (ii) they must wear ONLY the underwear sold to them by the church and no other, guaranteeing a lifetime of repeat purchasing of church merch in the form of underwear.

Another example is trying to keep a straight face when talking with a TBM about the way that the sacred "Book of Mormon" came into being. "So you're telling me that you don't think that it is odd and a bit hard to believe that the golden plates, which were translated in a process that consisted of putting a brown rock in a hat and watching for glowing words to appear, conveniently were taken up to heaven by an angel so that nobody who was not a business partner of Joseph Smith could ever see them or heft them?"

The church in that video looks real nice. Everyone looks so happy. Maybe I should leave the mormon church and join whatever church that is. ;)

They still need a church band.

Yeah!! The Marching Golden Tapirs!

Imagine their befuddlement, should anyone hook up with the actual mormon church after that ad.