Your premise is uncharitably worded, and wildly incomplete, but not completely wrong. Your conclusion, however, has nothing to do with your premise.
And Mormonism is protected from what, exactly? It is largely protected from government interference, thanks to the First Amendment, not to democracy. It is not, however, protected from public opinion. Mormonism, even with its huge free full-time sales force and higher than average birthrate, is treading water in the US. It’s still growing, but just barely.
Like all things Pop Culture now, the delusion that has the most followers wins. They may carry the same bloat but not the same weight. Some delusions have more density.
Opinions are not created equal. Some are more delusional than others. If I am convinced my neighbor has some rhubarb in his fridge, that’s not as far-fetched as believing the Lucky Charms leprechaun is just now flying his unicorn past Mars.
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” ~ Philip K. Dick
We all entertain reality to varying degrees, usually when it suits our fancy, but more often when it bites us where the sun doesn't shine.
Two cult leaders who could bend reality were Steve Jobs and Joseph Smith. They were at opposite ends of the woo spectrum but both created cultures that outlived them. I'm more interested in Mormonism as a case study in abnormal psychology. I may say the Mormons are stupid, but I can't say they're wrong. I can't say that living in a Mormon fantasy is better or worse than applying scientific rigor. I can only say it's not for me.
But to defend a bygone era when Mormons had something, faith matters. Beliefs that empower you matter, because that's what drove Jobs and Smith.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2025 11:42PM by bradley.
Nice quote. Makes me think for the truly delusional that reality can't even rise to the status of being the elephant in the room.
There are many ways to navigate life which can be difficult. Delusion is one of them. Life raft in a river. Truth leaves you in the river, in the rapids, without even floaties?
That was probably true during Joseph Smith's day but not so much now. Why? Well, it turns out that in the modern-day USA, it is the people who have the most money who can force their delusions on others, at least in the short term. In the long term, of course, (as Anybody posted on another thread), reality does tend to come and bite the delusionals in the butt. The problem is that we humans, probably due to our survival instincts, really don't think in the long term with the result being that if we are bitten in the butt by decisions we made a long time ago, we don't *recognize* that those long-ago decisions are what are causing us problems.