I get annoyed by people who demolish Mormonism but then claim that another religion is the absolute truth. In a way, Mormonism is a counterbalance to other religions. It is a reminder that not all people agree. If Mormonism disappeared, other religions would become that much stronger. If only one religion existed, that religion would dominate, dominate, dominate. The mulitiplicity of religions is a good thing, in a way, although they are all false in my opinion, just like Mormonism is false.

They're all equally absurd. They're not all equally damaging.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 06:18PM by kolobian.

Nonsense. You may or may not think that religion is of benefit and I won't argue that fact with you - to each his own. But Mormonism has undeniable elements of mind control and manipulation in it which makes it infinitely more damaging to humans than most other religions. Other religions exist to benefit the members but in Mormonism, the members are there to serve the Organization. They can be used and abused at will. I'll give you there are others as bad or worse, but Mormonism is not equal to all religions. It's like governments. Not all are good - some are, most are just OK, some like North Korea, are actually dreadful, damaging, controlling and actually mess with a person's view of reality with lies and fear. Mormonism is the North Korea of religions.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 05:14PM by CA girl.

"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion" -Steven Weinberg

I agree. Not all religions are the same and some like Mormonism are a lot worse than others.

But religion in general promotes bad reasoning and is often at odds with scientific discovery. Even the best of what religion offers is almost always tainted by the illogical beliefs that stem from it.

There are people in every society that take things too seriously. You can imagine if Santa Claus was taken seriously how crazy people's behavior would become.

I only criticize that which I know about. I know pretty much everything there is to know about Mormonism. By comparison, I know relatively little about other christian and non-christian religious organizations.

Don't tell me to criticize them all. I don't know them all.

Just sayin'...

Ron

Very right of you to say this if you know little of other religions. I have learned a lot about Mormonism int he last ten yrs. and I can tell you this with certainty- my faith is not controlling, does not force me to tithe to be worthy, does not exclude anyone from celebrations that all family and friends should partake in, and does not make me wear funny clothing to "keep me safe" as we know better. Mormons are not safer than anyone else. Mormons use you and take your money and don't tell you how it is spent. Mormons lie and tell you only the milk of their "faith" when they know they should tell investigators so much more.

SO with certainty Mormonism is a hell of a lot more harmful and damaging than my faith (Protestant) ever would or could be. I find it crazy that people who know little of certain mainstream faiths are so quick to criticize. So you don't wish to participate in organized religion. Fine. Let it be. How are they harming YOU? Now, I totally get how the Mormons harmed you.

"my faith is not controlling"

That made me chuckle a bit. I have yet to see a religion that doesn't work by controlling people.

So how does it control me??? Chuckle all you want. YOU don't know my pastor, what my attendance is like, what I give or don't give or anything. I don't get anyone from my church checking up on me if I skip a month of church or more. They DON'T care. YOU need to not speak on things you know nothing about.

That you feel enough guilt to contribute to the cause would be another.

Religion is the promotion of fairy tale as fact for the sole purpose of picking people's pockets.

Trust me. There's more than one born everyday. The prophets, priests and pastors know this.

Timothy

So I'm thinking Mormonism would tend to like be the primary focus, right?

But what do I know, I'm just a dog. And a dog who is ever so glad to be free from any and all religion stuff.

dude, thanks for the advice but i'm not sure if you realized that the name of the site is called exmormons.

hence, you would expect to find people that criticize the mormon movement/cult. mostly.

and in the spirit of free advice, i'd suggest you open your eyes a little bigger next time.

+10!!!

I think that covers about any god based religion.

But just about every god based religion I have seen has specifics that are unique to that particular religion that make it valid to be critical of that religion for that specific issue. I could be critical of the Mormon practice of using magic underwear, but it would make no sense to be critical of all religions for that.

...All governments are the same. All politicians are the same. All people are the same. All human philosophies are the same.

Aren't each of these all-inclusive generalities equally ridiculous? Isn't it silly to make such mindless generalities?

I'm inclined to believe that an ex-Mormon who comes on this board with the statement that "Mormonism is just like every other religion", or that "Every religion is just like Mormonism", is a person who knows very little about other religions.

One of my big complaints about the board-the stereotyping of religion.

I disagree......

OP: "I get annoyed by people who demolish Mormonism but then claim that another religion is the absolute truth."

JtheS: I don't see many people on this BB doing that, a few maybe.

OP: "In a way, Mormonism is a counterbalance to other religions."

Jthe S: How exactly does mormonism "balance" anything? If the other churches are bad and mormonism is worse? Is that balance?

OP: "It is a reminder that not all people agree."

Jthe S: No one needs to be reminded that not all people agree....well maybe some do. And is having a bunch of screwy religions around that don't agee with each other really the best way to remind people that we don't always agree on everything?

OP: "If Mormonism disappeared, other religions would become that much stronger."

JtheS: How would that make them stronger? And what would they do with the new found stregnth? And define stronger...make them better, worse, have more power? If only mormonism disappeared, they would....do what exactly?

OP: "If only one religion existed, that religion would dominate, dominate, dominate."

JtheS: Perhaps, but if only one religion existed, it would be much easier to overthrow with no where else to go church. All or nothing you know? If you figure out that the one religion is false, the whole thing just stops there. Enough people figure it out and religion would end....period.

OP: The mulitiplicity of religions is a good thing, in a way, although they are all false in my opinion, just like Mormonism is false.

JtheS: So having multiple false religions is a good thing? Hokay....whatever you say.

you Jesus people are gonna drive me to drink!! :)
is that you Johnny the smoke???



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 10:03PM by bignevermo.

"I don't see many people on this BB doing that, a few maybe."

It is a very active part of the conversation around here. The vast majority of the drama we have seen lately comes from religious people talking about how great their religion is and non-religious people flaming them.

For some reason, Christians love to come on here and tell us how much better they are than Mormons. It is almost comical.

behindcurtain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I get annoyed by people who demolish Mormonism but
> then claim that another religion is the absolute
> truth. In a way, Mormonism is a counterbalance to
> other religions. It is a reminder that not all
> people agree. If Mormonism disappeared, other
> religions would become that much stronger. If
> only one religion existed, that religion would
> dominate, dominate, dominate. The mulitiplicity
> of religions is a good thing, in a way, although
> they are all false in my opinion, just like
> Mormonism is false.

There's little logic in your post. You make claims that you cannot substantiate.

You get annoyed with people who have ideas different to yours on how they should deal with THEIR own recovery? How DARE they think for themselves? Don't they know that the thinking has been done?

I would never join another religion, I just talk about Mormonism and it's ruling power because I was a Moron Mormon...and my whole family is stuck in there. I think you should mold your own life and be responsible for yourself.

My two cents on the "one universal faith" idea; it's impossible. Religion being what it is, someone would find something within this universal faith to disagree about, and there would be a schism, then another, and another, etc. until the "universal faith" is surrounded with a sea of competing sects and sub-sects. You see this in all religions and mass movements (even computer software*!)....just as the Roman church split into Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which had Protestantism spin off, producing a sea of faith(s), so too we see Marxism give birth to Marxism-Leninism, then Stalinism, Trotskyism as the counter to that, and Maoism as the Leninism of the 3rd world. If a teeny-tiny group like the Objectivists can split into two warring camps, then a "universal church" is doomed from the outset....doomed to constant Inquisitions to keep everybody on the same page; doomed to purging members for infractions and excommunicating people who are rebels; doomed to having a huge holy beauracracy to oversee the giant machine. In a modern world, such a faith machine would be impossible thanks to books, telecommunication, a rudimentary understanding of history; in the Midaeval period the faith machine in Western Europe was Catholicism, and there were dissidents and out-religions in Europe even then.

The song remains the same, it's just the players that change....


________________________________

* After the heroic period of binary programming, forming assembly languages, batch processing, and moving from tubes to solid-state, then things shifted to which programming language or operating system (post 1967) was "the best." And the dorky arguements have been going on since the late `60s and really picked up speed when ICs became computer components and the machines got smaller and smaller and faster all the time, with available memory growing at a geometric rate. No one will make the "computer atheist" arguement that no one OS or language is perfect, so we are doomed to this neckbearded crud for all eternity, or until the machines reach consciencousness and flee the planet because people are too geeky.

Ex-mormons have great know-how about TSCC, and have been emotionally and mentally involved in this, so it is natural that they criticize TSCC, and not Islam for instance (which we generally know much less about).
Secondly, not all religions and christian faiths are equally emotionally binding or mentally and socially bad on all areas. And not all have so much evidence against it, or leaders responding equally deceitful or misleading on questions about things. Not all religions have equally illogical teachings.
Not all religions demand tithing and so much voluntary work. Etc.

...another species even!

Most all religions are NOT based on faith. They are based on power, using faith as a tool. All are to a greater or lesser degree.

There is only one religion that claims to have a real history of ancient America, allegedly recorded by ancestors of Native Americans and translated in the 19th century by the "gift and power of god".

I will criticize the LDS because of their false claims about Native Americans. I will criticise the apologists who use psuedo methods. If the COJCOLDS admits that the BofM is fiction and discard it, my criticism might subside.

My reasons have nothing to do with any other religion.

Mormonism has made me pretty critical of all religions. If you think about it, Mormonism has the least weird history, because it just has less history, period. They're all pretty screwed up. But I haven't given up, I want to find a religion I like and I think I will.

They are all equally fictional bullshit with terrible story books to go along with them.

I'd say I definitely am critical of all religions, in the sense that I use my critical thinking skills. And though I'll probably never adopt an organized religion ever again, I must admit I am impressed by eastern mysticism religions and many of their concepts, especially considering how well they mesh with the most recent science today.

That said, there are certain things in every organized religion I've studied that I have discovered not to like.

Others, get in line.