It isn't about truth or faith or the gospel.

It comes down to being "one of us". A "member" versus a "non-member". One of the peculiar people. We dress different, we eat and drink different, we are not of your world. We speak to eachother in coded language. We even speak of tribes.

Conflict and criticism strengthens it. What weakens it?

Which is why they need to give you a cult name.

To some members, being a Mormon "IS" their identity.
If you ask "Who are you ?" or "What type of person are you" --

"I am Mormon" --is their answer

Also adding titles to that membership tag is extremely important to give them credibility--

Returned Missionary
Endowed
Temple Reccomend Holder
President
Bishop

I hate to admit this, I never try to challenge these type of TBM, because if you take their attachment to the CHURCH away they would evaporate..

JB

bishop, stake president, etc. is the only power a lot of these people ever have in their lives. It goes to their head. They perceive themselves as having more power than they really do. They love it, they abuse it, and feel good about it.

agree.

The Mo Emphasis on centralized authority, the military-style Chain-of-Command all point to this.

Compare & Contrast: My comparison is to the Mennonite faith.
ministers-pastors are more Facilitator than leader.

People don't get their knickers in a twist over minor items.

Contrary to what Mormonism taught me, they're much more close-knot; part of this is attributable to CHOICE to worship there, NOT ASSIGNED by geography!

Mainstream Christianity is a Whole Different World!

Ultimately, it's fundamentally tribal--and I dare say that for most participants in these human sociological exercises, it doesn't have much to do with any kind of supposedly universal "gospel truth" or "gospel faith"--except as that group-defined gospel truth or faith serves to give what is regarded as special purpose, meaning and identity to members of a given human-organized community of believers who need that kind of life-affirming/defining/stabilizing structure for their own personal reasons.

Eric Hoffer lays this out in his primer, "The True Believer," in which he examines the shared dynamics which underpin why people join mass movements.

Mormonism is simply another manifestation of the primitive, organically-evolved human impulse to identify and then prevail over competing tribes that are perceived as posing threats to the interests and/or survival of one's own favored group.

Some human groups do this by utilizing more authoritarian means of control than others, but humans as a species of social animals naturally and predictably engage in some form or another of survival of the fittest as they pursue personal advantage and benefit, often through the vehicle of the larger group. They do this either consciously or subconciously, but they do it instinctively.

It's just what we do, Mormons or not.



Edited 21 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2011 02:03AM by steve benson.