I'm sure most have experienced situations where they had to explain about why they no longer believe. That honestly doesn't bother me. I left and own that action. I can support that decision with mountains of historic inaccuracy, cover ups, etc...

But when I see mormons who are essentially trying to recruit new members on Facebook or somewhere in public, I really have a problem with it. For example, a Facebook friend just posted this:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-101#C13

I can't believe how full of half truths it is. For instance, when talking about race, it quotes a passage in Nephi about all colors living together. But it leaves out the facts that god made one of those colors as a curse according to the same book. That is dishonest to me. So I posted a link to John Dehlin's "Why people leave the LDS church" video on his page.

Do most of you say anything? Do you do it gently or hit them full force with links to the truth?

I'm just tired of standing by when these people try to suck others in with their dishonesty or as a side effect of their ignorance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2012 06:31AM by omen.

That is lying for the Lard in grande fashion. Particularly this part:

Do Mormons believe they will become gods?

"Latter-day Saints believe that God wants us to become like Him. But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith. The Latter-day Saint belief is no different than the biblical teaching."

I generally leave it alone because it isn't worth the headached of pointing to 100 lessons in manuals and Ensign articles by GA's the specifically state that they want to become "gods". Revisionist history in the Morg can extend to last week if they want it to.

Ron

This is classic "politician-speak." Where you take a tough question, give an answer that SEEMS to deal with the question but really doesn't answer it at all and instead makes one of your talking points.

Another example of that happened 4 years ago when Huckabee mentioned that he'd heard that Mormons believe Satan is the brother of Jesus. The Church's PR department issued a statement that started by saying, people who say this are usually critics of the Church, that they believe God created everyone yadda yadda. But NOTHING about the "pre-existence" or how, in Mormon teachings, yes Jesus and Lucifer ARE spirit brothers born of the same father.

And the thing that really gets me is that TBMs are fine with this kind of lying. They consider the interface of the Church with the rest of the world to be a war zone where the only thing that counts is victory and any means to achieve it is acceptable.

In Mormonism such clever dissembling is admired.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2012 01:39PM by baura.

Do Mormons believe they will become gods?

"Latter-day Saints believe that God wants us to become like Him. But this teaching is often misrepresented by those who caricature the faith. The Latter-day Saint belief is no different than the biblical teaching."

Excuse me?


D&C 132:20 Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2012 11:18PM by canadianfriend.

People aren't buying it. Yeah, some might accept their incomplete or misleading explanations, and accept Mormons as "nice people". But most non-mormons look at Mormonism as a weird religion. And they actually keep their distance socially from Mormons. (I found this out AFTER I left the church, and noticed that when people learned I was from Utah, they were very distant and polite, but when they found I wasn't Mormon, they warmed right up and had a kazillion questions about the quirks of Mormonism).

There isn't going to be a surge of baptisms anytime soon.

This kind of propoganda just serves to make the MORMONS to feel better about themselves.

OK, we're on to you.

The kinds of explanations and language that work within the church sound very odd, freakish, to outsiders who haven't been conditioned to think it's normal. As do the defensive posts that flood every comment forum for LDS-related news stories.

I remember thinking GBH was wonderfully media-savvy when I was a kid. Then I grew up and realized he was regularly saying creepy, weasely, ethnocentric things. As soon as I stopped approaching everything he said with faith that he was God's anointed, it became glaringly obvious. If nonbelievers even read the church's PR press releases at all, they aren't looking at it with our cultural/religious background or with any preconceived faith about the intentions of the church.

The church damaged itself enough with Prop H8 that if people are paying attention at all, they're not just giving a free pass. I don't worry about it. I do my exmo missionary work in person.

angsty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As do the defensive posts that flood
> every comment forum for LDS-related news stories.

Mormons defending the Church in the comments do more damage than they could realize. As you state, the arguments that work WITHIN the Church sound crazy and offensive to those OUTSIDE the Church. Pointing out that Jesus said "first to the Jews then to the Gentiles" as a justification for past Mormon racism sounds, well, racist. That's the kind of thing I'd expect a KKK apologist to come up with.

Oh, and NOWHERE in the New Testament can any of these Mopologists find a passage where it says some non-Jew was denied full participation because he was a gentile. It's one thing to have a marketing strategy--it's another to be racist.

The exmo/anti contributions are usually pretty effective, and the mo rebuttals are frequently silly. But the mo's posting them don't think so....

I'm reminded of the interviews of fundy polyg women who say they're happy and are willingly choose their lifestyle. So, how does the rest of the world think about it? Do they think, "wow, that's great?", or do they think, "wow, those women really don't know much about life?"....or, "they don't really know anything because they live in a closed (-minded) society."

"We're normal, just like you," mormon posters say, but then they proudly spout off a list of behaviors (that they think is good), yet not normal for the rest of society.

I still cringe at their spins on questions. I have no answer but it makes me mad every time I read one.

Saying this EXACT stuff.
She doesn't sound like anyone I ever heard when I was listening in church all the years I was growing up.
OF COURSE we were taught that we could be gods and goddesses. It's all over the temple ceremony.
WHAT A BUNCH OF LIARS!

The church publicity committee (which extends to the wards and branches---every unit is supposed to have a communications chairman) is so skilled at spinning the cool church message that even the top news broadcasters are afraid to challenge them on anything.

I remember how intimidated Matt Lauer and Ann Curry smiling and fawning over the mormons during the Olympics in Utah. The church really geared up for that!

f***tards.

Do Latter-day Saints practice polygamy?
No. There are more than 14 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and not one of them is a polygamist.

Let us list the current members of the 12 that are polygamists.

I am intrigued, but heavily skeptical, about your comment. Does one of the good ol' boys have a secret hideout in Colorado City?

Even ignoring the "afterlife" polygamy that Mormons still practice today in their temples, and even glossing over the "14 million members" BS, it is highly probable approaching certainty that at least ONE of those 14 million 'members' is currently practicing polygamy on Earth, and believes they are following the 'prophet' Joseph Smith.

I don't discuss religion.

If it doesn't affect me, I don't bother. If someone asks me my opinion - well, they get it.

I don't bother with it much. I have a few books on Mormon topics on my page.

Although, I was really tempted to respond once. My aunt posted a picture of the two Satan actors together, and said it was a friendly reminder to go to the temple. I actually thought it amusing, and I had a clever (but likely offensive to those in the know of pre 1990 happenings) rejoinder that I refrained from posting: "Rather than do so, I would suffer my life to be taken." Too bad everything critical of Mormonism is "offensive," "demeaning," "hateful" etc.

Yeah, I just have to ignore my family's inane Mormon postings. I don't think Facebook is a good forum to discuss this stuff.