Mormonism is not that different from Catholicism, just a different stench. I do not mean to be offensive to Catholics - I'm just being metaphoric.

There is a secret place (aka temple), secret decisions made ( the GA's make major decisions affecting the members without financial disclosure), there is funny/odd clothing worn (Temple clothes) and backward and hypocritical doctrines in that the doctrines are backward and the behaviors of the leaders smack of hypocracy (treatment of gays, etc.)

There are some great people I know who are Catholic - but they seem mostly unwilling or uninterested in the absurdity of some of their church's beliefs. Ditto among Mormons.

Both are large multinational corporations. There is so much money involved, and apparently the Catholics financial dealings are scandalous - among other scandals (aka coverups - e.g. child abuse). Same with Mormons.

The media care more about Catholicism because it's been around for so long, and thus has such a large number of adherents. If it were less old and lesslarge, there would be little media attention.

There are rituals and patterns in both. People tend to like rituals and often find them comforting, even if they are actually strange - esp if the rituals began in childhood or early youth.

A cult is a cult is a cult..

When you get down to it, religion is an excellent path to be controlled.

Some differences:

Catholicism doesn't track you down.

Catholicism doesn't exclude you from your children's weddings

Catholicism doesn't expect the same level of commitment.

Catholicism doesn't expect you to take any calling regardless of personal circumstances.

Catholicism doesn't require you to take a secret oath to die for the church and give everything you own to the church, without per-disclosure & under duress.

Catholicism doesn't expect you to give up 2 years of your life bothering people with your religion - it doesn't demand you miss your Mom's funeral because the mission is more important.

Catholicism doesn't make you sit in church 3 hours a week and then expect you to spend another 2-20 hours on your calling.

Catholicism doesn't expect 10% of you income regardless of circumstances. It doesn't enforce donations with exclusion for some worship services.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 02:53AM by The Oncoming Storm - bc.

Crap, was typing while you posted. You succinctly said what I did LOL

and the Inquisition.


Anagrammy

You took the words right out of my mouth Oncoming. Catholicism has it's weird sh*t too and frankly, has it's controlling aspects but so do many religions. Mormonism takes the mind control right over the top into unhealthy and damaging. Catholicism doesn't go to Mormon extremes.

+1The OP obviously needs to do some more research here.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 11:35PM by bona dea.

I'd also add that you can visit a Catholic church without the parishioners trying to convert you.

You can be friends with Catholics without them trying to covert you. They will still be your friends even if you're not Catholic.

If you want to convert to Catholicism, you must first go through a class teaching you about church history and beliefs, even ugly things from church history.

As an ex-Catholic, I can tell you the subtle differences, and why I would consider Catholicism again over anything Mormon.

-The only thing 'secret' at the moment is the conclave to pick the new Pope. I can enter any Catholic church (functioning) and see a couple get married. I was married in a Cathloic church, and at the time had not yet converted. I did not have to be Catholic to marry in their Church. While they would like the children to be raised Catholic, there was no pressure and no push for me to convert. My family was not excluded from my wedding, hell, my mother (staunch Lutheran) even participated in the ceremony.

-The funny clothes are totally worn out in the open (hence the jokes about Benedict's Prada slippers). All children in religious ed classes are given a basic explanation of what the clothes mean and are. We know the colors worn during different times of the year (green for Ordinary Times, purple for Lent). Some of them are exquisite

-A lot of the Catholics I still know have experienced cognitive dissonance with the Church and the dogma. The priests try to actually help explain why things are the way they are, not (as I've seen here from people's bishops) say "oh, have faith and everything will explain itself!" If they still have issues, the priest seems sad HE couldn't explain it, not blaming the parishioner.

-While there is a culture behind each parish, and some gossip, most mind their own business. Sure some parishes can be catty, gossipy nightmares (I don't dare set foot in my ex-husband's church!), but most are content to live and let live. There is no running to the priest if someone sees steak thawing on your counter on Friday, or a condom box in your bathroom. The way you guys talk about ward culture and tattling....whew!

Now, this is the extent in which I'll defend Catholicism. This is only my point of view. I left Catholicism over their views on contraception, treatment of women, and a focus more on catechism than the Bible (I'm Pagan now, go figure). Plus, shoving myself in a box to confess to things that should only be between me and God made me roll my eyes (Even then, the priest forgave! Didn't hold it over your head for a year!) The sex abuse stuff also left a bad taste in my mouth. The priest that married us was genuinely falsely accused. The teenager even admitted to LYING about it later! But, the damage was done, and instead of standing behind a good man, they pushed him to the side, neither giving him a new assignment or just firing him. He sat in limbo for ELEVEN years before he started the laicization process (defrocking) himself.

The main difference? I don't see Catholicsm as a cult. No door to door squeaky clean recruits trying to push you into it. Not a lot of checking on you if you miss one Sunday. The food at functions rock out loud. When it comes to questionable movies and music, you're told to follow your conscience. In my experience with the Church (and keep in mind, these are MY experiences), it wasn't bad. I just didn't beleive their line of bull anymore

The LDS Church is NOT like the Catholic Church.

Mormonism is the apotheosis of corporate religion. Religion is just a front for LDS, Inc. The rituals are empty and meaningless. Important sounding titles and callings are in reality meant to satisfy self aggrandisement and ambition and to keep people from thinking critically about the church and their role in it.

Now contrast LDS, Inc. with the modern Catholic Church. It's not about the reality of religion and the supernatural. The Catholic Church might be against abortion but they are committed to helping the poor and dispossessed and believe in social justice. LDS, Inc. only seeks to enrich itself for itself. Parish priests are nothing like Mormon bishops. Going to mass is not like going to the Temple. You can participate as little or as much as you want to. I can't think of but one serious Mormon theologian -- Bruce R. McConkie -- and his effort to codify Mormonism was not approved of by the Brethren (if you write the rules down it's not so easy to change them in the middle of the game). There are many, many Catholic theologians of all kinds. I'm a non-religious non-believer and I'm not a member of any church or religion but don't know of a Mormon who could even come close to Father Damien or Mother Teresa.

Mormonism is a company with Jesus as the spokesmodel and you know how much say spokesmodels have in a corporation. Catholicism tries harder to put his ideas into the mission statement. Big difference.

When I was director of a nonprofit in Washington, I had to find resources for our elderly poor clients. They had an assortment of needs. I called the different churches.

Some would help with cash, but not food. Some would help with work but not cash. Some with food but not cash. Some with visiting in the home. Some with home repairs, etc.

It was eye opening to find out that the Mormon church would help with NOTHING and the Catholic church would help with EVERYTHING, no questions asked. Not only that but the Catholic church would provide a bag of emergency food any day of the week with just a phone call, no qualifying and no red tape.

When people start arguing about who's a Christian, I think of that.

Anagrammy

The Church does some good in the world though it has room for much improvement. Tscc is a leach on society and its members.

The new Pope seems to be bumming out Mormons. It's been a bad time to be a Mormon. At least there's not a big movie in the pipeline that will spill the ugliness or Mormonism into American popular culture.

...they're BOTH rotten.

I am not a fan of organized religion, in any form and in any way. However, when a few years ago (I was not active in the LDS church, but still had ties), we had issues. One group was helpful, one was not.

During that time, my husband had been laid off and we were really struggling financially. Barely managing to keep our home on my salary and unemployment (he looked and worked HARD!). One morning I was awoken at 4 AM to my 16 year old daughter standing by my bed with blood running down her arms and body because she had cut herself. It was bad.

After spending the next 24 hours after leaving the ER in the psych ward, we looked for help so she could come home. The LDS church had nothing and were extremely judgmental and unhelpful. I won't even bother to repeat the statements we received and I paid tithing for my entire life up until then.

Catholic Social Services, on the other hand, were wonderful. They were recommended by our Pediatrician. They offered counseling at whatever rate we could afford. They offered access to professional help in whatever capacity we needed. Neither I nor my husband (who has never been LDS) has ever been Catholic. They didn't care. The counselor our daughter saw was far more concerned with her as an individual and what was going on than her religious orientation.

In my mind, that is the way it should be which is why, even though I am not Catholic and never will be, I care about what happens in the organization.

My dad is Catholic and my mom is TBM. I was raised in both churches and there are a lot of compelling similarities between the two churches... but a lot of that stuff is just superficial to me.

The difference is that when I attend mass, I can take the eucharist publically without anyone shaming me. I can go when I want to go and I can repent in that church when I want to and privately and on my own terms. I go when I want to because I want to.

At TSCC there is shunning, guilt, financial obligations, worthiness interviews and a lot of trite meetings. I am not damaged by my Catholic upbringing. I am not on a recovering catholics support web forum.

lol good point suzanne. You don't see catholics needing a support group to recover from the neuroses they developed while going to that church. Is there even such a thing as recovery from Catholicism? I have to admit I'm not a fan of any organized religion but this is really a good point.

Beautifully put, suzanne. I know lots of people who are no longer active in the faiths they were brought up in. Only the Mormons feel the need to discuss, relive and try to understand the experience, online and in person, so they can move on. Wow.

I still call myself Christian and both make me sad with all the rules and regulations, fear and guilt. Christian Love, if there is such a thing, is supposed to be free.

I can't bring up my kids in a church whose authority system is entirely based on the size of fucking hats, okay? That's apparently how the Catholic church is run. The bigger the hat, the more important the guy, right? Priests have no hats, cardinals have those little red beanies, the pope has a collection of big hats...God must have a huge fucking sombrero up there in heaven! "Look at me, I'm GOD! Look at the size of my hat, who else would I be?" I don't know, lead singer of Los Lobos?

- Denis Leary

"God must have a huge fucking sombrero up there in heaven! "Look at me, I'm GOD! Look at the size of my hat, who else would I be?" I don't know, lead singer of Los Lobos?"

Not to be disrespectful, but this....just cracks me up....

BTW, I wish the Catholic leaders in the U.S. had not collaborated with and even led the Morg in political mobilization against same-sex marriage........

...that's all....

Yes, Mormonism is much more controlling. Everyone knows lots of Catholics who only go to church at Christmas and Easter. The Catholic church doesn't beat people up over it - lets them do what they want about attendance. Doesn't care or have to care - because they are already the richest church in the world, or at least North America.

Catholics have such large numbers,they don't have to worry about trying to get new converts like Mormonism does about their bottom line.

Do they not care about policing members--becuase they are a very big real estate holder and have made money off of the properties they own?

Even if they don't get 10% of people's incomes, if they have large numbers and pass around a plate, they still must take in a considerable sum of money from that.

Was their move toward becoming less rigid since the 1960s (minus birth control and gay rights, looking the other way if a Catholic has sex outside marriage - they don't encourage it but don't excommunicate for it, eiether) a purposeful step to try to keep people from leaving? Did they decide a long while ago to maintain certain doctrinal positions - but not go after those Catholics who don't obey the doctrines, so that the church would remain popular and retain its core base of multigenerational families?