I was with a small gathering a few nights ago, and we were laughing and talking about our wasted youth. I decided to reveal that I am an ex-Mormon, which is something I don't like to talk about due to the weirdness factor. It was exactly as I predicted, and just like the conversations I remember having when I was in high school and would mention that I was a Mormon. I don't think anything has changed in 30 years with the public perception of this religion.

My one friend said "I have a friend who is a Jehovah's Witness. Oh wait, that's different. Isn't it?"

She was interrupted by her husband who said "Now, that's different from Scientology, right?"

These are highly educated people. Both lawyers. They don't know the first thing about the Mormon church, don't know any Mormons, and have no clue whatsoever.

Then I talk on the phone with my TBM brother in Utah who acts like the whole world revolves around the Mormon church.

No, actually it doesn't.

When I was recently in GA I randomly talked to 3 people about Mormonism because I said I was form UT.

Here's what they knew:

Romney/polygamy

Polygamy

Polygamy

That was it. The truth is Joseph Smith is the founder of polygamy in the US and this is the roots of the church. The current push away from it does not allow them to get away from the sordid past that proves they were a slimy sex cult that favored the leaders. Nor should they be allowed to distance themselves. The founders of Mormonism planted the seeds and the current church has to eat the sour fruit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2013 12:11PM by The Oncoming Storm - bc.

Yeah, I think my friends were being diplomatic with me. They didn't bring up any of the sex stuff, and I'm sure they know about it. Ugh.. I wish I'd never brought it up.

This is a good opportunity to repost this image which illustrates your initial point:

http://mormonprobe.com/world-religion-infographic.jpg

Agh. Why is it so blurry?

Mormons have an inflated sense of their importance and the worlds view of them.

Everybody knows that Mormons are the worlds one true people and they are oh so holy. They are the holiest of all the holies.

It's just a sizing issue - you are pulling the image up at a portion of it's full size.

How do you fix it?

I don't think you can. The resolution isn't very good.

Is there a higher res pic out there?

Try this one: http://www.onbeing.org/sites/onbeing.org/files/tumblr_m3hzi7IG8y1qz6yd1o1_1280_0.jpg

Edit: not sure I completely agree with the way they classify some religions, but it gives an interesting overall picture



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2013 11:55PM by glibberish.

Perfect! Thank you!

Except for polygamy.

I agree with that, BC. Among nevermos, the biggest association with Mormonism is polygamy -- still. And now, we can add Romney to the mix.

I laughed outloud when I read that people think about Mormonism about as much as they think about whaling!

When it comes down to it nobody cares about Mormonism. We do. Mormons do. That is it.

I was on a camping trip with 20 gay men, and I brought up the Cult in a discussion around the campfire. I can tell you, Gay men HATE the Mormon Cult! The age range was mid 20's to early 70's, and they all knew some embarrassing detail about Mormonism and were very happy to share it. Prop 8 has caused a hatred of the Mormon Cult in the Gay Community that will remain for a very long time. Homophobia is now part of the Mormon Brand like Polygamy.

Yep, the Mormon church paid big bucks for that brand, and now I think they should wear it proudly. Own it, Mormons.

Good point.

I would go so far to say that it started with BYU anti-gay therapy. Then Prop 22, then Prop 8.

But no one outside of the cult and a few related circles knew about the extreme homophobia until Prop 8. That was the first time the internet, concerted efforts by us heretics, and a brazenness that the savvy Hinkley would never have allowed, combined to tie the Mormon name to homophobia in spectacular fashion. Madison Avenue must look on this with envy.

The irony is that the advertising "triumph" came at precisely the wrong time for the church. Prop 22 started people in California thinking, and the tide was turning as the first decade of this century progressed. With Prop 8 the church pushed back the wave, but it also made people take a hard look at discrimination and at the role of religion in public discourse and politics. The result of that reconsideration was increased support for marriage equality all around the country. I believe that if the church had not done what it did with Prop 8, gays and lesbians would not have gotten to today's point for another five or ten years.

We should be grateful to the church for accelerating the change. And we should be grateful to society for recognizing the LDS role in Prop 8 and, as shown in opinion polls, holding it accountable.

Last summer I was visiting with a past president of the Oklahoma Bar Association and his wife. During the conversation, I mentioned that I had been Mormon.

The wife was curious that there were Mormons in Oklahoma and wondered where Mormons met.

There are Mormons in Kansas too, unfortunately.

Much hyped and great excitement amongst the mormons, who think the whole of Lancashire will be impressed.

If only they knew - the only thing mormons are known for around these parts is luring away young girls, flirty fished, by 19th century 'elders', to find themselves trapped in polygamy with no means of escape. Some families are still trying to find out what happened to their relatives.

Mesmerising Mormons, polygamy cult, devil worshippers and Millenium Star people are words I've heard. Being a mormon in Lancashire was so difficult but now I'm normal again :-)

Briggy

Briggy, do you remember The Case of the Manacled Mormon? The Cult needs a story like that again to capture the attention of the British people!

My Father lived in a small Mormon enclave outside of Preston called Glendale. Are you familiar with it?

pioneerrose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My Father lived in a small Mormon enclave outside
> of Preston called Glendale. Are you familiar with
> it?

Yes, it is in the Bamber Bridge area. My own ancestors are from Rivington, by the reservoir and the nuts have not fallen far from the tree :-)

Briggy

The manacled Mormon story...that woman paid to have her dog cloned...see link, below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1042506/A-cloned-dog-Mormon-mink-lined-handcuffs-tantalising-mystery.html

sonoma Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Briggy, do you remember The Case of the Manacled
> Mormon? The Cult needs a story like that again to
> capture the attention of the British people!

The mere mention of mormons resurrects those thoughts, especially in those that remember the scandal of McKinney and Anderton/son.

Indeed, recently, the new generation were reminded when Ms McKinney's crazy was once again exposed in the news.

Mormons cannot undo their history around here.

Briggy

I care about Mormonism as a nevermo,who knows no Mormons!It has a Very small following here in Europe too though and most people know nothing about it,often as you said,confusing it with the Jehovah's and 'something about blood transfusions,not believing in the Trinity'.Lol.

I live in a relatively Mormon-dense portion of the country, and even as an evangelical Protestant the only things I really knew about Mormonism were tiny factoids like

"Joseph Smith founded it in the 1800s"

"They think they become God of their own planet"

"Polygamy"

What amuses me most now is that I didn't even know they had a living "prophet". Mormons think this guy has stewardship of the entire Earth and 99.99% don't even know the office exists, much less who holds it.

Vancouver, BC has few Mormons too. It's rare to see missionaires, and Mormon church buildings.

It's the same in the Toronto area, especially given the very high percentage of immigrants. Many don't have a clue what you're talking about if you mention you used to be Mormon. I still get, "What's that?"

This thread encapsulates much of what I've learned about the public perception of mormonism after leaving it in the late 1980s.

The vast majority of people who know anything about it at all really do have a one-word association with it: polygamy.

I'm not embarrassed about my mormon past, much as I wish it had been different. More often than not, if approached with the right amount of humility and humor, it's vastly enlightening and even entertaining to people I socialize with. They are endlessly fascinated by it, while at the same time they are forewarned about it when it comes to vulnerable family members who might be inclined to listen to missionaries. I've never once encountered someone who would ever think to judge me negatively for 'believing in it' because I'd been so thoroughly brainwashed into its doctrines.

Those who are willing to invest more than 5 minutes' worth of listening quickly understand that it's an incredibly destructive, seductive system for a kid to be brought up into - or for a vulnerable, needy adult to be sucked into.

In some ways, I see it as a positive that people are still confusing mormonism with JWs and Scientologists. If someone said to me, 'Hey, mormons aren't much different from Presbyterians, right?' I'd actually be worried at how utterly misinformed that notion is.

Makurosu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was with a small gathering a few nights ago, and
> we were laughing and talking about our wasted
> youth. I decided to reveal that I am an ex-Mormon,
> which is something I don't like to talk about due
> to the weirdness factor. It was exactly as I
> predicted, and just like the conversations I
> remember having when I was in high school and
> would mention that I was a Mormon. I don't think
> anything has changed in 30 years with the public
> perception of this religion.
>
> My one friend said "I have a friend who is a
> Jehovah's Witness. Oh wait, that's different.
> Isn't it?"
>
> She was interrupted by her husband who said "Now,
> that's different from Scientology, right?"
>
> These are highly educated people. Both lawyers.
> They don't know the first thing about the Mormon
> church, don't know any Mormons, and have no clue
> whatsoever.
>
> Then I talk on the phone with my TBM brother in
> Utah who acts like the whole world revolves around
> the Mormon church.
>
> No, actually it doesn't.


Yes and that is what caused me, a nevermo raised in NY so much trauma living in a small Utah town. It wasn't merely the torture of living among people who considered you an outcast and who had no ideal there was a whole wide world out there but the fact that I KNEW I could be free if I could just leave UT. It was though I was imprisoned. It was such a painful experience but finally, we left it all behind and there isn't one day that goes by that I am not thankful we escaped!

My nomo friends love listening to my mission tales. I actually find myself correcting Mormon myths ie. The church owns Coke etc. Just about everyone has a wierd background if you dig a little.