I have a question about Mormons

[Coventina]

I just read a thread in LBN where it was mentioned that the Mormon church is always very supportive of "marriage protection" type laws.

I know that Mormonism is a very conservative religion, and that most Mormons would consider themselves "conservative" politically. I would imagine (although I don't know) that most of them are probably Republican.

Anyway, my question is: Do Mormons worry at all, that if the Christian-Taliban types ever do come into power (or continue to gain power) that they would become a persecuted group? I know for a fact, because I've gone to fundie churches, that Mormonism is considered a "dangerous cult". Mormons have been persecuted in the past, don't they worry that they are supporting the very people who would like to destroy them?

Does anyone have any insight into this?

[bluestateguy]

1. Most of the leadership of the religious right is traditional Protestant

Few if any Mormons have positions of leadership in Christian conservative organizations. Still, Mormons' cultural conservatism makes them a natural Republican constituency, yet many fundamentalist Protestants regard Mormonism as not being "real" Christians, so they don't work together very much. Then again, Muslims are very culturally conservative, but they have been so marginalized by the Right over the last 3 years that their voting preferences may swing towards the Democrats.

[cprise]

6. Mormons are fundamentalist

...the church believes in biblical inerrancy.

So on most issues and in most theology, they are on the side of the charismatic fundamentalists (Jerry Falwell, et al).

It's just Christian fundamentalism with an additional book.

[SimpleMan]

9. No...

They believe the Bible "as far as it is translated correctly." Gives them some wiggle room.

[cprise]

10. Fundies have a penchant for producing bible translations

So that position is not surprising.

That wiggle-room is a cop-out, and merely shows their bias toward a holy book that was originally written in their native language (English).

If they won't admit some error in the original intent of the bible, then they're fundamentalists.

[blondeatlast]

13. The Mormons believe there is another Testament--the Book of Mormon.

And Mormons are pretty much despised by your typical Fred Phelps tuypes and are keenly aware of it.

[MuseRider]

2. I used to be one.

I can't really speak for them but they are huge and very well organized world wide. They were most certainly persecuted before, I think it was just within the last 30 years that the law in Missouri still stated that it was legal to kill Mormons. They are very well organized to protect themselves in any kind of disaster so I would guess they don't worry about it too much, they have a huge capacity to provide for themselves.

[silverlib]

3. I have a close friend who is Mormon...

He is also retired military and seventy years old. He will vote Democrat this time, although he did vote for Bush in the last election. Bush and the current Republican leaders have not been kind to the military or to the elderly.

He was rather Jack Mormon during his military years and is a recovering alcoholic. He has gone back to his religious roots and volunteers at the Mormon library (although i don't think that is what it is called).

As deep as he is now into Mormon doctrine, he does not recognize homosexuality as a sin, but as a birth right and believes that we need to recognize homosexuality the same as we recognize heterosexuality.

I love this man! ..and he gives me reasons to respect the Mormon community. All religious groups have bad apples. So, he's proof there are liberal Mormons.

Sorry - I rambled.

I don't think the Mormons are in any more danger of being repressed than any other liberal Christian group.

[Sandpiper]

4. I currently am one

And to echo the sentiment expressed above, I can tell you that the Mormons have no illusions about how fundie churches regard them. The lessons of past persecutions are not forgotten either, and consequently, there is something of a survivalist mindset within the church that most outsiders aren't aware of. Mormons are encourged to keep a year's worth of food storage for every family member, grow gardens, have money in a savings account, and to keep themselves debt free. On top of that, the church itself has enormous financial holdings for a church its size.

On Edit: Your assumptions about Mormons being mostly conservative and largely Republican are correct.

[Coventina]

5. That being the case

Does the Mormon Church encourage its members to support a secular state? (I.E. the ACLU, etc.)

Because if the "Christians" continue to gain political power (i.e. Ashcroft and his ilk) I see Mormons being near the top of the hit list.

It seems from my outsider view that the Mormons are politically supporting the very people who would like to persecute them religiously.

[Sandpiper]

7. The Church Leadership

Notwithstanding Prop. 22 in California, is notoriously A-political. Members are always encouraged to vote, but never told for whom they should vote. Before every election, the church presidency releases an official statement that the church is politically neutral and does not endorse any party or candidate.

Does the Mormon Church encourage its members to support a secular state? (I.E. the ACLU, etc.)

Not actively, no. But many members are sensitive about church/state issues.

A Mormon family who was tired of having their children harrassed by the "born again" majority was one of the principle parties in the Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe case that ended the practice of opening high school football games with a prayer.

[SimpleMan]

8. Naw...they're too rich to be worried...

Mormons believe that they have a special calling from God to save the Constitution when our country is "hanging by a thread." They believe that the country is going to hell in a handbasket, and they and they alone will save it.

They don't worry about the Christian/Taliban types, because they are part and parcel to it. They put millions into fighting any kind of gay rights legislation, as well as fighting the ERA. They believe pretty much the same (culturally) as the rest of the fundies. Their spiritual beliefs are a bit different, although they, too, are Christian.

The fact of the matter is, the LDS church has over 30 billion in assets, and has no fear of being supressed when and if the money changers ever take power.

I would worry more about the Mormons in the Senate and House. They all take a sacred temple oath to put their church above their country or anything else. Nothing scares me more than having a Mormon on the SCOTUS Supreme Court (Orin Hatch comes to mind), or as POTUS. God, what a nightmare that would be!

I've technically been a Mormon for 47 years now, so I what I'm talking about here. I speak of them as 'they," because I no longer allign myself with their beliefs...and I never alligned myself with them culturally. I'm still on their records, so they still consider me a member of the church.

As an aside, my entire extended family are Mormons, and they all voted for Bush in 2000. None of them will vote for him this time.

[LiviaOlivia]

11. Senator Frank Moss D-UT - great man, great Democratic Senator and a Mormon

Senator Frank E. Moss (D-UT), Champion of the Elderly, Dies at Age 91
Millions of Americans are Recipients of Medicare Benefits, a Cleaner Environment,
and Less Pervasive Advertising by the Tobacco Industry as a Result of His Life


Washington DC (January 29, 2003) – Retired US Senator Frank E. Moss (D-UT) passed away quietly today in his sleep at the age of 91 in his home town of Salt Lake City, UT. Senator Moss was recuperating from a long illness, but took a turn for the worse following the Christmas holidays. Senator Moss was known to many as the “father of the Medicare home care and hospice benefit.”

Frank Edward Moss was one of the brightest stars to ever serve in the United States Congress. He was widely respected for his integrity, compassion, intelligence, and judicial temperament.

His colleagues referred to him as the “conscience of the Senate” and elevated him to the number three-ranking post in the Senate leadership, secretary of the Democratic Caucus. Moss ranks along with Hubert Humphrey and Claude Pepper as one of the most caring public servants ever to serve in the Congress. Moss realized his lifelong dream to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Utah and the nation and in doing so fulfilled his destiny as one of the greatest people ever to serve in the US Congress.

“The death of Senator Moss diminishes us all,” said Val J. Halamandaris, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. “At the same time it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the life of the man that Congressman Claude Pepper said had done the most to advance the interests of older Americans. His contributions after leaving the Senate, and particularly his helping to create the Caring Institute, an organization dedicated to the promotion of caring, integrity and public service, are every bit as impressive as the deeds he accomplished while he was in office.”

“It is appropriate at this time to do what he would have wanted us to do. This is to rejoice in his life and our time together. He would want us to celebrate, not to grieve. The Senator would also call upon us to rededicate ourselves to the ideals and values that he fought for all of his life. Let us resolve to follow his example, to press on until consumer’s rights are fully protected, the environment is safe, and home care and hospice are finally, once and for all, the heart and soul of home care in America.,”

http://www.nahc.org/NAHC/NewsInfo/03nr/mossdeath.html

[blondeatlast]

15. "Technically?" How are you "technically" of any religious belief?

[Catholic Sensation]

12. my southern baptist friends call Mormonism worse than Heaven's Gate

but my southern baptist friends think George W. Bush has done a good job as President, so what the fuck do they know?

[Kat45]

14. I think Mormons are required to tithe 1/10 of their income each year.

Is that correct? If so, that's one good reason for a smaller denomination to have a lot of money.

[Sandpiper]

16. Yes, the church collects quite a bit in tithes

But their principle wealth comes from extensive holdings in media and agribusiness.

[cprise]

17. That's why MA Governor Romney is not accepting salary

...for doing his job. Accepting the governors salary could have turned his required contributions to a fundamentalist sect into a campaign issue.

So what we have now is effectively a Mormon activist Governor.

[blondeatlast]

18. Or he may not have wanted state money going to a religion?

In terms of taking care of their own, the Mormons could teach us all from 101 to grad school.

[REP]

19. I'm Friends With a Saint

I have a friend who is a funny, hardworking student and very religious. He's also about the most liberal person I know. His family is the same; devout liberal Mormons. The LDS and RLDS members I have known have all been open-minded - at least, they know what they believe is right, but don't want to force us Gentiles to live like them. They've been eager to discuss their beliefs without preaching or being (outwardly, at least) judgemental of other beliefs. I know the people I've met aren't representative of all Mormons, but from these random samples in different times and places, I suspect that while they may not be the rule in Mormon attitudes, they aren't all that uncommon, either.

I believe that Joseph Smith was a talented con-artist and the faith is built on a scam; at the same time, I would march in the streets if their right to worship as they see fit was ever challenged. I was at first a little dismayed to see that some of my Congregationalist (Puritan) ancestors have been given the baptism of the dead, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it doesn't matter. And after crossing Utah in a truck, I gained a ton of respect for the early Mormon settlers who traveled there on foot with handcarts.