As an ex-Mormon, I have found it invigorating to have a good discussion about the American Phenomenon that is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. More and more stories about people making the recovery from this religion are emerging every day...but, more often than that, stories of incredible conversions to Mormonism appear as well.
This Church, to the untrained eye, is just your basic Christian offshoot. But when someone has been in it, lived it, breathed it, studied it, and even served a mission for two years in Poland for this Church, that's when the horrible facts emerge.
As an Atheist, I can say that any religious thought that directs people away from the truths of the natural world is always a bad thing. I do have to say, however, that some of these are on a different level than the rest of its ilk. Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, and Mormonism are on that level of "oh shit, we have a cult on our hands".
When I heard that Mitt Romney was running for president, I couldn't just stand idly by and let the polls do their job. He image was a front, plain and simple. Nobody knew who he was, or what he truly stood for. Most people had heard bad things about Mormons, but Mitt Romney's Golden-boy attitude misdirected that sentiment. Good for him, but bad for those that know how members of the Mormon Church truly think.
Mitt would never have admitted it in public during his running, but all his actions are beholden to the directions of the head of the Mormon Church, that is, their prophet and apostles. If he had jumped into office, U.S. politics would have been adjusted little by little to conform to what a religion thought is right, despite the directive of the constitution to keep Church and State separate.
For these very reasons I was adamant in convincing people that Mitt was the wrong choice, even if Obama wasn't a pleasant one either. I was successful in convincing many to turn away from his platitudes and pretty face, and I was happy to hear that many other people were attempting the same thing. (I especially enjoyed Joss Whedon's "Zomney" ad last year.)
But enough about Romney, as he's not truly the cause of the dilemma that Mormonism poses as much as an example of it. In fact, I want to hear if any of you have any anecdotes regarding encounters with the religion, things you may have heard that I can help shed some light on or rather expand upon, or if you just have a little quip to say regarding them.
If there are any Mormons or ex-Mormons here on the site, I'd especially like to hear what you have to say.
This Church, to the untrained eye, is just your basic Christian offshoot. But when someone has been in it, lived it, breathed it, studied it, and even served a mission for two years in Poland for this Church, that's when the horrible facts emerge.
As an Atheist, I can say that any religious thought that directs people away from the truths of the natural world is always a bad thing. I do have to say, however, that some of these are on a different level than the rest of its ilk. Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology, and Mormonism are on that level of "oh shit, we have a cult on our hands".
When I heard that Mitt Romney was running for president, I couldn't just stand idly by and let the polls do their job. He image was a front, plain and simple. Nobody knew who he was, or what he truly stood for. Most people had heard bad things about Mormons, but Mitt Romney's Golden-boy attitude misdirected that sentiment. Good for him, but bad for those that know how members of the Mormon Church truly think.
Mitt would never have admitted it in public during his running, but all his actions are beholden to the directions of the head of the Mormon Church, that is, their prophet and apostles. If he had jumped into office, U.S. politics would have been adjusted little by little to conform to what a religion thought is right, despite the directive of the constitution to keep Church and State separate.
For these very reasons I was adamant in convincing people that Mitt was the wrong choice, even if Obama wasn't a pleasant one either. I was successful in convincing many to turn away from his platitudes and pretty face, and I was happy to hear that many other people were attempting the same thing. (I especially enjoyed Joss Whedon's "Zomney" ad last year.)
But enough about Romney, as he's not truly the cause of the dilemma that Mormonism poses as much as an example of it. In fact, I want to hear if any of you have any anecdotes regarding encounters with the religion, things you may have heard that I can help shed some light on or rather expand upon, or if you just have a little quip to say regarding them.
If there are any Mormons or ex-Mormons here on the site, I'd especially like to hear what you have to say.
