Hi All,
This is a great discussion and one that hits right at home. I married into a huge Mormon family that goes back to the great migration West. My wife is no longer a member (in fact she is more confident in her rationalism than I am).
I strongly disagree with LDS doctrine but find it no more intolerable than most Christian denominations (hell, alot more more tolerable than some). As was mentioned earlier, Mormon kids are taught theistic evolution as fact in most households. I also like their teaching that the afterlife for non-believers is still a really nice place, better than here. Punishment (aka Hell) is reserved for those that are revealed divine truth (prophets) and still reject it. That morally makes more sense to me in that it implies a more reasonable expectation on a flawed creation by their supposed maker.
I really cannot understand how or why someone would call LDS a cult rather than a religion. Mormonism qualifies as a religion even by the ridiculous definition of a cult as not having Christ at the center.
And the RCC not a religion???!! If not for the Catholic church Christianity would exist only as the tiniest footnote in archaeological journals focusing on ancient Greek history (okay, I don't know that for a fact but it's fun to dream). Protestantism evolved from the Catholic Church. The Christian Bible, short a few books, was compiled by the Catholic church. To not believe that the RCC is a religion (as in a false belief system with humans rather than God at the source) then the 'true' Christians today have to admit that their inerrant word of God was compiled (which books included, which discarded, what order, what versions of each books, etc.) by HUMAN BEINGS, and cultists to boot. (Actually, knock yourselves out with that one, we'll have something to agree about!)
My disagreements with the LDS church is in its placement of white males as inherently superior. While that is no longer "official", it is still perpetuated. Mixed racial marriages are strongly dicouraged. The entire focus of the male as head of household is really at the root of the problems I observed within the church (not that Mormons have a monopoly on this). In practice this can (and does) lead to some really bad situations.
There is a member of my wife's family who, over 30 years, molested all three of his children and at least four others. One of his daughters committed suicide at age 16. No charges have ever been brought up, the family just doesn't mention it. He was caught at least once with every child and did penance and was forgiven within the church. He is head of household and while it's not right to do what he did at least he didn't commit any mortal sins like not paying tithing. Worse part of this is now he gets to visit with, unsupervised, his three grandchildren. Their mother tells me it's perfectly safe because he is cured of his pedophillia (for real this time, not like the seven times before). I personally see the smug son of a bitch at family gatherings and think if he were half a man he would blow is brains out upon realizing what a waste of resources he is. (sorry, I get steamed about this)
I realize that families of all beliefs can have someone like that. But I don't know a single Mormon family that doesn't have at least one fringe family member, or at least be close to a family that does. It's like the incidents with boys and RCC priests. One or two and you can say it was bound to happen sometime. But after dozens you realize that their is a skewed ratio, maybe something in the religion or in the power given to certain members is attractive to certain kinds of manipulative people (LDS and the Catholic priesthood both attract a majority of good people, I am referring to the minority). This is worsened by the safeguards within the system that seem to empower the abusers or at least protect them from the consequences of their acts.
"Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital." Aaron Levenstein
) trace his lineage to Joseph who is NOT Jesus' father? This may sound ignorant to a Bible scholar, but it has always bothered me.
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