This was originally a comment on a post over at Mormon Stories.
By now you’ve probably heard of a new Anti-Mormon DVD about to be released. Just in time (as apparently is usual) for General Conference. It’s called “The Search For Truth” and is packaged to resemble Church videos. You can find the Foundation for Apologetics and Research’s response to it here.
The purpose of this video, the disingenuous nature of the distribution (the “fake” LDS packaging, the leaving of it on cars parked on private property and the leaving of it on doors like junk mail) deeply offend and anger me. If I find one (doubtful because, thankfully, Canada seems to have a smaller, less vociferous population of antis) I think I shall take great pleasure in smashing it.
You are welcome to discuss your religion with me. You are welcome to discuss my religion with me. You are not welcome to sneak around like a thief and leave your ugly thoughts of what you <i>think</i> I believe lying around, disguised as something coming from a source I would trust.
If you’re not Mormon or you’ve left the church that’s your choice and your path. Please allow me the same freedom you seek for yourself, to believe as I feel directed by God.
And at least have the strength of character to do what you feel you have to do up front. I have more respect for the guy who dressed up like a devil (red face paint, pitchfork and all) and stood outside the Hill Cumorah Pageant than I do those who seek to tear down the faith of others but evidently cannot stand up for their own.
March 30, 2007 at 11:43 pm
I agree. But what I find strange is that most people who leave the Church never really stop being Mormon. Become just as convinced of their beliefs, namely that the church is false, as most active members that bear testimony the Church is true.
But I think that it goes deeper then this. I think that many Christian fundementalists are like Mormons in that they believe that they have the truth, and that all others in error, but often to choose to bash on the Mormons because they are a small group that are easy to revile, whereas one can imagine the kind of outcry that would result if say, they produced a video seeking to discredit Jerry Falwell, or the Southern Baptist Convention.
March 31, 2007 at 12:47 am
Amen!
And do you see Mormons producing videos targeting specific religions and bashing their beliefs? Nope.
Chris- You have a great point. Mormons have always been an easy target, and I don’t think it’s just because we’re a smaller religion (with less ties to the average society), but because we do no retaliate in kind.
March 31, 2007 at 7:32 am
Chris Rusch Said:
“But what I find strange is that most people who leave the Church never really stop being Mormon. Become just as convinced of their beliefs, namely that the church is false, as most active members that bear testimony the Church is true.”
One time my companion and I tracted into an ex-member who was a convert and an RM. He said that after he left the church he tried going to some ex-Mormon meetings. He said that all of them still said their prayers like Mormons, most of them still didn’t smoke or drink etc. He said it was really weird. The only difference he said between them and active Mormons was basically that they didn’t beleive in the church anymore. I thought it was funny.
March 31, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Ian, I find your story interesting. It’s like people leave the Church physically, but remain Mormons mentally. Some go through an ex-Mormon adolesence where they engage in what was once taboo, especially where the word of wisdom is concerned. But also there are those who still do things the way they would if they were still in the Church. The only difference is that some of their core beliefs have changed.
Someone that I know, who has had more contact with ex-Mormons then me, says that you would think that once someone has left the Church, after presumeably discovering it is not true, would be happy. But by and large he says that there are many more miserable former members then there are who have actually found the peace they thought they would find out of the Church.
April 7, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Ah, the joy of leaving in the wilds of the Midwest,
I have read of the dvd, but no one here has tried to foist one off on me.
April 8, 2007 at 12:32 am
Sorry should have “living in the wilds of the Midwest”
May 10, 2007 at 12:51 pm
PDOE,
Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I really enjoyed this posting from you as it echoes my own thoughts on this subject. I had actually started writing a post about this very thing earlier, but never finished it. However, in light of Al Sharpton’s recent comment, I may go ahead and finish that blog post too…….
Mina
May 30, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Cheryl – You nailed it, “but because we do no retaliate in kind.”
As an outsider who takes interest in all sides, which is how I found this site, I find most of the “main” stream religions very hostle to one another and especially so to the “new guy”. In terms of religion Mormons are the new guy/gal in town and you don’t seem to be a part of the “one good turn deserves another” club. So like most bully style predators they pick on Mormons first for the “easy target”. I use the term bully and predator as an analogy, that’s not to say they are infact bullies or predators ……. anyway.
I, for one, find the moral and ethical teachings of your church very refreshing. My own spiritual beliefs preclude me from being a member but that’s not say I do not try to act civil and to teach my kids the same.
Keep it up, your actions; or in this case your inaction, do not go unnoticed.
June 1, 2007 at 1:35 am
Something that I find troubling is that many members of the Church don’t know the difference between what is historically accurate and what is true and this is from the perspective of a believing, very faithful, active, member of the Church. A recent survey, conducted by the Church, indicated that many members of the Church want a frank and honest discussion of the history without efforts to make difficult things other then difficult. It also indicated that many members that more then half of the respondents indicated that much of what they learned came from sources like,”The Work and the Glory”.
I think that there is way to be frank and honest without destroying faith as some people think will inevetibley happen when such a discussion as this is undertaken. If writers would follow the example set by the two biographies that were published by through the Church owned publishing house about Spencer W. Kimball, we would be able to see the Church is true, but the members are sometimes less, and sometimes far more, then what we think they should be.
Unfortunately their are some people, on all levels who personally do not feel this way. I found it very interesting that when it came to the idea of moving Leonard Arrington out of his position as Church historian, there was diversity of opinion up until the decision was made. Some were in favor of the history that was coming out of the department. Some were vehemently opposed to anything written that hinted in the least degree that a prominent historical figure in the history could have very human failings.
Sometimes what happens is an opponent of the Church, will present a statement that was made, or an incident that happend, and then seek to put it in the worst light possible. Generally there are two reactions that result. The first reaction is like unto the proverbial ostrich putting its’ head in the sand, and the other is to altogether dismiss what is being said as false because people in the Church would never do that.
While that might seem harsh, that has been the reaction that I have seen on several occaisions, and it was not to anti-Mormon stuff, but to some things that Truman Madsen said in his lectures on Joseph Smith.
I have come to a point in my own journey where I care very little about historical accuracy. So long as the first vision happened and the Book of Mormon is what many claim it to be then I am okay and think that others would be too and would not be shaken by difficult things in the history.
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