Notes From All Over

5 Responses to Notes From All Over

1. Adam Greenwood on February 13, 2009 at 1:13 am

   I’ll leg wrestle any of you sons of guns into the ground.

2. Bookslinger on February 13, 2009 at 11:36 am

   Aside from a few minor factual errors in describing the sacrament meeting, and some things that need clarification, the Guardian piece, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/feb/09/religion-mormon-latter-day seems a good even-handed analysis by an outsider.

   His final comment is like Nicodemus. “If the ‘weirdness’ factor really is simply a question of age, then the Mormon church will survive and thrive in the future. If it is also a question of the weakness of its doctrines, then it will probably, in the fullness of time, simply wither away.”

3. Jettboy on February 13, 2009 at 12:47 pm

   I just find it fascinating that the reporter (and the following commentators) continue to treat Mormonism as some fringe with the likes of the aloof Amish. I am not one to believe that it will expand beyond an insignificant population compared to other religions. Yet, there are believing Mormons in every walk of life in many neighborhoods across the globe – especially England.

   Right now my mind is turning over why that perception is so blatantly against the reality. The same thing is happening with the whole California prop8 situation where Mormons are portrayed as outsiders from Utah. It is as if you push hard enough those “prop8 supporting Mormons” can be sent “back home.” Fascinating considering that last I remember there is a close number of Mormons in California as in Utah. Perhaps you could say Mormonism is here to stay because as a silent minority no one realizes they are here.

4. Bookslinger on February 13, 2009 at 1:21 pm

   Jettboy:

   If you don’t personally know many Amish or Mormons, it’s easy to lump them together.

   I find it somewhat fascinating that you describe Amish as “aloof” instead of “apart”. Though the dictionary lists apart as a synonym, aloof has a negative connotation that, to me at least, doesn’t apply to Amish. I think it would actually apply to more Mormons than Amish.

   I took the author, David Shariatmadari, as meaning that both LDS and Amish are merely under the same heading of “oddities”, or more specifically he said “_American_ oddities” not that there are actual parallels between the two other than both being “odd” and “American”. And also, not that he meant LDS and Amish are the same degree of odd, rather that both LDS and Amish are somewhere beyond the boundary demarking “odd” from “non-odd.”

   His viewpoints are common and understandable for someone who has not had much contact and interaction with LDS. Moreover, he’s correct in most of his assessment. In England, any religion outside Protestantism is basically “odd”. But, with their dhimmi-attitude, they dare not say anything negative or unflattering about Islam.

5. Adam Greenwood on February 13, 2009 at 2:13 pm

   We had some very good Amish friends, but under unusual circumstances. Maybe they’re normally very aloof, I dunno.