Comments on: The “anti-Mormon” label

By: DB

DB — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:38:36 +0000

I just read something else, must add to this. I read: Substitute the word “Mormon” with “Jew” and read it out loud. And The Jewish Anti-Defamation League will come to the aid of anyone not Jewish –so thank goodness for them.

YES! I personally know of this. A couple decades ago when Ed Decker was doing his misguided thing, I saw on the bilboard of a Babtist church announcement of Temple of Godmakers. (Do NOT ever view it. It will leave you feeling that the adversary has nearly had you; you will shake and shiver.) The Jewish ADL had put out a letter against those films, how they create hate and tell lies and half-truths about Mormons, and at the most benign parts make something evil out of benign truths. I made 100 copies of the ADL letter and put it on the windshields of all the cars there. The film wasn’t shown again.

By the way, behind closed doors and out of others ears, after I gained the trust of two (OTHER) baptist pastors, they said some amazing and most heart-warming statements. Too much to explain, but see what I mean?

By: DB

DB — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:29:53 +0000

I don’t feel that the original post is too far off. But the core thing is that we do in fact need to just ignore it, largely, and go forward, being friendly and warm to those sincere questioners and ignoring those who seem to have bad spirits.

I would, however, like someone to make a list of all those scriptures that clearly indicate that either God is being a ventriloquist or there is indeed a Heavenly Father King of the Universe and there is his Son Yeshua with the English name of Jesus Christ, our Savior the Messiah. The list of scriptures would be long.

Here is the punch line, brothers and sisters: Do unto them as you would have done to you. And a whole bag full of other teachings. Huh? I’m saying that we need to not do as we don’t like them doing. (By the way, I nearly said a Jewish teaching that pre-dated Jesus ministery on earth.)

We need to knock off those sweeping generalities we are saying about those protestants, Catholics, and Jews. Many times they are NOT true of all the beliefs of ALL of those individuals or denominations, when examined in detail. They weren’t true of my very Lutheran sister. And some of those things said are just plain not true.

You may be surprised to know that I have a book on my shelf by some pastor. Some of what he says is balony. But he has a very good chapter about transgression and the whole correct spiritual thing about repentance, and the resultant meaning of repentance (heart turned back to God from sinful or other ways). That is contrary to what we too often say about “them”.

So let’s knock off this “we – they” stuff, quit going down to the opposite end of the football field, and adopt the correct charitable teachings of our current and prior Prophet that were repeated so many times but not usually quoted. (Why not quoted? You tell me!)

Let’s put love and charity and fairness and correctness back in our hearts and “just be what we should be ourselves”. Don’t be latter-day Pharisees.

By: nrajeff

nrajeff — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:27:24 +0000

It is not that hard to identify those who are AGAINST the LDS, and thus merit the label “anti-LDS.” The problem is that within that group of people is a spectrum–a range of HOW MUCH against us they are. Some are more militant and extremist than others who are just mildly anti-LDS. Some are more accurate and honest in their accusations, others are horrendous liars in the tradition of anti-Catholic Maria Monk. What is needed is a nomenclature that includes these different DEGREES of anti-LDSism. Otherwise, the mild or honest antis are either insulted because they are lumped into the big tent with the Deckers, or else we feel that the fair thing to do is to refrain from labeling the anti-LDS even though they are–they just are the “good” kind of antis.

By: Seth R.

Seth R. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:29:46 +0000

It’s a hard word to pin down. But, just from a personal standpoint, you’ll go a long way with me in not being considered an anti-Mormon if you are willing to not always be “on script” whenever you talk with me.

By: msg

msg — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:24:19 +0000

I too have Jewish relatives and as a Latter-day Saint I would agree that people in both cultures have a heightened sensitivity
to criticism–but that is simply because they’ve been persecuted and so often that they come to expect it. And that makes it hard for anyone to hear constructive criticism or simply a different viewpoint without suspicion.
My point about the ADFL is that for too long the LDS Church has been silent letting Evangelicals and others speak for us.
Controversy didn’t go away because we turned the other cheek. People just thought we were really weird.
Now the GA’s are saying that we need to be more vocal and stop letting others do the speaking for us about us. Well, a lot of damage has already been done so it’a a little late to put out a raging fire but better late than never.
And that’s what we can learn from our cousins, the Jews.
Stand up for your beliefs because no one else will.

By: BHodges

BHodges — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:48:54 +0000

Kent, that link addresses some degrees, if you will, or at least categories. I am personally careful in how I use “anti-Mormon,” and typically reserve it for the counter-cult types who make ti their mission to attack Mormonism, and do a very poor job of it. I tend to use the word “critic” more.

By: BHodges

BHodges — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:44:42 +0000

Emma: The guilty flee where none pursue…

;)

I think talking about the issue is the right beginning. I appreciate the conversation. BCC had an interesting post a while ago you may like.

http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/11/29/six-anti-mormonisms/

By: Raymond Takashi Swenson

Raymond Takashi Swenson — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:54:53 +0000

It is always legitimate to express what you yourself believe to be the truth, and to express what you understand to be the difference between what you believe and what someone else appears to believe.

There is a problem only if the statements devolve into:

“I know your beliefs better than you do, so when you tell me you believe something different, I know you are a liar.”

“Your beliefs are so irrational that you must be stupid or crazy or evil.”

“Your beliefs are so offensive that you should not be allowed to say or write or broadcast them.”

There are militant atheists like Richard Dawkins the evolutionary biologist who have said these things about ALL religious believers. They are anti-Christian, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, and anti-Mormon to boot. Among such aggressive materialists, Mormons are particularly targeted because we are unavoidably specific in asserting that our religion happens in the real, material world.

And for both materialists and certain kinds of Christians, Mormons are targeted because we are perceived as both strong and growing and therefore a threat to the prevalence of their own viewpoints. Those who opposed Mitt Romney’s election because they were afraid of making Mormons “legitimate” were in this category.

By: Kent Larsen

Kent Larsen — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:56:33 +0000

I haven’t responded to everyone who has commented, but in general, I think the comments have confirmed what I’d already believed — that defining what is “anti-Mormon” is difficult and the idea of a Mormon ADL could be fraught with problems.

The more I think about it, the less I think that I could come up with a workable definition of what is “anti-Mormon.”

The best new idea I’ve come up with is that there are degrees of “anti-.” On one extreme there is true and actionable hate–the kind that would involve police. On the other is simple (probably incorrect) assumption, not strongly felt, that a group is bad for some reason.

Is it more complicated to try and classify different kinds of “anti-Mormon” views?

By: Daniel Ortner

Daniel Ortner — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:58:26 +0000

Coming from a Jewish background with several friends who have worked or interned for the ADL I can share my view that the ADL overreacts to almost any perceived anti-semitism and actually does harm rather than good in some significant ways. Grouping protests in Europe against Israeli policies as anti-Jewish has in my view done a lot of harm to the reputation of the faith in many minds. I think that a more cautious group modeled on what Media Matters does as a media watchdog might be considerably more productive.