http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/us/some-mormons-search-the-web-and-find-doubt.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 “I felt like I had an earthquake under my feet,” said Mr. Mattsson, now an emeritus area authority. “Everything I’d been taught, everything I’d been proud to preach about and witness about just crumbled under my feet. It was such a terrible psychological and nearly physical disturbance.” ************************************************************** i think it's notable that so many mormons are leaving the LDS church due to the fact members are finding out particulars about the history of the LDS church, the church they believe to be the one and only true church on the earth. Things like the founder Joseph Smith had over 40 wives (not taught by the missionaries, i assure you), or that somehow native americans are actually of jewish ancestry (but DNA evidence proves otherwise). Details, like the fact that Joseph Smith translated the book of mormon by looking at 'stones in a hat', or that he pressures women into sexual encounters with the story 'an angel will kill me with a sword if i don't take you as a wife' and the like (not just polygamy, polyandry). Blacks weren't able to equally hold priesthood all the way until 1978, and the church has been ridiculously bigoted toward gays. i live in utah and i see it all around me all the time, the mormon church is getting their collective asses kicked. i wonder how many religions would also suffer from declining participation/membership if their origins were so recent/documented/public.
I try to be respectful of peoples beliefs and try not to hold an arrogant position of "im right, you're wrong" mentality that is seen across the board. However, Mormons get no love from me. Their history has been well documented and it is not very pretty. I see them more of a social club than a denomination of Christianity. I see a lot of resentment and bitterness from people who were raised Mormon and left the church more so than other denominations. Some of the most anti-christian people seem to be Mormon.
well it does beg the question... if 'god' can get you to believe in polygamy, angels and gold plates - can 'god' not get one to believe in anything?
Just like most Christians think that the authors of the bible were the disciples? Or the fact that one person decided which books are to be included in the New Testament? Majority of the folks I know who subscribes in a particular religion has never read the book from cover to cover.
Most religious followers treat the Bible, Quran etc as if they were a software license terms and conditions... Scroll down and click agree.
If someone can make you believe that a person is the "son" of god more than anyone else while being god at the same time and not realizing it, create fish out of thin air, and be born to a married virgin, can "god" not get one to believe in anything?
Interesting given it's one of the fastest growing faiths in the US. But with Islam also up there, going through even worse challenges right now, who knows how people think. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2012-05-02/religion-census-mromon/54701198/1
that may be true for generation x, y, and millennials - the access to new information/ideas on the web changes the game. before the internet though... the information was many times available, but not easily accessible. one would've had to go to great lengths to find this information.
I know there are professors at BYU that talked about the history pretty openly and based on the actual facts.
Before the internet there were books and books and books written about this stuff. They were sold in LDS bookstores. I don't know how you can be more accessible than that pre-internet. Also, most of it (if not all of it) is in the official history of the church. People who are interested in that sort of thing can find it just like people who are interested in their history of the catholic church can find all that. Most members don't seem to care either way. People leave churches all the time.
While I'm not religious myself, I respect those who do believe in a God or gods, whatever they practice, as long as it respects my not believing, and respects the religious beliefs of others who have taken a different religious path than they have. I have no patience what so ever for those who are intolerant and bigoted.
Most of the Mormons I've come in contact with are normal, well-meaning people without an axe to grind. They seem less judgmental than most Church folk I know and more eager to engage in conversation than beat you down in some theological argument. There are definitely some oddities about the heirarchy of their order and their political beliefs do swing pretty far right and 40 years behind the curve, but I personally do not have a problem with people of faith that abide by a certain amount of respect for all the rest of humanity instead of those that either act entitled or believe in using force to spread their beliefs
Most Mormons I know have damn fine jump shots and it pisses me off. When I was 18/19 I used to play basketball at this Mormon church and every single one of them could shoot. Two or three of them had good hops.
