Standing by Matt & Trey

I saw this video over on the Richard Dawkins website today. It deals with the issue of what happens when people in the entertainment industry criticize aspects of religion.



I've made references in the past to the fact that Mormonism shares many commonalities with Islam, and I think this might be a good time to clarify where those commonalities lie.

First, I think saying that these two ideologies are equivalent would be intellectually dishonest, so let's just get that right off the table right now. While they both pray on people through teachings of blind obedience, Islam is far more extreme and dangerous that Mormonism.

Second, I would suggest that Mormonism has become more moderate in recent decades and so as time passes, the similarities will become even fewer as well.

In support of that assertion, perhaps a few pieces of interesting history from Mormonism...

The founder of Mormonism, one Joseph Smith was killed in 1844. Just some background on that...

Modern day Mormons are taught that he was martyred for his beliefs, but the facts are that he was on trial for the destruction of a privately owned printing press in Nauvoo. The reason for his actions, were that the press was going to be used to publicize his polygamous actions. Not only were these actions kept secret from the main body of the Church at the time, but they also involved marriages to 14 year old girls and other men's wives. He was a pedophile, an adulterer and all around hypocrite. While a murder without trial was definitely not how things should have been taken care of, he was not the innocent lamb being led to the slaughter that he and faithful Mormons since have claimed.

Much of the anger against him and his followers at the time had to do with his formation of a militia, and use of that militia against non-Mormons. His followers had also taken to block voting, where a leader would tell the congregation how to vote, and they would all vote for the specified candidate like sheep. Bring up any memories from the whole Prop 8 debacle?!?

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Following his murder by a mob, he became and remains a heroic martyr for Mormons worldwide. He made a statement once that had he lived to be an elder gentleman, his work was so important, that Christ would have returned during his lifetime. Such is his appeal to the saints. With this charismatic leader now dead, the ensuing leaders of the religion altered the temple ceremony through which all devout members must pass. The ceremony included an oath taken by all present to avenge the blood of the prophets. Over time this morphed into a prayer to simply have God avenge their deaths and then it was removed all together.

In a similar vein is the doctrine taught by Joseph Smith's successor, one Brigham Young, of Blood Atonement. The idea here was that some sins where so severe that only by shedding ones own blood could that individual have a hope of attaining salvation. Crimes for which a person might be condemned for this including a variety of sexual sins like adultery, up to and including the cardinal sin, according to Young of miscegeny. Wikipedia has an excellent article on the teachings, which I would highly recommend.

Perhaps the idea of blood atonement hits a little close to home for me, because based on it's teachings, my current attitude towards the LDS Church and this blog would condemn me to either submit to voluntary blood atonement myself, or else being ritually killed by righteous members as a way of saving my soul. While it isn't still taught, many members, including some of my own relation, still believe aspects of this doctrine.

In an attempt to wrap this all up before it turns into a long and drawn out post...

I believe that there are members within the LDS Church today, who would kill if directed to by their Church leaders. I suspect an even great percentage would not be willing to do so themselves, but would remain as equal participants in the spilling of blood, by remaining silent.

If the modern leaders of the LDS Church ever did try and pull this off however, much of their work to try and modernize the Church and integrate it into the current mainstream movement of modern Christianity would be for naught. But I believe that the potential is still there.

I'll finish with this wonderful quote I saw in a photo last week.

Science flies you to the Moon, Religion flies you into Buildings.