Mormons are generally good people.
Unfortunately, oft times, they're good people, because they want you to listen to their message and join their church. I'm sure that in most cases, their intentions are pure. They believe they possess knowledge that unbelievers do not. Knowledge which will allow the non-believer to have a shot at heaven, because without it... You just can't make it.
If you want to see the ugly side of Mormonism however, go along with it for a while - hell, do like what happened to me. Be raised in the Church, go out and recruit many more souls for them (My number was somewhere above 50) and then go through and get married in the temple and spawn many new Mormon spirits.
Then when you realize it's built on a foundation of deception and manipulation, ask to take a break... Not walk out the door, yelling and screaming. Not trying to convince the congregation that they're wrong, not even confronting one of the leaders who lies directly to your face...
No, simply... I'm struggling with this, and I'd like to take a break.
Then they're not so nice.
On the plus side... I do have it pretty easy.
The Mormon Church may claim that it loves people with Same Sex Attraction - because saying homosexuality is apparently now politically incorrect in the Church. And it may act all offended that people may attribute to the Church a certain amount of responsibility in the suicide deaths of many LGBT youth.
But then you read stuff like this
WTF by The Gay Dot.
And if you read the comments, you'll find that this isn't an isolated incident.
Mormons are good people.
Although some of them are only good people because they want something.
And some of them are just sick bastards - not that I would wish any harm on them, other than to experience for just a moment, then mental pain and anguish that they have inflicted on others.
I've been thinking of responding to that post, too. I found it really upsetting. It's ironic timing, too, 'cause I'm working on the introduction to my book about the Bible and gay rights.
ReplyDeleteA classic case of someone seeing another as gay before seeing him as a fellow human being.
ReplyDeleteIncidents like this make me so angry I can't see straight. This is EXACTLY why I left the church.
ReplyDelete@Dave - exactly! I think the moment you see another person as a human being and gay at the same time though. Homophobia starts to crumble!
ReplyDeleteMy husband spent quite a bit of time last night attempting to discover if there was a set rule that meant that bishop could be turned in to a higher authority for that bit of counsel.
ReplyDeleteIt was suggested that I turn in my past bishop for assigning a sexual deviant as our home teacher, and I think I probably could have, but...
ReplyDeleteNothing would be done, at least not publicly. The problem is, if some kind of action were to be taken against the bishop, it would undermine the spiritual guidance which placed him in such a position and show that he is not infallible.
The Church is going to protect itself at all costs, even at the expense of a young man's life. And when you have members of the 12 who essentially agree with this bishop...
Bottom line... at the most, I suspect the bishop would be reprimanded for saying something like this to a young man who was going to just blurt it out online somewhere, rather than being reprimanded for being an asshole.
I was shocked when I read that. My God ...
ReplyDeleteThat bishop is a monster.
ReplyDelete