by dezpbem 28 Replies latest jw friends
I have publically mentioned my 'shunning' of a friend who left the faith but it was based upon an inability to cope with his rejection of the faith we had supported each other through - not upon any teaching or doctrine.
Maybe all the other Mormon shunners are doing the very same thing? I say to this, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Only in the case of shunning, it stinks.
Different costumes, really? I thought they dressed very similarly.
Many similarities with the WTS. Both were founded by deluded, "self-appointed" prophets who believed they had been "callen" by god for some divine reason. Joseph Smith and Charles Taze Russell both were interested in occultic activities, for Russell it was Pyramidology, upon which he divined his 1914 calculations. Both religions have their own "holy book" written by themselves to support their own ideologies, the mormons have the "Book of Mormon", a fictional account of an "alternate" gospel of christ and the JWs re-wrote their own flawed version of the bible to suit their own needs.
The Plain Truth about the Mormons
The Mormon movement began with "the prophet" Joseph Smith, Jr. in the year 1820. Joe (as he was known) was born to some rather strange parents in 1805. His mother, Lucy, was involved in occult practices and visions, while his father, Joseph, Sr., consumed much time with imaginary treasure digging (including the booty of Captain Kidd). According to Mormon writings (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:1-25), on a day in 1820, Joe was praying in the woods when he received a vision from God the Father and Jesus. It was revealed to Joe that the church was in apostasy and he was the chosen one to launch a new dispensation. Being unwilling to drop his current occupation of money-digging with his father (while using "peep stones" and "divining rods"), Joe put his "calling" on hold for three years. Then, according to his own account (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:29-54), he was paid a bedside visit by the angel Moroni in 1823. Moroni, who professed to be the glorified son of a man named Mormon (who had been dead 1400 years), told Joe about a book of golden plates which contained "the fulness of the everlasting Gospel." This book was said to have been buried at Cumorah Hill, near Palmyra, New York, some 1400 years earlier by the man named Mormon. Four years later (1827), Joe supposedly dug up the golden plates along with a gigantic pair of spectacles which he called "the Urim and Thummim." The spectacles were for translating the hieroglyphics on the plates. With the help of his only legal wife and a friend named Oliver Cowdery, Joe translated the plates and published the Book of Mormon in 1830. Later that same year, Joe, his wife, his brothers (Hyrum and Samuel), and Cowdery established the "Church of Jesus Christ," which is known today as the "Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints." The Book of Mormon contains many plagiarisms of the King James English (at least 25,000 words). This is strange since the plates were supposed to have been in the ground many centuries before the King James Bible was completed in 1611! The Book of Mormon also contains many errors such as claims of elephants in the Western Hemisphere and advanced metal producing capabilities in America before 400 A.D. (See Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults for a fine study in the errors of the Mormon Bible) The Mormons, under Smith's command, turned out to be a rough bunch. Joe was a polygamist with at least twenty- seven wives (some say over 60 wives). The whole gang left New York for Ohio, and then moved to Missouri. The Missouri governor ran them out of the state, so they settled in Nauvoo, Illinois, and built the state's largest city. In 1844, Joe and Hyrum were thrown in jail. Then an angry mob stormed the jail and murdered them both. Naturally, this "martyrdom" insured the perpetual reverence of the great "prophet" Joseph Smith. |
This book discusses the issue in a frank and honest manner without taking sides in the difficult matter of LDS polygamy. He describes the complete history of Mormon polygamy from its origins in the 1830s to the current day fundamentalists. One of the more interesting aspects of the book are the reasons why there continue to be people who believe polygamy to be a "God sanctioned" practice.
The book lays to rest many of the false assumptions that are currently held by practicing Utah Mormons regarding the reasons for polygamy such as: there being an abundance of women who wouldn't otherwise be able to be married, old women marrying into polygamy for financial support purposes, only the first wife having sexual relations with the husband, or the claim that such a small percentage practiced it (For instance, President Hinckley claimed on Larry King Live that only "between two percent and five percent of our people were involved in it. It was a very limited practice". And President Joseph F. Smith argued before Congressional hearings that only 3 percent were polygamous. They are giving a less than complete picture by making such claims. The only way to come up with these low numbers is to take only certain places at certain times and use adult polygamous males as the numerator and everyone--including kids and polygamous wives--as the denominator. The fact is that among Church leadership plural marriage was the norm and a very significant portion of adult females were polygamous. Likewise, a significant portion of children, including my ancestors, were born into polygamous families.) means that polygamy really was an insignificant part of Mormon history and doctrine. Also detailed are the numerous post-Manifesto sanctioned marriages, the Smoot hearings, the resignations of members of the quorum of the 12, and the excommunication of John Taylor's son (who was an apostle). The book shows how the statements found on the church's official site are false since polygamy wasn't practiced only in 'the latter half of the 19th century' and it didn't end with Wilford Woodruff's declaration (which wasn't a revelation).
So ALL Mormons are sad and pathetic morons - thanks mate for the balanced thoughts.
I invite you brethren of the priesthood, both young and old, to look around you, seek out, and extend a warm hand of friendship to those less active and nonmembers. Invite them to participate with you. Become their friend, and you will make a difference and bless their lives for generations to come.
..from an LDS leader. Shunning is not a word the LDS use.
"Just another sad group of pathetic morons, no better than the greasy JW's."
Brilliant!
Hey Flying High - I was a shy kid, I didn't shun him in the street or anything I just didn't go over to his house anymore. If someone hurts you you don't get all chummy about it I was 'confessing' that I shunned someone becasue of my individual weakness nothing at all and in absolute opposition to LDS teaching.
I don't think all Mormons are sad, pathetic morons. A lot of them are very nice. But they do have a creepy aire about them. You can feel that same weird vibe as soon as you cross the border from Colorado into Utah. There is a dazed and mesmerized quality to any Mormon who is very strictly into the beliefs.
QCmbr, kids decide to stop playing with other kids for a number of reasons. I can tell you are the nicest person. So you were raised in LDS?
I've been reading some stories about x-Amish. Also very sad situations. Lots of abuse and neglect.
http://www.injusticebusters.com/04/Amish_London.htm
lisa
It was researching the LDS that led me to my understanding of the WTS. There's some scary parallels there.
