by designs 22 Replies latest social current
We know Russell, Rutherford Franz and Knorr wer kooky but Joseph Smith takes the cake.
The Salt Lake Tribune of all newspapers has run an article on the LDS Founder's 33 wives, most of whom were teenagers.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/173364-155/plural-smith-joseph-marriage-lds-says
Would you stay an LDS after knowing this, how would you rationalize staying with this knowledge.
Tithing would be enough for me to run from the LDS.
I can't speak to what I'd do had I been raised a mormon. It would probably depend heavily on what the church taught about ol' Joe Smith. I suspect in mormon circles you'll hear things like "This one guy on the street the other day told me that Joseph Smith had 33 wives! Can you believe the lies that people will make up just to test our faith?" When you're raised in that type of environment, it would probably be easy to see that headline and thing "Poor writer, some appostate tricked him with lies about Joseph Smith" and move on without looking any deeper.
Such is the insidious nature of cults. They tell you little bits of the real truth, and convince you that it's so fantastical that it must be a lie. So when you encounter the truth somewhere else, it just seems silly.
Members are haemorrhaging. My old ward is down to 65 active members from a post -split high of 130(10 years ago) odd (105 when I left 5 years or so ago). One member visited this Sunday and we number crunched (he's almost out as well.)
Learning of the personal lives of Russell and Rutherford was enough for many thousands of JWs to leave.
Sorry, but my initial reaction was, "Only 33? Does it include flings on the side?"
This is a cool example of how cults often have bizarre personalities when they begin but the sands of time and changing social norms lead to a kind of blanding out of the more bizarre behaviours and peronality-driven quirks.
Today, the Mormons, like their uneasy counter, the JWs, are ever so prim and proper - a status that befits organizatios that are keen to show how warm and cuddly they are - in keeping with the modern social milieu. This is the age of politically correct ' differing' yet wanting to be seen as normal and nice - a group people might want to belong to.
PR impression management rules, okay?
Designs: For some reason I can't access the article on line. Could you provide a copy?
I think people that need religion can justify anything about their religion. They need to be "special," have "inside knowledge." It doesn't matter to them how outlandish certain behavior is or how crazy the dogma. They have faith. The 33 wives were part of a grand scheme they have the privilege to be a part of. Works for them.
Dagney- it never works in reverse does it, 33 husbands, maybe that's what Football teams are for.
V- check out Salt Lake Tribune www.sltrib.com
