Author Archives: Jettboy

Reasons Mormons aren’t Liked

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Primary season is once again arriving and the news has hit that there probably won’t be one, but two Mormon candidates for President. Romney has all but announced his run for office a second time. With Huntsman quitting as ambassador to China, rumor has spread that he too wants the White House chair. Not surprisingly there have been newspaper articles highlighting the two candidates and how they can never get elected because of their faith. The blame for their lack of a chance is always, and not unreasonably, put on the shoulders of the Religious Right found in Southern States. Assumptions are implied by these articles that secularists and atheists wouldn’t care one way or another beyond political disagreements. Comments made on the Internet news articles prove this isn’t the case. Mormons aren’t liked by just about any group. Surprisingly, reasons expressed for not liking Mormons by both the religious and non-religious are the same.

There is no particular order what might come up in the comments section of news about Mormons, but there is little deviance from reasoning. It is almost like a set of talking points have been handed out and the script must be followed. Any comment sections that are at least 15, and sometimes less, long will include the “required” criticisms and disagreements. A few non-Mormons might call foul because they like those they met, but more often even those end up agreeing with the stereotypical negative viewpoints of the religion. This wouldn’t really matter if it wasn’t for the criticisms sounding more like anti-Jewish “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” rather than a healthy skepticism of a religion they don’t belong to. Even those who don’t like religion in general find Mormonism especially grievous. Continue reading →

The Mormon Divisions

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A few years ago a new family came into my ward. They moved from Texas and the wife had a strong accent from that region. Most Mormons from Texas I knew, mostly over the Internet, were as equally proud of that state as any born and raised there. Stereotypes flooded my mind of the typical Texas Mormon, and then of the Utah, California, and Mission field members. It didn’t take long for me to think of other Mormon groupings such as liberal and orthodox. Here is a list of those I can think of and short definitions:

True Blue Mormons – Orthodox members who don’t question authority or divinity of the LDS Church, go to Church on a weekly basis, are mostly married with children, and have or will go through the Temple.

Liberal Mormons – There are several subgroups of these. Each of them have their own defining reason for existence as a label. Most common are pro-gay marriage advocates, Feminists, Democrats, and Evolutionists. Many of them are believers in the divine authority of the LDS Church, but uncomfortable at times with that acknowledgment.

New Wave Mormons – Another name for them might be cultural Mormons, but that is a vague term that can cover any participant in Mormon life. The prominent feature is someone who doesn’t believe in the religion’s divine nature, but still actively defines themselves as members of the LDS Church. They are secularists in religious garb. Continue reading →

The Myth of New Mormon Feminism

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Recently there has been a lot of talk about a new or resurgent Mormon Feminism developing. With so many words and discussions about it, one would think it was a reality rather an expectation. The truth is that a “war” between Mormons and Feminists happened, and Feminists lost. There was a time when Feminists were very active with staging protests, holding marches, signing petitions, writing letters, mobilizing grassroots forces, and making bold calls to action. In the end those Feminists either left the LDS Church or were ex-communicated. Despite minor changes, the goals they had didn’t materialize.

The last time there was any “action” of note taken was after Sister Beck’s now famous talk about the importance of defined female roles. Feminists sent roses to LDS Church headquarters to protest her message and newspapers filed a report. The response from the intended target? A courteous thank you. Concerns behind the gift were promptly ignored. Other recent activities have gone unnoticed or are personal to individuals with no direct social impact. Continue reading →

Word of Widsom Vindicated . . . Again

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Inspired by a recent post about The Word of Wisdom by a writer who has a site dedicated to the subject, I thought to reprint about alcohol consumption. It didn’t get the deserved attention considering the implications. The quotes come from a Yahoo story that is no longer available. The link has similar conclusions.

Part of the Word of Wisdom dealing with alcohol consumption was supposed to have been put into question by studies. Every few months, it seemed, a new study would come out stating that moderate drinking of wine or dark beer helped with this or that health concern. Not so fast, says another study, because there can be more harm than good:

Experts with the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association say that though these studies do show some benefits to moderate drinking, the health risks from alcohol consumption far outweigh the potential rewards.

Continue reading →

Religious Conservatives Don’t Need the Center

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Politics and religion haves always had a rocky relationship as the Founders of the United States understood. They sought to alleviate some of the worst conflicts of the two and allow as much freedom as possible for both to thrive. More recent times, foes of religion have used the wisdom of the Constitution to silence religious voices in the public square. Although on the surface what they argue sounds reasonable, the actual practice goes against the spirit and perhaps letter of the law. The freedoms they claim to protect become restricted with vague notions of what is public and private. It is one thing to make a case of disagreement and a different matter to ridicule and accuse without presenting an argument. As no fan of Skousen’s simplistic research, but in agreement with the spirit of Glenn Beck’s ideas , I think both have been treated unfairly to the detriment of honest debate.

The same goes with how those who are most influenced by them, The Tea Party, are continually dismissed. Even when they garner success, such as the latest U.S. election, it is as if they have failed. The truth is those on the left and the right who don’t like them either deliberately misrepresent or seriously misunderstand the movement. An article by Nathan B. Oman that is critical of the religious members ignores the actual history of who comprises the electorate. The vital conservative religious vote is cast as a recently developed nuisance that, “will render conservative religious voices irrelevant to serious political discussion,” compared to more moderate conservatives. It is hard to believe considering voting outcomes over the last 30 years. What will happen is that moderate religious pundits will become irrelevant to other pundits. Continue reading →