dagblog - Comments for "Oh Come All You UNFaithful – It’s Judgment Day!"

The temples always give tours

lindasdf — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:42:22 +0000

The temples always give tours to non-members when they are built, but before they are dedicated. Right now, the Kansas City temple is having an open house.

The thing with the scouts was that the LDS troops were not letting the black scouts hold positions of leadership, since they could not hold the priesthood. But that changed with the threat of a law suit. That's probably where the rumor of THE CHURCH being threatened came from.

Linda, This blog has little

Aunt Sam — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:28:17 +0000

In reply to Oh, and it doesn't matter if

Linda, This blog has little to do with Mormons and all to do with our individual and nation's touchstones in our political arena.

I stand by my research and facts - found nothing that proved them to be without merit. (The IRS advises any entity that has been engaged in discriminatory - allegations are investigated - they can lose their non-profit status. That was the basis for the warning.)

I strongly urge you to create a blog with your stance on Mormons with cites, etc.

As to the Mormons I know, the majority are kind, generous and warm people.

God Bless.

After the LDS built their

Donal — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:12:10 +0000

In reply to Not extending the priesthood

After the LDS built their prominent temple along the DC Beltway in Kensington, I read that they gave tours to non-Mormons, then refurbished the place. I also read that there was a controversy because they gave tours to Boy Scouts, but only the white scouts. It was a knotty problem because a lot of Mormons go into scouting, but the BSA didn't want to condone racial discrimination.

According to this, the problem extended beyond tours and was settled under the threat of court action.

Not extending the priesthood

Verified Atheist — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:52:27 +0000

In reply to But, BYU, to my knowledge,

Not extending the priesthood to black members is discrimination, whether or not it falls under the EEOC. It's good you fixed it, and apparently without duress.

In case my previous statement was unclear, I agree with you that it seems that the claims that you were (directly) threatened are unfounded. The most someone could claim is that the church might have felt threatened due to actions taken on other non-profits, but that's not the same thing as explicitly being threatened. I suspect the meme morphed from feeling threatened to being threatened, in the same way that the story about Newt Gingrich signing divorce papers from his first wife while she was in the hospital being treated for cancer (and she might have asked him to sign them) morphed into him divorcing her while she was on her deathbed. (Although he's on wife #3 by now, his first wife is still very much alive.)

But, BYU, to my knowledge,

lindasdf — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:29:07 +0000

In reply to As you and TEIden probably

But, BYU, to my knowledge, never discriminated against any race. The ONLY thing that people had a problem with was that we did not extend our priesthood to our black members, until June of 1978. And since it's not a job, it didn't fall under the EEOC or anything like that.

I just wish that these people who keep saying we were threatened, would either stop with the lies, or admit that they are lying. They can't verify their accusations, so they just let them stand. Some people seem to believe that if you say something over and over and over, pretty soon it becomes truth, even if it's not.

As you and TEIden probably

Verified Atheist — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:10:41 +0000

In reply to I've always wanted to know

As you and TEIden probably already know, below is what the LDS Church itself has to say:

It's one thing to distort history, quite another to invent it. Kathy Erickson (Forum, March 11) claims that the federal government threatened The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its tax-exempt status in 1978 because of the church's position regarding blacks and the priesthood.
We state categorically that the federal government made no such threat in 1978 or at any other time. The decision to extend the blessings of the priesthood to all worthy males had nothing to do with federal tax policy or any other secular law. In the absence of proof, we conclude that Ms. Erickson is seriously mistaken.

I found another site, blacklds, that gives a timeline regarding African Americans and the Mormon Church. It also makes no claims about the IRS explicitly threatening the LDS church (although one can imagine that the LDS were concerned by discriminating private schools losing their tax exempt status).

I've always wanted to know

lindasdf — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:37:57 +0000

In reply to I would like you to provide

I've always wanted to know this, too. Yet, no one has, as yet, been able to come up with the goods.

>>you can find Mormons who

lindasdf — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:29:53 +0000

In reply to If you register, that

>>you can find Mormons who believe some things that others don't<<

This is true.

The problem I have is with those who are not members of our church telling us what we believe. Then when you try to set them straight, they all but accuse you of lying. Which is stupid, why would we lie?

I can only speculate on why they lie about us.

For former members, it's because if they can get someone else to leave the church, or keep someone from joining, it validates their choice to leave the church. They need this validation so they don't have to fear that they might have made the biggest mistake of their lives.

For non-members, I think that some of them like the thought that there are people who look totally normal, but behind closed doors, they believe things that are so weird that they can't even imagine.

Oh, and it doesn't matter if

lindasdf — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:12:29 +0000

In reply to The post does not state that

Oh, and it doesn't matter if you have never read the Godmakers, because everyone else has, and like I said, it's the basis for every anti-Mormon book or web site or video on you tube. So, you got it from someone who got it from the Godmakers. There are tell-tale signs, like the God having sex stuff, and spirit BABIES and eternally pregnant and all that crap. I defy anyone to go thru our manuals and our scriptures, and find where we teach or believe that.

If you register, that

Verified Atheist — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:11:22 +0000

In reply to Certainly. Except it won't

If you register, that shouldn't be a problem. We do get a fair amount of spam here, so I'm sure you can understand the reason for the filter. (I think even links might get in eventually, but I'm not sure…)

My two cents is that, just like with every other faith with a sizable population, you can find Mormons who believe some things that others don't. I don't find the Mormon beliefs really that more outlandish than those of the Methodists (what I was raised in), Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. Every faith has some aspects that can be ridiculed (cf., Bill Maher and the talking snake).

My experience with Mormons has been entirely positive, although I know others have had different experiences. I've used LDS records to research my genealogy and staffers at the LDS church were very friendly and helpful.