Mormons, Husbands and Submission

[Witsec1]

I have read several threads where someone mentions they think homosexuality is wrong and they are absolutely DESTROYED by posters but several people have a go at me because I am Mormon and if I defend myself in any way whether strongly or minor "whatever" I am in the wrong? Perhaps it is due to the fact I am being being judged for a religion?

I have never come here with a Mormon agenda and do not try to convince people they are wrong in their beliefs that Mormons are incorrect. Again, everyone is entitled to an opinion. When was the last time my husband was even on FJ and I am not going to tear him apart to people I do not know. He is an excellent father and husband so why would I trash him?

It is interesting the the tide turned when I mentioned on this thread who I was married to.

WokChop did not want to discuss what had happened. I have no doubt that she has every right to her anger but I don't know her and feel that her post was vicious, mean and wrong.

I am here for the same reason as anyone else (except Mark Dreher). The train wreck is too tempting and hard to stop watching.

Eh, I don't think you need to justify why you are here. Why do you think you, personally, are being judged for a religion? Because I don't see it. I see you taking it personally when people are critical of Mormonism, and accusing people of making blanket statements when they have made qualified statements and issued disclaimers.

[mstee]

So it came up in this topic- how Mormons are different in Utah and how the religion is different in Utah. I'm well aware of how many Mormons are in Utah and a lot are devout, but what exactly are the differences? I've always wondered.

[dcmhejbl62]

I am so glad I am not the only person who is obsessed with Mormonism. I feel bad for the missionaries who knock on my door because I have tons of questions and no desire to convert.

Especially about their underwear.

Be careful with your questions, or you might be blacklisted. Trust me. I've watched them cycle right past my front door. And I used to be so popular because I gave them water bottles and cookies. Oh well. :mrgreen:

I am not Mormon, and will never be Mormon (not in this life anyway; if I get to the next and it turns out they were right, well, we'll talk), and I could spend all day poking holes in the doctrine and the bigoted, misogynist behavior of what is probably a majority of the church.

But. I am speaking as a born-and-raised, many-flavored Christian who was taught to fear Mormonism as a cult: What I've found is some of those who escape Mormonism, either the religion itself or simply the group-think mindset, are often the most Christ-like people I know, with a healthy self-image and relationships to boot. I don't see the same thing, generally speaking, in fundie escapees, so it makes me wonder what factors of their religion lead to that good outcome.

And I know that isn't the result for all ex-Mormons, and there is a lot of pain involved in the decision and the process; but even if I'm talking about a very, very small percentage, it's still higher than I see with ex-other legalistic religions.

[Guest Anonymous]

I admit I'm fascinated by Mormonism mostly because I find it so damn weird. That said, I freely admit that any religion sounds bizarre to people on the outside of it.

But magical underwear and space aliens and polygamy and strange prohibitions and scandal and murder, oh my! I agree with another poster that part of the allure is that the carryings on happened in the fairly recent past, so there's documentation of the craziness. I also read over at exmormon.org - there's stories that will curl your hair. Aside from the fact that I'm bi and a ragingly cranky feminist and the Mormons wouldn't want me, I'm not giving up my coffee and tea. No way, no how.

[treemom]

No, I didn't mean to accuse you of calling her a hater and sorry if it came off that way. I'm just trying to explain why I felt the need to stick my oar in.

No, no didn't take it that way. I am not defending calling someone a hater...I was just sticking my oar in the thing too.

[emesbe]

I admit I'm fascinated by Mormonism mostly because I find it so damn weird. That said, I freely admit that any religion sounds bizarre to people on the outside of it.

But magical underwear and space aliens and polygamy and strange prohibitions and scandal and murder, oh my! I agree with another poster that part of the allure is that the carryings on happened in the fairly recent past, so there's documentation of the craziness. I also read over at exmormon.org - there's stories that will curl your hair. Aside from the fact that I'm bi and a ragingly cranky feminist and the Mormons wouldn't want me, I'm not giving up my coffee and tea. No way, no how.

Space aliens? Please to elaborate. :text-blondmoment:

[Guest Anonymous]

Space aliens? Please to elaborate. :text-blondmoment:

I'm going to quote BrainSample from the sci-fi thread, because she already put it more succinctly and funnily than I can manage.

God (whose name is Elohim) is really an extra-terrestrial, and Jesus and Satan were spirit brothers. God got it on physically with Mary so he could conceive Jesus himself. Satan isn't a created being, and we all have to birth lots of Mormon seed so that all of those souls out there that were once bodies of people on the planet that surrounds the star Kolob can have bodies again. Then their babies can grow up one day to be as enlightened as Elohim was, and they can get their own planet...

That almost beats Phillip Dick material.

But they don't tell that stuff to everyone... You have to be a high level freemason before they tell you the secrets, after you don the magic Mormon underpants and go dip in the tub at the temple where even the soles of your shoes have to be white. (That reminds me a bit of Clarke's 2001, actually, or at least Kubrick's interpretation.)

[emesbe]

God (whose name is Elohim) is really an extra-terrestrial, and Jesus and Satan were spirit brothers. God got it on physically with Mary so he could conceive Jesus himself. Satan isn't a created being, and we all have to birth lots of Mormon seed so that all of those souls out there that were once bodies of people on the planet that surrounds the star Kolob can have bodies again. Then their babies can grow up one day to be as enlightened as Elohim was, and they can get their own planet...

That almost beats Phillip Dick material.

But they don't tell that stuff to everyone... You have to be a high level freemason before they tell you the secrets, after you don the magic Mormon underpants and go dip in the tub at the temple where even the soles of your shoes have to be white. (That reminds me a bit of Clarke's 2001, actually, or at least Kubrick's interpretation.)

[dcmhejbl62]

So it came up in this topic- how Mormons are different in Utah and how the religion is different in Utah. I'm well aware of how many Mormons are in Utah and a lot are devout, but what exactly are the differences? I've always wondered.

I know I was the one who kept harping on the fact that there is a difference, but that's a good question.

I think of Utah Mormons as those with their heads firmly planted in the sand, blindly following without question, partly because they fit in well and are good at keeping all the requirements, and the religion rewards them mightily for that. They believe Mormons are superior to all others, rarely interact with anyone outside the LDS church nor care to, constantly compete with the brethren to best follow all the requirements and make a big show of doing so, cry "Persecution!" when they venture out of their sheltered world long enough to hear the slightest disagreement with their theology. Very Stepford-ish, and yes, very similar to fundie royalty we follow.

Non-Utah Mormons may be just as dedicated to their religion, but they have dissected it enough to find the core teachings that are similar to most other religions / morality codes... ie, love your neighbor, use what you've been given, we're all in this together, yadda yadda yadda. They extend the idea of a piece of divinity in humans to ALL humans, Mormon or not. They place less important on the religion one follows and more on the fruit it produces.

Hope someone can add to this...

[Soulhuntress]

I know I was the one who kept harping on the fact that there is a difference, but that's a good question.

I think of Utah Mormons as those with their heads firmly planted in the sand, blindly following without question, partly because they fit in well and are good at keeping all the requirements, and the religion rewards them mightily for that. They believe Mormons are superior to all others, rarely interact with anyone outside the LDS church nor care to, constantly compete with the brethren to best follow all the requirements and make a big show of doing so, cry "Persecution!" when they venture out of their sheltered world long enough to hear the slightest disagreement with their theology. Very Stepford-ish, and yes, very similar to fundie royalty we follow.

Non-Utah Mormons may be just as dedicated to their religion, but they have dissected it enough to find the core teachings that are similar to most other religions / morality codes... ie, love your neighbor, use what you've been given, we're all in this together, yadda yadda yadda. They extend the idea of a piece of divinity in humans to ALL humans, Mormon or not. They place less important on the religion one follows and more on the fruit it produces.

Hope someone can add to this...

Pick me! ExMo here: been out (heh) since studying the theology and history and finding discrepancies galore (too many to dismiss) and formally resigned when DOMA crap reared its ugly head.

1. Utah is a theocracy in most small towns and parts of SLC.

2. Yes Mormon royalty is real and Romney and Huntsman as well as the curiously fem Ed Smart are royalty.

3. Outside the Jello Belt (Utah, Idaho and small towns in AZ as well as Mesa) the mormons are a minority and are less likely to be the crazy found in Utah.

4. There is a sense of being "on stage" as a practicing mormon: there is a teaching that they are here to be an example and must pass a test to get to a higher level of "heaven" (no grace but there is a mulligan).

5. TBM's are not just found in Utah: TBM = true blue mormon. TBM's are humorless gits.

6. Fundies (Super Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Christians and the more devout LDS) all deny divinity to anyone who is not just like them.

Hope that helps!

[bunny]

My hubby used to be a Mormon. He burned his ordination papers when he decided to become a "regular" Christian (In our terminology, he got born again) and the only reason they didn't officially excommunicate him is that three older mormon ladies talked them out of it. I guess you could say he kicked himself out before they could officially do it.

I confess I enjoy sharing that story a wee bit too much with the boys on bicycles who stop by once in awhile....

And yes, the stories he tells me of Mormon theology are, well, "interesting."