Why do people hate Mormons?

[Bottle]

I don't take people seriously who profess 24/7 that they think the easter bunny is real, so why should it be different for this 'god' who is equally not real?

What's pathetic to me is that I don't treat religion any worse than I treat any other superstitions, but religious people seem to think THEIR beliefs are more important than, say, the beliefs of astrologists, ghost hunters, or psychics. They act like it's totally reasonable to look down on somebody who believes in leprechauns, but it's totally unreasonable to look down on somebody who believes in cherubic angels. Heavens forfend I should treat their belief in Jesus exactly the way I treat the Greeks' belief in Zeus...THAT is just UNFAIR!

[Kazomal]

I don't take people seriously who profess 24/7 that they think the easter bunny is real, so why should it be different for this 'god' who is equally not real?

What's pathetic to me is that I don't treat religion any worse than I treat any other superstitions, but religious people seem to think THEIR beliefs are more important than, say, the beliefs of astrologists, ghost hunters, or psychics. They act like it's totally reasonable to look down on somebody who believes in leprechauns, but it's totally unreasonable to look down on somebody who believes in cherubic angels. Heavens forfend I should treat their belief in Jesus exactly the way I treat the Greeks' belief in Zeus...THAT is just UNFAIR!

Belief in Leprechauns and belief in religion are very different things.

When I'm in a more lucid state I'll expand on that and answer the "how" that I know is coming, but for now I just wanted to throw my voice in.

[Cool Egg Sandwich]

I don't take people seriously who profess 24/7 that they think the easter bunny is real, so why should it be different for this 'god' who is equally not real?

What's pathetic to me is that I don't treat religion any worse than I treat any other superstitions, but religious people seem to think THEIR beliefs are more important than, say, the beliefs of astrologists, ghost hunters, or psychics. They act like it's totally reasonable to look down on somebody who believes in leprechauns, but it's totally unreasonable to look down on somebody who believes in cherubic angels. Heavens forfend I should treat their belief in Jesus exactly the way I treat the Greeks' belief in Zeus...THAT is just UNFAIR!

Last I checked there is exactly the same amount of evidence supporting leprechauns as there is supporting 'God'.

[Caninope]

I dislike Mormons and that's a distinction from other religions (that I mostly ignore).

People from different religions may think that they know what is best for me, but Mormons are only ones that come to me in the middle of street and tries to persuade me of that. First time, it was funny (and we got in long philosophical discussion), second time, it was similar, but times went, and now I am a bit annoyed of their persistent brainwashing of people who do not want.

Obviously you have never had a Jehovah's Witness come to your house.

[Coccygia]

I dislike Mormons and that's a distinction from other religions (that I mostly ignore).

People from different religions may think that they know what is best for me, but Mormons are only ones that come to me in the middle of street and tries to persuade me of that. First time, it was funny (and we got in long philosophical discussion), second time, it was similar, but times went, and now I am a bit annoyed of their persistent brainwashing of people who do not want.

Obviously you have never had a Jehovah's Witness come to your house.

I always wonder, since according to their beliefs only 144,000 will ever be saved, why they're so anxious to convert everybody.

[Gauthier]

Obviously you have never had a Jehovah's Witness come to your house.

I always wonder, since according to their beliefs only 144,000 will ever be saved, why they're so anxious to convert everybody.

Pyramid scheme. The more you convert, the better your odds are that you'll be one of the 144,000 selected at the end. Kind of like candy sales and commissions.

[Helertia]

Fun fact: Mormons make up 2% of the population of California, yet contributed 50% of the money for Proposition 8.

[The Corparation]

What's pathetic to me is that I don't treat religion any worse than I treat any other superstitions, but religious people seem to think THEIR beliefs are more important than, say, the beliefs of astrologists, ghost hunters, or psychics. They act like it's totally reasonable to look down on somebody who believes in leprechauns, but it's totally unreasonable to look down on somebody who believes in cherubic angels. Heavens forfend I should treat their belief in Jesus exactly the way I treat the Greeks' belief in Zeus...THAT is just UNFAIR!

Last I checked there is exactly the same amount of evidence supporting leprechauns as there is supporting 'God'.

Aren't you forgetting the tasty cereal Lucky Charms?

[Bottle]

What's pathetic to me is that I don't treat religion any worse than I treat any other superstitions, but religious people seem to think THEIR beliefs are more important than, say, the beliefs of astrologists, ghost hunters, or psychics. They act like it's totally reasonable to look down on somebody who believes in leprechauns, but it's totally unreasonable to look down on somebody who believes in cherubic angels. Heavens forfend I should treat their belief in Jesus exactly the way I treat the Greeks' belief in Zeus...THAT is just UNFAIR!

Belief in Leprechauns and belief in religion are very different things.

When I'm in a more lucid state I'll expand on that and answer the "how" that I know is coming, but for now I just wanted to throw my voice in.

You're free to expand, if you want, but in the interest of fairness I should warn you that I've heard it all before, and I'm not remotely convinced.

I'm also entertained by the fact that you overlooked the fact that I compared belief in leprechauns to belief in ANGELS. Belief in God was compared to ZEUS. You know, another God? About whom there was a really big religion? Which flourished for thousands of years?

Feel free to try to provide me with a reason why I should treat modern Gods with any more credulity than Zeus, or why I should treat modern religions with more respect than I would treat Zeus-worship or Sun-worship or any other faith.

[Conchobar Macnessa]

because they're insane people that followed a filthy pervert and their entire religion is about fucking small girls so that you will become god in a universe.

I don't get all the hate for Mormons nowadays. It's an antiquated hate from the 19th century, it really has no place in a modern setting. Just look at DLN, a well respected member of the NS community (not to mention a mod) and she's a Mormon.

Also, DLN, do you actively call yourselves Mormons or do you prefer to be called the Church of Latter Day Saints? Just curious.

i can vouch, Political Correctless is LDS, Mormon is good too.

[Sailsia]

Fun fact: Mormons make up 2% of the population of California, yet contributed 50% of the money for Proposition 8.

Now THAT is a great reason to hate the Mormon Church.

[Arkinesia]

Oh, I should point out that I don't really hate Mormons as a whole. I hate their church and their religion is horrible.

However, they do send cute boys around to chat and if I wasn't in a relationship I would perhaps try to corrupt said cute boys. I explained to one Mormon the important role of Valkyries in Norse mythology last year. He failed to talk to me about his religion at all. Heh.

Well, you know, titties, etc.

Or something like that >.>

[Cool Egg Sandwich]

Fun fact: Mormons make up 2% of the population of California, yet contributed 50% of the money for Proposition 8.

Now THAT is a great reason to hate the Mormon Church.

This is certainly the most valid reason I have seen proposed in this thread to "hate" Mormons. I would strongly urge against the use of the word 'hate' in this context, though. I am sure that in the opinion of most people it is more of a distrust, if anything at all.

[Bottle]

Now THAT is a great reason to hate the Mormon Church.

This is certainly the most valid reason I have seen proposed in this thread to "hate" Mormons. I would strongly urge against the use of the word 'hate' in this context, though. I am sure that in the opinion of most people it is more of a distrust, if anything at all.

As I said, I don't hate Mormons. The Mormons I have personally encountered were generally nice, well-meaning people.

The Mormon CHURCH, however, is pretty fucked up and evil. It's not the only fucked up and evil church out there, of course, but it's still worth calling them out on all their long history of racist, sexist, homophobic malarky.

[Nullarni]

Ok. Mormons do not hate gays. Individuals may very well, but that is not or should not be representative of the church as a whole. I’ve never heard that taught or supported. Plenty of Christian sects don’t believe that the gay lifestyle/choice/tendency/preference is a ‘moral’ path, this isn’t anything out of the ordinary that way. Which doesn’t mean I’ve always agreed with some of the choices made that way.

I don’t find our religion sexist either – and I’m both a woman, and a rather independent one at that who isn’t easily lead around by the nose.

No one has been posthumously converting Jewish victims of the holocaust either (or anyone else), in spite of claims to the contrary. Baptisms for the dead are not an ‘automatic conversion’, it is a service offered to those who didn’t have a chance to make the choice in this life. Whether or not they accept the work done for them on the other side is anyone’s guess – it’s our belief they have that choice. Yes, we believe in an afterlife. No, you don't have to agree with it. Either way, no harm done - we don't have the ability to 'force' belief or membership on anyone. The rites are offered by proxy in accordance with our belief that everyone should have the opportunity to choose. It's as simple as that.

We don’t hate other religions for what they do or don’t think of us – at least we sure aren’t supposed to. We're supposed to be accepting of folks, we're supposed to love our neighbors (platonically you sickos), not berate, condemn, hate, or otherwise be asses to folks who don't believe the same way we do.

We don’t preach ‘get me converts, or else’. When you have a good thing, it’s natural enough to want to share it with others who might benefit from it. Freedom of choice – you certainly don’t have to listen.

Being Christian is a matter of having a belief in Christ as savior, which we have and maintain – so like it or not, Mormons are not ‘pretenders’ in that regard. As others have pointed out, we believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost - same as a number of other Christian sects.

Claiming that the Mormon church is ‘just as bad as Scientology’ is both irresponsible and baseless.

I have absolutely –no- idea what you’re on about with the fundie polygamist groups ‘falling under the Mormon umbrella’ – because they are not a part of our religion, and we do not condone them, or claim them.

Nor do I get this ‘weird combines’ and the ‘Starlight and Moonbeam’ names claim. Never heard of anything like that, no idea what you’re on about with it.

Big Love is a tv show which is not to be confused with reality. It's in it for the ratings, not for showing folks 'how it is'.

No one ‘makes’ missionaries go out – it’s supposed to be a choice, even if it’s encouraged as a service to God. My husband didn't go on one. He's not ostracized or otherwise shunned on account.

We do not discourage equality in any way I’ve ever been taught. Quite the opposite.

Invading the government? So … one can’t be involved in government if one has a religion now? Really. Having lived in Utah as well, I can guarantee you the Mormon church does not run everything. There are loads of non-Mormons who are very vocal and active in politics, and if things were run as a one-religion theocracy, there would be hell to pay.

We don’t use little kids to spread religion. 18 or older for missionaries. Sorry to burst the illusion.

I now live out in the Midwest, and I’ve found store hours in many cases to be more restrictive here than they were in Utah. Go fig.

I don’t believe you’re kicked out of the church just for being gay, no. It takes a lot to be excommunicated.

If we were ‘banned’ or made to leave over using our freedom of choice (something that is huge in our religion) music, I’d have been kicked out years ago. Same with the restrictions on things like alcohol, smoking, the caffeine thing, what have you. Again ... these are guidelines set down to follow for a healthier happier life. No one forces you to stick to them strictly.

I can’t speak for the claims of suicide, because I’m not familiar with all the particulars. Good morals are strongly encouraged – which basically means no messing around with sex and the like regardless of gender or preferences. I can see how kids, who already are under a lot of pressure, could end up feeling pretty alone on account. Then again, there’s kids all the time, like it or not, who end up committing suicide over various factors. It’s a rough time, and without the right support … it’s a sad thing regardless of the causes.

I don’t get the ‘abusive’ claims either. No one forces me to go, forces me to agree with everything, forces me into any particular role, gender or otherwise, or forces me into anything I don’t want to do in fact. So claiming my religion is a threat to your human rights, given it can’t force you into anything any more than it can force me, as a member, leaves me a bit perplexed as to your reasoning. While individuals in any organization can be capable of a number of terrible things - the sex scandals, abuse, etc, they are in no way indicative of what the religion as a whole supports or believes. These sorts of things are disgusting, and a breach of trust that should never be tolerated. Regardless of who's responsible.

And … wait, what on the polygamy on the other side? Polygamy is hell not a central key element of mainstream Mormon theology, and I have no idea what you’ve been smoking to believe that. As people so often say on NSG - source? Preferably an official one, not one of these anti-Mormon sites that are clearly biased, nor Wikipedia which is ... well, not reliable.

Old west and killing folk? Would that be after the extermination order was laid out against them here in the Midwest and they were forced to flee and protect themselves? Not that all actions historically can be supported that way, I realize. People are people, and sometimes people suck - Mormon or otherwise.

The US government was racist and supported segregation and all that. But when a religion makes the correct choice to get with the program and be the inclusive accepting group they’re supposed to be, it’s a ‘racket’? *grins* That’s ok. We won’t get into how accepted social norms have always had a hand in how groups, religious or otherwise, have made choices.

I do find it interesting that people are free to go around saying that anyone who believes in religion is stupid, delusional, idiotic, psychotic, etc, etc, etc. And this is commonly accepted as ok. Not inflammatory, not trollish, not out of line. When people of a religious bent make the mistake of choosing poorly and stooping to the same level of insulting insinuation, you’d think it’s the end of the world and they are the most horrible people on earth for daring to claim thinking, reasoning people can’t make their own choices. Wait …

Because Mormons like to have sex with twelve-year-old girls in giant complexes in the desert near the Arizona - Utah Border.

--- get your facts straight, these people are not Mormons, and that sort of thing going on is utterly reprehensible.

Crosses on or in the churches? Uh, no. We don’t worship that symbol like other Christian faiths do, and they are not displayed on or in our churches. So I question your veracity there, Ceannairceach.

If you want a website where everything is laid out, try here. Not Wikipedia where anyone and everyone can tweak with things, and ‘truth’ is relative.

Anyways, quick bits after looking through this. And I’m not going to stick around and argue ad nauseum the way these things tend to go, because when it comes down to it, people will believe what they want to believe, it’s always easier to attack what you either don’t understand, like, or care to be tolerant of, and these ‘discussions’ always wind down into nastiness and circular rawring over two or three points that have little to do with the overall picture of things. Going on 8 years on this site, and it is always the same in the end, and it has all been done, to death.

Take it for what you will. Bottom line is, hate gets us nowhere. Hate is not something we as Mormons are supposed to be encouraging or engaging in, whatever folks may or may not have against us. Something about God being able to forgive who he will, but we’re supposed to forgive everyone. So I suppose I’ll start with having given answer, and letting the rest of it go. Because just like hate, contention isn’t going to do us any good either.

Wow. Thank you for being the voice of reason around here and properly representing us... I really do appreciate it.

[Tmutarakhan]

Now THAT is a great reason to hate the Mormon Church.

This is certainly the most valid reason I have seen proposed in this thread to "hate" Mormons. I would strongly urge against the use of the word 'hate' in this context, though. I am sure that in the opinion of most people it is more of a distrust, if anything at all.

It is not a good reason to "hate" Mormons (the individual people), but it is certainly why I hate the Mormon Church, and want to see its power broken. Under the law, the "church" is not entitled to tax exemption if it spends any amount on politics; LDS appears to have violated this egregiously, but will not be penalized because they are rich and well-connected, and that frosts me.