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August 18th, 2010
03:29 PM ET
Mormons hope to squash stereotypes with ad campaignFrom CNN Oklahoma City affiliate KWTV: A blitz of radio and television commercials in Oklahoma City are striking a chord with area Mormons. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has started a media campaign in nine different cities including Oklahoma City. Church leaders said the goal is to dispel myths about the Mormon faith. The campaign is specifically focused on the idea that all Mormons are the same. A series of ads feature Mormons who are songwriters, artists, parents, businessmen telling their stories. One ad featured a sculptor who said, "I believe the best dinner conversations are with those who don't agree with you." |
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PS
I have never understood the nonsence that Caltholics aren't Christians. Hogwash. Same thing about the Mormans.
Every religion has gone through some type of persecution in one way or another. I thought the ads were very tasteful.
I have worked with a few Mormans. Yes, very normal
However, I visited Salt Lake two years ago, visiting most of the buildings I could. Like many religions, there seems to be a variety of levels of beliefs. I found those in the buildings, yes, creepy. In some buildings we couldn't just walk around unless accompanied. I was curious about the differences in their beliefs and many of my questions, about their beliefs, went unanswered.
One thing to do is watch the PBS special on Religions in America. I was very surprised at how every time a group immigrated here, with a "new" religion, how they were treated. Not very well, for sure.
Ye
The mormons are more Christian than any other Christian churches in the world. More than the Catholics. I can say that because I was born and raised a Catholic.
If God is not true and the Mormon church is just an ordinary organization, I would still love to be a member of the Mormon church.
The lives of the members of the church speaks for what the church is teaching.
I am always amazed at the amount of disrespect towards the Mormons. Theses same people would never be caught saying a bad thing about the Jews or other Christian faiths (Since the is politically incorrect) . Still they take aim at the Mormons without even a hint of remorse. Their beliefs are not stranger than any other Christian religions, most people just don't recognize the oddities in Christianity itself since they are accustomed to it.
The IRONIC THING about most of the posts is that most of what you say is also true about all the other religions, too. The virgin birth comment was a good one. If we were in another time or place people would be slamming the Catholics or others. You may as well slam all religions and be done with it. Do you think the evangelicals or baptists don't have "money-making businesses"? Good grief–they pull in millions–billions of $. Look at their crystal cathedrals and compare them to the Mormon temple. Catholic cathedrals around the world ar full of gold that might help the poor, you know? So are Buddhist shrines. The Baptist, Catholics and Mormons all use science to give evidence to their beliefs and the atheists all use sdcience to refute their beliefs, so you can't restrict the insult to the Mormons. Try using science to defend Hinduism! Let the people do what they feel is best just like the other religions do, and make your own choice for belief. I think all the religions might agree that criticism is an evidence of LACK of religion and goodness.
Ralph
There is no science that proves a virgin birth, yet millions believe. Would we be wrong to question that absuridty? If you don't like the ads, that cool. If you think we are all brainwashed hicks, that's cool too. But the one thing that you, your slander or your science can't prove is that Mormonism is not true. That won't be determined until the very end. So at the very least, there is a possibility. 7 Billion people in the world..roughly 15 or so million people in the world are Mormons.. less than a quarter of a percent... wouldn't it be ironic if when its all said and done that less that 1% had it right? That the possibility is actually the inevitability?
It's easy to critize, degrade, and poke fun at what's unpopular. There is no courage in doing that. And to the ones who have left the church, I wonder how you would feel if the church and its members spent as much effort bashing and ridiculing you as you did it?
Your views sadden me not because you don't like Mormons or believe in the faith, but because you put aside your humanity for the sake of poking fun at others. In the end Mormonism might not be right, but it couldn't be any more wrong than the behavior displayed in this blog.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gets negative attention because it's compelling and (more or less) complete. It's here to stay. And the truth draws away folks from "mainstream" Christian churches (which by and large are filled with good people) whose leaders' careers are their churches (unlike the lay clergy of the Mormon church). Therefore: Mormons = financial threat to these churches; financial threat = negative reaction at all costs; and then every sort of nonsensical absurdity about Mormons gets trotted out year after year after year, until long after they are debunked. It's a gut reaction to situation that's scary for a lot of smaller churches. People are actually praying and feeling the Spirit of God confirm the truth, as opposed to the mere emotional euphoria of their previous church attendance! Oh no!
Even relatively recent stuff like DNA evidence supposedly disproving the Book of Mormon has been hammered by mitochondrial geneticists in the last five years to the point that the whole thrust of the original attach is rendered useless. But anti-Mormon websites will keep posting their latest doctorings of history and "science" (anything can be spun, if you're not ready to investigate further) in the hopes of keeping a few more people out, and to assuage the ex-Mormon mind–a mind desparate to feel like in fact having whatever they crave and in any quantity will make them happy and no negative consequences could flow (I know because I've been there). Cognative dissonance and confirmation bias are very strong at that point.