Okay, don't hate me or anything - but what is a Mormon? I know they're are branch of Christianity, but what are their beliefs? Are they against us? I keep hearing about them, and I have no clue as to who they are. IDK why, but I've always thought of Mormons being Amish-like. And I (weirdly) used to think that Mormons were a type of crustacean. Yes, I'm that stupid. I thought that Mormons were like lobster, and always pictured Zoidberg from Futurama whenever someone mentioned them. When people talk about their views I was just like 'wtf its a lobster why would it care". I realise how stupid and ignorant I sound, and I apologise for it.:icon_redf
They're generally a fundamentalist bunch, not a big fan of minorities or gays. They believe that gays should abstaine and that we can be "cured". While they do believe in Jesus, they're beliefs are far enough from Christanity, they really don't fall under that label, somebody else can probably explain the reasoning behind that better than I can. Aso certain branches of Mormons still practice polygamy. They believe in the Book of Mormon, which was written by Joesph Smith in New York in the 1820s. They believe that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri and that Jesus lived and was resurrected in New England, so they are very focused in the US, and many of their followers live in Utah. If I got anything wrong please correct me.
That's pretty much correct. All religions believe in some weird shit (no offense to anyone), but Mormons may be the strangest of them all.
You forgot to mention that Joseph Smith was already a convicted fraud by the time he wrote his fairytale religion.
Calling Mormons Christians isn't too far off the mark, depending on how you define Christianity. They believe Jesus was the son of God, and the Bible is treated as scripture. So, while there are differences, they're not as great as between Christianity and, say, Islam or even Unitarian Universalism. They are quite regressive when it comes to most social issues, including LGBT rights. Some branches also have pretty appalling attitudes toward non-white people and women.
I think the oddest part is the tight ass magic underwear. Those alone should be considered a form of birth control. ---------- Post added 20th Aug 2012 at 09:39 PM ---------- Ha ha, same here. I'm addicted to coffee.
I'm sorry but this really doesn't apply to all Mormons. My homeroom teacher/ old Spanish teacher is a Mormon and he could not be more accepting/supportive of my sexuality as well as others...Many Mormons may have these opinions but that does not mean all still feel this way. * Also a girl my age I go to school with is also Mormon and she is accepting as well.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church) as an institution is opposed to homosexuality. As with any religion, individual Mormons may disagree with this position. According to my religious studies professor, Mormonism is a branch of Christianity when she wears her Comparative Religions Scholar hat, but not when wearing her Catholic Theologian hat. This is because while Mormonism clearly derives from Christianity and holds to many Christian tenants, they do not believe in the Trinity as it is understood by Catholics, Orthodox Christians, or most Protestants.
As much as the temptation to quote Sam Harris is very strong right now, I like being able to post here. Mormonism officially is a homophobic church, although there are conversations right now, and there is pressure coming from below to change that. It's basically just Christianity with another book.
I always think of it like this (courtesy of a hilarious internet image): They are essentially a trilogy of movies: The Old Testament, The New Testament, and The Quran. The Jewish faith only really likes the original. Christians liked the original, but they think the sequel was better. Islam only really cares about the last one. Mormons? They read the fanfiction.
It's more like Judaism compiled a massive anthology, then went off to write tons of commentary, fanfiction, and essays about the anthology. The Christians looked at the anthology and said, "Let's add a few a few more writings." Then Islam looked at it and said, "Let's just have someone write his doctoral dissertation on the anthology and read that instead."
I'll do it then! It's a good quote: "Mormonism, it seems to me, is—objectively—just a little more idiotic than Christianity is. It has to be: because it is Christianity plus some very stupid ideas." -Sam Harris
I can't wait til the next time they knock on the door. I can't get that image of Zoidberg out of my head :-D