If you watch the news, read the newspaper, are involved on Facebook, Twitter, or have ever heard of a Mormon, you probably know all about the mudslinging and name calling one Evangelical pastor has been busy doing. Its all about the Mormon Presidential candidates and how Mormon's should not be allowed into office because we are a cult.
Anyway, if you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that I am a Mormon. You'll also know how difficult it is for me to bite my tongue about something like this. When people come out and say things that are so degrading and hurtful, I get angry and upset and all I want to do is grab them and shake them and make them understand the truth. Honestly, the absolute ignorance of people astounds me. It hurts my heart more than anything else.
There is a wonderful rebuttal article written by another Evangelist that put things into words better than I think anyone could as far as the political argument. Here are a few of my favorite excerpts. Please go read it in full. Its a great justice to not only Mormon's but to other people attacked unrighteously.
"A bigot can be an inexcusable ignoramus who does not understand a group, but insists on opining about them. Another kind of bigot insists on applying irrelevant standards to a person. This is not excusable even if the standards are relevant in a different situation...."
"...To add insult to bigotry, the pastor decided to name call by saying Mormonism is a cult. The use of cult to describe the Mormon faith is foolish and offensive in a political context.
The word cult has many meanings, including a technical religious one. The Mormon Church is not “standard” historic Christianity as Mormons point out in their witness. They think they have something new and valuable to say religiously.
Most of the public does not think doctrine, but danger when they hear the term cult. He imagines scary folk living in compounds drinking Kool-aid, not Harry Reid or Mitt Romney.
In that popular sense, Mormonism is not a cult and should scare no American. Mormons have been faithful citizens, dying in our wars for republican values. Does Rick Perry’s pastor friend acknowledge this truth? Can a Mormon die for the Republic in battle, but still not serve as commander in the White House...?
For mainstream evangelicals such bigoted attacks on Romney are an embarrassment. They often seem to rely on fear of difference, a sense that other groups are “weird.” Everybody seems weird to somebody some time, but loving people get past such feelings. If the Mormon who dies for my freedom doesn’t seem weird, neither should the Mormon politician....
Evangelical Christianity does not place all power in the state and so rejects messianic leaders. We want a president, not a prophet in office. A Mormon cannot be my priest, but he can be my political leader.
Worse is the impact of bigotry on my Mormon neighbor. It is a betrayal of the love Jesus commanded us to show. If I can love my enemy, surely I can easily love the Mormon next door. I hate the pain caused my Mormon neighbor by ignorance and bigotry.
My Mormon friends do not complain or become defensive. Like the Christ, my experience has been resignation and love when my Mormon friends see slander.
Mormons saw their first prophet murdered by an American mob, but still they loyally serve a Republic whose laws have often failed them. They created a paradise in a wilderness and great literature and a first-rate university against all odds..."
In the interview that Anderson Cooper did with this pastor where he says these things about Mormons, he kept saying, "They are not Christians. They don't believe Jesus is the way to salvation." Even when Anderson read directly from our Church's website, he kept spouting of his hate filled rhetoric which was totally false.
Did you know that in the history of the United States, the Mormon religion has been the ONLY religion that has had an extermination order put out on it? Yeah, extermination (and even though not many were killed after hostilities were resolved after our church members moved West, it wasn't officially repealed until 1976). We are the one and only religion where it has been 100% legal to kill us for the sole purpose of being a Mormon. No other reason. No other religion. There could be no retaliation of course because they'd just kill you for that. Countless people got taken out of their homes and got tarred and feathered, houses burned down, put in prison, driven out of state after state after state.... That's why most of us ended up on the West Coast :) Anyway, its just interesting that he kept bringing up the history of our religion in his interview and what values make up a Christian and yet, the name calling and the holier than thou attitude that guy has going on, is one of the most un-Christlike things that's been said and done in a long, long time.
I can tell you right now, I AM a Christian. I know that the ONLY way for me to get back to my God is through the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. He is who I follow. He is who I turn to. He is who I love. He is who I know.
I'm a wifey, angel baby mommy, Christian, and a Mormon. Now go spread the word that we're not about to go all David Koresh WACO on you guys okay?
4 comments:
This is a great post! I am always curious as to what the differences are that make you a Mormon Christian as opposed to just a non-denominational Christian. It is sad when people make uneducated and rude comments to someone for their faith and I think it is just down right unnacceptable for that to be happening in this society!!
Very well said. All the negative crap about the church is driving me nuts. There are people who just are so ignorant. Thanks for standing up for what you believe. We truly are in the last days and now is the time that we have to choose what side to be on.
It makes you wish people would actually take the time to learn about it before blindly listening to what someone else has to say. Particularly religion. The Mormon faith is so large it astounds me that so many people can be so clueless as to think it's a cult.
You go girl!!!
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