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Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:08 am
by _Drifting
...to understand Mormonism?
Michael Otterson, the Church's Chief Spokesperson, says "yes"...
The bulk of European coverage, by contrast, remains cynical if not outright mocking, says Otterson. “Lots of Europeans, especially the British—and I can say this because I’m British—have smug, condescending attitudes toward Americans anyway. So do many French and Germans. Mix into that this idea of religion and the fact that many of them come from a completely secular background, and it’s really hard for them to understand the depths of American pluralism.”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2 ... light.html
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:39 am
by _bcuzbcuz
That's outrageous! We are not smug and conscending. We are just better educated, safer in our homes and cities, more democratic in our govenings, more secure in our work and pensions, more equitable with our hospitals and care of the elderly and, in general, better looking, not as fat and smarter.
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:42 am
by _LittleNipper
Sounds worldly and not spiritual ---- temporal and not eternal.
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:53 am
by _subgenius
bcuzbcuz wrote:That's outrageous! We are not smug and conscending. We are just better educated, safer in our homes and cities, more democratic in our govenings, more secure in our work and pensions, more equitable with our hospitals and care of the elderly and, in general, better looking, not as fat and smarter.
case in point.
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:40 pm
by _krose
subgenius wrote:bcuzbcuz wrote:That's outrageous! We are not smug and conscending. We are just better educated, safer in our homes and cities, more democratic in our govenings, more secure in our work and pensions, more equitable with our hospitals and care of the elderly and, in general, better looking, not as fat and smarter.
case in point.
That does sound smug, but leaving out the subjective personal preference "better looking," and the unmeasurable "smarter" (better educated, yes; smarter, unlikely), I don't see anything in that list that isn't demonstrably true.
And on the other hand, I don't think there is anything in the world that matches the smugness inherent in the jingoistic drumbeat of "American Exceptionalism."
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:12 pm
by _Samantabhadra
You mean Europeans find the idea that the Garden of Eden is in Missouri to be ridiculous?
SHOCKING!!!
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:23 pm
by _r_t
He sounds like those middle-aged men you see in bars complaining to younger women way out of their league that their wives don't understand them. Usually, what they mean is that their wives see right through them.
Look here, Otterson: normal, educated people all over the world don't buy into the Mormon magical mindset. Boohoo. It's called rational thinking, not condescension.
What a cry-baby.
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:32 pm
by _krose
From the article:
With foreign and domestic media alike, a key church goal is to drive home “the fact of our political neutrality,” says Otterson.
Sure. No matter how much they insist that the church is officially neutral regarding parties and candidates, the fact remains that Mormons have voted for Romney at a nearly 90% rate.
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:16 pm
by _aussieguy55
Americans are supposed to have an obesity problem. An interesting book to read is Why French Women Don't Get Fat. Refillable drink and popcorn won't help. How many Americans read philosophy? Did the see the series The Consolations of Philosophy? A friend of mine went to America and was suprised how much food was on her plate. It was enough for two people.
Re: Are Europeans too smug, condescending and secular...
Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:22 pm
by _son of Ishmael
aussieguy55 wrote:Why French Women Don't Get Fat.
Chain smoking?