Albion wrote:I think your posts speaks for itself. My experience, generally speaking, is that Mormons rarely give intellectual, spiritual or sincerity credit to anyone who leaves Mormonism or who has a differing opinion. The general attitude, as you displayed, is that they somehow don't have the same grasp, understanding or spiritual maturity as Mormons do. Do you realize how arrogant that sounds...how insulting it is. I'll let others respond to your judgement of their honesty...speaking for myself I have never knowingly presented anything on this board that I deliberately lied about. One poster, in gross error, classified something I said as a lie and I have no further contact with him on this board board because of it.
Your "experience" is severely limited..... I see Mormons giving people credit for having sincere differences of belief all the time when they leave the Church. I live in a house where his grandson who comes over and washes his clothes, he's a Buddhist (supposedly, only second hand, haven't actually talked to him about it). No one has been critical of him. In fact, they've been the opposite. Mormons as a general rule entirely respect people with different beliefs.... If you're trying to be a good person, then we respect you.
Where you are going wrong, is your confusing your Bigotry with being actual "difference of opinion". What we don't like, is anti-mormon bigotry, that's no different than any other bigot of the world, be if Fanatical Islam, the KKK, Anti-Semites, etc.
Why do you think people would want to be around and respect bigots??? People who falsely judge and degrade you every day of the week???
Further, "deliberate" or not, lying and bigotry is still lying and bigotry.
The standard is that we are not to "bear false witness"..... That is a lot stronger of a demand than simple "do not lie".
I don't believe in a lot of things..... But, I DO NOT LIE about them..... I do not EVER falsely represent them. I may make a "rare" mistake if I'm not an expert or have forgotten something. But that's different from what you people do, where your every word about us is false and falsely and unrighteously degrading.
Ever taken a "World Religions" class in Institute??? Ever taken a college religion class or read a professional book by some scholar that wasn't based in bigotry, but simply shared what other religions actually teach and believe???
Anti-Mormonism doesn't do that.... Everything you people say about Mormonism and Mormons is perversion, lies, falsely degrading, etc. That's not simple "difference of opinion" that's lying. Further, I actually know what I'm talking about as both a convert to the Church from many a religion and no religion, and having also left it and was anti-mormon and anti-religion.
I actually know what it's like to be a bigot on the other side. I said ALL the same crap you people say about the Church and religion. Do you really think your "special"? It's not US who are arrogant, it's you people. We are perfectly happy associating with all kinds of people who believe differently than us..... are you telling me you haven't noticed??? So, why don't you reflect on maybe what YOU are doing different than the rest of the world out there that WE GET ALONG JUST FINE WITH???
True, now I'm a bigot against bigotry, but I'm at least attacking actual evil and wrong, not simply sincere differences of opinion and belief. Anti-mormonism is not simply opinion and belief, it's bigotry in it's every essence!
