Is Mormonism mediocre religion?

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_Scottie
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Post by _Scottie »

Maxrep wrote:
Scottie wrote:I know that a lot of you here believe that absolutely nothing good can come from the Mormon church. I strongly disagree with that. Some people are just pre-programmed to need religion in their lives. Mormonism isn't a bad way to go for these people. I believe that these kinds of people are truly more happy with Mormonism in their lives than without it. They need the structure.


Completely agree. I will give props to the institution for the positive influence it provides for those who enjoy the format. This fact is overshadowed by the lack of choice in the matter that most members experience in real life.

At the ripe age of 8, how many children whose parents are TBM, decline baptism? The answer is none, as there is no choice in the matter for all practical purposes. I'll be blunt is well, there is a level of brainwashing that takes place with Mormon youth.

Why is it that any apologist could take their social, educational, and economic peers, allow them to study the whole of Mormonism, and then not have any success with their conversion? The answer is simply that without indoctrination, and with a REAL choice, our peers want nothing to do with the church. They have no family ties, social ties, or heritage to influence their participation in Mormonism.

I believe any critic can recognize good where it exists freely, but not under force or coercion.

I'll agree with most of what you say here. Yes, there is a level of brainwashing. But, I believe that those that are pre-programmed to need religion will stay Mormons. A few that are more apt to a non-religious lifestyle will stay a member due to this brainwashing, and they will most likely find Mormonism an empty, unfulfilling way of life. But I also believe most of these types will eventually find their way out. Especially now with the internet becoming such a force.
_moksha
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Post by _moksha »

How can any religion that adds innovation be mediocre?
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_Mercury
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Post by _Mercury »

moksha wrote:How can any religion that adds innovation be mediocre?


Press releases and easilly deployed mandates to wear one pair of earrings is not innovation. THere is nothing new and innovative about the LDS church in the past 60 years.
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_Roger Morrison
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Post by _Roger Morrison »

moksha wrote:How can any religion that adds innovation be mediocre?


With "mediocre innovations"??? Warm regards, Roger :-)
_SatanWasSetUp
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Post by _SatanWasSetUp »

It's actually a pretty ingenius business model. Let's say the average family income (in the US) is $60K. That's $6000 a year per family, or $500 per month. If they update their manuals with new material, that would cut into their profit. It's cheaper just to update the covers. And you're wrong about it being a mediocre religion. In the religious world marketplace Mormonism isn't even mediocre, it's irrelevant.
"We of this Church do not rely on any man-made statement concerning the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly from the personal experience of Joseph Smith." - Gordon B. Hinckley

"It's wrong to criticize leaders of the Mormon Church even if the criticism is true." - Dallin H. Oaks
_Some Schmo
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Post by _Some Schmo »

This topic threatens to snap my brain in half.

"Mediocre" is a relative term. To call TSCC a mediocre religion indicates that some religions are better than others somehow, and if you're going to say that, then you have to define the criteria from which you're basing your assessment.

If, as the original post indicates, the criterion for religious superiority is "how innovative is the religion?" then, well, you must then determine to what aspect of the church you're referring. Are we talking gospel, business, recruitment, or retention, for examples?

I have a feeling you were talking about gospel innovations, and if there's any religion in the world that likes to make up crap as they go (calling it "continued revelation") it's the Mormons. Of course, it's not really like they're trying to come up with creative new ways to sell their religion as much as patch holes in the existing infrastructure they've got (which is why blacks can hold the priesthood now, and it's only a matter of time before gay temple marriages start happening).

But I don't actually equate mediocrity with a lack of innovation. And the fact is, all religions provide a mediocre way to live your life, so in that sense, they are all equal and no relative terms are necessary.
God belief is for people who don't want to live life on the universe's terms.
_Runtu
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Post by _Runtu »

I don't know. I would give the church an A for effort, in that it seems to work really hard at fulfilling its stated mission. For artistic merit, if I were just basing it on the Book of Mormon alone, I'd give it a D (chloroform in print, indeed). The creativity of the Book of Abraham and the pronouncements on such stuff as Enish-go-on-doshling are sort of canceled out by the miserable architecture and bland artistic output.

As for technical difficulty, I'd say they've put forth an impossible goal (filling the earth) and have so far failed rather spectacularly.

But then again, mediocrity is such a subjective term. I would imagine that, judged by the standards most members hold, the church has been a resounding success.
Runtu's Rincón

If you just talk, I find that your mouth comes out with stuff. -- Karl Pilkington
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