The Term Anti-Mormon

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_honorentheos
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Re: The Term Anti-Mormon

Post by _honorentheos »

The Pews Research Center's findings suggest the question about why Mormons are primed to leave for atheism/unaffiliated (implying an anomaly compared to other religions) is flawed from the outset. While it's true that many do follow this route, the same phenomena are evident in most US religions - to a larger degree actually based on total numbers.

Brief

Chapter 2, where there's some interesting data

From Chapter 2:

The unaffiliated group provides a good example of the high degree of religious movement that has taken place in the U.S. Overall, 3.9% of the adult population reports being raised without any particular religious affiliation but later affiliating with a religious group. However, more than three times as many people (12.7% of the adult population overall) were raised in a particular faith but have since become unaffiliated with any religious group.

A similar dynamic is at work within Catholicism, but with very different results. Overall, 2.6% of
the U.S. adult population has switched their affiliation to Catholic after being raised in another faith or in no faith at all. But nearly four times as many people (10.1% of the adult population overall) were raised in the Catholic Church but have since left for another faith or for no faith at all.


I'd also suggest checking out the table on page 29.

Whatever the causes are, it seems it's something that is more complex than "Mormonism is a sick religion".

I think one aspect of this that is unique to Mormonism over traditional Christian faiths is the boundary between them. The boundary between various forms of Protestantism is much more permeable than between Mormonism and other faiths. I suspect a person who is socially unhappy with a congregation outside of Mormonism has more options than the Mormon who is unhappy in their ward. That by itself probably acts as a buffer to more extensive crisis of faith that might lead to a full-on paradigm shift.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Nov 28, 2012 5:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
The world is always full of the sound of waves..but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows it's depth?
~ Eiji Yoshikawa
_honorentheos
_Emeritus
Posts: 11104
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:17 am

Re: The Term Anti-Mormon

Post by _honorentheos »

Ceeboo wrote:DISCLAIMER (For My Fellow MDB Member Honorentheos)

The following Ceeboo post is only the opinion of Ceeboo.
I own the following opinion.
I have no mask on when offering this opinion.
I have no alterior motives behind this post.
I do not like Mormonism.
I do like people (including Mormons and atheists)

:smile:
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:) It's all good, Ceebs.
The world is always full of the sound of waves..but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows it's depth?
~ Eiji Yoshikawa
_honorentheos
_Emeritus
Posts: 11104
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 5:17 am

Re: The Term Anti-Mormon

Post by _honorentheos »

RockSlider wrote:
honorentheos wrote:Then I'd feel safe in saying you are anti-Mormon.


So be honest here honor ... from an Chapel Mormons point of view, does this mean that Ceeboo is under Satanic influences?

I don't mean to trigger off some Chapel Mormon debate and only use that term to pin point the question to a member that has not interacted with various online Mormon boards, but are going on what they have been taught in weekly Church meetings all of their lives.

I was tempted to parody Ceeboo in answering you but that wouldn't be nice. He feels hounded, I'll back off.

To answer your question, I don't know. From a Chapel Mormon's view I think that Ceeboo may best fit this description:

D&C 123: 12

12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—


If by your question you mean my applying the label anti-Mormon to Ceeboo would cause a chapel Mormon to think of him as under the influence of satan - well I don't know what to say to that. God save the chapel Mormon who takes my word so cavalierly.

But based on our interaction in this thread, I do think Ceeboo is well described by the term "anti-Mormon". Since there were many, many pages in this thread and elsewhere on the board describing the more conventional uses of the term, I feel justified in exploring a new one. It seemed like he was unsatisfied with where those previous definitions left him as well. Having done so, I think so long as our friend Ceeboo has no reason to explore a nuanced view of Mormonism's influence on a person that allows for it to be good for people (which seems like it conflicts with his views of Mormonism in the abstract), I think it's safe to say he's anti-Mormon. It doesn't matter if he likes them as individual people. If I missed that he does see good in Mormonism itself and how it affects individual members, then I would reconsider if the label is appropriate.

Personally, I don't feel bad if a member thinks of me as anti-Mormon. It's their view, they can own it if they wish.
The world is always full of the sound of waves..but who knows the heart of the sea, a hundred feet down? Who knows it's depth?
~ Eiji Yoshikawa
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