At the weekly gathering of anti-Mormons who meet after Shawn McCraney's show, a couple of new people were there. A father and son, they had been members of the LDS church, but no longer were. We had about 45 minutes of very pleasant conversation about work and family, and as they were getting ready to leave, I mentioned I was an active Mormon. Immediately the son commented how "F-ed up" I must be, and while his father asked questions about things related to the temple which he didn't really care to hear an answer, the son kept saying things like "if we were in a court of law you would lose". As I pointed out they were misquoting the first of the ten commandments, (they kept saying the 1st commandment said there are no other gods, instead of we should have no gods beside god, a significant actual and historical difference), they insisted I stop using the Bible to show they were misquoting the Ten Commandments, the information on Melchezidek in Hebrews, and Stephen seeing God and Christ in Acts 7. Instead the son, Maurice, got more and more agitated to the point he looked like he wanted to fight. I pointed out how unChrist-like his demeanor was, and he started shouting, to the point the restaurant staff told him to be quite, as he left using the f-word repeatedly to describe how stupid I was.
Well, I am stupid. But I am pretty sure those words weren't the language of love Jesus intended us to use on our fellow men.
There was the typical bully attitude in all of this as well. Maurice said several times I should go on Shawn McCraney's show and be displayed as a fool. While I have no real desire to be on Shawn's program, Shawn has stated several times publicly he won't have knowledgeable Mormons on his show, and I am told he told some folks I know privately that he would never have me on his show. So Maurice's dream trouncing event of me by Shawn will fall into unrequited desire.
For the record, several of the other Christians around me were mortified by Maurice's conduct, and apologized for his behavior. Reed commented that he felt I certainly had won that exchange. There really is no winner in this kind of exchange because nothing is accomplished.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
How sad when someone falls away from the Church. I admire your courage in battling anti-mormon tyranny head on.Shawn's show will be going soon from what I hear.
Man, I wish I knew that younger kid. I would love to have a long, albeit peaceful on my part, talk with him. Maybe the spirit of a convert can show him something. Just some thoughts.
Interesting, but typical, of true anti-Mormons I've had discussions with over the years. To me, they act as if my continued faithfulness to the church is somehow a threat to their own personal salvation. Thus the anger displayed on their part. When I've voiced my observation about that to them, that's when they really seem to get wound up. Sad.
Woah, these comments don't try to perpetuate stereotypes do they?
My life and my family’s lives have been threatened by ‘good’ active Latter-day Saints! Shawn has been threatened. People have been killed by ‘good’ active Latter-day Saints.
So should I stereotype all Mormons as being violent brainwashed cultists? Because it’s typical of True Believing Mormons? By these poster’s logic, I should be able to.
Yeah, that kid was out of line. Yet, what is the point of trying to stereotype people that have left the church as angry and tyrannical? Seems to me that you have utilize logical fallacies to come to grips with people leaving the church for legitimate reasons.
I am not sure if you are saying I stereotyped the kid, or if you are aiming that comment at Jedi. But I specifically mentioned some of those Christian present were themselves ashamed of Maurice's actions.
That being said, there is a real difference between approaches. Anti-Mormons are, in my opinion, mostly groups of people who are feeling threatened because the Mormons reject their beliefs. They also typically rationalize their double-standards about viewing religious circumstances. I grant that is a generalization, but it is based on meeting hundreds of anti-Mormons.
As for being threatened by "Good" Mormons, I don't doubt it. But I get insulted and verbally attacked weekly. I have found there are a lot more "Christians" willing to insult the things holy to Mormons. It is a pretty broad double standard.
Post a Comment