Legacy Mormons and confusion...

[Moksha]

'Legacy Mormons' sowing global confusion

By Bruce K. Church

Updated: 12/04/2009 03:27:37 PM MST

For 27 years I have had the opportunity to visit vast and varied regions of the world because of my employment with an airline. I can travel virtually free anywhere my airline goes, and practically free on most other carriers because of generous reciprocal agreements. This perk has afforded me the opportunity to be an ambassador for my country and my "peculiar" state.

No matter where in the world I go, when people ask me where I come from and I tell them Utah, the next words out of their mouths are almost always the same: "So you must be Mormon."

I always respond in the affirmative and tell them how wonderful I think the state and the people are, especially all the Mormons. I go on and on about the kindness of Utahns and the beautiful scenery and the many things and places visitors can see and enjoy in my "pretty great state."

I am sincerely proud of my Mormon heritage and my liberal Mormon family.

The next thing I do if I happen to be in a restaurant or bar is order a frosty cold beer and ask my new friends if they would like to join me. The confusion on their faces is to die for.

"I thought Mormons don't drink," they say. I tell them that while most of them don't, I am a "legacy Mormon" whose family was in the LDS Church before the mid-1840s, when the Word of Wisdom was amended to discourage alcohol consumption, and therefore that rule doesn't apply to us.

"That's interesting!" they say. And they want to know more.

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If you are hooked on this story, read more here:

'Legacy Mormons' sowing global confusion - Salt Lake Tribune

:)

[Guest mormonmusic]

I read the article (at first I thought you were talking about yourself Moksha, due to missing the newspaper items at the top of your post!).

I've done the same thing myself, as a joke. I had a co-worker who use to be a "deprogrammer" -- someone who would try to alter the beliefs of people who believed in cults. He would come to me asking questions about the Church all the time, with the forgone conclusion that anything I would say was strainge or weird.

He was also a professional comedian and after a trip to Las Vegas, told me he saw the Mormon Casino on the hill (an irreverent reference to the Temple). Also that he was in a gift store and found a Mormon version of those keychains which beep when you clap your hands, telling you where you put your keys. The Mormon version, he said, has a feature where Brigham Young appears and points to your lost keys saying "This is the Right Place".

One day he asked me what I got my wife for Valenties Day. I said "As Mormons, we don't believe in celebrating Valentines Day". He asked why -- I replied "Because it's a pagan event, and coincides with the date of Armaggedon as prophesied by Joseph Smith. For us, Valentines Day is a day of fasting and prayer, and none of us are allowed to attend work on that day. Nor are we allowed to tell our spouses we love them".

He asked "REALLY?" and started asking all kinds of follow-up questions.

I finally told him I was joking around and that I got my wife a photo album so she could keep the pictures of my 15 wives and all our children in one place. Then I told him I was kidding and that I got her a box of chocolates and a card.

Edited December 6, 2009 by mormonmusic
grammatical error

[Moksha]

One day he asked me what I got my wife for Valentines Day. I said "As Mormons, we don't believe in celebrating Valentines Day". He asked why -- I replied "Because it's a pagan event, and coincides with the date of Armageddon as prophesied by Joseph Smith. For us, Valentines Day is a day of fasting and prayer, and none of us are allowed to attend work on that day. Nor are we allowed to tell our spouses we love them".

He asked "REALLY?" and started asking all kinds of follow-up questions.

I finally told him I was joking around and that I got my wife a photo album so she could keep the pictures of my 15 wives and all our children in one place. Then I told him I was kidding and that I got her a box of chocolates and a card.

A stroke of genius, Mormonmusic!

.

[Vort]

'Legacy Mormons' sowing global confusion

What Brother Church does not mention is that his old Mormon family joined the Church before the law of chastity was revealed, so therefore it doesn't apply to him, either.

He's almost right when he says he's a "Mormon". He just uses one too many "m"s.

[miztrniceguy]

lol vort .....only took me 3.2 seconds to get it.

[talisyn]

I thought it was a pretty funny article. You can have a whole lot of fun with people, I just wish I didn't have such a fear of lightning strikes

I was telling my daughter about a few antimormon beliefs. Her eyes got really big when I told her about filing down the horns, then I caught her a few hours later feeling her head for bumps. She's a baby Goth right now and I think she was disappointed.

[NeuroTypical]

We once had a petsitter who was basically scared to death of death of mormonism, and always worried of offending us, or getting killed by us, or something. It was like she was expecting lizards to jump out of our ears.

After one vacation, she nervously explained that during our vacation, one of our dogs had escaped and had been lost for about an hour, before being found and brought back safely. My wife did a great deadpan: "Well, we're glad you found her, because it's against our religion for you to lose our dog."

We had her hook, line, and sinker - for about 3 full seconds. She lightened up a lot after that.

LM

[Moksha]

She lightened up a lot after that.

LM

Is laughter the best medicine or what?

:)