Mormons unfavorable image

[Moksha]

By R. Scott Lloyd

Church Deseret News staff writer

Published: Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010 12:44 a.m. MDT

SANDY — More Americans have a strongly unfavorable impression of Mormons than a strongly favorable one — by a ratio of 5-to-1 — and it's up to Mormons themselves to correct the situation, a public opinion pollster said Friday.

"We've been doing missionary work for 180 years," Lawrence said. "I'd say the delivery vehicles are arriving, but the freight isn't being off-loaded, and that's our fault."

Lawrence addressed the annual conference of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research convening Thursday and Friday at the South Towne Exposition Center.

Your thoughts?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700054363/Mormons-need-to-work-to-increase-favor.html

[UrbanFool]

People really hate the missionaries knocking on their doors.

[Wingnut]

I think there may be some confusion with that, too, because the Jehovah's Witnesses also do door-to-door proselyting, but I'm pretty sure they don't keep area books or keep track of where they've been in the last six months nearly so well as the LDS do. I've been knocked by JWs probably five times in the last less-than-six months. They dress similarly to our missionaries, so it could be easy for someone who just doesn't want proselyters at all to confuse JWs for Mormons and vice-versa.

[UrbanFool]

Well I'd be interested in the JW's favorability in comparison to Mormons, but you have a good point there. A door to door pest is probably the same to most people.

Almost on a daily basis, I find myself telling my husband --Hey, so and so is a Mormon, so there are a lot of us out there.

[yorkiebeebs]

There seems to be a campaign to spread misinformation about the LDS Church. It's usually from organized, very angry former members. Satan wouldn't waste his time on a church that isn't saving souls. That's a good sign.

I think the more visible the real LDS Church is the less power the hate mongrels will have.

[UrbanFool]

There seems to be a campaign to spread misinformation about the LDS Church. It's usually from organized, very angry former members. Satan wouldn't waste his time on a church that isn't saving souls. That's a good sign.

I think the more visible the real LDS Church is the less power the hate mongrels will have.

Hence the new advertising campaign.

[john doe]

Some People really hate the missionaries knocking on their doors.

Fixed it for you.

[Soulsearcher]

There seems to be a campaign to spread misinformation about the LDS Church. It's usually from organized, very angry former members. Satan wouldn't waste his time on a church that isn't saving souls. That's a good sign.

I think the more visible the real LDS Church is the less power the hate mongrels will have.

The problem is, while yes there are those trying to paint the church in a bad light, that's not where all of the unfavorable thoughts are coming from. There are things the church has done and do now that give people a much less than favorable view.

[john doe]

I'm not a statistician, but I wonder about the accuracy or representation sample of all Americans when you only poll 1,000 of them out of a population of 300+ million. It seems to me you would need a larger sampling to make sweeping claims such as he has. Maybe one of you math guys can enlighten me on that if you're bored enough to use small words and short sentences.

[john doe]

The problem is, while yes there are those trying to paint the church in a bad light, that's not where all of the unfavorable thoughts are coming from. There are things the church has done and do now that give people a much less than favorable view.

You're talking, of course, about the LDS Church's humanitarian efforts. I agree, a lot of Baptists probably hate us for that. Oh, and gays too.

[Soulsearcher]

You're talking, of course, about the LDS Church's humanitarian efforts. I agree, a lot of Baptists probably hate us for that. Oh, and gays too.

No one has denied the church does good things for the community in times of need,though obviously that's not what they were best known for or this thread might not exist. The leadership knows it has a less than stellar image and because of that they didn't want to end up where they were during prop 8. Their own documents have said that they wanted others to take the fore front and they wanted plausible deniability on just how involved they were in the fight. So even leadership has this topic on their minds.

When Mormons Mobilize: Anti-Gay Marriage Prop. 8 Effort ?Outed?? roger hollander

Edited August 8, 2010 by Soulsearcher

[bytor2112]

No one has denied the church does good things for the community in times of need,though obviously that's not what they were best known for or this thread might not exist. The leadership knows it has a less than stellar image and because of that they didn't want to end up where they were during prop 8. Their own documents have said that they wanted others to take the fore front and they wanted plausible deniability on just how involved they were in the fight. So even leadership has this topic on their minds.

When Mormons Mobilize: Anti-Gay Marriage Prop. 8 Effort ?Outed?? roger hollander

Funny...the Prop. 8 effort is one of the few times that other Christian Churches have sided with us. So, I don't think we are unpopular because of Prop. 8....maybe with gay activists.

[Soulsearcher]

Funny...the Prop. 8 effort is one of the few times that other Christian Churches have sided with us. So, I don't think we are unpopular because of Prop. 8....maybe with gay activists.

There's a lot of people even out side the activists that didn't like the way it was fought, you can see evidence of that on this forum alone.

[spamlds]

I've read some of these demographic studies and surveys. To me they're bogus. They make some assumptions that are not based in doctrine. One secular demographer used his data to show that, at current rates of decline in Christian church membership, there will be no more Christians in the United States by 2240.

Here are some things we need to understand:

1. The Church will never be large compared to the Gentiles around it. 1 Neph 14:12 says:

"And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw."

The "dominion" of the saints is (and will be) small because of the wickedness of the "great whore" of fallen Christianity. For two years I ran the Society for the Prevention of Anti-Mormonism. I was amazed at the scope, organization, and money that is poured into disinformation about the Church. There are over 800 parachurches and ministries in the U.S. that are organized for the intent of hindering the progress of the Church. It is a miracle to me that we are as large as we are and that we experience as much growth as we do.

2. Daniel prophesied in the last days that the "beast" will "wear out the saints of the most High" and that they will be given into his hand for a period of time. The time will come when the kingdom of God will prevail. Until then, we will be under the dominion of secular kingdoms, subject to their laws, and opposed by their philosophies.

3. John, in the Revelation, pointed out that the beast-kingdom would "make war with the saints, and to overcome them..." for a time in the last days. (Revelation 13:7) Again, we do face and we will face organized opposition. That's to be expected. It will always look like we're losing until the very end when Christ comes.

4. The "times of the Gentiles" will be fulfilled in this generation. Doctrine and Covenants 45:28-30 says:

"And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel; But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

There will be an eventual decline in missionary success among the Gentiles at some point. I'm not saying we're there now, but it's anticipated. At that point, missionary efforts will focus on the house of Israel. The ending of the times of the Gentiles brings great judgments upon the wicked.

5. The Gentile nations will collapse as a result of corruption, wickedness, and their rejection of the gospel. Zion will rise from the collapse and the few remaining among the Gentiles who seek righteousness will have to flee to Zion. D&C 45:66-69 states:

"And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God; nd the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another."

Demographers and statisticians assume that conditions will remain somewhat constant. They don't and can't account for Divine intervention. The Lord will hasten his work and gather the elect from among the nations. The Church will do what it can to help missionary work move forward, but the Lord will run his own "PR campaign" when he sees fit.

Don't be discouraged by what these "experts" say. Follow the prophets and prepare.

[Sean1427]

Interestingly, Mormons have a very favorable image among Muslims. Even more interesting is that one of the biggest problems Mormons face in the ME is not really from Muslims but rather from fellow Christians. Two or three examples, perhaps. One I was conversing with a Saudi colleague about Mormon and Muslim views on various topics. A third colleague, who was Christian and had spent a number of years living in Utah, had been listening in on our conversation from another table. As he got up to leave, he approached Essam and me and told Essam that when he was conversing with me about religion, Essam needed to understand that Mormons are not Christian. When it comes to attending church in Saudi, it's the fellow Christians you have to keep an eye out for. And in Egypt, where Christians meet openly, again it's our fellow Christians who are creating problems for and spreading disinformation about the Mormons. I suspect this particular phenomenon in the ME is just a matter of carrying our baggage with us. While one may be in a foreign land, he is still the same person he was before, having the same mindset, attitudes, views, and behavior that he had back home. Nothing really changes within an individual just because he crosses a border.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Sean1427

[Just_A_Guy]

Their own documents have said that they wanted others to take the fore front

Yes. That's Campaigning 101 - have the more respected/established groups take the lead on any organized initiaitive.

and they wanted plausible deniability on just how involved they were in the fight.

I don't think the documents establish that, at all. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to keep the Church institutionally at arms-length from the campaign--historical precedent, tax reasons, trying not to alienate those members who aren't politically minded or disagree with the initiative . . . et cetera. To the extent that the Church was directly involved, that was all disclosed--about $150K was disclosed late, yes (in January with the final report rather than November when it was made) and about $20-$30K slipped through the cracks and wasn't disclosed at all. The CFPPC rightly saw it as nothing to get too worked up about, and gave the Church a slap-on-the-wrist penalty.

But you and I are probably both experiencing some confirmation bias as we go through the primary documents here.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Just_A_Guy

[ADoyle90815]

Even though other Christian churches helped with Prop 8 being passed, some of those churches still have a negative view of the LDS church.

[Just_A_Guy]

Even though other Christian churches helped with Prop 8 being passed, some of those churches still have a negative view of the LDS church.

Some

?

[Soulsearcher]

Some?

Was actually one of the quotes i laughed at hardest in the prop 8 movie. some guy was commenting on how much he disagreed with the mormons and such, but ended it off with, but thanks for the money, you really came through lol.

[Just_A_Guy]

Was actually one of the quotes i laughed at hardest in the prop 8 movie. some guy was commenting on how much he disagreed with the mormons and such, but ended it off with, but thanks for the money, you really came through lol.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Seriously--I suspect that quote is there because the producers want the Mormons to feel like they were played by other religions who really engineered the whole thing and got those gullible Mormons to do their bidding (wait--I thought it was Mormons who were the puppet-masters here?). But people who make this appeal (or Protestants who feel like they succeeded in manipulating us based on our desire to be liked) fail to understand a basic facet of Mormonism:

We want other religions' converts, not their respect. And our involvement in Proposition 8 had nothing to do with either.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Just_A_Guy

[Moksha]

One point to consider is that this poll was conducted before Proposition 8 and the Mormon participation in this campaign was known. I suspect the ratio of unfavorable to favorable has increased since that time.

Like all feedback that is not flattering, this one stings. However, feedback is always necessary if we are to shift approaches, if indeed we wish to be viewed favorably. At least a favorable view would make achieving the four Church mission goals much easier and effective. Kudos to FAIR for allowing this feedback to be presented.

[HoosierGuy]

Interestingly, Mormons have a very favorable image among Muslims. Even more interesting is that one of the biggest problems Mormons face in the ME is not really from Muslims but rather from fellow Christians.

And why would that be? Possibly the beliefs of the next life and the "P" word and both focus heavily on a prophet? I've also heard LDS mention similarities between Islam and LDS.

Perhaps LDS should ask ex-Mormons about unfavorable views. Around here when I bring up religion with people I work with or meet, I seem to meet more ex-Mormons than current Mormons.

[Just_A_Guy]

And why would that be? Possibly the beliefs of the next life and the "P" word and both focus heavily on a prophet? I've also heard LDS mention similarities between Islam and LDS.

Well, that and the fact that if a Muslim hears that Mormons aren't "Christian", he's not liable to be terribly nonplussed about the revelation.

[Hemidakota]

Your thoughts?

Mormons need to work to increase favor | Deseret News

Then I know I am in the right place if world's opinion is against the church. This is no different of the times of Christ mortal ministry of the Jews if I would poll them.

[UrbanFool]

While Mormons think they are known to the public, "37 percent of Americans do not know a Mormon, and 55 percent never met anybody like you," he said, presuming most of his listeners were active Latter-day Saints.

PFFT. I'll bet that people know a lot more Mormons than they think they do.