Mormons unfavorable image

[john doe]

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

Plausible deniability? Did anyone from the church use that phrase? More likely they were encouraging others, real people to get involved. They knew that for the vote to pass, they would have to involve real people who could vote. They wanted the people to get involved, not push themselves to the forefront of the action.

[Wingnut]

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.

Call me stupid, but what's the "p" word?

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

That's what I thought when I read that sentence. It would be more accurate to state that 37% do not know if they know a Mormon.

[prisonchaplain]

I read through the article, but do not know what to make of it. Protestants and Catholics don't like LDS theology. Perhaps many people don't like early morning tracting. However, it's always been my understanding that most people think you all make great neighbors. Last year I met an old high school buddy who is pretty much nonreligious. He has LDS neighbors and friends and speaks very highly of them. One was called to be a bishop, and even admitted he was somewhat hesitant (super busy to take on the burden)--though it was clear he would accept it.

So...just what is the negative perception? What does it really mean? The article only mentions polygamy and the vague question of whether the church is Christian or not. The first demonstrates ignorance, and the latter could mean just about anything.

Kudos to FAIR for the boldness to address the study, but too bad the study was not more detailed.

[RanMan]

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.

Yes, I can see where promoting family values wold be problematic in gaining public acceptance.

I think the fact is that God's people on Earth will not be viewed in a favorable light by a goodly section of the world. Sticking to a higher moral standard tends to draw a negative reaction from those who do not.

:)

[RanMan]

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.

I have. So far, if I am looking for dis-information, ex-LDS are the best source for it. Discussions with them have reinforced my faith in the Church.

:)

[Maya]

Anybody explain plase: plausible deniability

IMHO is that the anties are just taking prpo 8 to ride on in order to make trouble to us. They see a great possibility to point out our stand calling it discriminating gay people, as in fact we do not discriminate them we just dont approve what they are doing. Just like parents dont always approve what kids are doing, but they stil love them.

I heard that gays themselves are mostly very quiet people and most making a noice in this are anties.

[hordak]

Call me stupid, but what's the "p" word?

Ok stupid:p;).

I believe he is referring to polygamy

[Wingnut]

Ok stupid:p;).

I believe he is referring to polygamy

Thanks. I couldn't figure out what the heck he would be trying to censor. Polygamy is such a bad word, you know.

[Elgama]

Well we are kinda weird what do we expect:)

[Sean1427]

HoosierGuy, in response to my post that Mormons have a favorable image among Muslims, you wrote: "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." Let me share some thoughts I had as I read your reply.

First, I'm unsure what you mean by suggesting that perhaps "beliefs in the next life" is one of the things that makes Mormons popular among Muslims. Most every religion has a belief in the next life, so I'm not quite sure how Muslims would find our beliefs more to their liking than the beliefs other faiths might have.

Second, it's doubtful that Muslims are thinking about a common focus the two religions have on a prophet. This, of course, brings up an interesting point. Muslims consider us Christians right along with all the 1,000s of other Christian denominations. They also believe that God has spoken to all His children. But because they believe the Mohammed is the seal or last of the prophets, they believe that any religion founded after Mohammed would be a false religion. It's obvious what this means for Mormons. And if Muslims were thinking about this and were strict about its implications, we would be excluded from Christianity and from being among the People of the Book. Yet despite this glaring disconnect, they accept us as Christians and have a higher respect for us than they seem to have for any other Christian denomination. But again, they're not focused on our common belief in prophets. But more to your point, I've never had any Muslim in the ME ever talk to me about our common focus on prophets. The opposite is actually the case. When I share with those who admire us our belief in prophets, they're actually quite surprised that we have similar beliefs on this point.

As for the "p" word, which I assume is a reference to polygamy, it's unlikely that the typical Muslim is even thinking of the "p" word. Polygamy is actually quite rare in the Muslim world for a simple reason most Americans can figure out if they take the time to think about it--economics. It's simply too expensive to have a second wife, much less a third or fourth. It's not just the expense of having another wife, it's also the expense of having another family. Any American male who has re-married after a divorce, has had children from both marriages, and has to pay alimony to his first wife and child support for children of his first marriage while at the same time try to support his current wife and family could certainly understand how difficult having more than one wife is. Supporting a second, third, and fourth wife is even more difficult in third world nations, where it's hard enough to support just one wife and family. Muslim lands are all third world. And it would be a very great mistake to think that Saudis, for instance, drive BMWs and Mercedes. Most Saudis are poor and have great difficulty just providing for one wife and family. The way they survive is the same way families do in all third world nations--everyone in the family pitches in financially to provide for the family. The reality is that the vast majority of Muslims are monogamists just like us.

What they like about us is something other than polygamy, prophets or the afterlife. Naturally, when they found out about these things, the affinity and admiration they have for us might become stronger. But these things are not what they admire about us in the first place. Rather, it's our common lifestyle that's results from having similar beliefs. They admire our focus and emphasis on family. They admire our modesty in dress, which is similar to their emphasis on the same. They admire our clean living because of the Word of Wisdom, which is similar to their dietary laws. When we live in their lands, they don't have to worry about what problems might result. They appreciate the fact that we're respectful of their wishes not to proselytize in violation of their laws after we are in the country. (We even have an arrangment not to proselytize anyone from those lands who might be returning.) They admire and respect what the Church as a Church has done for the Muslim people, how we have worked with them continually and done so in a respectful way. The Church has a good name in the ME because of what it's done and has been doing for a long time. But when I speak of the Church, I speak of it collectively, as an organization directed from SLC, not individually. And the Church, along with BYU, simply has a very good reputation in the Muslim world.

My point was the irony that while Mormons in the US have a bad image among some fellow Christians and Americans, we do have a good image among Muslims in the Middle East and beyond, who obviously are not Christian, and most of whom are not American.

Edited August 9, 2010 by Sean1427

[yorkiebeebs]

Ok stupid:p;).

I believe he is referring to polygamy

I thought it was prophet

[Maya]

Anybody explain plase: plausible deniability... what does it mean ???

[UrbanFool]

It means that the church/president/whoever can deny knowing anything about a topic or action, and pretty much get away with it.

[Just_A_Guy]

It means that the church/president/whoever can deny knowing anything about a topic or action, and pretty much get away with it.

Yup . . . or in other words, that a denial on the part of the Church regarding its involvement, would be plausible (i.e., no paper trail).

[HoosierGuy]

Ok stupid:p;).

I believe he is referring to polygamy

Not polygamy on earth, in the next life. Both focus heavily on prophets and both feature polygamy in the next life. Good righteous living? You can find other churches that push that too, the LDS church does have a monopoly on that. So all of that plus Islam, or at least the people who lead it, like to mix government with religion, something I think the LDS church leans toward also - a theocracy. Notice I said "leans" toward. No need to quote the 12th article of faith. Islam and the LDS church are not the only churches that would like to have a theocracy, they aren't the only ones.

[Moksha]

In addressing this problem of how to create a more favorable image for Mormons, it would seem important not to blame the world for their low standards compared to us, as the culprit. Attitudes of arrogance on our part simply cannot suffice as an answer. We have many endearing and admirable qualities that are being missed in the public perception. It is those positive qualities that we need to stress.

Let me bring in one of my suggestions from the past: Making missions more service oriented. When people see our inherent goodness, they will want what we have to offer.

[Cassiopeia]

I guess I'm just naive or something but I do have a lot of non-LDS friends. All of them say the kindest things about our church. They giggle at the young elders and commend them for their sacrifice.

Statistics are always skewed by the people conducting the research. It can be as simple as the questions or choices being flawed.

I'm not overly concerned about how to make the image of a Mormon more favorable. In my mind, it's how we live and treat others that creates that image. Every member can be a missionary by serving our neighbors and community without it being our calling to do so.

My mother was a Presbyterian her entire life. She did so much community service that no one questioned her motives. She didn't just serve in her church, she served on school boards and PTA's and for our local volunteer fire department.

Once when I asked her why she was taking food to this lady who had horribly misused my mother and gossiped about her, my mother said, "God expects me to give to those who don't have. If I have a shirt and my neighbor doesn't, then I'm to give them the shirt off my own back. That's what your Grandpa taught me and that's what I expect my kids to do."

I learned from her, service isn't a calling, it's a way of life. If we want to change something that some statistician came up with then it will be because we don't limit our vision to the scope of our church callings and brothers and sisters in the church. We will raise our eyes to the horizon to see more of our father's children that are encompassed in this life.