WARNING: this post may be deemed controversial and is not exactly light reading.
Want to learn something about me?
I'm a self-educated Mormon scholar.
Let me explain. I am a Christian and I am not a Mormon. (Although Mormons also describe themselves as Christians- more on that in another post). Nevertheless, I have developed a burning curiousity about this odd religion. We can blame it on the fact that while I was in college I dated guy who was Mormon. Or maybe the fact that I used to drive around the Washington DC beltway and wonder what purpose of the huge, white Mormon DC Temple was.
The thing is, it seems innocuous enough on the surface. I attended ward meetings (church) with said Ex-Boyfriend and it was interesting, but not terribly different than other church meetings. That is until I started reading up on church history and the tenets of their belief system.
For those who are completely unfamiliar here's the (very, VERY basic) background: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (or "LDS") follows the teachings of Joseph Smith, who was "led by god" to a set of buried golden plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon (which was supposed to be a new testament of Jesus, supplemental to the Bible). His followers (Mormons) traveled west and settled in what is now Utah.
You may have noticed that Mormons have been in the news lately- the raid of the Fundamentalist LDS compound in Texas got a lot of publicity a few years ago and just last week the former "Prophet" of that compound was convicted on two counts of sexual assault of underage girls. What you may not know is that the "modern" LDS church does not recognize these "Fundamentalists" as being Mormons. The modern LDS church holds that this "breakaway sect" is misguided and not led by the true Prophet (think Pope of the LDS church)- basically they've gone astray.
It's statements like this that bother me:
"The FLDS, which has at least 10,000 members, is a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism and believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven." (from The Washington Post article on Warren Jeffs' conviction.)
The thing is, if you look at LDS church history, there is nothing radical about the idea of plural marriage, marriage to young girls or the idea that having multiple wives is the way to please God.
BYU, the University sponsored by the modern LDS church is named after Brigham Young- a guy who had 55 wives, some who were taken from their previous husbands to be married to him. Did I mention this guy was the "President" (again, think Pope) of the Mormon Church at the time? He is still revered as a historical church leader who was instrumental in shaping the early LDS church.
A "Fundamentalist" is someone who goes back to the basics- in this case, back to the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
The teaching of plural marriage was abandoned by the Mormon church in 1890, when the Church President experienced a divine revelation that plural marriage should cease. This revelation (known as "The Manifesto") conveniently put an end to the Mormon's disagreements with the U.S. Government and allowed Utah to become a state. Doctrines and teachings were adjusted accordingly.
If you want to be honest, the modern LDS church is the offshoot, not the compound-dwelling child abusers. They're living the real thing, the way it was intended to be.
Think about it.
For the full article on Warren Jeffs conviction, click here
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