I'm LDS, I'm not an individual.

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

I really am getting tired of my religion being shit on all the time.

I know we have a reputation for being judgmental and a bit unorthodox. But oh my god, what Christian religion hasn't been?

Why are Mormons picked on more than any other religion? I'm getting sick of it. It's retardedly hypocritical too, because I get people making blanket generalizations of Mormons (For example, only a Mormon would find cleavage offensive...). These same people say that Mormons have too many rules and Mormons can't think for themselves because we're all brainwashed and cult-ified.

Well, excuse me. I take offense that you're insulting my intelligence like that.

Bashing someone for believing in a particular gospel is just retarded. Either you believe in a higher power, or you don't. And while I'm all for intelligent debate, atheism vs. theism or what-the-heck-ever, anybody telling me I'm a brainwashed moron (LOL CLEVER TYPO LOLZ) for being LDS is just baffling to me.

Christians weren't always the most popular crowd. Now that Christianity is a lot more mainstream (thousands of years later, kthx), they're fighting amongst each other and it's STUPID.

Follow your own god damn sense of morality. Us LDS folk do. Regardless of how many guidelines we follow, we are still unique human beings who can think for ourselves!

I may not be the best Mormon EVAR, (I'm a single mother, I swear, and I don't go to church) but I'm doing my best. You don't see me shitting on you for doing what you think is best for YOURSELF do you?

No. You don't.

Stop using Mormon as an insult for someone who is judgmental or biased or ignorant. It's juvenile, and it's getting old.

[AFPheonix]

Any group of people is going to get shit on collectively.

Look on the bright side, you're not muslim. Now THAT'S a group that's getting collectively shit on these days.

[Flyndaran]

Because, until Scientology was invented, Mormanism was the silliest large religion... Though I still give honorable mention to Catholocism's trinity joke.

Of course you as well as many individual members of any religion may be quite nice and non-judgemental. But the actions of the loudest members and those in direct control of the church, and the gross insular nature of the religion has led to its being made a mockery.

If you can't handle attacks at large corrupt institutions, then maybe you shouldn't be a joiner in the first place.

Can you tell I don't like massive organized groups? Not just religion, I also dislike nationalism, and sports team worship.

I'm a born atheist, but I get lumped in with all manner of downright nasty people that often went from jesus or drug addiction to atheistic addictions.

God save me from your loud supporters, so to speak.

[smileyeagle1021]

Sorry is Good Enough... I think you could have said the same thing in a much shorter post... two words would have done, "stereotyping sucks". The reason so many people think that way of Mormons is that unfortunately there are enough Mormons who act like that to make the less intellectially honest think that all Mormons act like that.
If it makes you feel better I think everyone on this board has been lumped in with a stereotype... apparently you've been lumped in with the "mormon are nothing but judgemental sheeple" stereotype... I've had people tell me that I should be marching in PRIDE parades every weekend demanding the death of every heterosexual (but then again, I hate parades and I can think of much more fun things to do with heterosexuals than killing them ... ok, so that joke was in pretty poor taste but I bet at least one person laughed)... I'm sure Flyndaran has been told that as an athiest they obviously have no morals... I could go on...

[Flyndaran]

... I'm sure Flyndaran has been told that as an athiest they obviously have no morals... I could go on...

I hate trying to explain how I'm a born atheist neruologically incapable of religion gets more stares and judgements even from other atheists... so I know the ostracism life a teeny bit.

[Slytovhand]

but then again, I hate parades and I can think of much more fun things to do with heterosexuals than killing them

Such as...????

SIGE - yep, as Smiley said, stereotypes suck. What gets to me is that people make blanket (and usually ridiculously incorrect) statements and judgements, and think they know something about what religion they're talking about. I'm the one arguing on the Scientology thread (but, just for Flyn, against the church per se), but it shits me how people will say "But don't they believe XYZ, they must be nuts"...

When it all comes down to it, any religion seems completely batty to those who don't believe anything similar - no matter how logical, sensical or rational it may be (eg - atheism - nice, rational, and still gets dumped on). And, to those other people - well, the ignorant judgemental ones - anything not their own is fair game!

So - I empathise with you!!

[AdminAssistant]

SIGE, I know exactly what you mean.

I'm Southern Baptist. I know, flee, run, the evil evil fundamentalist is here! AAAAHHHH!!!! I don't go to church, I don't do organized religion anymore, because the Southern Baptist church has become so wrapped up in its hate of others that it ignores the love of Christ.

However, as soon as people see the cross I wear pretty frequently and hear my accent - the dots connect and I see that look. The look of contempt. Because I'm Southern and I'm Christian I must be an evil, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, Bible-thumping, brow-beating fundamentalist, right? Wrong!

And I have to say...I resent people saying, 'well, if you don't like it, you shouldn't join'. No. That's not fair. And it's not fair to say that Christians as a group deserve to shit on because individuals from the religion shit on other groups. NO. I mean, I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate me saying, "Well, atheists deserve to be called godless people devoid of morality" or "Agnostics should make up their damn minds!", right? (I wouldn't say any of those things, because I don't make other people's religion or lack thereof my business.)

And as a Southerner...well, what I have to say about that would just ignite a lot of flames. So I'll shush.

[anriana]

Follow your own god damn sense of morality. Us LDS folk do.

Yes, the LDS church has been in the news recently for how much it keeps to itself and just follows its own god damn sense of morality without trying to use the government to enforce it on anyone else.

/eyeroll.

I'm Southern Baptist. I know, flee, run, the evil evil fundamentalist is here! AAAAHHHH!!!! I don't go to church, I don't do organized religion anymore, because the Southern Baptist church has become so wrapped up in its hate of others that it ignores the love of Christ.

You don't attend Southern Baptist church, you don't do organized religions, like Southern Baptism, anymore, and you recognize that the Southern Baptist church is full of hate.... so why do you still identify as Southern Baptist?

[AdminAssistant]

You don't attend Southern Baptist church, you don't do organized religions, like Southern Baptism, anymore, and you recognize that the Southern Baptist church is full of hate.... so why do you still identify as Southern Baptist?

Because I was raised in a Southern Baptist church and that's where I began my study of Christianity. And I agree with the important doctines - that baptism, while nice, is not necessary for salvation, etc. But I'm not a fundamentalist and recognize that the Bible is a document inspired by God but created, edited, and manipulated by Man. I'm my own religion, I guess.

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

I'm glad a reply or two has illustrated my point for me.

Yeah, the current presidency of my church and a few of it's more powerful, wealthy, outspoken members have supported a legislative item that I don't agree with.

But that's not the whole church.

And that was my point. ZOMG You're LDS?! YOU MUST BE ANTI GAY RIGHTS TOO!

Even though I'm bisexual.

So yeah. As INDIVIDUALS, we follow our own sense of morality. Just because it doesn't align with yours, it doesn't mean that we don't think for ourselves.

Since when was agreeing with a group of other people automatically being brainwashed/stupid/sheep? Maybe they all genuinely believed in the same things all along.

[smileyeagle1021]

Such as...????

oh, you'll see

[anriana]

I'm glad a reply or two has illustrated my point for me.

Yeah, the current presidency of my church and a few of it's more powerful, wealthy, outspoken members have supported a legislative item that I don't agree with.

But that's not the whole church.

And that was my point. ZOMG You're LDS?! YOU MUST BE ANTI GAY RIGHTS TOO!

Even though I'm bisexual.

So yeah. As INDIVIDUALS, we follow our own sense of morality. Just because it doesn't align with yours, it doesn't mean that we don't think for ourselves.

Since we've had this thread three or four times this month already, I'm just going to quote my last response:

If someone willing defines themself as belonging to a church whose leadership and Scripture proclaims things, then they deserve to be classified as someone who follows that leadership and believes that Scripture. Otherwise what is the point of claiming adherence to that religion? Can I say "Yeah, I'm Mormon, but I don't agree with anything the leadership says, most of the moral teachings of the Scripture or the sanctity of a bunch of scattered scrolls and gold plates, or the holiness and sin-redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ? I also don't tithe, attend temple, take the Lord's Supper, evangelize, pray, or believe in Yahweh or the sanctity of Joseph Smith? but yeah man, I'm totally Mormon and I don't hate gay people; how dare you classify all Mormon as intolerant hate-mongerers just because their leadership quotes Scripture to support calling gay people confused destroyers of civilization?" What about "I'm Mormon, I go to temple, I agree with the basic tenets of the Scripture, and I pray to God a lot. I completely disagree with everything the leadership says most of the time and I don't hate gay people so I don't appreciate your classification?"

Where do you draw the line?

This is especially true when the religion in question demands monetary support from its members. Anyone who tithes to the Mormon church supported defeating this Prop financially.

When you declare yourself a Mormon, you are giving up part of your individuality and presenting yourself as a member of an organization - the LDS church. If you don't like people judging you by the press releases of your leadership, then don't identify as Mormon. Tell people you're a liberal Mormon or a Unitarian Mormon or something to distinguish yourself, but don't say you're Mormon and then be upset when people judge you based on the organization you willing proclaim yourself a part of.

And being bisexual doesn't mean you automatically support gay rights.

Since when was agreeing with a group of other people automatically being brainwashed/stupid/sheep? Maybe they all genuinely believed in the same things all along.

The Lord is my Shepherd... but, uh, don't call me a sheep.

[BlaqueKatt]

And being bisexual doesn't mean you automatically support gay rights.

true-I had a co-worker that was bisexual, and thought sex between two men was just horrible, wrong and disgusting.

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

K, well, since obviously people seem to assume this is about Prop 8...let me clarify.

I'm not talking about the church. I'm not talking about politics. I'm talking about how all through school, people would say 'LOL You drink coffee!? But you're MORMON! YOU'RE GOING TO HELL! LOLZ!'

or when learning about polygamy, people insisted on making Mormon jokes.

It's hard enough to grow up as a racial minority, and then a minority in terms of faith, and then a minority in terms of sexual orientation. And for some reason, kids think it's cool to assume that because someone is a little bit traditional in their morality, they're a Mormon. And they say it as if it's a bad thing.

Being a Mormon is not a bad thing. Being a Christian is not a bad thing. Believing in God is not a bad thing. It's what you do with it.

Smiley was right. I could sum it up with Stereotyping sucks. But in terms of my personal experience, this is what offends me most in particular.

[Flyndaran]

...

Being a Mormon is not a bad thing. Being a Christian is not a bad thing. Believing in God is not a bad thing. It's what you do with it.
...

I may consider all those things wrong, but as everone's wrong every now and then, I certainly won't aspersions and certainly not stones at you guys.
(As a born atheist all religion look alike to me, so seeing members of a regional majority religion making fun of members of a minority religion, it looks extra weird and offensive to me.

I would never call a vague set of beliefs a bad thing in itself... except for exclusive salvationism; no matter what religion that garbage is evil.