# Mainstream Christians and Jews: Be honest, what do you think of Mormons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 28, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289 "2012-02-28T22:17:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/41 "2012-03-02T23:43:03Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Mormons lie about being Christian I understand you have very strong opinions on this, but I’d love to see you back up this claim. Not that that aren’t Christian, but that they lie about it. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/42 "2012-03-03T00:42:53Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > However, since Mormons lie about being Christian and being President would give him and the religously ignorant media a pulpit to repeat that lie around the world, I would not vote for a Mormon for President unless he publically admitted that mormonism is not Christianity. Eh, politicians lie all the time and in this case it is more self-delusion than a sincere lie. Especially considering the two best candidates for President this year (Huntsman and Romney) were Mormon. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/43 "2012-03-03T01:01:04Z")
> [@curioushat](#): > > As a no longer Catholic, I find the fact that some Mormons practice polygamy no more offense than that Catholic priests have sex with underage boys, or that Muslims become suicide bombers. > . I dare say that polygamy is, by far, the least offensive of the the things you listed. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/44 "2012-03-03T01:03:00Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Eh, politicians lie all the time and in this case it is more self-delusion than a sincere lie. Especially considering the two best candidates for President this year (Huntsman and Romney) were Mormon. Two best _republican_ candidates, perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/45 "2012-03-03T02:04:00Z")
So in this day and age when we are expected to tolerate any consensual, adult sexual behavior, what is so bad about polygamy? About a month ago I was stuck in the hospital all day with nothing to do but watch TV. I saw the reporter ask Romney if he believed that Jesus was his personal savior or something close. Romney instantly assured her that he did. Now I am not sure how that fits Mormonism. It really sounded Christian. Bush, Perry, or Santorum, could have answered the same way. Now the bread and wine. Presbyterians and Methodists don’t believe it is changed into flesh and blood. Friends don’t even follow the ritual. My son in law tried to explain the Missouri Synod Lutheran position. Some how it both is and isn’t. So believing it is changed isn’t a pervasive thing. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/46 "2012-03-03T02:34:53Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > So in this day and age when we are expected to tolerate any consensual, adult sexual behavior, what is so bad about polygamy? One wife was more than enough for me, but I don’t understand the religious objection. The Hebrew patriarchs all practiced polygamy. IIRC Solomon had a thousand wives and concubines. ---
**Author:** ![danceir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@danceir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceir)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/47 "2012-03-03T02:41:21Z")
why would any one want to run as a mormon did he have other options or just one? ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/48 "2012-03-03T02:48:41Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > But the more I learn about the Mormon church, the nuttier it seems. From its dubious origins with the “hefty” golden tablets, to its bizarre accounts of early American history, to the politically convenient changes of doctrine regarding polygamy and race, to the weird beliefs about getting your own planet to rule, to the weird practices like baptizing Anne Frank, or whomever, posthumously, etc. A Jew here. Yes Mormons seem nutty. So do (other?) Christians, with transubstantiation, trinity, that whole “man was God”, immaculate conception etc. So do Muslims. Can’t really assign degrees of nuttiness though. ---
**Author:** ![Patience\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@Patience\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patience_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/49 "2012-03-03T03:39:09Z")
Back when I was a Christian, I thought they were cultists, and certainly not Christian. It seemed obvious to me that the religion was simply made up from the start, especially since their church was formed so historically recently, and therefore there exists all sorts of tangible evidence of that fact (not the least of which being that there were people alive until relatively recently who actually knew Joseph Smith and Brigham Young). ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/50 "2012-03-03T03:54:19Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > So in this day and age when we are expected to tolerate any consensual, adult sexual behavior, what is so bad about polygamy? If it’s consensual, adult behavior, I agree, there’s no real problem. However Mormon cult groups tend to engage in such lovely practices as marrying off teen girls to much older men without giving them any choice in the matter. That starts to look a lot less like marriage and a lot more like slavery, and often statutory rape to boot. They also have a tendency to throw out the [surplus boys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_boys_%28Mormon_fundamentalism%29) like trash. The Mormon church is trying _hard_ to distance itself from that. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/51 "2012-03-04T06:34:29Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I dare say that polygamy is, by far, the least offensive of the the things you listed. In the case of these off-shoot Mormon cults though, these girls are usually underage – some as young as thirteen or fourteen. You don’t think that ranks up there with the molestation scandal in the Catholic church? These aren’t usually instances of consenting adults, here. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/52 "2012-03-04T19:17:31Z")
Force and under age aren’t inherent in polygamy, but all too common. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/53 "2012-03-04T19:25:56Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > After 9/11 the local Muslim place had an open house. As a cleric explained Muslim beliefs I leaned to my pastor and whispered, “They’re closer than Mormons.” > > Apparently you aren’t supposed to make people laugh in the meeting hall. > > ETA: Evangelical Lutheran, for what it’s worth since we aren’t remotely evangelical in that we’re cool with the beliefs of others and don’t evangelize them. What makes you argue that Islam is closer to Lutheranism than Mormonism? ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/54 "2012-03-04T21:25:55Z")
Catholic here. I guess I didn’t have enough interaction with Mormons, because I am befuddled by the reaction some seem to have. Donnie and Marie, right? That was my frame of reference. Good, wholesome folk. I don’t care even a little bit if a candidate is Mormon. In fact, on balance, I’d say it’s a plus (value-wise). But I am far from expert on their belief system. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/55 "2012-03-04T23:14:51Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Catholic here. I guess I didn’t have enough interaction with Mormons, because I am befuddled by the reaction some seem to have. Donnie and Marie, right? That was my frame of reference. Good, wholesome folk. I don’t care even a little bit if a candidate is Mormon. In fact, on balance, I’d say it’s a plus (value-wise). But I am far from expert on their belief system. The mainstream consensus seems to be “nice people individually, horrid church”. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/56 "2012-03-04T23:36:10Z")
Catholic here. I will admit I do not know any Mormons personally, but the things I have heard about their beliefs (again, admittedly second hand) that I found rather disturbing. Nothing to do with their origin, but with gender roles. Like how a women cannot be seen as fufilled unless she is a wife and mother, because that is her role in the church. Oh, and the whole “everybody’s white in heaven” thing. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/57 "2012-03-05T00:06:42Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The mainstream consensus seems to be “nice people individually, horrid church”. In this thread, yes. I meant I was befuddled by the reaction in polls and such where this seems to be a major issue to a lot of people. I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/58 "2012-03-05T00:52:46Z")
With a Protestant, fundamentalist background, I was approached in high school many years ago by a proselytizing Mormon classmate, and I attended several church services and Sunday School events. I didn’t see much difference between those and my broad, protestant upbringing. I was favorably impressed by the family values and clean living the group seemed to have. It was years later that I found out about the golden plates, Angel Moroni, bigamy, magic underwear, racial biases, etc. It wasn’t part of my initial exposure to the religion. I guess the reason I didn’t join the Mormon Church is the same reason I didn’t join many other religious and religious-like groups I was exposed to like Scientology, Nichiren Shoshu, and Methodists – I came to the realization that it was all bullshit, just with differing degrees of depth. The more I investigated, the more similar they seemed to be. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/59 "2012-03-05T03:12:06Z")
To be fair, the polygamists are offshoots, and not mainstream Mormonism. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289/60 "2012-03-05T03:35:35Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > To be fair, the polygamists are offshoots, and not mainstream Mormonism. I think you could argue that the monogamists are the offshoot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mainstream-christians-and-jews-be-honest-what-do-you-think-of-mormons/614289.md?page=4)