# Mormons - How could anyone buy into it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 19, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719 "2006-12-19T01:17:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ammonius\_Saccus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Ammonius\_Saccus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ammonius_Saccus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/1 "2006-12-19T01:17:38Z")
How could any reasonable person believe the stuff that is the Book of Mormon? To start with Smith’s story about the plates is just off the wall. And then when you get into the archaeological and linguistic investigations of the book you have to wonder how anyone could believe it was anything but made up. The interesting thing is that most Mormons seem like reasonable/rational individuals, but their beliefs are as messed up as Scientologists. How can anyone buy into Mormonism? ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/2 "2006-12-19T01:25:03Z")
one every minute by some accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/3 "2006-12-19T01:29:48Z")
A lot of religions have fairly miraculous and unbelievable origin stories. Mormonism just happens to be more recent. So, I’d assume for Mormons, it’s the same as for members of those other religions. They’re either born into the faith and don’t really question the origin stories, they become convinced that the origin stories are true, regardless of the evidence against them, or they’re convinced that the moral and ethical teachings of Mormonism are right and don’t care much if the origin story istrue or not. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/4 "2006-12-19T01:30:29Z")
I’m a bit unclear as to why Mormonism is being singled out. Is any of Christianity really all that believable? Is Smith’s tale any less credible than the story about Jesus turning water into wine? Hell, I don’t even see the logic behind Christ dying for our sins; God was pissed at us so he sent His son to earth to die for us so he’d forgive us. It makes no sense. Why is Mormonism any nuttier than the rest? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/5 "2006-12-19T01:32:53Z")
Now I’m curious how many current Mormons were converted to the faith vs. how many were born into it, the latter category taking the articles of faith as a given (as do those born into other faiths, unless they break away). It wouldn’t take a _lot_ of conversions in the early days, just a combination of relative isolation (heading out to Utah), aggressive preaching (to keep everyone in the fold and attract new adherents) and huge families. Heck, within one generation, the number of followers could easily quintuple or more. ---
**Author:** ![Ammonius\_Saccus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Ammonius\_Saccus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ammonius_Saccus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/6 "2006-12-19T01:35:18Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] I’m a bit unclear as to why Mormonism is being singled out. Is any of Christianity really all that believable? Is Smith’s tale any less credible than the story about Jesus turning water into wine? ? [/QUOTE] Mormonism makes claims in the Book of Mormon that are falsified by archaeological and linguistic evidence. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/7 "2006-12-19T01:36:09Z")
Matt Stone & Trey Parker have [a pretty good answer](http://youtube.com/watch?v=U1Ml4Hx6tPQ). [Wikipedia summary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_About_Mormons): > [@](#): > > Gary condemns Stan’s bigotry and reminds him: “All I ever did was try to be your friend, Stan, but you’re so high and mighty you couldn’t look past my religion and just be my friend back. You’ve got a lot of growing up to do, buddy. Suck my balls.” ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/8 "2006-12-19T01:38:58Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] I’m a bit unclear as to why Mormonism is being singled out. Is any of Christianity really all that believable? Is Smith’s tale any less credible than the story about Jesus turning water into wine? Hell, I don’t even see the logic behind Christ dying for our sins; God was pissed at us so he sent His son to earth to die for us so he’d forgive us. It makes no sense. Why is Mormonism any nuttier than the rest? [/QUOTE] well, Mormonism takes everything you find disagreeable of Christianity and then proceeds to tack some extra nuttiness on top of the regular Christian stuff. It is nuttier by design. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/9 "2006-12-19T01:44:58Z")
But until they get over their anti-gay bigotry, **the LDS church can suck my balls**. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/10 "2006-12-19T01:50:55Z")
[QUOTE=Ammonius Saccus] Mormonism makes claims in the Book of Mormon that are falsified by archaeological and linguistic evidence. [/QUOTE] This doesn’t significantly differentiate it from the Bible. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/11 "2006-12-19T01:51:44Z")
[QUOTE=Ammonius Saccus] Mormonism makes claims in the Book of Mormon that are falsified by archaeological and linguistic evidence. [/QUOTE] Yes, but so do Judaism and mainstream Christianity. Why aren’t you surprised those religions have adherents? ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/12 "2006-12-19T02:16:36Z")
> [@](#): > > ``` > How could any reasonable person believe the stuff that is the Book of Mormon? > > ``` Through faith? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/13 "2006-12-19T02:24:07Z")
[QUOTE=Ammonius Saccus] Mormonism makes claims in the Book of Mormon that are falsified by archaeological and linguistic evidence. [/QUOTE] So does the Bible, the Torah, and every creation myth of any religion. Mormonism is only “nuttier” in the sense that we have very clear evidence of fabrication by Joe Smith due to the temporal proximity, whereas many of the bizarre claims made in the Bible are too distant to strictly disprove. However, a sufficient body of the tenants underlying Christianity have been undermined by geology, biology, and other physical sciences that most adherents now claim that the Bible is partially or entirely an allegorical work. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/14 "2006-12-19T02:31:23Z")
And therein lies my completely incredulous outlook upon all religions. You question how one can believe in something so outlandish, yet believe a guy who was killed 2,000 + years ago is still coming back to take all the believers to a green, grassy field in the sky to meet his omnipotent Daddy where eternal life will be yours forever? Pssst: Are the dogs invited? The Squirrels? Cats? Birds? Worms? Mosquitoes? You know, I can’t honestly understand how, in this day and age, people still hang onto these myths. We laugh at the Romans and their multiple Gods yet hang onto our singular deity with trusting faith. Pffff. BTW - Merry Christmas! (And happy Hanukkah, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![lowbrass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dc4da7/32.png) [@lowbrass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lowbrass)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/15 "2006-12-19T02:47:46Z")
[QUOTE=Ammonius Saccus] How could any reasonable person believe the stuff that is the Book of Mormon? To start with Smith’s story about the plates is just off the wall. And then when you get into the archaeological and linguistic investigations of the book you have to wonder how anyone could believe it was anything but made up. The interesting thing is that most Mormons seem like reasonable/rational individuals, but their beliefs are as messed up as Scientologists. How can anyone buy into Mormonism? [/QUOTE] Yeah, magic stone tablets are _totally_ believeable, but magic golden plates? C’mon. And on the subject of archaeology, you _do_ realize that there’s no evidence that there were ever Hebrew slaves in Egypt (or even _any_ slaves), or that they ever migrated through the desert. And don’t get me started on Noah’s Ark - it’s not even _possible_, much less is there any evidence for it. So they have _three_ unbelievable books instead of two, what’s your point? “Buh, but, er…theirs is newer” So freaking what? Being old doesn’t make the unbelievable believable. How could anyone believe this stuff? It’s called faith. Some people have it. I don’t, but I try not to make a habit of whining about people who do. Why can’t you live and let live? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/16 "2006-12-19T02:50:55Z")
[QUOTE=lowbrass] Why can’t you live and let live? [/QUOTE] Especially in this ever changing world in which we live in. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/17 "2006-12-19T03:00:52Z")
Mormonism is goofy. So is Islam, Scientology, Judaism, Hinduism, and every other religion. There’s no reason to single out Mormonism - I feel contempt for them all. [QUOTE=the PC apeman] But until they get over their anti-gay bigotry, **the LDS church can suck my balls**. [/QUOTE] But until they get over their anti-gay bigotry, they won’t want to. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/18 "2006-12-19T03:28:48Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] Especially in this ever changing world in which we live in. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Are you going to give in and cry? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/19 "2006-12-19T03:43:05Z")
I love to turn questions like this back on the Op. What do you believe in? Why do you find any other religion more rational than Mormonism? I find religious movements that find justification for violence, war and terrorism far more hard to comprehend than Mormonism. Have you ever check out the history of the Catholic Church? Check into why the Anglican Church even exists. What is more crass than a religion promoted to allow a King to get a divorce? Jim ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719/20 "2006-12-19T04:18:30Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] We laugh at the Romans and their multiple Gods … [/QUOTE] We do? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mormons-how-could-anyone-buy-into-it/384719.md?page=2)