Thought of the Day about Mormonism and ABC News 2
Unfortunately as I thought, part two of ABC News’ piece on the Mormon Church didn’t really do justice to what the true LDS Church is really like. And to me this is disappointing because if I’m watching the news for truthful information I’d like to spend my precious time learning something new.
While I wasn’t expecting to be blown away I was hoping they would at least tell the truth about what Mormons really believe. I’m not sure I understand why they didn’t ask them who they thought Jesus was or how many of the Mormon population is actually temple worthy.
Instead they only interviewed two apostles and a spokesperson for the Church without doing any outside investigation of the Church, whether they know about the cover-ups or not.
Another disappointment came when Dan Harris told Diane Sawyer that the Church is the fastest growing church in the world.
That title unfortunately goes to the Islamic faith, not Mormonism.
The first thing focused on in the piece was the Celestial room where Mr. Harris did say not all Mormons are allowed. (By the way, the only reason they were allowed in is because they went to a temple that was newly built and hadn’t been dedicated yet) They didn’t give stats on how many are temple worthy. Letting the public know that roughly ten percent of Mormons are temple worthy would’ve been news worthy, don’t you think?
They second thing they talked about was baptism for the dead where they gave the scripted reason of why they do those.
I guess he must have asked the two apostles he interviewed about the secret handshakes because Melvin Ballard said; “We don’t get into the details of that”. What a surprise!
The Mormon apostle Quentin Cook said; “You’re going through a process that, which taken out of context, can seem unusual or different, but if, in the whole context, doesn’t seem that way at all”.
Really? I had a war torn retired Marine tell me once that the handshakes of the Mormon Church are freakier than anything he’d ever seen in WWII.
As for polygamy? They wanted to remind the public that was outlawed more than a century ago. I noticed no one actually said they don’t do that anymore…
The garment subject was referred to as a “tangible representation of their faith, much as some Jews wear yarmulkes”. ABC wouldn’t show Mormon garments on air out of respect for the Church.
Those interviewed for ABC said that “the real center of their faith is family”.
That in a nutshell was it.
So the real center isn’t Jesus even though His name is smack dab in the center of the title of the Church. Imagine how awesome that would be!
The focus is family and you can’t have forever families without the financial backing of your pocketbook.
Maybe someday someone in the mainstream news will have the courage to ask the real questions needing to be asked.
Michelle – I too saw the ABC news piece last night… but what do you expect from the “lame-stream” media?
You know that they will not touch on or challenge the odd/strange doctrines. The multiple sexual abuses by leaders. The deep rooted racism. The blood atonements. The Danites. Or any of the other non-Biblical teachings/doctrines/practices of the LDS religion… and WHY, one may ask…
Because that will open the door into investigating and exposing the non-Biblical teachings/doctrines/practices of the “United Church of Christ” and “Pastor” Jeremiah Wright (ya know, Obama’s pastor).
Please do not confuse Obama’s denomination “The United Church of Christ” with “The Church of Christ”, they are not the same. The UCC has very liberal views on many subjects… to the point where they have rejected many theological doctrines found in the Bible; From Wikipedia…
…some critics, mainly social and theological conservatives, are vocal about the UCC’s theology, political identity, and cultural milieu.
Theological criticism
More conservative members of the UCC have complained that the UCC has lost members because of its “theological surrender to the moral and spiritual confusion of contemporary culture.” This movement has focused its complaints on the “often radically liberal political agenda” of the UCC.
Social criticism
Conservatives have complained that UCC members are “probably the most left-leaning of all major U.S. denominations.” These critics have complained that the UCC attempts to control “how liberal Christians should think in politically correct terms about climate controversies, socialized medicine, the U.S. presence in Iraq, immigration and the Welfare State.”
Criticism over same-sex marriage
The UCC has been severely criticized for its stand on same-sex marriage. In fact, citing differences over “the membership and ministry of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Christians”, the UCC’s Puerto Rico Conference left the church in 2006.
Criticism of sex education
Critics have complained that the UCC’s focus on sex education, including the distribution of condoms, does not provide appropriate moral context for sex and has failed in “reinforcing the traditional Christian ethic reserving sex for marriage.”
Israel
“Tear Down the Wall”, calls upon Israel to remove the separation barrier between Israel and the West Bank. Opponents of the “Tear Down the Wall” resolution have noted that the wall’s purpose is to prevent terrorist attacks, and that the resolution does not call for a stop to these attacks. The Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that the July 2005 UCC resolutions on divestment from Israel were “functionally anti-Semitic”. The Anti-Defamation League stated that those same resolutions are “disappointing and disturbing” and “deeply troubling”
Abortion
The UCC national body has been active in numerous traditionally-liberal social causes, including support for abortion rights. (End Wikipedia)
So, that is why Religion has been a non-factor so far in this election. You and I used to discuss about how the whole world is going to know a lot more about Mormonism if Romney gets the nomination… I still think that the gloves have not come off yet and that Obama will distance himself from it all by having the dementocrat super pacs bringing up all the LDS dirt for the nation to see. And the “mean-stream” media will just sit idlely by… well, they won’t just sit by… they will defend Barak Obama because he is their “golden boy”.