No wiggle room. No poetic license.
THE FACTS.
No dodging, hedging or dancing around.
ONLY THE TRUTH and JUST THE FACTS.
Is that too much to ask? As far as Mormonism is concerned, it seems to be - particularly since the Mormon Church has a very long history of distorting the facts (as well as attempting to cover-up many facts and details) and expecting everyone to believe that they are being upfront and honest when, in fact, that is the furthest thing from the actual truth.
Since leaving Mormonism, though, I've realized that not only is the doctrine false (and the history extremely sordid), but that the way in which the Mormon Church disperses information is suspect as well. Particularly statistics about its membership numbers and growth rate.
On the Mormonism Research Ministry website, there is a blog entitled Mormon Coffee (It's forbidden, but it's good!). On that blog, I recently read an entry entitled, "Mormonism's growth figures - what can you believe?" posted on May 7, 2012. This blog entry starts off by saying:
Screaming front page headline in Wednesday, May 2, 2012’s Salt Lake Tribune (in bold, no less):
“Multiplying Mormons expand into new turf” Subhead 1: “2010 census: LDS Church is fastest-growth Christian faith in 30 states, report shows” Subhead 2: “Only Muslims, with 67% jump from 2000-2010, outpaces 45% LDS increase.” Anyone picking up the paper on Wednesday received several messages: 1. The Mormons are a Christian faith.2. The church grew by 45.5% over the past decade. 3. The church grew from 4,224,000 US members to 6,144,000 from 2000 to 2010.
This blog entry went on to say:
These are amazing numbers. The problem is, the numbers were cooked. A person who only looked at the front page and the major headlines on Wednesday probably missed the follow-up article on Thursday. Instead of the front page, a story was placed in Section B of the Utah section next to the page's main article, "Dry winter portends a busy wildfire season." The one-column article next to it had a much small headline, reading, "LDS Church growth really near 18%." The subhead: "Only 40% of Mormons attend church regularly, says researcher."
Really??!! Cooking the books. Why does that not surprise me? For a church that plays fast and loose with the truth, creative accounting is not a big leap. It's simply "business as usual." Trying to make the Mormon Church look like it is "the fastest-growth Christian faith in 30 states" is simply part of their marketing scheme.
Of course, some people reading this blog entry (as well as many other entries on my blog) are probably saying, "Well, that's her opinion." But actually, although everything written here is my opinion, the fact is that my opinions are based on actual facts. You know, the facts that the Mormon Church goes to great lengths to cover up. Naturally, any "negative information" about the Mormon Church is characterized by them as "Anti-Mormon Propaganda," which is basically their way of attempting to keep its members from either reading or believing the actual truth about Mormonism. The Mormon Church even goes so far as to "prohibit" research outside their "approved parameters" (one of the signs of a cult), and includes a question about internet usage and research in the interview to obtain a temple recommend. From what I've been told, Mormons are denied a temple recommend if they admit that they have looked at this "forbidden information." Truly, if the Mormon Church had nothing to hide then it wouldn't matter what people read, research or look at, would it?
Mormons are told to "have faith and just believe," regardless of how preposterous the whole thing may seem. And there are a lot of people who do just that, in essence putting aside all critical thinking and just accepting what they are told to believe.
Lies should have no part in anyone's life. I, for one, do not want to live my life based on lies or half-truths - because in very plain and simple terms, "...trust departs when lies are told" (as the below LDS Hymn Parody says - my 89th to date).
WHEN LIES ARE TOLD
Of course, some people reading this blog entry (as well as many other entries on my blog) are probably saying, "Well, that's her opinion." But actually, although everything written here is my opinion, the fact is that my opinions are based on actual facts. You know, the facts that the Mormon Church goes to great lengths to cover up. Naturally, any "negative information" about the Mormon Church is characterized by them as "Anti-Mormon Propaganda," which is basically their way of attempting to keep its members from either reading or believing the actual truth about Mormonism. The Mormon Church even goes so far as to "prohibit" research outside their "approved parameters" (one of the signs of a cult), and includes a question about internet usage and research in the interview to obtain a temple recommend. From what I've been told, Mormons are denied a temple recommend if they admit that they have looked at this "forbidden information." Truly, if the Mormon Church had nothing to hide then it wouldn't matter what people read, research or look at, would it?
Mormons are told to "have faith and just believe," regardless of how preposterous the whole thing may seem. And there are a lot of people who do just that, in essence putting aside all critical thinking and just accepting what they are told to believe.
Lies should have no part in anyone's life. I, for one, do not want to live my life based on lies or half-truths - because in very plain and simple terms, "...trust departs when lies are told" (as the below LDS Hymn Parody says - my 89th to date).
Sung to the tune of When Faith Endures, #128
I know the truth, it’s very clear,
The Mormon Church, a false veneer.
For lies are laced throughout it all,
The facts are written on the wall.
For years, I simply went along,
Though deep inside, I sensed it’s wrong.
They say believe, the Lord extolled,
The Mormon Church, a false veneer.
For lies are laced throughout it all,
The facts are written on the wall.
For years, I simply went along,
Though deep inside, I sensed it’s wrong.
They say believe, the Lord extolled,
But trust departs when lies are told.
© Diane Tingen, 3/12/2013
1 comment:
I really like this rewritten hym. I have been trying to practice critical thinking lately as well and have discovered that not only is cognitive dissonance painful but critical thinking is very difficult after twenty some years of not using it. Basically never using it for my religious thinking!
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