http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

Thanks for the comment about the Gosepl Doctrine lesson on persecution. In fact, thinking about that lesson is what prompted me to respond to John’s comments as I did. My own experience is that modern Mormons as a people are not hung up on persecution, although we are certainly aware of it and try to be prepared for it — as any Christian faith would. I never hear “Remember Haun’s Mill!” as a rallying cry, nor do we have anything like the ADL or CAIRO to protest attacks on Mormons. We pay a price for that approach, but it seems to be who we are.

Lowell

There will always be anti-Mormon paparazzi, but let’s not loose sight of what is truly important. Isn’t it great that the young man has the freedom to say such things, and that we have the freedom to respond? And isn’t it great there are many millions of good people (the overwhelming majority are non-Mormon) who believe in freedom of religion and speech and are willing to stand up for it? Let’s not forget to thank and pray for those serving in the armed forces, many of whom come from the Bible Belt and some of whom, no doubt, have attitudes similar to this young man.

If conservative Mormons want to help influence the course of our government, we are going to have to learn to get along with individuals who, for whatever reason, don’t particularly like us.

I agree with some of the other commenters here. I believe this young man John encountered is conflicted. I have read some of the drivel that “scholars” turn out attempting to debunk Christ’s divinity. This young man probably doesn’t know what to do with this, so he sees his outlet in the “weird” teachings of the CJCLDS. I think he may be struggling with his own faith, even if he can’t admit it to himself. Perhaps he needs to be encouraged in his faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ.

I appreciate many of the excellent comments made here about how we CJCLDS react to false accusations. I have found that many people will speak to me about faith when I encourage them and create a safe place for them to share. I don’t make a secret of my religion, but I am willing to speak with them about theirs, as well. I know it creates a greater understanding.

I have to laugh about this one, though. For those who are not aware, every General Conference protestors show up in Salt Lake City who claim the “Christian” title. They hold signs and shout about how “Mormons are going to hell” and other such slogans. It actually was difficult to explain to my young children why people would tell them they’re going to hell…. Since, ostensibly, the Gay Rights Activists were going to show up (Thanks to Prop this last Conference, I had a picture in my head of the gays and the Christians shaking hands as they protested near Temple Square. “We agree that Mormons are going to hell, we just don’t agree on why.” Does anybody else find this funny, or is it just me?

A decade ago, two Evangelical PhD candidates, Owen and Mosser, wrote an insightful paper about the failure of Evangelical Christian ministers and theologians to actually study what Mormons believe and why, such that they go on repeating lots of claims about inadequacies in the Book of Mormon or other Mormon beliefs without engaging the very capable Mormon scholarship in ancient history and languages that was making cogent rebuttals to many of the self-proclaimed scholarly critiques of Mormonism. Indeed, the current generation of Mormon scholars include people who have studied theology and philosophy alongside seminarians of many different denominations–occasionally before their conversion to Mormonism.

Any modern Christian seminary student who claims to be a scholar of religion is not maintaining standards of professionalism if he or she does not engage the Mormons on a scholarly level and see what the Mormons who have learned the language of divinity schools say to explain what Mormons actually believe and why. A good place to start is the web page of the Neal Maxwell Institute at BYU (one link is through FARMS.byu.edu), which includes the full text of many complete books as well as years of journals. It will cost them nothing but their time.

It is true that many ordinary Mormons in Utah don’t learn a lot about other Christian beliefs (in contrast with LDS scholars of religion and history). On the other hand, the CJCLDS Church does not publish literature attacking other churches, does not train its missionaries or ministers to attack other churches, does not picket other churches, and does not oppose political candidates because of their church affiliation. The Mormons do believe that early in Christian history there was an apostacy or rebellion against original doctrine, but that is an assertion that is also at the root of the Protestant Reformation, and Mormons have always promoted full religious freedom. Additionally, at any given time, about half of living Mormons are converts from other beliefs, are familiar with the teachings of their previous churches, and often have family members who are still affiliated with those churches. I cannot recall ever hearing a sermon over the pulpit in my 59 years of life that ever attacked members of another church for being stupid, ignorant, lying, or evil. Indeed, Mormon theology says that good people in other churches will have an eternal reward that includes escape from all sorrow and pain in the presence of Christ, pretty much what their churches teach them to expect. Mormons do not believe that good people are bound to hell.

There are many Christian ministers and religious scholars who have come to a peaceful and mutually respectful dialogue with Mormons, such as the late Krister Stendahl, and Margaret Barker. The Mormons are more than willing to answer the sincere questions of any seminarian who is really interested in learning the reasons for our “weirdness”.

As I pointed out in a letter in a recent issue of First Things journal, current Christian scholarship (as reported in First Things) is affirming that some of the most criticized Mormon doctrines have counterparts in the authentic teachings of early Christianity (such as the salvation of those already dead, and the pre-mortal existence of the spirits of mankind). No Christian scholar owes the Mormons the obligation to join their church, but they do owe to God, to themselves, and to the people they teach and lead, the duty to find out the truth about what Mormons believe before they hold Mormons (or any other people) up to ridicule for their beliefs, claim they are “not Christian”, or that they threaten the republic.

My own take on this particular topic is that experience teaches that agressive defense tends to be counter-productive. Which, I suppose, provides probative evidence on the source of the spirit of contention.

Reading the comments by the LDS folks somes makes me worried that the Evangelicals are going to start accusing John of aiding and abetting the Mormon missionary program and not pay attention to the central message of the Article VI Blog. (Only half joking)

John, I appreciate your good intentioned advice that we Mormons should stand up for ourselves more. And believe me, a lot of us do have some “fighting” spirit, but over time most of us come to realize that it is much better to fight to be more Christlike and to pray for our enemies than it is to engage them other than to just calmly and accurately state our position. The best weapons in a culture war or “religious” war are well thoughtout explanations, a good example, and Christlike love.

I feel sorry for young people like this seminary student. Being stirred up in such a manner with an adversarial demeaner is such a waste of a seminary education.

Some of the greatest blessings I received from my LDS mission were more humility, a decreased tendency to judge others, and a closer relationship with the Lord that gave me a greater desire to hope for the best for others. It really took the edge off of me.

The young people in seminaries deserve to be shown the positive path of Christian service that brings peace and love into the world and serves as the salt of the earth, a city on a hill.

That this young man has become filled with such negative feelings is truly a misfortune for himself and a loss to all of those he could influence for good.

While I don’t disagree with the general sentiment you are expressing here. You may have overstated the case a little bit. This is most ironic given that the lesson regularly scheduled for RS/Priesthood this Sunday is on having Courage in the face of Persecution.

–Ben

When you point out to someone who has a secularized mindset, who has rejected the idea that God operates miraculously in the modern world, that Mormons are rational and good people who are law abiding citizens, care for their families, and include many high achievers in intellectual pursuits, they simply cannot comprehend how anyone who sincerely believes in the supernatural doctrines of Mormonism can be fully rational or intelligent. They try to search for evidence that reveals an irrationality in Mormonism that affects Mormons’ behavior, or just good old fashioned hypocrisy. They love to find Mormons who have abandoned their faith, or who commit evil or irrational acts, as if that proves something about Mormonism rather than human nature generally, where loss of faith, and occasional evil and insanity are the common lot of all people.

The fact that the Mormons believe so actively and sincerely things that challenge the fundamental understanding of so many people, whether religious or secular, raises a question that many people are uncomfortable with: Could any of it be true? Even as soft-spoken as Mormons generally are, the message of their dedication to their beliefs–including significant voluntary service throughout their lives, sacrifice of income, sacrifice of pleasures like alcohol–makes it hard for many people, both religious and secular, to avoid the question of what makes Mormons tick. If it is not the actual truth of their beliefs, then it has to be something else, and often the hypothesis is that it is something sinister. Many recognize the power of Mormon beliefs, but if they reject God as the powerhouse, they have to come up with some other explanation, and some of those alternatives are scary to them.

The interesting thing is to realize that it is from the ranks of people who are genuinely puzzled by Mormonism that many people convert to Mormonism. Certainly not all, but some percentage of people who think seriously about the options for interpreting the obvious “weirdness” of Mormonism come around to the explanation the Mormons themselves offer as the most reasonable one. People who don’t think about Mormons one way or the other tend not to become Mormons. It is often the people who are trying to figure them out who are prospective new Mormons. So it is in the long range interest of the CJCLDS Church to support the discussion about Mormonism, to encourage curiosity, to get people to ask questions.

If the Southern Baptist Convention is correct in estimating that some 40,000 on their membership roles every year join the CJCLDS Church, despite the constant propagandizing against Mormonism, then most of those people did so as their own response to the propaganda. Those are people who might not have even thought about Mormons except for the energy the SBC puts into keeping “Mormonism” on their minds.

So there is a very pragmatic reason, beyond the religious one, why the CJCLDS Church does not want to shut down discussion about Mormonism, but rather seeks to use it as an opportunity to communicate. While the rate of conversions to Mormonism could be higher in the US (it is in some countries in Latin America and Africa), the rate of growth is actually keeping pace with the resources of the Church to train volunteer local leaders and provide meetinghouses and temples and instructional materials and sustain higher education. Short of motivating people to deny Mormons their civil rights (which was done often in the 19th Century), controversy about the Church serves to increase public awareness and interest, which in turn advances the Church. The goal of the Church is not to advance in secular power over people who don’t belong to it (which seems to be the goal of many Evangelicals these days). It is not to amass wealth for its own sake. Rather, the Church seeks to create a more godly society within its membership, and invite others to participate.