Great column:Religion reporter quits his beat, and his church, and explains why.

I'm sorry, but this column is crap.
It shouldn't take 40 inches to get to the what and the why.

 

I'll throw in an Amen to your response.

 

If you want lessons in politics, go to work for a church.

 

FB, just out of interest, would you want a man covering women's issues? A creationist covering science? A guy who only ever rides a bicycle covering automotive?

I think it is all a very sticky balance between reporting, opinion and understanding. Most of what passes for religion coverage in the papers I read is, well, pablum or sensationalism. It's one of the hardest subjects to cover fairly, I think.

 

Re: Great column:Religion reporter quits his beat, and his church, and explains

how do you know?

 

Re: Great column:Religion reporter quits his beat, and his church, and explains

I have a great idea...

I can observe the actions of a few people that belong to various religious groups and then will make some sweeping generalizations about those same groups.

It will make a great article.

If you don't like religion, that's fine. If you don't like the behavior of certain people that belong to some religious groups, that's fine.

If you think that everybody who belongs to a particular church is perfect and without sin (including leaders), then you're kidding yourself.

But don't lump everybody in those religious groups together. Not all Catholic priests sexually molest their altar boys. Not all Mormons in the Jell-O Belt ignore ex-Mormons. And to say otherwise is ridiculous and ignorant.

What a joke...

 

He didn't say all Catholic priests were child molesters, not that all Mormons ignore ex-Mormons. What he does say, which is true, is that the leaders of the denominations themselves created environments where priest child molesters were allowed to prey on others, and where ex-Mormons were allowed to be ostracized.

I thought it was a fascinating column. I have no problem with long stories in and of themselves. The problem is when they're long and boring. What made it far more interesting to me is that this wasn't someone who grew up in a faith who decided as an adult he no longer wanted to be a part of it. It was that he was a passionate convert who, the more he looked behind the veil, didn't like what he saw.

 

1) Men cover women's issues all the time. There are several male writers, I believe, who have written extensively on abortion, on birth control, on pay equity, etc. etc. For a long while, only men covered women's issues because only men coered any issues at all.
2) A creationist could cover science, if he covered science as science. My guess is that he would cover it badly. Creationism is religion, not science.
3) Bicyclists could cover automotives.

 

Re: Great column:Religion reporter quits his beat, and his church, and explains

The people at the conference were an eclectic bunch: novelists and stay-at-home moms, entrepreneurs and cartoonists, sex addicts and alcoholics. Some were depressed, others angry, and a few had successfully moved on. But they shared a common thread: They wanted to be honest about their lack of faith and still be loved.

In most pockets of Mormon culture, that wasn't going to happen.

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"Most pockets of Mormon culture" sounds like a pretty big generalization to me. He may not have said "all pockets", but "most" is pretty darn close.

I wonder how many "pockets of Mormon culture" this guy has lived in. From his statements, I would say that number is zero.

And to say that Mormon leaders helped to create environments where ex-Mormons were allowed to be ostracized is another huge generalization. To say that Mormon leaders go out of their way to ignore or ostracize ex-Mormons is ridiculous. To say that Mormon leaders spend time promoting and fostering an environment where they advise other Mormons to actively ignore or ostracize ex-Mormons is absurd.

 

Re: Great column:Religion reporter quits his beat, and his church, and explains

Opus, do you have the first freaking idea what you're talking about? Have you ever spent time in a Mormon-dominated social environment?

 

It had plenty of good points in it, but I've reader shorter profile articles in SI.

 

Re: Great column:Religion reporter quits his beat, and his church, and explains

How about Salt Lake City, Utah (born and raised). I've spent time in "pockets of Mormon culture" in Utah, Florida and Texas.

As a lifelong member of the Mormon church who currently serves in a leadership position of a local ward, I believe that I do have the first freaking idea what I'm talking about.

And before anybody brings it up, please don't bring up the whole "You've never lived outside of Utah, so you have no idea what the Mormon church is like elsewhere" argument. I've spent time in "pockets of Mormon culture" in Florida (10 years) and Texas as well. So I have seen how Mormons behave in Utah and outside of Utah.