Some Mormons Search the Web and Find Doubt

With the questions related directly to its history, its Prophet, and its doctrine, can the Mormon Church survive the scrutiny:

 

I understand that standards change, etc., etc., and I don't even have a problem with polygamy in theory. But Joseph Smith was a bonafide sexual predator by the standards of his own era. The renegade Mormons in that little town in Arizona adhere to historical Mormonism more than the present-day LDS church.

 

This kind of stuff is why Republicans in Texas and Louisiana are fighting so hard to teach their religious views in public schools.

 

...as opposed to the ground-in-rock-solid-fact of the rest of the world's religions.

 

One of the major differences with Mormonism is that it's young enough that its founder's claims can be easily tested against abundant and readily available primary sources from the same era.

 

Yep.

Don't get me wrong. Mormonism is no more absurd than most religions. It's just more easily debunkable and thus has to be more cult-like in order to keep believers in the fold.

It's also worth noting that Mormonism takes most of the fantastic and supernatural things about Christianity and then ADDS a modern wrinkle. So it could be argued that it truly is crazier than run-of-the-mill Christianity, which is plenty crazy on its own.

 

I've always considered the Mormon church to be by far history's most wildly successful con game, and as a flim-flam man Joseph Smith left P.T. Barnum in the dust. He figured out that if use the words God and Jesus and are persuasive enough, you can get people to give you anything you want, which is his case was their money and their women. Oh, and Brigham Young was a murderous megalomaniac.

 

I still wish someone would pull the Catholic priests off the altar boys. Thanks.

 

I thought the Mormon church had come to grips with the fact its past was - like most religions- built on a farce.
However, hasn't the church moved forward, focusing more on who-we-are-now, faith in family and this-is-the-good-that-we do?

There is doubt in every religion. Maybe it's easier to find in Mormonism, but that's why there's faith.



And Kirk Cameron.

 

I've had Mormon friends who "struggle" with some of the more fantastic elements of the religion. They solve the problem by not thinking too hard about it. Most Mormons are nice people, they have good families, etc. So they just don't worry about the fairy tale stuff and try to live a good life.

Many Christians are probably similar.

The difference is if you are raised a fundamentalist Southern Baptist, you can "drop down" to, say, the Methodists, or another denomination where the people are a bit less insane.

Although there are various Mormon sects, there really aren't many options if you are looking for a non-fundamentalist LDS church.

 

How would we really know what the modern Mormon church is really about; it's far easier to gain entrance to a mosque than it is an LDS temple.

 

The chicks seem to dig it.