By consulting Consumer Reports:
What Religion is the Best Religion?
Posted on 03/19/2008 9:06:10 AM PDT by greyfoxx39
The recent desecration of a Catholic shrine by LDS missionaries in Colorado raises questions concerning how LDS youth are raised and taught in their homes and at church.
Regrettably, this was not a unique incident. For example, following my own conversion many years ago, as I served as an LDS missionary, I was shocked to hear a few of my fellow missionaries spread gossip and highly offensive so-called "humor" regarding some other religions.
In my mission in Asia a few missionaries desecrated a site sacred to another religion by entering a holy place's inner sanctuary where they knew their presence was forbidden. (LDS readers might consider how they would feel if a non-Saint were to break into the Celestial Room of their local LDS temple.)
Very few missionaries engage in such behavior, but even this small number demonstrate that there is a profound disrespect for other religions among a small minority. There are some things we can do to help improve the situation.
Typically, missionaries are called at the age of 19. Neuroscience has demonstrated that many people of this age have not yet physiologically matured in the brain centers responsible for judgment and discretion. This makes it all the more important for families and teachers to convey, from an very early age right through adulthood, the need to show the utmost respect for the practices and beliefs of different religions.
This would be an excellent topic for Family Home Evening lessons, sacrament meeting talks, missionary preparation classes and other opportunities for instruction.
Here are a few tips as Latter-day Saints strive to increase respect for other religions among their membership:
* Make it a point to teach your youth, potential missionaries and members to respect other religions - to feel that respect inside and to show that respect outside. This is, in part, how we show the love of Jesus Christ to other people. Respect means more than just avoiding heinous misbehavior; respect includes being appreciative of and grateful for the fact that other people obtain much good from the practices and beliefs of their religions.
* Do not countenance religious-based humor. In many cultured circles humor based on ethnicity or gender is no longer acceptable and may even be the grounds for discipline - for example, in the corporate world - because such humor sends the message that bad behavior is acceptable. Latter-day Saints should adopt a stance of zero tolerance with regard to humor or misbehavior directed at other religions. This is not being "politically correct"; it is being neighborly and civilized.
* Beyond that, Latter-day Saints should make it a point to be the best-informed people, not only about their own religion, but about others, as well. Ignorance breeds contempt; true knowledge engenders respect. A good place to start: Huston Smith's book, The World's Religions. In general, it is best to learn about a religion from works written by believers in that religion, or by respected and reasonably neutral scholars of religion.
The most important reason for learning about other people's religions is to further mutual understanding and respect. In a post-9/11 world, this would be a great gift for Latter-day Saints to present to the world.
Let us be known by the depth of our compassion and our understanding of other peoples.
Ping
Who'll be the first to post Joseph Smith's "First Vision"?
This, or course, is impossible. Once an LDS fully understands LDS doctrine, they depart at a sprint, laughing.
Very respectful of you to post this. (-;
Good article. I think we can all learn something from it.
“Typically, missionaries are called at the age of 19. Neuroscience has demonstrated that many people of this age have not yet physiologically matured in the brain centers responsible for judgment and discretion.”
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I’d say that 19 year old brains are physically mature enough to know that knocking the head off a statue that is not yours is wrong.
I'd say that the brains of RELIGIOUS MISSIONARIES ought to be mature enough to know that mocking another faith by preaching from the Book of Mormon at a catholic altar is wrong, and not, BTW, really funny. Particularly a missionary from a faith that excludes a goodly number of its own members from entering its own temples for "unworthiness".
There was a thread earlier on the fact that the mormon church doesn't allow poll workers to bring coffee into its building during elections.
The most important reason for learning about other people's religions is to further mutual understanding and respect.
BAD IDEA! Only those who are secure and mature in their own faith should study other faiths. And even then they should only study other religions through the lens of their own faith, not from a view of those outside their faith.
In a perfect world all 19 year olds would be little angels. Fact is after one year of college these kids still haven’t gotten the real world out of their systems and they long for it after the reality of what boring and hard work a mission is. Their pent up sexual drive is beaten down by old men constantly calling them to repentance and their dark side of deviousness comes forth in many ways. All of this under the fake image of perfection.
It is surprising that more of this doesn’t happen.
If they have never been taught that actions have consequences ... if every time they smashed up something that did not belong to them, or made fun of the teacher, or kicked the cat next door, Mommy or Daddy or their lawyer rushed over to jump between them and conseqences, then at the age of 19 they will still believe that no matter what they do, someone else will bail them out of ir.
Or, they could have parents who are simply idiots, as the father in my Orlando hotel on Monday morning who, when asked to please quiet his 3 year old who was shrieking and flailing, went over and slapped her with a rolled up magazine and instructed her to “cry louder!” and told me to go away.
If you do not do a study in comparing religions, how can you determine which one is correct for you to follow?
By consulting Consumer Reports:
What Religion is the Best Religion?
Mormon Missionaries Under Fire for Mocking Colorado Catholic Shrine
Show respect for the beliefs and practices of others??
On the Free Republic religion forum??
Oh, yeah...the article is a satire, right??
(Just kidding, it would be a nice thing if others would)
Thank you. The photos go far in showing just how extensive the damage was.
BTTT
Well, in the spirit of the name of the article, I would like to say this: Despite what those youths did, I do not think they are representative of Mormons in general, at least not adult Mormons. My (minimal) experience with Mormons has shown me that they are some of the most thoughtful, generous, kind people to bear the name “Christian”.
Theologically speaking, there may be debate on whether or not they are Christian, but if there are to be any who would simply claim the name, I couldn’t think of too many more better representatives. And for those who behave as those youths did, I say as I did on the previous thread on the subject: Forgive 70X7.
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