A) Thank you for posting this comprehnsive expose.
B) “Mormons are tight knit and like to support their own,...”
That latter statement is the source of my uncultivated wariness in dealing with Mormons. (I have had extensive interactions with Mormons due both to my vocation and my avocation.)
I have found that Mormons tend to give preferential treatment to their own, and also tend to lose interest in one when they realize that one is not interested in converting to Mormonism.
As a Christian who has been in ministry, I strive not to treat non-Christians those ways.
“I am proud to be a Mormon”
Hmm...are Christians “proud to be Christian”?
Not this Christian. All I know is that I’m a rotten sinner for whom Christ sacrificed His life, to redeem me and all who believe in Him. I humbly beg that He vouchsafe me His grace for every day that I have left on this Earth. I am that publican who couldn’t even raise his eyes while he begged for God’s mercy.
Proud? In my case, no. Saved? So I believe, with all my heart.
The “tight knit and support your own” nature of lots of Mormons is fairly typical of minority religions. In my industry, apparel, I see it a lot with the Orthodox Jewish, and South Asian communities. In heavy Mormon communities like Utah or Idaho you see it everywhere. It’s usually a positive thing that helps people bear one another’s burdens. I am sorry you have had bad experiences with some Mormons, so have I and I am one :) As a teacher of many Mormon Sunday School classes, youth and mens ministry groups I have always strived to teach other Mormons not be insular and to do business and live in the community as the Good Samaritan and not as the Levite, to live the 2nd great commandment to love thy neighbor as thyself and not categorize their neighbors by denomination. Most of my Mormons friends and family are good folks and straight shooters, and so our most my Baptist and Catholic ones. I prefer to recognize all Christians by their deeds first rather than their denomination. As to how all this relates to Egg McMuffin it just shows how the GOP-E and the Left are masters at playing on peoples emotional weaknesses even in communities that should by creed be impenetrable to their ideology.