Here is a quote from the local newspaper:
The Ogden Standard-Examiner: "The cultural emphasis in the Mormon Church that equates financial success with spiritual success, and an unquestioning allegiance to authority figures, may partly explain why 10,000 Utah investors have been swindled out of more than $200 million during the past decade."
Here is a quote from the national press:
The San Diego Union: "In recent years, Utah has been called the fraud capital of the United States, and many defendants in fraud cases have been Mormon officials who used church connections to victimize other members."
Newsweek: "Utah, the land of the Mormons, has earned itself another name: the Stock-Fraud Capital of the Nation."
Did you know SEC opened up an office in Salt Lake City? Are you kidding me? Salt Lake City?
What can we take away from this? Apparently, victimizing your group isn't limited to any race, creed or religion.
Why is religion such a dividing issue. People keep saying that they won’t vote for Romney because he is Mormon, but never say the won’t vote for Huckabee because he is Baptist and Giuliani because he is Catholic. Religion should not be the issue here. If it is, we are no better today than England was when our beloved country was founded.
Furthermore, I believe it is unfair to equate Romney with the moral turpitude of some Mormons. It is the same as equating Giuliani with the Mafia. Neither Romney nor Giuliani have anything to do with these shysters, even though these unscrupulous people profess to belong to their respective religions.
“The cultural emphasis in the Mormon Church that equates financial success with spiritual success”
Being far from Utah I can’t speak to the culture, but as far as Mormon doctrines go, members are taught to be honest and honorable, and nothing in our doctrine links financial success to spiritual success
“and an unquestioning allegiance to authority figures”
So why then did Utah so soundly vote against re-electing Clinton? Again this is a great distortion. Members are told not to blindly accept a church leader is called of God but to confirm that by going to God about it prayer themselves. Even after that they are not obligated to give any measure of ‘allegiance’ to that leader outside of the duties of that leader’s calling. Nothing in our doctrine supports any kind of unquestioning allegiance of authority figures outside the church either.
My impression from afar is that Utah Mormons can be a little naive and too trusting, and so they make good targets for wolves in sheep’s clothing out to fleece a few lambs.