[Colofornian]

My objection now is that the Mormons have been “tamed.” or “christianized,”so that their morality, their deportment is now consistent with the public peace. I find it ironical that they stand for a morality that is more Christian than that of many main-line Christian churches.

Well, you might be right...provided that the only or primary purpose of "religion" was to "tame" folks. (Hint: It's not)

The Bible doesn't mention "religion" very often & when it does, it links back to the Church helping the poor & orphans (book of James). Just as we learn character in a social reality (families, churches, schools, communities, and prayer, etc.), the Bible points out that it's the social reality of a relationship with the true Jesus Christ that yields both eternal life (John 17:3) and character/morality (Galatians, for example talks about the fruit of the spirit).

My bottom-line: It really doesn't matter if we have outwardly "moral" folks like the New Testament Pharisees. Jesus called them a "brood of vipers" whose cups were clean on the outside but were inwardly filthy...he called them children of the devil in John 8. Jesus was more concerned about the inside of the cup. And when you check the inside of the cup in places like Utah, you find that state is consistently in the top 10 for suicide rates in the nation...and Mentalhealth.net just named the state #1 of all states for depression.

[RobbyS]

So now the Mormons are Pharisees? But if it is by their fruits that you know them, then look at Mississippi where the divorce rate is sky-high and illegitimacy almost the norm and abortion quite common, even though the state has lots and lots of professing Christians. I’m not picking on that state. Mitt Romney’s state is forty per cent. Catholic; yet gay marriage is established and abortion is an entitlement. Faith is as faith does."Faith without good works is dead. I am more included than most to think that theology determines morality, but even the Apostle Paul was worried about the disconnect between profession and performance. What is in our minds is often not in our heart.