Posted on 07/11/2012 8:44:48 AM PDT by Coleus
Yet in their public behavior, modern Mormons seems to be like people out of the ‘50s. Like Ezra Taft Benson, for instance. Will he pull lots of people from the Church into his administration, as Obama has done his true believers?
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Public behavior and private lives are very different in Mormonism. Utah has the highest rate of Prozac use, and has very high rates of suicide and prescription drug abuse. A lot of that has to do with the pressure in the Mormon church to APPEAR ‘perfect’ - the perfect husband, the perfect wife and mother, perfect children, wealth is seen as proof of ‘living the gospel’, it is a lot of pressure.
Will Romney pull Mormons in at a higher rate - definitely. A lot of small Mormon companies will only hire Mormons (I worked for three of them and lost one job when I left the LDS church) and it is a similar thing. Mitt has already named Mormon (and former Utah Gov) Mike Levitt to head up his transition team.
There is a lot to admire in the Mormon “Errand into the Wilderness. I have read parts of the ‘Great Basin Kingdom,” by Arrington. In some ways it is like the Zionist enterprise. It is also like the Massachusetts Bay Colony in its approach. Except that the Puritans were 1)hard-nosed Trinitarians and 2) hard drinkers.:)
Read the other side of it, it is nowhere NEAR as rosy as Arrington (who wrote faith promoting history only) paints it. There is a dark side that the LDS ignore or flat out lie about.
I can give you some recommendations if you would like.
I know nothing about Tebow because I won’t touch pro-foot ball with a ten foot pole. I just can’t take it, never could and I stopped following college ball years ago.
The only reason I posted becasue the article said the way he acts is in conflict with LDS. I have seen nothing that would detract from that group based on what I have seen of Harper on MASN.
Freegards
There was a dark side to the New England colonies, too: the wars of extermination of the neighboring indians tribes, which was a bit like a replay of “Joshua.” But, yes, I would like some recommendations. Perhaps a critique of Mormon theology.
The best website and resource is Utah Lighthouse Ministry. The founder, Sandra Tanner, is a walking encylopedia of Mormon history and doctrine and will be happy to talk to you via email or over the phone. They also have a bookstore (with several books by LDS writers as well) and some online books.
Here is a link to the online books, The Hoth Diary and Brighams Destroying Angel are both good.
http://utlm.org/navonlinebooks.htm
For print books, I would recommend the following....
Under the Banner of Heaven (polygamy mostly but also early Utah history)
Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows (also covers the trek west and life in Utah)
Conflict in the Quorum: Orson Pratt, Brigham Young, Joseph Smith by Gary James Bergera
Cultures In Conflict by John E. Hallwas & Roger D. Launiusn (mostly dealing with the LDS in Illinois)
Faith and Betrayal: A Pioneer Woman’s Passage in the American West - Sally Denton
An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins by Grant Palmer (a true believing Mormon this book got him disciplined by the LDS church and ultimately a showdown between him resigning or being excommunicated)
On the Mormon Frontier: The Diary of Hosea Stout, 1844-1889 - Juanita Brooks
Devil’s Gate: Brigham Young and the Great Mormon Handcart Tragedy
Forgotten Kingdom: The Mormon Theocracy in the American West 1847-1896
Hope this helps and Sandra can direct you to even more resources.
For an overview of Mormonism -
Mormonism—Shadow or Reality? By Jerald and Sandra Tanner
And Reasoning from the Scriptures with Mormons - Ron Rhodes
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