Re: Mormons are criticized because they knock on your door - that is actually very insightful. I agree with you.
I think, however, that your example might not quite be accurate. I think what we see happening here is a group that feels that their favorite color is red, while you are certain that the best color is really blue. In fact, you have documentation to prove it (even though this documentation seems to allow various hues of blue, since you have many friends that prefer a different shade of blue, and you have no problems with them).
And you want to warn your neighbors about this group and their claims. Fair enough.
But, what is the best way to warn your neighbor? I trust you do not run over to their front yard and plant several dozens signs in the yard, all with various stream-of-conciseness screeds in multiple fonts, colors, and formatting, none of which really seem to apply to the conversation at hand.
And then, upon seeing anyone in a white shirt, or riding a bicycle anywhere within a five mile radius of you neighborhood plant the same signs again, on every yard, with the only variance being the order that you plant them.
And then gather on the corner with your fellow warners, congratulating each other on how you have been so successful in keeping the neighborhood clean from the red guys.
Nope, pretty sure that is not the way to warn your neighbors. In fact, it will probably piss them off more than those guys who knocked on their door telling them about the color red, and they just politely said no thanks and shut the door.
I think this behavior is what causes the various claims of Mormon bashing, even from non-Mormons.
The certainly must be a better, more productive way to warn your neighbors.
If you have cable TV, there won’t be much on to watch.
If there isn’t much on to watch, you will answer your door whenever someone rings.
If you open your door, you will see mormons.
If you talk to mormons, they will trick you into “praying about whether something is true”.
If you rely on your feelings, you may become a mormon.
If you become a mormon, you will have to wear magic underwear!
If you wear magic underwear, people will immediately label you as a cultist.
DON’T be a cultist!
Get DirectTV.
Or you could expose the doctrinal errors. Remember, most “Mormon-bashing” consists of people using the church’s own words. If I went to the UMC website and posted the church’s own words, that’s not Methodist bashing. If I posted John Wesley’s own words, that’s not Methodist bashing. If I posted John Knox’s own words, that’s not Presbyterian bashing.
The difference is this: I am allowed and willing to criticize my church when it is wrong. And I do so quite often. When a Mormon is confronted with the words of the church or its leaders, they can have several responses.
Example: The church says God lives on the planet Kolob.
1. That is factually incorrect.
2. That is correct but I don’t believe that myself
3. That is correct and I believe it is true
4. You are bashing my religion.
For some reason, #4 seems to be the default answer.
If someone came in and said “John Wesley didn’t want to split with the Anglican church”, as a Methodist I would respond with #2 and never #4.