>>”I thought this group didn’t represent mainstream Mormonism.<<”
When did you change your mind? You’ve been equating the two not only on this thread, but others as well and you know it!
>>”...how can our opinions about this group be construed as anti-Mormon?”<<
That’s what I’ve been wondering since this story broke! And all I get is that I’m defending the wrongdoings of Jeffs and his ilk at the “compound”.
I enjoy a good healthy debate as much as anyone, metmom, but this is getting out of hand with the accusations and such. I’m not going to lose any FRiends over this stupid incident in TX. We both know there was weird stuff going on at the FLDS temple, and as adults we should admit that weird things happen in all churches.
Why do those that are so quick to condemn the Mormons as being in bed with the FLDS continue to ignore the Catholic Priest HOMOSEXUAL CHILD RAPE issue?????
I’m off to work.
With respect, metmom,
panaxanax
I never changed my mind. I know the official position of the mainstream LDS leadership on this issue and I know that you and several others have distanced yourself from this group.
Sadly, there are others claiming to be Mormons who have not, and are condoning polygamy, trying to support it using Scripture. Check out some of the other threads.
I’ve never seen you defend Jeffs, as a matter of fact, IIRC, you have condemned him strongly, although I have no idea where the post is by now.
I can see where your concern about First Amendment rights comes into this. It’s a valid concern. I don’t like the idea of the government dictating anything about religion but again, I have a hard time with people engaged in this kind of unbelievably horrific behavior protecting it by declaring it a religion and invoking the First Amendment in a bid to force the government to stay out of it and not protect its own citizens from criminal behavior and exploitation.
I still don’t see any alternative then how the government is going about this. They’ve used search warrants. Reports are that the people have left voluntarily. I still don’t think infiltration is possible. Wire tapping, might work, but if they have any suspicion at all, which I think they would, they would be VERY careful about what they’re saying. I understand they have their own facilities and contractors for a lot of work. Bugging the place is not going to work.
Unless they get to those records, they just have the testimony of the people who have left, and from what I hear it’s pretty condemning and they are not interested in going back.
There’s been plenty of outrage at the priest issues. People have demanded change, but I didn’t see ANYONE defending them, not Catholics, not people calling themselves Catholics, not non-Catholics. No one worried about the First Amendment those times.
This is an extreme case. I don’t think that it’s going to set any precedent in the government dealing with religious groups. They’re hardly acting implusively. They’ve been onto this group for years an the call they got was the first real legal opportunity they’ve had to act. I have to give them credit for their restraint.
Again, if they had Waco’d this group, yes, I would be outraged. It would have been wrong, but it hasn’t happened this time. I think they learned their lesson.
Respectfully, yours.