Texas LDS deal with confusion

Deseret News ^ | 04/21/2008 | Ben Winslow

[JRochelle]

SAN ANGELO, Texas — Shortly after the raid began on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch, a group of Mormon missionaries sat down to eat at a restaurant here. A man shouted out "compound!"

"There was this guy. He held up a knife and yelled at us," said Elder Tyler Duffy from Orem.

Some of the fallout from the raid on the YFZ Ranch is being felt by members and missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the FLDS Church is not connected in any way to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some Mormon faithful have said they feel they are being found guilty by association.

"There are some people here that believe anything bad about Mormons and that's what they're going to do," said Charles L. Webb, who serves as president of the Abilene, Texas, stake.

The LDS Church's presence in this part of Texas is small. The Abilene stake covers an area 25,000 square miles in size with about 3,000 members. There are only two LDS chapels in San Angelo, but a number of Baptist and other evangelical Christian churches. It's the polar opposite of Utah, where the LDS Church is the dominant faith.

In repeated statements, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have differentiated between the two faiths and expressed disappointment that some news media outlets have lumped the two together.

"Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called Mormons, do not practice polygamy and they have not practiced polygamy for over a century," Elder Quentin L. Cook, an LDS apostle, said in a video clip the church recently posted on YouTube. The LDS Church has said there is no such thing as a "fundamentalist Mormon," although an estimated 37,000 people who practice it consider themselves as such. Fundamentalists argue that the LDS Church has strayed from its original doctrine by abandoning the practice of polygamy in 1890.

Here in the Bible belt, many LDS members have had to explain the differences in their faiths — the practice of polygamy being the chief example.

Clinton Hudson, a student at Sonora High School, is a member of a Christian student fellowship. During a lunchtime meeting, he said one student said they should pray for the children taken in the raid. Another student said they should "pray for the Mormons."

"I approached her and said, 'They're not Mormons. They're fundamentalists. They broke off from the church' and described our history and how they broke off. It really helped a lot," Hudson said Sunday. "It was a great opportunity to get them to understand there's a difference between them and us."

Not everyone is interested in hearing their explanations.

Duffy said he was speaking with a man interested in converting to the LDS Church. After the raid, the man gave them back a copy of the Book of Mormon, saying he did not want to hear from them again.

"He didn't even give us time to explain," Duffy said.

As they go door-to-door, the missionaries have had to alter their introductions a little to clarify the differences between the two faiths.

"We're not from the church in Eldorado, but we share this message," said Elder Nicolas Librandi, from Murray.

Some have lashed out at the missionaries, blaming polygamy and allegations of child-bride marriages on the LDS Church. But some say there is more interest in the mainstream church, and its message.

"The purposes of God won't be frustrated," said Elder Ryan Bartley, from Carmichael, Calif.

Webb said he has discouraged members from helping out in the name of the LDS Church to avoid confusion between the two faiths, but said they should offer their services as individuals. The local Baptist congregations have contracts to provide relief services in disaster situations.

San Angelo 2nd Ward Bishop Jeffrey Bushman was contacted by a chaplain helping the FLDS women when they were being housed at Fort Concho. The women had requested copies of the Book of Mormon.

He sent them some copies.

"They didn't have anything or bring anything with them, I guess, and they wanted some scriptures and they asked for the Book of Mormon," Bushman said. "I didn't mind. We don't ever mind giving out (copies of the) Book of Mormon to people."

[Malacoda]

You've posted this, word-for-word, multiple times on multiple threads.

Sheer repetition will not sway skeptics.

[lady lawyer]

Delphi, the people who are hopping on to this FLDS mess and using it to smear the Mormon church are the same people who hijacked every Mitt Romney thread to smear the Mormon church.

It takes a particularly vile person to attack another’s religion the way these people do. And there is a nest of such vile people on FR, unfortunately. That’s why I quit donating.

You can’t reason with them. If you try in good faith to explain things, they ignore your valid points, twist what you said, and end up arguing with straw men.

Pearls/swine.

[Old Mountain man]

I am merely correcting what I can charitably call “mis-statements” rather than the blatant lies they really are.

[rickomatic]

Maybe the statement should read “there is no significant connection.” I will the say the same thing re connection between mainline Protestant churches and David Koresh and Jim Jones. I do not judge Protestants by the actions of Paul Crouch or cults such as Children of God even though many, many parallels can be drawn.

That's an interesting point. However you leave out one very important distinction.
The heresies preached by Jim Jones, David Koresh, and even Paul Crouch are perversions of Christian doctrine. They are supposedly "new" ideas that the church somehow missed in the past.
The whacked out beliefs of the FLDS sects are in fact restorations of "divine" revelation and doctrine preached by the very founders of the LDS church. To say that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young did not preach these abominations is simply not true.

[JRochelle]

Not only did he practice polygamy, he also married and diddled women who already had husbands.

[Old Mountain man]

50 plus wives? That is a definite lie of commission.

[DelphiUser]

The fLDS are Mormons: lock, stock and barrel all the way.

Funny, I work with a couple, and they hate being called Mormons, in fact they minimize the LDS part and just call themselves fundamentalists.

[Colofornian]

There are millions of mormons who believe EVERYTHING bad about non-mormon faiths, and proselytize by preaching that only mormons have the "true gospel" and that's what they're going to do. Sounds like schadenfreude to me.

Your comment also prompted me to think: Do mainstream Mormons proselytize the fLDS? If not, why not? Do the mainstream Mormons send missionaries to fundamentalist Mormons in Hildale, UT & Colorado City AZ & Bountiful BC & certain parts of Juarez, Mexico? If not, that would seem to confirm the duplicity of Salt Lake's LDS HQ: Here they say fLDS is another "faith" yet for some reason this is the only "faith" not to receive standard house-to-house visitations from Mormon missionaries!

[Graybeard58]

Which group would Joseph Smith belong to.

Good point.

[rickomatic]

Joseph Smith did not practice Polygamy; so, you figure it out!

Ok then...we won't call him a Polygamist. Let's just call him an adulter and child abuser then. How's that?
Or would you rather keep your blinders on? Either way is fine with me.

[greyfoxx39]

I notice you posted the exact thing to another thread. It’s difficult to tell if this is satire or not.

[DelphiUser]

Joseph Smith did not practice Polygamy; so, you figure it out!

Um, as a Mormon, let me say, yes he did, and what are you smoking?

[jwatz49]

Unfortunately you are repeating slanderous lies.

“What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives,
when I can only find one”—Joseph Smith (LDS History of the Church 6:411).

If you want to attack Brigham in this manner; I have no reply.

[greyfoxx39]

Um, as a Mormon, let me say, yes he did, and what are you smoking?

From the tenor of jwatz' posts, I deduce he is probably too young to drink, new to the FR mormon threads, and very possibly either a new convert or investigator.

In other words, someone you could mentor.

[DelphiUser]

You guys bringing up Fred Phelps is so funny. I could not care less about that.

It's an apt comparison, they are embarrassing and break the law, these guys in Texas are embarrassing and break the law.

[davisfh]

"Bigot"

A person of strong conviction or prejudice, especially in matters of race, religion or politics, who is intolerant of those who differ with him.

"Bigotry"

The attitude, state of mind, or behavior characteristic of a bigot; intolerance.

[colorcountry]

Joseph Smith did not practice Polygamy; so, you figure it out!

Oh really, he didn't??

<

Marriage(s)
	Spouse:	Catherine WALKER (AFN: 1CB1-M7)	Family
	Marriage:
	Spouse:	Sarah SCOTT (AFN: 1Z2L-ST)	Family
	Marriage:
	Spouse:	Sarah STILES (AFN: 8R67-VW)	Family
	Marriage:
	Spouse:	Desdemona Wadsworth FULLMER (AFN: 2S9J-LX)	Family
	Marriage:	1842
		Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Sarah LAWRENCE (AFN: 8R65-X0)	Family
	Marriage:	Abt 11 1843 May
	Spouse:	Mary Elizabeth ROLLINS (AFN: 17RW-FT)	Family
	Marriage:	17 Jan 1842
		Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Emma HALE (AFN: 91T1-HN)	Family
	Marriage:	18 Jan 1827
		South Bainbridge, Chenango, Ny
	Spouse:	Amanda Melissa BARNES (AFN: 1S4B-X9)	Family
	Marriage:	Sealed 19 1852 Jan
		Salt Lake City, Ut
	Spouse:	Sylvia Porter SESSIONS (AFN: 1H4D-3M)	Family
	Marriage:	26 Jan 1846
	Spouse:	Zina Diantha HUNTINGTON (AFN: 8R65-S9)	Family
	Marriage:	27 Oct 1841
		Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Mary HOUSTON (AFN: 2HDJ-8W)	Family
	Marriage:	3 Feb 1846
	Spouse:	Nancy Mariah WINCHESTER (AFN: 34HH-3H)	Family
	Marriage:	3 Feb 1846
	Spouse:	Helen Mar KIMBALL (AFN: 1FZD-48)	Family
	Marriage:	May 1843
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Lucy WALKER (AFN: 3FNF-72)	Family
	Marriage:	1 May 1843
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Rhoda RICHARDS (AFN: 1F72-5R)	Family
	Marriage:	12 Jun 1843
		Nauvoo, Illinois
	Spouse:	Eliza Roxey SNOW (AFN: 272Q-KP)	Family
	Marriage:	29 Jun 1842
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Sarah Ann WHITNEY (AFN: 3LTZ-0W)	Family
	Marriage:	27 Jul 1842
		Nauvoo, Hnck, Il
	Spouse:	Martha MCBRIDE (AFN: 1JJW-V0)	Family
	Marriage:	Aug 1842
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Malissa LOTT (AFN: 1CZR-T8)	Family
	Marriage:	20 Sep 1843
		Nauvoo, Illinois
	Spouse:	Fanny YOUNG (AFN: 1BK5-VM)	Family
	Marriage:	2 Nov 1843
	Spouse:	Prescendia Lathrop HUNTINGTON (AFN: 1RBQ-97)	Family
	Marriage:	11 Dec 1841
		Smith's Store, Nauvoo, Hancock, Il
	Spouse:	Sophronia Gray FROST (AFN: 2HZ7-PN)	Family
	Marriage:
	Spouse:	Melissa SNOW (AFN: 272Q-N7)	Family
	Marriage:
	Spouse:	Cordelia Calista MORLEY (AFN: 1CP9-HR)	Family
	Marriage:

[Politicalmom]

For people who have no connection and disapprove of their practices, there are sure a lot of mormons defending this cult.

[greyfoxx39]

Pearls/swine.

Lipstick/pig

[Domandred]

Joseph Smith did not practice Polygamy

Actually Joseph Smith and Brigham Young did in fact practice polygamy. There shouldn't be any question there because it just is fact.

Now what that polygamy entailed is up for debate on both sides.