The Smallest Minority

Followed your link from Hewitt's blog. I like your post. I'm a Mormon and I thought that South Park episode was especially funny. Thanks for your insight.

Followed your link here from Hewitt's blog. You make some very good points. I'm a Mormon and I laughed all the way through that South Park episode. I know some fellow church members were offended by it, but they take themselves way too seriously anyway. Thanks for your insight.

You're welcome!

You're welcome!;)

The funny thing is that Jew, Mormons, other sorts of Christians, and Muslims all have the same imaginary friend (with some caveats), and we still can't all just get along.

And don't kid yourself, atheists have lots of imaginary friends, they're all on the internet.

John Kennedy said he looks forward to an America "where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source."

I love South Park, BTW, but they only pick on religions that won't blow them up. Cowards.

workinwifdakids- not true. They've picked on Islam and prominent Islamists a couple of times, although Comedy Central chickened right out of an episode with the likeness of Mohammed that was basically a huge upraised middle finger during the middle of the controversy. (Ironically, they still rerun Super Best Friends, which has a much longer and much more irreverent appearance by Mohammed... rightly understanding that no one who would be offended watches the reruns anyway.)

My brother converted to his aunt's religion, Mormonism. He seems pretty well adjusted. My dad, another atheist troublemaker, shrugged his shoulders and said pretty much what the episode did- it keeps him out of trouble and is overall a good influence even if he thought the foundation of the religion was craaaaaazy. He tended to hire church members for the same reasons- they always showed up on time, never stole, shirked, slacked, or developed substance abuse problems.

I think some of the things the Mormon church does are offensive as hell, like "converting" the dead, but I really don't care what kind of underwear they have or what goes on in the temples or whether or not my President is one.

Interestingly, I don't have a problem with the "converting the dead," thing, since the only way it could possibly "take" is if the Mormons are right anyway. If they're not, it makes the Mormons feel better but is harmless to everyone else -- including the dead.

Comedy Central also kinda caved to the Scientologists. Parker & Stone did manage to run the episode telling the world what Scientologists believe, but the Scientologists' rabid attack lawyers have kept the episode from being re-broadcast. I think the episode is "Tom Cruise is still in the closett". However, the boys gave the middle finger to the Scientologists again by running an episode parodying their own episode on Scientology, the one in which Chef gets brainwashed by the Super Adventure Club. I believe they can still rebroadcast that one.

Growing up non-Mormon among them in Utah was tough on my mom, kids of all sorts can be cruel in school and their local employment preferences insured that my Grandpa found work only with other non-Mormons. She'll never vote for a Mormon.

The big difference being that "Stan" wasn't picking the person to take the most highest political seat in the land and the role of most powerful man in the world.

The historical Mormon doctrines and practices of polygamy, of "divinely decreed" racism, and of executing "apostates" in order to save their souls, are justifiable reasons for questioning the wisdom of granting them that much power.

On a broader perspective, you have to question the wisdom of electing someone with such a pathological level of gullibility. Mormonism's history is less than two centuries long, and has been under the scrutiny of historical documentation the entire time. It's founders' criminal record, just for starters, is an open book, and the material evidence against its founders claims is also an open book.

It's one thing to have faith in a religion whose origins are lost in the depths of time, but another thing entirely when it's a cult young enough to have news clippings about its founding and is on record for plaigarizing large chunks of its "holy book" from a mediocre fantastic novel of the era. The Mormons are no more above skepticism than the Scientologists, and I would be loth indeed to vote for a member of EITHER cult.

Good points, RHJunior. We shouldn't trust Mormons with positions of high office. Who knows what crazy things might happen if a Mormon were a governor of a state or even the Senate Majority Leader.

And where can I get a copy of this "fantastic novel" of which you speak?

Jeremy, that was cruel.





I think I like you!