Thread for Mormon discussion

[Etidorhpa]

What other religion owns an entire state?

[Laodicean]

Does nation state count? I can think of one.

But I'm not going there...

[justdrew]

the papal state is also nominally sovereign

so anyone else know what goes on in the inner sanctum and the golden baptismal font?

[Etidorhpa]

sure , picture 'the royal arch ceremony' and add a dose of planet of the apes!

[Etidorhpa]

the first part of that is true, the second isn't .

[Etidorhpa]

Does nation state count? I can think of one.

But I'm not going there...

yeah me either, but this would be akin to another smaller religion owning a part of that same state i guess?

[Laodicean]

Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a single Mormon that plays for the Utah Jazz...

[Etidorhpa]

ask this guy if he's read any good books?

[Etidorhpa]

Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe there is a single Mormon that plays for the Utah Jazz...

you are correct, mostly just some "nephites"

[justdrew]

sure , picture 'the royal arch ceremony' and add a dose of planet of the apes!

well, I was thinking more about the stand-in for all those dead souls getting baptized.

(edited to not incur wrath (my anonymity would not likely withstand a full blown data-mining and correlation effort))

[operator kos]

Ha- I just got randomly proselytized by some Mormons on the street last week, and I saw them again when I was out for a jog this afternoon. I had a polite conversation with them (always use an opportunity to gather intel about the enemy) and asked them WTF was up (nicely) with Prop 8. I mean, they founded their own state because they had different ideas, including different ideas about marriage, so who were they to tell people how to marry now?

Long story short, they said that God considered polygamy appropriate back in the day, but now considers monogamy appropriate. I asked how they could be sure that God hadn't changed his mind again, and now thought being gay married was appropriate. Predictably, they knew what God thought, because their living prophet told them so. No arguing with that.

teh ghey!!

[Ben D]

the papal state is also nominally sovereign

so anyone else know what goes on in the inner sanctum and the golden baptismal font?

FWIW,... LDS Endowment - Mormons and Masonry

[82_28]

One on one and as they so happen to be your suburban neighbors growing up -- Mormons are the friendliest, smartest and best looking people on Earth. They really are extremely smart and always usually very intrinsically attractive people. I've never been able to figure any of that out. Perhaps they are the chosen.

I've never had any problem with any Mormon all my life. But they stay dedicated. That's the thing that gets me.

I can be raised fundie Christian, whilst all the while my neighbor friends had Ataris and computers. Yeah, they were Mormon. Fundie parents I had (who are cool now), thought all of it the work of devil so to speak. They were hella into James Dobson. The Mormons in the 80's were onto something. I don't trust it. Would never join. But they were onto something.

And frankly, it works.

However, I have never met more self-destructively rebellious souls than kids of Mormons either.

[82_28]

Ad campaign: Catholics, come home

SEATTLE -- Lent traditionally begins with Ash Wednesday, and the church wants to get Catholics back in the pews.

The church has launched a $300,000 ad campaign to get former catholics to come home. The commercials sell the Catholic brand, but not everyone is buying.

Known for stained glass windows, perpetual candles and historic art, the Catholic church is trying a new medium to reach the faithful.

"If you've been away from the Catholic church, we invite you to take another look," one ad says.

Tom Peterson launched the "Catholics, Come Home" campaign with commercials aimed to remind Catholics of the faith.

"Folks really just drift away from church because the world gets in their way. They sleep in on Sunday. Go on vacation and miss mass. We find that when you put an ad on television, people respond to it. They are so glad we invited them back home," he said.

In 1957, 74 percent of Catholics said they went to church once a week. By 2003, the number dropped to 33 percent.

A closer look shows a big hit after 2002 when the priest sex abuse cases made national headlines. Attendance sank 8 percent in just two years.

That's a trend the commercials try to reverse.

The ads have already opened doors at churches across the country. Attendance is up 15 percent in those markets, but getting numbers like those in Seattle could prove to be a lot more difficult.

The ads don't mention abuse, or the church's views on abortion and divorce -- what may be the biggest obstacles for former Catholics in the Northwest, according to University of Washington Sociology Professor James Wellman.

"Some people are not welcome or at least because they are gay or divorced or for other reasons, they don't feel they are being welcomed back into this family," he said.

Wellman says the ads rightfully point out the church's history of education and charity. The commercials may not put people in the pews, but at least they have people talking about the catholic church in a positive light.

Local parishes will be tracking attendance to see if they get a good response.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/84538262.html

[BOOGIE66]

What other religion owns an entire state?

Israel.