Some Mormons Search the Web and Find Doubt

** That's the title of the article.

This article shows why freedom of speech and information is so important. It shows why the unrestricted access to the internet is so important. When people who are submerged in a high pressure religion find factual information that runs counter to that religion, they are finally able to break free and decide for themselves what is true and what isn't. People can break the control that organized religions have over their minds and lives.

Some countries out there are run by religious control. They forbid the people of those countries full access to the internet. They forbid the people of those countries access to any information that runs counter to their organized religions. Some countries even disallow the populations, or I should say - segments of their populations - to get an education.

This is why the internet is so important. This is why we must be watchful when governments talk about censorship of the internet or talk about running it or taxing it. People need to have unrestricted access to the information that can be found on it. Sure, a lot of information on the internet is silly and worthless. BUT there is a lot of information that is invaluable and that can free minds from the choke hold that organized religions can have on them.

New York Times - Some Mormons Search The Web and Find Doubt

Around the world and in the United States, where the faith was founded, the Mormon Church is grappling with a wave of doubt and disillusionment among members who encountered information on the Internet that sabotaged what they were taught about their faith, according to interviews with dozens of Mormons and those who study the church.

But Mr. Mattsson and others say the disillusionment is infecting the church’s best and brightest. A survey of more than 3,300 Mormon disbelievers, released last year, found that more than half of the men and four in 10 of the women had served in leadership positions in the church.

The questions were things like:

■ Why does the church always portray Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon from golden plates, when witnesses described him looking down into a hat at a “peep stone,” a rock that he believed helped him find buried treasure?

■ Why were black men excluded from the priesthood from the mid-1800s until 1978?

■ Why did Smith claim that the Book of Abraham, a core scripture, was a translation of ancient writings from the Hebrew patriarch Abraham, when Egyptologists now identify the papyrus that Smith used in the translation as a common funerary scroll that has nothing to do with Abraham?

■ Is it true that Smith took dozens of wives, some as young as 14 and some already wed to other Mormon leaders, to the great pain of his first wife, Emma?

Side note - for anyone interested .. SOUTHPARK did a good episode about the problems with the Mormon religion - www.southparkstudios.com...

A lot of the 'problems' with the Mormon religion are similar to problems other religions have. Looking at that list of questions, I can see similarities that other religions have with how they were invented.

- A man claims visions from heaven and offers no solid proof.
- The visions/man have hate towards a group of people. An enemy is invented.
- The man claims multiple 'wives' and even steals the wives of others. (at God's command)
- Contradictions between what the religion claims and what history shows to be true.
- 'Borrowing' the standing of other established religions by incorporating bits and pieces of them into the new religion. Piggy-backing off the established religions ... and sometimes changing the original established religion to match the new one to give it 'credibility'.

Sound familiar? It should. The Mormon religion isn't the only one guilty of this. The Jewish faith did it. It 'borrowed' stories from the ancient Egyptians and ancient Summerians, changed the names and places, and made those stories their own. Muhammad did many of the same things that the Mormon founder did as well.

This is why freedom of the internet is important. The truth will set you free.
The internet can set minds free from the chains that organized religion put around them.
I'm not saying to throw out the baby with the bathwater ...
Keep what is good in organized religion ... but don't buy the whole story that is put forward.
Investigate everything.

reply to post by FlyersFan


If ONLY this worked on all religions.

They had better find some doubt.



Coincidence that a honorable discharged rescue swimmer from the Coast Guard discover their failures in logic and doctrine posted a three page letter on their churches in Salt Lake City, who also had some pretty strange coincidences in the timings of his postings relating to sinkholes, rain showers that caused vehicle pileups, and meteors related to the Bee.

Helen Mar Kimball age 14 described her opposition to marrying 38 year old Joseph Smith as that of a small earthquake. And wouldn't you know the Mormons moved to one of the most seismically active regions of Utah and the Western US.

The word harem is almost like the word haram in Arabic. Haram means forbidden. Polygamy doesn't occur in heaven.

John or one of the four synoptic gospel writers said that Jesus was the Word. Therefore when he wasn't on the earth he was inspiring holy men to write scripture. The Bible forbids additional scripture I imagine so that people wouldn't be flying planes into buildings and molesting 14 year old's and manipulating them into marriage by violating their churches own doctrine of individual accountability for ones actions to God. Nothing Helen Mar Kimball did could merit her parents a place in heaven. They follow the laws required to be saved or they don't. Their salvation is their own responsibility. Their salvation does not depend upon the willingness of a 14 year old to surrender her sexual rights to a man whose prophecies about temples remaining operation failed to come true, and a half dozen other failures in prophecy document by Richard Abanes book One Nation Under Gods.

Originally posted by HairlessApe
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

If ONLY this worked on all religions.

Well start typing the dirt,or are you just assuming you know something you dont.
If ONLY this worked on all atheists.

Mormons...oddballs really for falling for it to be honest.
When I was a kid we were all warned to stay away from their church.
Oh and here is the southpark thing for you flyers.




Dumb dumb dumb dumb

Lucy smith smart smart smart smart

reply to post by borntowatch

If ONLY this worked on all atheists.

An honest search for the truth about religion will quickly lead to a realization that it is all complete nonsense. That's what atheism is, non-belief, a rejection of crap.

Giving people unfettered access to basically all our accumulated knowledge will eventually lead to a mass rejection of crap

Welcome to the future...

reply to post by boymonkey74


I love Southpark. It's my guilty pleasure. They get to the root of things. Get to the truth.
And they tell it in such a way that it's really clear and should break through even the most
stubborn mind.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I actually agree with you.

Not because some mormons found doubt, but because like stagnant water is unhealthy, so is a faith and belief that never grows. In order to grow you must be in a constant state of learning. If ones beleif cannot stand up in the face of scrutiny then all you had was a false sense.

I have seen people make up facts to support belief, mistranslate to support belief, and when you have to do that your belief is not based on anything of God, because He is The Truth and wholelly logical.

Our lives from cradle to grave should be spent seeking knowledge and truth, and when you find real truth, His Truth, it is a gift and a most beautiful thing.

Originally posted by boymonkey74
Mormons...oddballs really for falling for it to be honest.
When I was a kid we were all warned to stay away from their church.
Oh and here is the southpark thing for you flyers.

Dumb dumb dumb dumb

Lucy smith smart smart smart smart

edit on 22-7-2013 by boymonkey74 because: (no reason given)

Its bad when the only joke is the sound track in the background and yet the facts are still funny.

But rember the American originate from hardcore christians too nutty for europe and the ones that moved west were too nutty for even the normal Americans at the time

The day i have a problem with Mormons, is the day i see a news article about Mormons declaring some sort of war.

They are nice people, leave them be. It may seem silly to us but they are harmless. Scientology should get all the flak the Mormons are getting right now in my opinion, perhaps the Mormons should borrow Scientology's lawyers

Grow up and move on to issues that actually matter or focus on sections of other religions that are destructive.

When your holy book is written by a guy talking to rocks in a top hat something has gone abit wrong.

Not surprising at all.

Yes, the South Park episode was hysterically funny and spot on.

Me personally? I consider myself a spiritual person...I believe in a higher power and I meditate on it and pray to it every day...however...I believe that organized religion...all of them...were created as control mechanism's for the masses of the day.

Fear and wonder...powerful tools in controlling large numbers of people.

The Mormon church ,isnt the only laughable religion......but its pretty close to the funniest.

Originally posted by Atzil321
reply to post by borntowatch

 

If ONLY this worked on all atheists.

An honest search for the truth about religion will quickly lead to a realization that it is all complete nonsense. That's what atheism is, non-belief, a rejection of crap.

Giving people unfettered access to basically all our accumulated knowledge will eventually lead to a mass rejection of crap

Welcome to the future...

Of course and you are welcome to that belief
a belief that has helped nobody and is justified by nothing in your reply
How quaint of you
Sound overtly religious with your abundance *ahem* or lack thereof of accumulated knowledge. Where is it or are you assuming something?, atheism the new religion with no evidence LISTED. I wont bold it, seems churlish, I am sure you get the point, grown ups dont act like children....mostly, show some manners.
Ka ching

No offence atzil but, really, you have brought nothing to the discussion.

Originally posted by Biigs
Grow up and move on to issues that actually matter or focus on sections of other religions that are destructive.

There are plenty of threads about how destructive Islam is .. fundamentalist christianity is ... etc

Yes, mormons are the nicest people I've ever met. However, their religion is pure bunk.
The Southpark episode hits the nail on the head ... nice people with an easily debunked religion.
As far as 'destructive' goes ... Mormons aren't blowing up buildings but lies are lies.
Having groups of people stuck living a lie .. is still a lie .. no matter how nice the people are.

reply to post by FlyersFan


Be careful, these lies are beliefs that are backed by the "you cant prove a negative" no matter how screamingly obvious the facts are

The truth will set you free.

Originally posted by AkhenatenII
The truth will set you free.

Exactly. And the internet is getting information to people who, in the past, were subjected to 'truth' via the propaganda of those indoctrinated by easily debunked organized religions. Now people can go look up historical fact and find out for themselves if what they are being subjected to is truthful or not.

The internet is organized religions worst nightmare!

It's important that no one take over the internet ... that the internet not be filtered ... that people have complete access to it.

Originally posted by Biigs
The day i have a problem with Mormons, is the day i see a news article about Mormons declaring some sort of war.

They are nice people, leave them be. It may seem silly to us but they are harmless. Scientology should get all the flak the Mormons are getting right now in my opinion, perhaps the Mormons should borrow Scientology's lawyers

Grow up and move on to issues that actually matter or focus on sections of other religions that are destructive.

I agree with the above. As long as they don't bother me and mine, I don't care what they believe.

reply to post by FlyersFan



"The Great Unveiling"? Information super highway.

"Here's mud in yer' eye"? Took a wrong turn somewhere.

"I'll drink to that". Found someone I can agree with.

I never got how the undergarment could help produce so many offspring; and keep them safe from molesters...