Why is the "Mormon" church attacked so much?

Question

Just wondering, because I hear so much negativity towards this church. It's like people are out to "get the Mormon's". They are harmless.... so I'm confused as to why everybody seems to hate them so much.

Answer 1

Like someone has said before, people are afraid of what they don't understand. And, as proven by several of these answers, most people seem to understand very little about the Mormons.

Part of the problem is fueled by misinformation. Many things are said about the Mormons that are either half-truths or outright lies, and rather than question the source of the misinformation, people just believe it and go on spreading it. It appears that there are two types of Mormonism: 1) real Mormonism, and 2) the so-called beliefs of Mormons that are not really Mormon beliefs but were created by the Church's enemies to deceive others. It is my opinion that most people hate the latter (as do I), but they associate it with the former.

When people have issues with the doctrines actually taught by the Church, then it just comes down to the fact that they don't believe the same way.

Ironically, too, most anti-Mormons are Christians. They would do well to follow the advice in Matthew 7:1-5.

Answer 2

I am LDS and I think that there are several reasons why people attack the church.

First, I would like to believe that there are some good Christian people out their who think that we are misinformed and have taken it upon themselves to correct us. While this is a noble gesture on their part, I do not often agree with their methods and think that sometimes they can be quite un-Christian when it comes to members of the LDS church.

I think that there is another group of people who attack the church because they feel somehow threatened or offended by it. These people may have been LDS at one point and have fallen away for whatever reason. These may also be people who have had unpleasant experiences with a member(s) and have judged the whole church by an individual's action.

Unfortunately, I think that there are some who are just angry people and enjoy trying to stir up animosity and hatred towards the church.

Regardless, of why they do it, it shows that our educational system has completely failed us. Many of the arguments used are completely and easily identifiable as false, not to mention sensationalized to produce a shock effect. Many such attacks also use logic that could be used against the bible, their own church and all of Christianity. Most of the supposed "questions" that people have about the church could be easily answered by simply doing some basic research on the topic. Furthermore, most of the casual critics of the church with whom I have communicated, have never been to an LDS church, never read the Book of Mormon (or even the bible in many cases), they have never had the missionary discussions, never visited the official LDS websites or even truly dialoged with LDS members.

So, it is quite understandable, yet not excusable in the least, that there are so many misconceptions and attacks regarding the LDS church.

Answer 3

Brian is 100% correct, people are just afraid of what they don't understand, and they are afraid to try to understand in case they are proven wrong.

However, I will add the Mormons are not prefect. Like any and all religions there are those that tend to be fanatics and pushy. Not only to outsiders but members as will. And sometimes those people give others a bad taste of what Mormons are like. this is unfortunate. but every religion and philosophy has that problem.

Would you seek advice about a company from a source that recently quit or was fired due to "problems"? Not likely, you know that the information will be twisted and although seemingly accurate, focused on anything bad rather then good, and exaggerated. Why go to a source for information about anything that you know is going to be negative (i.e. ex-Mormon)? That doesn't make sense.

Lastly, I believe (and the I'd to think the church generally) that if you don't want to join the LDS faith, that's fine; it's not for everyone. But, we obviously believe it is the correct one.

P.S. you'll find that a lot of out of the ordinary practices (no alcohol, tobacco, etc) fall in line with other religions, like Muslim.

Answer 4

Wow, after reading all of these answers I am suprised how many people are misinformed about the Mormons.

For one, John Stockton is not a Mormon (lol! He went to Gonzaga, a Catholic school!) Just because he played in Utah and is clean cut is just a coincidence.

Second, we do not pray to Joseph Smith. We only pray to God.

Third, the LDS Church does not practice polygamy (but is practiced by small break-off groups that should not be confused with Mormons).

Fourth, Minister's claim that the LDS Church's teachings are unbiblical are his opinion. I think that the LDS Church's teachings are just as Christian as any other.

Finally, for my answer, I think that the LDS Church is attacked because people feel threatened by it because it is growing so quickly and they don't agree with the doctrine. It's that simple.

Answer 5

sure I do! i do not understand the reason of it both, in spite of the actual shown actuality that i will attraction to a similarity to the psychological techniques of orgasm.- i imagine that the emotional centres for laughter and worry are very close at the same time contained in the mind, and that if one section is saturated with the chemical alerts, then it spills over into the subsequent section. they say that for the period of disaster circumstances - human beings act hysterically - oftentimes being hyperactive and giggling, so i imagine that is the reason. So once you've spent a lengthy time period including grief and worry into one section, then you truthfully would act hysterically the subsequent second. i honestly were given a in good structure of the giggles for the period of my first marriage - I must have only given up, yet I thiught it replaced right into a competent theory on the time. I extensively utilized to snort or snort for the period of sex - it is only the way i'm stressed out i wager.

Answer 6

I think it's a conspiracy started by Satan to get Christians to attack other Christians, because as Jesus said, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Think how much good could be done if Christians actually made an effort to build up others instead of pointing out supposed fallacies or supposedly "historic" facts. Maybe the negative ones need to eat more gummy bears and take themselves a little less seriously.

Answer 7

I would say it is due to insecurity and misinformation. When people are not firm in their own faith they believe it somehow makes them stronger, or their beliefs more true, be degrating or tearing down someone elses. If someone really knows what they believe they don't need to attack others and are generally respectful of different beliefs. We should all respect everyone's beliefs, even if they conflict with our own.

The problem of misinfomation is obvious, as many have stated. All I can say is that anyone who wants to honestly know what Mormons believe they should hear it from the horses mouth. I have studied many religions and I have always found the best and most accurate information are from that religions texts and current active members.

Answer 8

People seem to still think that all Mormons have multiple wives and live these secret lives but that isn't true. I was raised Mormon (LDS) and polygamy hasn't been practiced by the Mormons since the 1800's. There is a fanatical group that are not part of the Mormon church but still call themselves Mormon who still live that way. I think they are the ones who give the Mormons a bad rap.

Answer 9

If you compare Ancient Christianity with Mormonism you will find out that they are the same. Ancient Christianity was persecuted by the Jews and Romans alike. Now Modern Christianity is persecuting Mormonism see similarities. Yes.

There is a huge difference between Modern Christianity and Ancient Christianity.

The reason we are persecuted is due to the fact we have teachings that are unique. Who would pass up the chance to be with you beloved spouse for all eternity?

Answer 10

Their strict stance against commonplace things like coffee and certain elements of popular culture put them out of step with most other groups today. Their past acceptance of multiple marriage partners is an even harder thing to overcome. The two together make them seem hypocritical in the public perception.