But that's what Mormonism gets its members to say, isn't it?
The church says to its members: "If someone says: 'Well, I read that the Mormon church believes in such-and-such on a website called www.exmormon.org tell them to ignore that, as that site is filled with nothing but bitter Mormon haters! Tell them that the only way to learn about the truth about Mormons is to ask a Mormon!"
Now, at this point it might be worth asking why the people who use the Recovery From Mormonism board (RFM) found at the website referred to above might be described as "bitter Mormon haters."
In truth the people at RFH -and several other boards and websites for ex-Mormons or former Mormons-are not Mormon haters. But they do have a wide range of issues that might see them described as bitter towards the Mormon church. And for pretty good, solid and valid reasons.
The idea that one can only receive correct information about Mormonism from Mormons is pitiful in its naiveté.
If someone said: "Why, you should not ask other, bitter people formerly involved with an MLM downline about the MLM scheme! You must only ask the people who are currently involved with that MLM scheme!" You would think them to be a bit silly.
Or if someone is asking legitimate questions about a new financial investment that looks too good to be true, nobody in their right mind set would say: "Why, bless your heart! You do not want to be asking the police about this scheme! The only person you should be seeking information from is that lovely Mr Charles Ponzi! Or perhaps there's that charming Mr Madoff!" you would wonder at their sanity.
If you want a sales presentation, ask a Mormon. If you want a perspective on the Mormon church that the Mormon church might not want you to know, ask an ex-Mormon.
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2 comments:
Another brilliant analogy, Matt!
Yes, I agree... don't ask a Mormon about the truth about Mormonism because they don't know. They only parrot what they are told to say, and they base their "beliefs" on feelings. My best friend growing up is still very TBM, and when I told her that I had left the church, she said that she knows the church is true because of the feelings she gets when she reads the Book of Mormon and goes to the Temple. And then she stopped talking to me (apparently because I'm an evil apostate now).
And I love your analogies about MLM schemes and Ponzi schemes... and yes, to follow the Mormon logic about that, they wouldn't ask people who found out they had been duped but rather people who are presentingly being duped and have "no idea." Of course, since the Mormon Church tells its members not to research outside of authorized areas (i.e., only read church-authorized materials), they do not find out the real truth unless they break that directive. Of course, the fact that the church says that is a direct indication of its being a cult, and if they didn't have anything to hide, it wouldn't matter what books, materials, internet sites or whatever they read.
I'm so glad I wised up, started thinking for myself and got away, but it really bothers me that so many Mormons just bury their heads in the sand and go blithely forward with absolutely no clue that they are being duped big time. Very sad indeed.
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