First Photo of Joseph Smith Revealed

[manysnakes]

I'll always have a begrudging respect for Mormons for fully realizing the only true (and the most) American religion.

[DaleSr]

I'll always have a begrudging respect for Mormons for fully realizing the only true (and the most) American religion.

American exceptionalism in it's most potent form

[PRISON IKE]

Was raised Mormon (not separatist) and there was some good and a whole massive fuck ton of bad. Joined the military, got out and saw the world. Figured out pretty quick that I had been controlled by fairytale for 20 years of my life. After all those experiences and from what I’ve seen, God doesn’t exist. I’ve seen true horror and the God Christians portray wouldn’t allow that to occur.

[quackquack]

Childhood-Mormoner here

Anyone willing to TL;DR what exactly JS and others did that was so horrible?

Growing up, I'd often hear the persecution of The Saints likened to the persecution Jesus suffered, which was supposed to be a sign of its truthfulness. I'd hear stories about innocent people being tarred and feathered, or jailed, or, eventually murdered.

Interesting to hear the other side of the story, all these years later.

Also, what's with the absolute Mormon-hate? I mean, I can think of (at least) two other religions that are far worse, and have a lot more followers. They're fairly benign, as far as religious extremists go, especially once you're out of the wacko midwest.

[thebacker]

[DaleSr]

Childhood-Mormoner here

Anyone willing to TL;DR what exactly JS and others did that was so horrible?

Growing up, I'd often hear the persecution of The Saints likened to the persecution Jesus suffered, which was supposed to be a sign of its truthfulness. I'd hear stories about innocent people being tarred and feathered, or jailed, or, eventually murdered.

Interesting to hear the other side of the story, all these years later.

Also, what's with the absolute Mormon-hate? I mean, I can think of (at least) two other religions that are far worse, and have a lot more followers. They're fairly benign, as far as religious extremists go, especially once you're out of the wacko midwest.

It's pretty explicitly a white supremacist religion. They only started allowing black people to attend in the 70s, the entire story that is laid out in the book of Mormon is an insane fantasy about white Jesus coming to America and creating a race of white people who were wiped out by the native Americans and that as a result the native Americans are cursed with dark skin. Which they used to justify killing and enslaving native Americans. All of the types of species that Joseph says existed on the American continent have never lived here outside of a zoo, so obvious BS there.
Mormonism is very patriarchal aka horrible to women. It was founded on Joseph's desire to have as many wives as he wanted because he didn't view women as people, but property. One of those wives was 14 years old when he married her, making him a pedophile. This is a reason whyMormons weren't terribly welcome in places while Joseph was alive. He set up his religion so that other men could collect women like property as they wished, but the Mormon church abandoned plural marriage in order to help achieve statehood for Utah.
Mormonism being patriarchal also means that it's a hotbed for abuse. Any structure that treats women as property and has men in positions of absolute power means that the abuse of children and women will surely follow. If women aren't equal and encouraged to keep sweet and stay submissive, it allows men to take advantage of a culture of silence and abuse victims. This is not unique to Mormonism, but it is true all the same.

I mean there's tons of stuff, the mountain Meadow massacre, the fundie offshoots of polygamists who abuse children and women like Warren Jeffs, the Lafferty brothers unspeakable crimes, the fact that the CIA is FULL of mormons. It's pretty dark underneath the polite exterior

[Ricky Vaughn]

Ja⚡on Je⚡⚡ee was raised Mormon

[brycickle]

the fact that the CIA is FULL of mormons. It's pretty dark underneath the polite exterior

[Beeda Weeda]

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Just look at those dreamy blue eyes. A man can get lost them. Surely he was the messenger of God.

[close]

Just imagine those eyes looking at a young 14 year old and asking for her hand in marriage

I think we all know it was a rhetorical question.

[DaleSr]

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the fact that the CIA is FULL of mormons. It's pretty dark underneath the polite exterior

[close]

Famous old cia joke about it being full of Mormons who drink and Irish that don't. Cursed combo

[Atiba Applebum]

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the fact that the CIA is FULL of mormons. It's pretty dark underneath the polite exterior

[close]

[close]

Famous old cia joke about it being full of Mormons who drink and Irish that don't. Cursed combo

What was the video?   I’m very interested to hear more about this Mormon/cia connection.   First I’ve heard

[Garth Marenghi]

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the fact that the CIA is FULL of mormons. It's pretty dark underneath the polite exterior

[close]

[close]

Famous old cia joke about it being full of Mormons who drink and Irish that don't. Cursed combo

[close]

What was the video?   I’m very interested to hear more about this Mormon/cia connection.   First I’ve heard

Just a clip from Burn After Reading. The link still works if you watch it on youtube but maybe this'll embed properly.

Nope, nevermind.

[Ricky Vaughn]

[IUTSM]

[Lenny the Fatface]

General rule of thumb is that you have to be a wild nigga to have started a religion after the printing press was invented.

[Magnolia]

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the fact that the CIA is FULL of mormons. It's pretty dark underneath the polite exterior

[close]

[close]

Famous old cia joke about it being full of Mormons who drink and Irish that don't. Cursed combo

[close]

What was the video?   I’m very interested to hear more about this Mormon/cia connection.   First I’ve heard

[close]

Just a clip from Burn After Reading. The link still works if you watch it on youtube but maybe this'll embed properly.

Nope, nevermind.

Burn after reading is such a good movie.

When I was around 10 years old, my grandmother lent me a Jon Krakauer book about climbing Mt. Everest. Unfortunately, she grabbed Under the Banner of Heaven instead of Into Thin Air. I read ~200 pages about FLDS committing grisly murders before I started wondering when the mountain climbing bits were gonna start

[adumb]

I work in retail in SLC, and can say with great confidence that some of the stupidest shit I've ever heard has come out of Mormon employee's mouths. Its ridiculous how brainwashed these people are.