It’s been a busy week Behind the Zion Curtain, but I wanted to start out with this video of Bill Maher, as he puts Mormonism under the microscope and it comes up lacking. (Note to Mormons: Bill pretty much thinks all religions are silly, so you aren’t being picked on. He’s spreads his ridicule around equally.)

Protestors at BYU Become LEPERS in the Provo Community

According to a Mother Jones article, not only were high schools in the Provo School District told NOT to rent their facilities out to the protesters who wanted an alternative commencement ceremony–one minus Vice President Dick Cheney–but now, the students who attended are being blacklisted by the community.

But that was just the beginning of the story. A local businesswoman has tipped off the students that their names are now also on a “do not hire” list circulated by local businesses. “Many businesses are noting the names involved,” she says.

Really, the Mormons are ALL about freedom of choice. You choose their right, or they punish you.

And finally, Robert Kirby Opines on Meeting an Excommunicated Mormon on the Street… A man, who oddly enough, seemed to be perfectly happy in his Outer Darkness shrouded world. (And yes, I did notice the typo on the Trib page, but it’s still a good column.

My last post, titled LDS CHURCH BANS GOOGLE, proved to be somewhat prophetic, as commenter geneticerror pointed out. Yes, folks, if you LIKE your reality watered-down, edited, censored, and to never challenge your beliefs, as they have been given to you by your controllers, er, uh, leaders, then the following site is the one for you.

OnlyMormon.com, does exist, and it IS a Mormon-only search engine, and while powered by Google, Natalie R. Collins does not show up ANYWHERE in any of their searches. Says the site (which clones the Google search page)

OnlyMormon.com is the first search engine dedicated to providing easy access to information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church or Mormons). This search engine removes all the “anti-Mormon” propaganda and lets users easily access the information they want. All included sites are hand picked and reviewed.

This site is not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, although the creator and most contributors are. Results are powered by Google.

This, creators of OnlyMormon, is NOT easy access, it is censorship. It is ALSO adding to the great divide between Mormons and everyone else. The next time someone says, “Why do you just write about the Mormons,” may I please point out this incredibly “cult-like” behavior.

These people have created a Mormon-only-alternate universe, which, of course, is what the Mormons believe to be true, anyway. The only version you get of Mormonism is the ONE THEY WANT YOU TO GET. Just make it easy and accept the chip in your brain, because if you are willing to do this, you are a sad, frightened little sheep.

Welcome to the United States of Mormon. Here’s your Jesus Jammies. Already dead? Don’t worry, you will be given the chance to become Mormon, because, of course, only Mormons have the truth, and only Mormons will be in God’s highest kingdom. And that’s why they are so busy baptizing all of YOU after you die. Don’t say they didn’t give you a chance. They are generous, those Mormons.

Go to this site if you like your milk before your meat, and are able to swat away pesky questions by just saying, “Well, Donny Osmond believes it, so it MUST be true.”

Folks, if something is TRUE it must stand up to all tests. If something can stand up to all tests, why the terrible fear, and the censorship, and the name-calling and labeling that Mormon apologists are so good at? (And yes, they are good at it.)

Why write about the Mormons? You can probably answer that yourself after doing a search for search engines containing ONLY material that is pro any other legitimate religion. It’s not out there. Yes, they have “official sites,” but they generally do not try to tamp down information they do not consider “faith-promoting.” THIS behavior is why people react the way they do to Mormons.

Frighteningly enough, I ran across an article about Google censoring a site that was anti-Scientology. Through money, power and lawsuits, the Scientologists succeeded in threatening Google to pretty much remove ANY mention of those sites.

Like the Mormons, the Scientologists only want filtered material available to the faithful and prospective members.

And from there, you do the math….

Nah, not really. But if they they knew how many Mormons end up at Trapped by the Mormons, most via search engines, I’m thinking they’d be creating a Mormon-appropriate search engine from whence I would be banned. There might already be one, but I’m too lazy to look. The search engine, not the “banned.” Well, maybe the banned. Anyway….

So just to make a few things clear–and to cut down on all that pesky and annoying hate mail trying to set me straight–let me explain.

Trapped by the Mormons is a blog. As many of you know, a BLOG is basically a Web log, or an online journal. A journal is a collection of my thoughts, experiences, opinions, beliefs, etc. The difference between this blog and those journals I was hounded to keep as a young Mormon is YOU get to read it. Aren’t ya lucky? (Trust me, you would not want to read those journals. Good little Mormon girls do NOT have interesting lives. Safe, maybe, but interesting? No.)

Coming here? Totally your choice. You don’t have to read a word I say. However, be warned that if you incessantly comment on my blog about how you are not reading a word I say and that you will never again darken the doorway of this, er, blog, then I pretty much know you ARE reading it. I understand. It’s like a car wreck. Hard to look away from the carnage.

And if you call me a “you people?” Same same. I know what the YP term means. It’s a generic term for BIG FAT ANTI-MORMON. And I don’t agree. At least about the anti-Mormon part.

This is not an “anti-Mormon” site. I am a Mormon. Not by choice, of course. I was born into the Church, had some serious disagreements with the theology of the church, attempted to get my name removed, only to find it BACK ON a few years later–twice. At that point, I realized how very funny it all was. Why fight it? This is my culture, and I get to blog and talk about it.

I like Mormons. I don’t always agree with their actions. They don’t always agree with mine, either.

That’s cool. But please know this:

1. Calling me names and accusing me of hatred only make YOU look stupid to non-Mormons, who are, of course, the people you are most desperate to impress. It’s sort of like high school. Everybody’s looking for validation. It’s why our Trapped friend Wayne cites FPRs about baptisms going up when anti-Mormons meet. Validation is needed here. Of course, above statement is patently false, and really rather silly, but it’s Mormon nature. I know you want to think that people are inspired by your devotion and faith, but they really aren’t. If you’re a good person, they are inspired by that. They really don’t care that you wear special underwear. That, mostly, creeps them out.

In short, you are NOT doing yourself any favors.

After the mass shootings yesterday, I think we can all use an inspiration. And inspire me this did.

The following video shows the incredible devotion of love that CAN exist between human beings, and in particular, between father and son. Go here to find out more about Dick and Rick Hoyt. And make sure you have a hankie handy.

(Thanks to Dej, for the heads up on this one.)

In the news recently there has been a call against the evangelists who put the anti-Mormon DVD on doors throughout Utah. The DVD that told Mormons how WRONG they were–lovingly, of course–and how they need to “get right with God.”

Apparently, the Anti-Defamation League is now stepping in calling this DVD “Mormon bashing.”

Bill Straus, ADL Arizona Regional Director, observed: “This is the same kind of plain, old-fashioned Mormon-bashing that Jim Robertson and his group have been spewing for over a quarter-of-a-century. The only difference is that back then, it was the film, ‘The God Makers,’ and today it’s the DVD, ‘Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith.’ It was wrong then, and it’s wrong now.”

Is he right? Well, sorta. Here’s the thing. MORMONS have been doing this for years. The “we have the only true thing” is not something that the Evangelical Christians have a copyright on. While it ISN’T okay for the ECs to do it, NEITHER is it okay for the Mormons to do it! And do it they have been for years. It wouldn’t take much research to find Mormon video upon Mormon video that ENFORCES their stance they have THE ONLY TRUE GOSPEL. And they are willing to LIE to get you to accept it. So why are the actions of the EC group–handing out the DVD–any different from what Mormons do? Mormons go door to door, after all, in pairs, telling the world that they have “the only true religion.”

My opinion? I think they are BOTH wrong. I haven’t seen the DVD, but I’m sure I’ve heard all the claims before, and while I believe it is most likely factual, it loses credibility when it sinks into the “I’m right and you’re wrong” phase.

I don’t really understand ANYONE who claims they have the only true thing, and the rest of the world better line up and kiss their feet, because BY GOD they have the only true thing. It seems that much of organized religion ends up that way. It’s sad. (The “By God” was intentional.)

Is it hate? Of course. Or maybe just fear.

The ECs are no different from the Mormons, and both sides are of the “I’m right and you’re wrong” camp.

Maybe if they BOTH stepped back and said, “Well, I would like to respect your belief, and hope you find happiness with it,” things would be okay. That won’t happen. Because they are BOTH based on absolutes, even though absolutes are, for the most part, ridiculous.

I would like to think that ex-Mormons, non-Mormons and Mormons could find a similar place, a place where they say “Hey, your religion is interesting. Mine’s a bit different,” and leave it at that. But that won’t happen, because of THOSE SAME ABSOLUTES. They ALL BELIEVE THEY ARE RIGHT.

Bottom line: Is the DVD a hate DVD? No. Straus, you should look a little deeper into the tactics of Mormons, and their beliefs. You should talk to my youngest daughter, who recently fell prey to the “I’m right and you’re wrong” belief system of Mormons, in a very difficult way. Even someone you think is your close friend can suddenly pull the “moral superiority” card out, and bitchslap you with it.

Truthfully, the Mormons have a lot more in common with the Evangelical Christians than either side would care to admit.

I see the Mormon side a lot. I see the hate, disguised as love, veiled with contempt, loaded with moral superiority. For example, this missive from our new friend, Adam.

You guys should really get a life!! Honestly, is this what you guys spend your whole day doing? Bashing Religion and putting down peoples faith? The truth is that religion no matter what faith or denomination is a very good thing and gives people hope and happiness. It is people like all of you that cause this world so many unnecessary problems and spite between others. It is people like you that make racism and hatred exist within us. If all you have time to do is put down anothers beliefs and religion then I feel very sorry for you, it must be a horrible life for you. Its really too bad that you can’t be doing something more productive to make this world a little bit of a better place to live in.

Adam? First of all, you are spewing your own hatred, and don’t seem to realize it.

Second, please reconsider this:

The truth is that religion no matter what faith or denomination is a very good thing and gives people hope and happiness.

Hmm. Below, I give examples that prove this statement patently false.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_jones.htm Jim Jones. Cyanide Koolaid. Guns. Sex. Mass death. Need I say more? Just read.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/not_guilty/koresh/1.html
Ah, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. Can you smell the burning flesh?

Mountain Meadows Massacre, anyone?

Look, Adam. You are so wrong, it’s SCARY how wrong you are. As long as you are claiming to have the ONLY TRUE THING, the danger exists. You hate this site, because it exposes the truth. It exposes Mormonism, warts and all. Is Mormonism the ONLY religion with warts? Nope. Suspect you can find them on every single one of them.

Religion is the most dangerous energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion or organization) is convinced that God is either ordering or sanctioning a cause or project, anything goes. The history, worldwide, of religion-fueled hate, killing, and oppression is staggering. —Eugene Peterson (from the introduction to the book of Amos in the Bible paraphrase The Message)

Take a step back, Adam, and examine your own hypocrisy. You are mad because I say I don’t believe it’s true, and write about it. And yet… Your religion does the same. Not only that, but your religion sends out MISSIONARIES by the droves, going door to door, trying to convince people that THEY ARE RIGHT and THE REST OF THE WORLD IS WRONG. They make videos. They film commercials. YOUR RELIGION is all about spreading “THEIR TRUTH,” but what I believe, “my truth,” is an offense?

I find YOUR TRUTH an offense. Too bad your mind is not open enough to see how incredibly un-Christlike your actions really all.

I have a life, Adam, and one I love dearly. Unfortunately, it is one lived out among the Mormons, and since my view is different, you get to hear it. It doesn’t make it wrong. It makes it DIFFERENT. What is so scary about DIFFERENT? Why are you so threatened, because I don’t believe, and am willing to admit it openly?

Daily I see the effect of mind-numbing, moral superiority and guess what? I DON’T have to accept it.

If you don’t like what I say, don’t read it. Wow, what a novel concept.

Hate comes in all shapes and sizes. Take a look at what you are wearing…