When you are blogging, cartooning, or writing about the Mormon world, and your viewpoint is not one of “Mormonism is the answer to all the world’s problems,” then you have painted a big fat target on your ass. Be prepared to have shots aimed in your direction, and not well thought out, rational thoughts either. I get them regularly, as most people will note. As does Steve Benson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist and grandson of a deceased Mormon prophet.
The angry Mormons who disagree with me RARELY, if ever, address the actual comments or questions or theological concerns I have. Instead, they go on the personal, and attack ME, suggesting there is something wrong with ME, because I don’t believe Mormonism to be true. Never mind that Joseph Smith “translated” the Book of Mormon with his head stuck in a hat. Let’s talk about my “bitterness” problem. The fact that Joseph Smith was not farsighted enough to realize that sooner or later someone would REALLY translate the Book of Abraham, and realize it is actually a pagan funerary text, The Book of Breathings–doesn’t matter, because somebody at CHURCH must have MADE ME MAD.
Now for logical people, The revelations about the Book of Abraham should have been the decimation of Mormonism. But Mormons have been rationalizing for years. And rationalize they did. The average Mormon knows absolutely NOTHING about the false nature of the Book of Abraham, and does not WISH to know. One would also think that DNA proof that “Lamanites,” or Native Americans, are not descendants of ancient Jews, and rather descendants of Asia, would have been the nail in the proverbial coffin. Nope. More rationalizing.
Because these things cannot be argued, except in very circular logic that makes people dizzy, instead of Mormons coming here and attacking my opinions and postings as bogus, they choose to attack me personally.
They offer vague comments like, “Wow, shouldn’t you do something better with your time?” like our friend Shining, who suggested an animal charity. Or they accuse me of being “bitter,” with an ax to grind. Or they get even nastier, like the immature little snotwads who have more testosterone and Priesthood-filled machismo than brains or common sense.
The real truth is, they cannot argue against my claims. I don’t pick arguments that I can’t win. I’ve never really understand stating something publicly that you can’t defend. Why would anyone do that? I also don’t “distort” things, or “take them out of context,” as others have claimed. There really is no reason to do this. All on their own, they do a wonderful job of illustrating the great illogical mind leaps it requires to be an active and believing Mormon.
My mind does not work that way, hence the “former” Mormon thingie. You want to rationalize your way into the Celestial Kingdom, you go baby! Just don’t ask me along for the ride. And don’t say it’s not rationalizing. It IS. You have to rationalize it in order to swallow it. That’s just reality. If that works for you, okay then. It doesn’t work for me.
Back to Benson. He criticized Romney for his “flip flopping” on Mormon issues and questioned whether or not a temple-endowed, believing Mormon could effectively run the country without being influenced by his church.
He has a valid point. I personally don’t think George Bush has run the country without being influenced by his faith, either. And I also believe Romney has made it very clear that he intends to run on the “religion” ticket, especially after his latest speech. So nothing Benson said was really surprising, except to the upset Mormons who regularly email me as well as attack anyone who doesn’t bear their testimony of the Church’s truthfulness.
I don’t really understand this. Why on earth would you go from door to door, telling people you have the ONLY TRUE THING (that’s for you, Shining) and then get upset when people disagree?
And why would you go on the personal attack rather than address the issue at hand. Let’s talk doctrine, people. This isn’t personal.
