Improving the way LDS people are perceived

[scottie]

I thought this By Common Consent blog post was a pretty good read, made me think about some things. The author says something that I don't think I've ever considered:

Lawrence gave an example. Many Americans believe that LDS people practice polygamy. We have expended lots of time, effort, and money to try to persuade them that we don’t, and we get our noses out of joint when people confuse LDS with FLDS, for instance. But he then asked the group how many of us understand the differences between the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Nobody raised a hand, to us, they are all Lutherans. Until we are willing to understand others, we have no standing to insist they understand us. [I was reminded of the wise aphorism from St. Francis R. Covey, that we should seek to understand before we seek to be understood.]

[byu71]

I thought this By Common Consent blog post was a pretty good read, made me think about some things. The author says something that I don't think I've ever considered:

Seriously, I wonder how many people saw the BYU BB run and Jimmer and changed their opinion of mormons. They saw a kid who didn't go on a mission. They saw black kids on the team. They saw single kids on the team. They saw a pretty normal group of people and not to much preaching from them.

I think I would have saw the event and thought, hey they are pretty normal, maybe a bit strict, but pretty normal.

Can you imagine the RFLDS with cheerleaders that show leg.

[pellegrino]

I can think of one way that would change people's opinions of Mormons. Let's no longer make the WoW a standard for baptism or temple entrance. Let's live it like it was written, not a commandment and beer was ok.

[byu71]

I can think of one way that would change people's opinions of Mormons. Let's no longer make the WoW a standard for baptism or temple entrance. Let's live it like it was written, not a commandment and beer was ok.

I think the WOW holds back some potentially very worthwhile members too.

I am not talking drunks here. I know some people who have a chewing issue, I think that is a filthy habit, but none the less they are great people. That is the only thing holding them back from getting active.

[Jacob]

I'm not at all concerned with how Mormons are perceived.

[byu71]

I'm not at all concerned with how Mormons are perceived.

A pretty narrow perspective on things. We have business dealing with people. Our kids go to schools where we are in the minority. I could go on and on. Do you live in Bountiful and work in the church office building?

[scottie]

A pretty narrow perspective on things. We have business dealing with people. Our kids go to schools where we are in the minority. I could go on and on. Do you live in Bountiful and work in the church office building?

And some people want Mitt to win in 2012!

Suffice it to say that more people view us unfavorably than favorably, and that the only religion more disliked than Mormonism is Islam.

:igiveup:

[wuapinmon]

I'm not at all concerned with how Mormons are perceived.

[Jacob]

A pretty narrow perspective on things. We have business dealing with people. Our kids go to schools where we are in the minority. I could go on and on. Do you live in Bountiful and work in the church office building?

I just don't think many people care or treat people differently based on such perceptions.
I also don't think there is much we can do to change how Mormons are perceived by the world at large, so why worry about it? That's why I can say I'm not concerned with how we are perceived. It has little real effect on me, or most other Mormons.

[RC Vikings]

I can think of one way that would change people's opinions of Mormons. Let's no longer make the WoW a standard for baptism or temple entrance. Let's live it like it was written, not a commandment and beer was ok.

I brought this up in HP group that it didn't make sense to me to deny someone all the blessings of the gospel because they drink coffee. It was quickly pointed out to me that if they wanted all the blessings of the gospel they wouldn't have any problem stopping.

[RobinFinderson]

I'm not at all concerned with how Mormons are perceived.

That is obvious.

[Jacob]

That is obvious.

You and Waup are both predictable and tiresome. I'm sure somebody finds Waup funny.

[Sleeping in EQ]

The image problem is multi-facted:

1. People do not believe the PR line that we have nothing to do with the polygamists. I think they are correct not to believe it. They hear FLDS quoting the Book of Mormon, they see our defensiveness, and they know something is there.

2. While some image management is useful, our obsession with our image is unhealthy. To argue by analogy, when a woman dresses up to go out on the town she can sucessfully convey a positive image. However, when a woman has dozens of plastic surgeries, cakes on the make up, colors her hair, and gets Botox, reasonable people will question her character. In this analogy, the Church is the latter.

Moreover, our obsession with our image contributes to the longstanding suspicion that we Mormons talk out of both sides of our mouths, that we say whatever we have to to get the mainstream to like us, that we have skeletons in the closet. Our obsession with our image conjures suspicion, which fuels Mormon insecurity and additional obsession with image. It's a nasty circle.

3. The image of the Church can become what is defacto sacred, just as Feurbach asserted (I quoted this a few weeks ago). Fact, history, doctrine, you name it--everything gets thrown on the pire for the sake of image. Interfering with the image of the Church, however unrealistic it may be, becomes, in the mind of the orthodox, interfering with the Church itself. I believe this situation to be counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I could argue that it is a form of idolatry, one that makes Mormons more "Churchians" than Christians. However, I'll leave that claim as food for thought and forego the formal argument for another day.

Oh yes, and I do know the difference between an LCMS and an ELC.

[jay santos]

I thought this By Common Consent blog post was a pretty good read, made me think about some things. The author says something that I don't think I've ever considered:

I think of this point every time I attend Gospel Doctrine. Which means I haven't thought about it for years, but yeah this point has crossed my mind many times.

[Jacob]

The image problem is multi-facted:

1. People do not believe the PR line that we have nothing to do with the polygamists. I think they are correct not to believe it. They hear FLDS quoting the Book of Mormon, they see our defensiveness, and they know something is there.

2. While some image management is useful, our obsession with our image is unhealthy. To argue by analogy, when a woman dresses up to go out on the town she can sucessfully convey a positive image. However, when a woman has dozens of plastic surgeries, cakes on the make up, colors her hair, and gets Botox, reasonable people will question her character. In this analogy, the Church is the latter.

Moreover, our obsession with our image contributes to the longstanding suspicion that we Mormons talk out of both sides of our mouths, that we say whatever we have to to get the mainstream to like us, that we have skeletons in the closet. Our obsession with our image conjures suspicion, which fuels Mormon insecurity and additional obsession with image. It's a nasty circle.

3. The image of the Church can become what is defacto sacred, just as Feurbach asserted (I quoted this a few weeks ago). Fact, history, doctrine, you name it--everything gets thrown on the pire for the sake of image. Interfering with the image of the Church, however unrealistic it may be, becomes, in the mind of the orthodox, interfering with the Church itself. I believe this situation to be counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I could argue that it is a form of idolatry, one that makes Mormons more "Churchians" than Christians. However, I'll leave that claim as food for thought and forego the formal argument for another day.

Oh yes, and I do know the difference between an LCMS and an ELC.

Well said.