Improving the way LDS people are perceived

[DapperDan]

And that's all any of us can do: laugh about the study ... especially considering your last statement about people being ignorant.

Well, we certainly wouldn't want to find out why people don't like Mormons.

[tooblue]

Well, we certainly wouldn't want to find out why people don't like Mormons.

I'm perfectly aware of why certain people don't like Mormons, or me for that matter. I don't need a poll to inform my understanding. Furthermore, I'm not going to govern my life lead by the opinions expressed in polls ... and neither should a global church.

[Portland Ute]

In my limited experience living amongst heathens and outside of the Zion curtain, I think a lot of the reason that people don't like Mormons are Mormons themselves.

In my dental school, most of the biggest pricks were Mormons. They fit nearly all the "negative" associations mentioned in the article.

Now, that being said, it wasn't all the Mormons. Some of the coolest and most beloved students at the school were also Mormon. (Not me.)

I remember a conversation I had with a group of about 5 or 6 fellow students. At the time, I actually felt bad about it. But as time passes, I feel fine with it. Basically, as we were talking as we cleaned up our areas and sterlized our instruments, one of them mentioned something about me being Mormon. The others in the group expressed their surprise. The repeated statement was: "We didn't think you were Mormon. You aren't married with kids. You hang out with us and didn't freak out about serving alcohol at the class parties ( I don't drink and didn't then either). You act so normal."

I guess I missed a missionary opportunity during dental school with a lot of people. OTOH, maybe I was like Jimmer: Showing the world that Mormons can be normal.

So, what am I saying here? I think we as a group bring a lot of the negative perceptions on ourselves. At my school, there was a very loud minority (comprised of LDS, but NOT all the LDS) that were really assholes to be around. They whined like stuck pigs when alcohol was served at class parties. They wore their religion on their sleeve. They were in your face. They went out of their way to dissociate themselves from other class members and did nothing to get to know or develop relationships with the class. They stuck out like sore thumbs and they were not liked. And they were LDS.

I can't imagine this is a problem at only one dental school in the Northwestern U.S. I have to think it extends into workplaces, neighborhoods and schools around the country.

[tooblue]

In my limited experience living amongst heathens and outside of the Zion curtain, I think a lot of the reason that people don't like Mormons are Mormons themselves.

In my dental school, most of the biggest pricks were Mormons. They fit nearly all the "negative" associations mentioned in the article.

Now, that being said, it wasn't all the Mormons. Some of the coolest and most beloved students at the school were also Mormon. (Not me.)

I remember a conversation I had with a group of about 5 or 6 fellow students. At the time, I actually felt bad about it. But as time passes, I feel fine with it. Basically, as we were talking as we cleaned up our areas and sterlized our instruments, one of them mentioned something about me being Mormon. The others in the group expressed their surprise. The repeated statement was: "We didn't think you were Mormon. You aren't married with kids. You hang out with us and didn't freak out about serving alcohol at the class parties ( I don't drink and didn't then either). You act so normal."

I guess I missed a missionary opportunity during dental school with a lot of people. OTOH, maybe I was like Jimmer: Showing the world that Mormons can be normal.

So, what am I saying here? I think we as a group bring a lot of the negative perceptions on ourselves. At my school, there was a very loud minority (comprised of LDS, but NOT all the LDS) that were really assholes to be around. They whined like stuck pigs when alcohol was served at class parties. They wore their religion on their sleeve. They were in your face. They went out of their way to dissociate themselves from other class members and did nothing to get to know or develop relationships with the class. They stuck out like sore thumbs and they were not liked. And they were LDS.

I can't imagine this is a problem at only one dental school in the Northwestern U.S. I have to think it extends into workplaces, neighborhoods and schools around the country.

[DapperDan]

I'm perfectly aware of why certain people don't like Mormons, or me for that matter. I don't need a poll to inform my understanding. Furthermore, I'm not going to govern my life lead by the opinions expressed in polls ... and neither should a global church.

Sounds like you think the only way to get people to like Mormons more is to violate some LDS principle or another. I don't think that's the case.

[Portland Ute]

[DapperDan]

In my limited experience living amongst heathens and outside of the Zion curtain, I think a lot of the reason that people don't like Mormons are Mormons themselves.

In my dental school, most of the biggest pricks were Mormons. They fit nearly all the "negative" associations mentioned in the article.

Now, that being said, it wasn't all the Mormons. Some of the coolest and most beloved students at the school were also Mormon. (Not me.)

I remember a conversation I had with a group of about 5 or 6 fellow students. At the time, I actually felt bad about it. But as time passes, I feel fine with it. Basically, as we were talking as we cleaned up our areas and sterlized our instruments, one of them mentioned something about me being Mormon. The others in the group expressed their surprise. The repeated statement was: "We didn't think you were Mormon. You aren't married with kids. You hang out with us and didn't freak out about serving alcohol at the class parties ( I don't drink and didn't then either). You act so normal."

I guess I missed a missionary opportunity during dental school with a lot of people. OTOH, maybe I was like Jimmer: Showing the world that Mormons can be normal.

So, what am I saying here? I think we as a group bring a lot of the negative perceptions on ourselves. At my school, there was a very loud minority (comprised of LDS, but NOT all the LDS) that were really assholes to be around. They whined like stuck pigs when alcohol was served at class parties. They wore their religion on their sleeve. They were in your face. They went out of their way to dissociate themselves from other class members and did nothing to get to know or develop relationships with the class. They stuck out like sore thumbs and they were not liked. And they were LDS.

I can't imagine this is a problem at only one dental school in the Northwestern U.S. I have to think it extends into workplaces, neighborhoods and schools around the country.

I've heard similar "you seem normal" comments several times. Also your asshole Mormons sound a lot like hardcore vegans.

[tooblue]

Sounds like you think the only way to get people to like Mormons more is to violate some LDS principle or another. I don't think that's the case.

If people have a favorable impression of me they will have a favorable impression of Mormons in general. For what it's worth, I'm as devout as they come. There may be people that don't like me, but it has nothing to do with my principles. It's my personality and way of looking at the world that rubs them the wrong.

[tooblue]

Except for a brief stint at UVSC I have only attended school abroad. My experience is distinctly different than yours. I'm on the other side of the earth looking at your head popping up from the hole.

[LA Ute]

Good one.

I don't know if Lawrence is LDS or not, but FAIR had him present his findings at their 2010 conference. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...ase-favor.html

Gary Lawrence is LDS and a well-respected pollster in California. He wrote a very interesting (uncorrelated) book called "How Americans View Mormonism." It's pretty good. I hear that his ideas about what the church should do are not fully accepted by the decision-makers.

Gary was a key player in the Prop 8 effort, by the way, and did all the polling. He's not exactly an outsider.

[tooblue]

Gary Lawrence is LDS and a well-respected pollster in California. He wrote a very interesting (uncorrelated) book called "How Americans View Mormonism." It's pretty good. I hear that his ideas about what the church should do are not fully accepted by the decision-makers.

Gary was a key player in the Prop 8 effort, by the way, and did all the polling. He's not exactly an outsider.

And that's a good thing.

[landpoke]

Have you people considered the ill feelings your shittily attired sales force is generating? A backpack with a suit is a terrible first impression. Would it kill your boys to carry a briefcase? And ditch the short sleeves/tie combo too. Only Sipowitz can pull that off.

[LA Ute]

And that's a good thing.

Maybe, but it would be a mistake to consider him a Sunstone-loving skeptic. He's very orthodox and has some pretty strong ideas that would not find favor here. For example, his lifetime in the polling and politics business tells him that contrasts and distinctiveness are what attracts people to a new idea. So he thinks that rather than emphasize our similarity to other Christian faiths, the church should make sure people know how we are different from other faiths.

[tooblue]

Maybe, but it would be a mistake to consider him a Sunstone-loving skeptic. He's very orthodox and has some pretty strong ideas that would not find favor here. For example, his lifetime in the polling and politics business tells him that contrasts and distinctiveness are what attracts people to a new idea. So he thinks that rather than emphasize our similarity to other Christian faiths, the church should make sure people know how we are different from other faiths.

I wasn't inferring that he is a Sunstone-loving skeptic, only that his view is alarmingly myopic, similar to this woman's view:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion...-less.html.csp

He shares a similar ideology, when it comes to distinctiveness, with one Mike Waters. He'd be welcomed here with open arms. Of course, neither he or Mike are here so maybe you're right

This quote below is highly valuable in my opinion and experience:

Lawrence says his findings point to a fear factor in most Americans about Latter-day Saints and what are perceived as weird beliefs and secretiveness.

[tooblue]

Have you people considered the ill feelings your shittily attired sales force is generating? A backpack with a suit is a terrible first impression. Would it kill your boys to carry a briefcase? And ditch the short sleeves/tie combo too. Only Sipowitz can pull that off.

Don't knock it til you try it ... I rock the short sleeves/tie combo like DDD rocks vans.