Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mormon

Will I have to hide my collection of "R"-rated movies if I have them over?

lbo — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:22:42 -0800

How should I interpret these recent interactions with my new, very-LDS neighbors in Sandy, UT? Will a housewarming party be more awkward than it's worth? Background: My husband and I just moved into a very family-oriented neighborhood in Sandy, Utah. We've been living in Utah for four years, but have lived in apartments where neighborly contact was minimal. I'm 27, my husband is 30, we aren't LDS and we don't have any kids yet. We knew that buying a home in Sandy would mean that we would have a lot of LDS neighbors, and we have no problem with that. If anything, we've heard generalizations about what great neighbors LDS people make-- friendly, willing to help, unlikely to have obnoxious late-night parties, etc. We really like Sandy and, for a variety of reasons, we wouldn't be interested in living in parts of Salt Lake City that non-Mormons typically consider more desirable (e.g., Sugarhouse or the Avenues).

On Tuesday night when I wasn't home, my husband was working in our yard and was approached by a car full of LDS missionaries who stopped and casually asked him (without leaving their car) if he was a man of faith, if he had ever been to a temple, and if he wanted to go with them to one of the local temples that is offering tours to non-members this month. He politely declined and they left. About a minute later, two men drove up together in separate cars (one was a police cruiser) and stopped to talk to him. The timing seemed odd since their arrival was in such rapid succession after the car full of missionaries left. The police officer (in plain clothes) joked that their visit was "unofficial police business" while the other person, wearing a work ID for the LDS Church, just said that they were neighbors (without indicating where they lived) and told him we should let our next door neighbor know if we need anything because they all belong to the same ward and would be happy to help us if anything came up. They emphasized their membership in the ward several times. My husband was friendly and thanked them for the offer. Once they left, though, the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable it made him that the officer brought his cruiser.

We interpreted the whole encounter as their giving us a gentle reminder that they know we're not LDS and that they're keeping an eye on us. Was the cruiser meant to be intimidating? The whole thing seemed kind of awkward more than anything, but we are just trying to figure out what the intention was behind it. Why had they driven down separately? And was it just a coincidence that the men who seemed to be missionaries had just left?

Before this little meeting, I had been thinking about hosting a housewarming party and inviting my neighbors. I'd still like to do that, but I want to minimize awkwardness in every possible way, which is leading me to feel a little concern about whether I should include my non-LDS friends. Should I have two separate parties? If I invite my neighbors and my other friends, will I have to keep it totally alcohol-free? I don't want to alienate anyone-- LDS or non-LDS.

I've read another question regarding being a non-Mormon in Utah and I found the general responses and advice to be very helpful and insightful, but I'm really looking for advice about this particular situation. We're going to be living here for at least another three or four years, so we want to keep things as friendly as possible.

Thanks!

What should I ask Mormons?

howgenerica — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:43:15 -0800

I'm meeting with Mormon missionaries tomorrow for a religious discussion, and they want me to come prepared with questions about Mormon history/ belief/ doctrine, etc. I'm looking for a list of questions that will give me interesting answers and lead to longer discussions about the nature of Mormonism. I'm very interested in their religion, I just don't know enough to know what to ask, and I have three hours with them so I need a good amount of discussion questions. Thanks!

Where are those danged gold plates?

Ambrosia Voyeur — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:11:31 -0800

Help! I need reference texts about Mormonism: the beliefs, the texts, the politics, the economy, everything. I'm a non-Mormon and don't know a whole lot about the church.

I'm ghostwriting a novelized memoir for a guy whose version of history has a lot of conspiracy theory in it, and the novel concerns the Mormon church, they Mormon-Mayan mythos and lots of shady government dealings. Yes, I'm the next Dan Brown, assuredly. But I need to get the right foundation set so these flights of fancy can take off properly.

I need to learn the fundamentals, find out as much as I can about the politics, past and present, that surround the church and the meaning of the content of the Book of Mormon.

So, non-biased, factual, academic quality writing about the LDS Church and its oeuvre, with less emphasis on caffeine and polygamy and underwear, and more on the contents of the Book of Mormon, the activities of Deseret and the political power of the church, its structure, and ties to government.

On the other side of the coin, any hinky nutbar conspiracy theories involving the church will also be helpful. I just need to be able to tell them apart from the real information.

Fish out of water?

TorontoSandy — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:26:06 -0800

Can a liberal, vegetarian, yoga-loving, non-Mormon be happy in Logan Utah? My husband is considering a job in Logan Utah. I'm really leery of the red state + Mormon combination. On the plus side, I hear it's beautiful there but, I'm afraid that I'll feel like a fish out of water. We're currently living in Tucson which has it's liberal pockets of people. Any comments or insights you have would be appreciated.

Music by and/or about Mormons?

bubukaba — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:12:15 -0800

For the next few months I'll be projecting a series of films by and about Mormons. I'm looking for appropriate pre-show music. The series is very diverse - last night we showed the completely over-the-top "The Book of Mormon Movie", but next week we'll be showing an archival print of "A Mormon Maid" from 1917.

So serious stuff (so far in that category I've just got Low) is just as welcome as silly stuff (like the classic "I'm A Mormon!").

Mormon Philosophy

empath — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:58:55 -0800

Is there such a thing as Mormon philosophy? Christianity, Islam and Judaism have a long history of philosophy and theology with a solid grounding in their respective faiths. Are there any great (or even very good) books of philosophy with a grounding in Mormonism? Or is it still to soon since the beginning of the faith for that kind of introspection?

What gives with the strap on the foot?

snsranch — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:18:26 -0800

I was hanging out with a U.S. Navy officer. I noticed that he had something unknown to me on his feet... The strap was about 1/2 inch wide in a figure 8 shape. The first loop went around his foot, under the arch and over the top. The second loop, connected to the first was around the ankle. The top of that was up under the pant leg so it wasn't obvious what is was for.

He was wearing standard Navy Khakis. So it wasn't one of things for the blousing effect. Also the strap looked like elastic material like the stuff on underwear bands, but black.

Mormon underwear? Strap down for a side-arm? He's a bad-ass so ya never know. This is a silly question, but I just couldn't ask him about it.

The link between Mormons and genealogy

Harry — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 07:47:24 -0800

I'm quite ignorant about religion in general, but: Why are Mormons so into genealogy? This might be a very over-generalized question, but it seems that genealogy websites and Mormons are never far apart? So, my (possibly deceptively) simple question is: what's up with that?

Upcoming series on Mormons?

lisaj32 — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 10:43:30 -0800

Does anyone know about an upcoming TV special on Mormons? We were watching a program about the Four Square Gospel of Sister Somebody recently, and at the end was an ad for an upcoming program on Mormons. We'd like to watch it, but don't know what channel we were on and can't find it.

Anyone?

Mormonism in the Modern World

billysumday — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 07:36:20 -0800

Lately I've been reading quite a bit about Mormons, and I find the history of the church of the LDS completely compelling. I was wondering if there are any liberal/progressive Mormons who could help me better understand how the history of the church and the historical representation of their founder, Joseph Smith, can be squared with the modern church. First of all, let me say that in no way do I wish to imply anything negative about Mormons by the asking of these questions. Because I tend to respect many (but not all) religious discussions on Metafilter, I am hoping that this does not turn into chatfilter or rumors-about-a-religion-I-don't-like-filter. If at all possible, I would like to hear from actual Mormons and not from people like me, who have only read about Mormons.

Also, I am looking for responses from Mormons who are liberal and/or progressive and have a relationship with the church that is a bit more complicated than the average Mormon - I'm assuming that if you're a Metafilter reader and a Mormon, then you're probably not a die-hard, absolutist Mormon (of course, that is an assumption and could very well be wrong). I don't know any Mormons myself, so I can't ask these questions to a friend or acquaintance. I know that in regards to Protestant Christianity, there are many people who have come to a more skeptical understanding of their faith, but who are still Christians - i.e., they don't believe some of the more fantastical things in the Bible (or rather that there are not literal but metaphoric), they understand that the Bible is a historical document that has changed through time at the hands of Men (and therefore is not the Word of God), but yet still believe that Jesus was either a really groovy dude worthy of admiration, or was the Son of God. Are Mormons "allowed" to bring this kind of skeptical reasoning to their understanding of their faith, or would they be thrown out of the church?

Also, as a Mormon, how do you reconcile the perception of Joseph Smith as a fraud, a treasure-seeker, and a false-prophet? By almost every account, he was an amazingly charismatic, kind, generous, and moral man. However, he was also an undeniable (and convicted) schemer with a fertile imagination. As the leader of his young church, he ordered the murder of many Gentiles in Illinois and Missouri. He took plural wives and received in D&C 132 the revelation of plural or celestial marriage. This revelation was reinforced by other Mormon leaders like Brigham Young and John Taylor. I know now that polygamy is discouraged by the current LDS church, but how is it that Joseph Smith could have received an incorrect revelation if he were indeed the Prophet? Do you consider Joseph Smith to have been "wrong" in his revelation and, if so, was he a good man except for D&C 132?

Also, the story of the Nephites and Lamanites confuses and frustrates me. I'm assuming that Mormons do not officially, as a religion, believe in evolution. Can a Mormon choose not to believe in the story of the Nephites and Lamanites and the visit to North America by Jesus? If so, how do you explain the Book of Mormon - basically, do you believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and do you view it as a more relevant text than the D&C?

Lastly, do you believe that Mormonism is sexist or mysoginistic? It is a patriarchial institution, like Catholicism, which has itself suffered under accusations of sexism. Do you think there will come a time when women will be allowed to be priests or will be allowed to sit on the Quorum of 12? Is the patriarchal nature of the church problematic - conversely, do I misunderstand the relationship of men and women in Mormonism?

I am leaving out a lot of questions that I have for the sake of space and time. I understand that the response to some of my inquiries can be either "because that's the word of God" by die-hard Mormons or "because they're stoopid" by atheists and people of other religions. If at all possible (and if there are any Mormons of this ilk out there), I'd love to know from those of you who think, "Yeah, I think some of it is bunk but I'm still a Mormon and here's why..."

Is Urban Meyer a Mormon?

anjamu — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 00:29:11 -0800

Is Urban Meyer a Mormon? Please help settle a perpetual debate in my Utah-expat, football-obsessed family. Google has thus far failed me.

I can't believe I'm asking this.

Can't we all just get along?

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 10:22:27 -0800

We [lawyer, Japanese wife, 10-y.o. kid who likes tennis] are moving to Portland/area. We found a house we like in Lake Oswego, but... [religious and racial bigotry inside] ...we were told that the area is very popular with Mormons. I've no particular problem with the Mormons I've met, apart from their penchant for turning conversations around to religion, and it doesn't bother me not to interact much with my neighbors if they won't stop nattering on about their church. However, my kid would be attending public school there.

We visited the local elementary school and it looked great, but I don't want to throw him into a class where many/most of the kids are Mormons. It's bad enough that (according to some census websites we've found) over 90% of the kids in the area are white. I only saw one Asian kid in the classrooms we visited, and no "people of color." (What an awful, distasteful locution to add to the vernacular!)

So, my question for teh intarwebs:

Will a smart, non-religious, Asian-American kid have a tough time in Lake Oswego public schools, given the lack of racial diversity and (apparent) preponderance of adherents to one particular Evangelical faith?