Editorial On Mormons
Lunatic Fringe
Santa Clarita, CA Newspaper
Editor, Paul Allen
I have heard and seen enough!
I have lived in the West all my life. I have worked around them. They
have
worked for me and I for them. When I was young, I dated their
daughters.
When I got married they came to my wedding. Now that I have daughters
of my
own, some of their boys have dated my daughters. I would be privileged
if
one of them were to be my son-in-law.
I'm talking about the Mormons.
They are some of the most honest, hard-working people I have ever
known.
They are spiritual, probably more than most other so-called religious
people I have encountered. They study the Bible and teach from it as
much
as any Christian church ever has. They serve their religion without pay
in
every conceivable capacity. None of their leaders, teachers,
counselors,
Bishops or music directors receive one dime for the hours of labor they
put
in. The Mormons have a non-paid ministry -- a fact not generally known.
I have heard many times from the pulpits of others how evil and
non-Christian they are and that they will not go to heaven. I decided
recently to attend one of their services near my home to see for
myself.
What a surprise! What I heard and saw was just the opposite from what
the
religious ministers of the day were telling me. I found a very simple
service with no fanfare. I found a people with a great sense of humor
and a
well-balanced spiritual side. There was no loud music. Just a simple
service, with the members themselves giving the several short sermons.
They urge their youth to be morally clean and live a good life. They
teach
the gospel of Christ, as they understand it. The name of their church
is
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Does that sound like
a
non-Christian church to you?
I asked them many questions about what they teach and why. I got
answers
that in most cases were from the New Testament. Their ideas and
doctrines
did not seem too far fetched for my understanding.When I read their
"Book
of Mormon" I was also very surprised to find just the opposite from
what I
had been told I would find.
Then I went to another church's pastor to ask him some of the same
questions about doctrine. To my surprise, when he found out that I was
in
some way investigating the Mormons, he became hostile. He referred to
them
as a non-Christian cult. I received what sounded to me like evil
propaganda
against those people. He stated bluntly that they were not Christian
and
that they did not fit into the Christian mold. He also told me that
they
don't really believe the Bible. He gave me a pile of anti-Mormon
literature. He began to rant that the Mormons were not telling me the
truth
about what they stand for. He didn't want to hear anything good about
them.
At first I was surprised and then again, I wasn't I began to wonder. I
have never known of a cult that supports the Boy Scouts of America.
According to the Boy Scouts, over a third of all the Boy Scout troops
in
the United States are Mormon.
What cult do you know of that has a welfare system second to none in
this
country? They have farms, canneries and cattle ranches to help take
care of
the unfortunate ones who might be down and out and in need of a little
help. The Mormon Church has donated millions to welfare causes around
the
world without a word of credit. They have donated thousands to help
re-build Baptist churches that were burned a few years ago. They have
donated tons of medical supplies to countries ravaged by earthquakes.
You never see them on TV begging for money. What cult do you know of
that
instills in its members to obey the law, pay their taxes, serve in the
military if asked and be a good Christian by living high moral
standards?
Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Mormon youth get up before
high
school starts in the morning to attend a religious training class? They
have basketball and softball leagues and supervised youth dances every
month. They are recruited by the FBI, the State Department and every
police
department in the country because they are trustworthy. They are taught
not
to drink nor take drugs. They are in the Secret Service - those who
protect
the President. They serve in high leadership positions from both
parties in
Congress and in the US Senate, and have been governors of several
states
other than Utah. They serve with distinction and honor.
If you have Mormons living near, you will probably find them to be your
best friends and neighbors. They are Christians who try to live what
they
preach. They are not perfect and they are the first to admit this. I
have
known some of them who could not live their religion, just like many of
us.
The rhetoric which is spread around against them is nothing more than
evil
propaganda founded in untruths. (Others) had successfully demonized
them to
the point that the general public has no idea what they actually
believe and
teach. If you really want to know the truth, go see for yourself. You,
also,
will be surprised. When I first moved here some 25 years ago there were
five
Mormon wards in Santa Clarita. Now there are 15. They must be doing
something right.
Paul Allen, Editor
Santa Clarita, California