Naturally I love Catholics and have had very good Adventist friends. We've openly discussed religion. We've had very good Evangie friends; we just have never talked religion and don't expect we ever will. I take that back; we can talk with my SiL but she is very brusk in telling us where she thinks we are wrong. Very black and white. She once dismissed the whole nation of Saudi Arabia as godless.

It is the irrational emotive quality of evangelicals which makes them so horrible to spend time with.

Perhaps they exist to help Mormons see how obnoxious we should not be.

They need to put down the bible and read up on winning friends and influencing people.

That is good, exist to help us see what obnoxious looks like.

By comparison we don't look so bad. But I fear we are going the way of Europe where religious discussion in almost any public fora will be in bad taste.

Remember how French would look down upon any religious observations? If Hillary or Obama succeed in making us like France shall we also detest all religion?

Apples and oranges, IMO. It might be a better analogy if we were all asked to lie about the fact that we have a temple ceremony upon leaving the temple. When asked about polygamy, JS swore on all that was holy that it was a vicious lie.

If the prophet asked me to do something and then told me to lie about it when asked, I doubt I could do that.

But the point is, you are lambasting Romney for being embarrassed about polygamy and you are using the bravery of JS as a counter-example. I certainly agree with your points about JS being a revolutionary. I admire that too. But in terms of his courage to proclaim the truth at all costs, polygamy (ironically) is a glaring exception.

They also lied to converts in Europe about it. Parley Pratt published a famous (or perhaps infamous) article in an English paper citing the BofM as proof that the Mormon church did not practise polygamy. Humble folks joined the church came to Utah and surprise, surprise, Utah is in full blown polygamy. Too late and too poor to turn back most just stuck it out.

Nice legacy.

Yeah, that's good. Don't read any well-documented, statistically based, logically reasoned argument or opinion that might contradict your established beliefs. That's real healthy. Did you learn that at college?

Your open mind reminds me of a German saying from the 1930s: "We think with our blood."