Sometimes I am struck by this. The average conservative Mormon doesn't much care for Islam or Muslims, yet remains oblivious to how similar they are to each other.
1. An emphasis on how women dress. They should dress modestly. How long ago was it that garments went to the wrists and the ankles? That's been relaxed for a long time, but there is a huge emphasis on how girls and women dress.
http://www.cougarboard.com/board/mes...ml?id=16306815
2. Moral police. Iran literally has moral police. So does BYU via the honor code.
3. Not a true belief in the freedom of religion. When a non-Mormon joins the church, there is a celebration. If a Mormon at BYU joins a different church, there is an expulsion.
4. Strong antipathy toward gays. A guy on CB said I must be inactive or not paying attention if I don't think the church leadership hasn't been reaching out with love towards gay Mormons and the gay community. I asked him if he can recall a single general conference talk whose subject was about loving and accepting gays. I can't recall one. Neither can my wife. So far, I guess he can't either. Meanwhile on CB you see a real strong hatred towards the "LGBT movement". I think it's impossible that some of that is not bleeding over into hatred of gay persons themselves.
5. The idea that religious freedom means one should not experience any social repercussions for ones beliefs. I made this comment on CB, that the same people who rail against Sharia law are the ones who are protesting lack of religious freedom if the Big 12 doesn't accept BYU.
So does this mean that I support naked women, involved in orgies, with a little gay mixed in, with no religious consequence?
No.
But remember back in the earliest days of the church, the national media considered Mormonism to the American version of Islam. I'd like to see us not return to that.