Quote from Washington Post

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by BlueK

It's really only the Aaron Shaf types who are like this, and I think those are a small but very vocal minority of the protestant world. Unfortunately they tend to have a lot of influence over their congregations and a lot of the misinformation spills out into mainstream Christianity. However I've found that 90% or more of the protestant Christians I know come away with a favorable impression of mormons once they actually meet and associate with one.

Trust me, there is much negativeness behind your back.

We are only at the first stage of acceptance, that people don't talk badly to our face.

I've heard plenty of people speak poorly of Mormons, not knowing that I was Mormon.

[BlueK]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Trust me, there is much negativeness behind your back.

We are only at the first stage of acceptance, that people don't talk badly to our face.

I've heard plenty of people speak poorly of Mormons, not knowing that I was Mormon.

well, I try to see the bright side of things. Or maybe I associate in high class circles. Most of the non-LDS I know are from where I've worked and most of those are more educated and perhaps more open minded than your typical hard-core Evangelical congregation. Utah is pretty prone to some paranoid reactions about our religion, especially around Salt Lake where active LDS are the minority. I'd rather live in Texas.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Trust me, there is much negativeness behind your back.

We are only at the first stage of acceptance, that people don't talk badly to our face.

I've heard plenty of people speak poorly of Mormons, not knowing that I was Mormon.

It makes me think about how odd I think the Jehovah's witnesses are and how on the fringe they seem to me. I have thought more than once that this is probably exactly how others view us, or some variation thereof. If you were to press me on why I think they are weird, I wouldn't be able to give you anything that would really substantially justify that impression.

[MikeWaters]

Jehovah's don't celebrate birthdays or holidays. That makes them a little different.

[UtahDan]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Jehovah's don't celebrate birthdays or holidays. That makes them a little different.

I actually had a client last year who was JW and was mixed up in some criminal charges relating harboring a run-away. Basically she was about 22 and had been allowing a 16 year old who was claiming to be abused to stay with her from time to time. Mom eventually brought charges. They were all JW's. The Elders of their church were also involved with trying to resolve the problem and were considering disfellowshiping her (sound familiar?). Her roommate was a member of my ward. Go figure.

The oddest part to me, that I hadn't known, is that you are not really supposed to interact socially with non-members. You can at work and for business, of course, but at least in theory having non-member friends could jeopardize your standing.

[MikeWaters]

JW is my least favorite Christian-ish religion.

My favorite, behind Mormonism, is Seventh Day Adventists.

I might choose Catholicism right behind SDA.

[danimal]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Trust me, there is much negativeness behind your back.

We are only at the first stage of acceptance, that people don't talk badly to our face.

I've heard plenty of people speak poorly of Mormons, not knowing that I was Mormon.

I think MIke's right. Most people will be friendly and nice to your face. However, when people don't know you're mormon, it's not uncommon to hear their true opinions. We should face the fact that most people, christian or non-christian, think we're weirdos.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Jehovah's don't celebrate birthdays or holidays. That makes them a little different.

And queuing up to give blood is a double-whammy of no-nos.