I've been trying to cram some scientology under my belt. It is more curiosity than anything else. One of the forwards stated this. "The E-Meter by itself, does nothing. It is a religious artifact..." I found that kind of a bold statement. I wonder if that is from some of their lawsuits in the past.
I can say that I'm not that impressed so far. I found L. Ron Hubbard to be a fair to poor author and he seems to have carried that on to a religion.
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
| Parish angered by 3 LDS missionaries
Some Followup: LDS Church apologizes to CatholicsMissionaries may face legal, church sanctionsDeseret Morning News and Associated Press Published: March 11, 2008 The LDS Church issued a strongly worded statement Monday apologizing to the Roman Catholic Church for the actions of some of its missionaries in Colorado. "Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were dismayed this weekend to learn of the insensitivity and disrespect shown to religious artifacts of the Sangre de Cristo Catholic Church in San Luis, Colorado, and that Latter-day Saint missionaries were evidently responsible during their missionary service in 2006," said Bruce Olsen, managing director of the church's public affairs department. "Their actions do not represent the high standards of behavior for which our missionaries are known all over the world." Photos that had been posted on the Internet showed three LDS missionaries mocking a Catholic shrine and holding the broken head of a statue of a saint there, a Catholic official said. Costilla County Sheriff Gilbert Martinez said deputies on Monday were beginning to investigate whether the men vandalized the Shrine of the Mexican Martyrs at the Chapel of All Saints, which stands on a butte overlooking San Luis. The photos show young men holding the broken head of a statue, preaching from the Book of Mormon at an altar and pretending to sacrifice one another. The vandalism apparently occurred in 2006, though damage to the statue went unnoticed until last week, when a parish member saw the photos on the picture-sharing Internet site Photobucket. They have since been taken down. Olsen said the LDS Church has initiated a "thorough investigation" of the incident and has arranged for a meeting with Catholic leaders to offer apologies. "We are providing the names of those involved to law enforcement officials and will continue to cooperate fully with those investigating the incident as well as with officials of the Roman Catholic Church. Those missionaries who have since returned home will face disciplinary action from the church," the statement read. "The missionary who was still serving in Colorado has also been disciplined and his mission terminated." "The community is sad; it feels they've been victimized," Sangre de Cristo Parish Council spokesman Alonzo Payne said Monday. The parish has nine churches and about 450 families across Costilla County. The damaged statue seen in one of the photos depicts Manuel Morales, who was the 28-year-old president of Mexico's National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty when he was executed in 1926 for refusing to recognize laws he considered anti-religion. He was among more than two dozen Mexican saints canonized in 2000. The broken head had gone unnoticed because it had been placed back on the statue. The parish council, based near the New Mexico border in San Luis, voted Sunday to ask for the investigation. The sheriff said charges could include desecration of a venerated object, criminal trespass, defacing property and bias-motivated crime. Payne would not rule out a lawsuit seeking the cost of replacing or repairing the statue. The Rev. Patrick Valdez, the parish pastor, referred questions to Payne. Olsen called the missionaries' actions "inexcusable" and said respect for other faiths is a "cardinal tenet" of the LDS Church. "The church has worked for many years side by side with leaders and members of other faiths, including the Roman Catholic Church, and has often helped them with construction or renovation of buildings for religious worship. We have also worked hand-in-hand with Catholic Charities in providing humanitarian assistance to alleviate suffering across the globe," he said. "The church expresses its profound regret and sincere apologies to the members of the Roman Catholic faith, to the members of the Sangre de Cristo Catholic Church and the townspeople of San Luis, for this senseless act." Olsen said church leaders would look for ways to repair the damage that has been caused to relationships with the community. Photobucket released a statement saying that it had no record of the shrine photos but that its rules forbid content that is illegal, obscene or threatening. © 2008 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved |
When you see the above picture, what exactly are your thoughts? In the LDS context, this is meant to imply that being a member of the church causes depression. The story in question is to be found at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4403731&page=1 and how I found out about it was at http://www.mormonapologetics.org/index.php?s=cdeffbb640a393d1701b5c484efe6b81&showtopic=33649.
Quote:
The still waters of the Great Salt Lake run deep -- and dark.
Take Wendy, a 40-year-old teacher and mother of three from Utah County. To all appearances, she led the perfect life. Just as she was expected to, she went from high school cheerleader to Mormon missionary to wife and mother.
"But life has a funny way of not being perfect," she said. "Three years into my marriage my husband was drinking, using drugs and stepping out on me. "
I don't see how there are dark waters in Salt Lake other than it implies that there is something to hide. I also don't see why it is implied that the church must somehow ensure the happiness of this person. Are they saying that because she was a missionary, she married a loser? Does the church encourage drinking, drug use and adultery?
"I knew I was depressed and needed help, but there is a stigma about depression in this area," said Wendy, who asked that ABCNEWS.com not use her last name. "People think it's a sign of weakness. It means you're not capable of being a good mother or wife or teacher."
Wendy's secret is Utah's secret. The postcard image of Utah is a state of gleaming cities, majestic mountains and persistently smiling people. But new research shows a very different picture of the state, a snapshot of suicide and widespread depression.
I think there are other contributing factors. First, if there is a stigma, it is not the church's making. Many of the Relief Society meetings have the women talking about how to cope with the pressures of the world, pressures that everyone has to deal with, regardless of religion. I don't know many women who chase after perfection. Most are trying to cope, just like my wife. BTW, my wife works for LDS Family Services. It is a function of the church and is available to every member, most of the time free of charge. I used it while attending school there because of a relationship I was in. I certainly didn't blame it on the church but because of some choices I made.
Also, Utah has a large teen population. I don't know if you were ever a teen, but that isn't a great time.
The LDS do not use alcohol. So the self-medication that is common in other parts of the country doesn't happen there. Would you want them to start boozing it up instead of going to a doctor?
At the end of the article we finally read this
"I don't think it's clear that there's a crisis in Utah," said Brent Scharman, a psychologist and the assistant commissioner of LDS Family Services, a church network that provides counseling. "You've got one camp that says there is more depression and another camp that says we just have more consumers." Scharman said studies on organized religion and depression found that religious people were generally happier than nonreligious people, and that held true for Mormons.
So, after all this, it isn't the church's fault. Mormons are happier.
"It always boils down to the issue of what influence the LDS lifestyle has on the depression phenomenon," he said. "Non-LDS and some LDS people say this is a kind of driven lifestyle and that we push too hard and smile too much. But studies show, and those living it out see, that religion is good support. It creates a positive network and helps people get through crises and deal with long-term problems.
"Are there people who feel 'I'm not living up to the LDS ideal,' or 'I'm not living up to my family's expectations'? Absolutely, there is no question. But having done counseling outside the LDS community, I saw people there, too, who were depressed because of perfectionism," he said. "I wouldn't say it is any worse here than in more diverse communities."
This article was horrible journalism.
For another response, go here. http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/onionmagazine_archive_116a_web.jpg
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Books |
| Genre: | Religion & Spirituality |
| Author: | Robert B Eno |
| Rating: | ★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
| Rating: | ★★ |
| Category: | Books |
| Genre: | Religion & Spirituality |
| Author: | ? |
"I have to say, I admire your devotion," I tell him.
"I never take credit for personal virtue," he says. "That's you guys."
It's the way things are between us. We don't play a lot of slap and tickle. We know where we stand.
Evangelical faith comes out as confidence and boldness, which Mormons often see as brazen.
Mormon faith comes out as obedience, which evangelicals often see as smug.
"But you do see yourself as a sinner," I say.
"Yes."
"Well," I say, "among your many sins, I don't see 'lack of devotion."'
He smiles.
I don't mind playing to type.
He says he likes talking with me because I'm an "old returned missionary." The new returned missionaries, he says, speak in the same earnest voice and say the same things in the same way.
The comment strikes me as curious. I've never seen evangelicals as a colorful bouquet of religious style and thought.
He says he can size people with one question: "Are you a good person?" If they say "yes" or "I try to be," they haven't been saved. True Christians, he says, see themselves as sinners, washed in the blood of Jesus.
True Christians, I think to myself, behave like true Christians.
I suppose it's why our faiths are natural rivals. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends thousands into the world to show people they can live better lives. Evangelicals send out thousands to tell people it doesn't matter what they do. Yes, they see Mormonism as a cult because we stress behavior. But they also see Catholicism as a cult, along with Jehovah's Witnesses, large swaths of the Episcopal Church, Muslims, most Quakers and probably Jews. In fact, the only reason I can see for Mormons to be so concerned about being accepted by evangelicals is politics. Evangelicals control the right wing of the Republican Party. If druids controlled the Republican right, political Mormons would look for ways to bond with their druid brethren.
"Your good works aren't bad works," my friend is saying. "They're just dead works. Meaningless."
"The Jesus I believe in would find that a bit harsh," I say.
He opens his Bible to let me know my Jesus isn't Paul's Jesus.
I tell him my Jesus shows up in the gospels.
We're like two old men playing checkers in the park. We know each other's moves. We just play the game out for company.
I tell him I have to go.
He says he'll pray for me. He sees me getting older and fears I soon may be beyond rescue.
I leave, knowing what I've always known. True believers can be civil to each other, they can even join hands. But they can never join hearts. That's just a pipe dream of people who don't know true believers.
Wringing your hands over being accepted by other religions is a waste of a good pair of hands. Better to use them to hold to your ideals. Let the Founder sort it all out.
Unlike politics, in Christianity, his vote is the only one that counts, anyway.
Jerry Johnston is a Deseret Morning News staff writer. "New Harmony" appears weekly in the Mormon Times section.
E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com
