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Questions on Mormons

Just one comment and one question.

Comment: As far as tithing goes, many churches preach the 10% thing. The Pentecostal church that I attended with my Dad and Stepmom used to be pretty adamant about this and it definitely was gross not net. I don't know the particular verse but in the Old Test. it says that it should be 10% of you're first fruits which they interpreted as your gross income.

Question: A coworker of mine said that he saw that Judge Napolitano guy talking about some recent polygamy case. Judge Napo said that the attorney general of Utah was going after polygamists/bigamists but that the AG won't get reelected because of this. He claimed that was because 75% of the state was Mormon and about 1/2 still practiced bigamy. I said to my friend that didn't sound right because I'd recently seen some shows on polygamy and in them they claimed their were only about 30000 or so practicing polygamy. I also looked it up on wikipedia and it said about 37000 (even a fox news article sited the 30000 number). Anyway, my question is, in your opinion is this AG going to be unpopular for taking a stand against this? I've heard that in the 50's they tried cracking down and it was met with a good deal of backlash from the public mainly because it put a lot of women with oodles of kids without a bread winner.
 
aargh57 said:
Just one comment and one question.

Comment: As far as tithing goes, many churches preach the 10% thing. The Pentecostal church that I attended with my Dad and Stepmom used to be pretty adamant about this and it definitely was gross not net. I don't know the particular verse but in the Old Test. it says that it should be 10% of you're first fruits which they interpreted as your gross income.
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So, the chruch leaders litteraly interpret an Old Testament passage in the way that favors their coffers the most. How surprising. Do they also leave their beards untrimmed, and regard lobster as an abomination?
 
Orb said:
I just saw that too! Did Smith really read the gospel out of a hat?
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I seem to recall that Mormons don't partcularly like this description of events, but that it is described this way in some Mormon documents, such as the one quoted here.

Of course, that is from an anti-Mormon site, so consider the source.

Also, read about Smith's evident propensity for using stones in hats on this page.
 
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aargh57 said:
. . . and one question.


Question: A coworker of mine said that he saw that Judge Napolitano guy talking about some recent polygamy case. Judge Napo said that the attorney general of Utah was going after polygamists/bigamists but that the AG won't get reelected because of this. He claimed that was because 75% of the state was Mormon and about 1/2 still practiced bigamy. I said to my friend that didn't sound right because I'd recently seen some shows on polygamy and in them they claimed their were only about 30000 or so practicing polygamy. I also looked it up on wikipedia and it said about 37000 (even a fox news article sited the 30000 number). Anyway, my question is, in your opinion is this AG going to be unpopular for taking a stand against this? I've heard that in the 50's they tried cracking down and it was met with a good deal of backlash from the public mainly because it put a lot of women with oodles of kids without a bread winner.
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Wow, I was confused. Napolitano is the name of AZ's current govenor, a female. Much of my family still lives in Utah and they always told me that the mormon population in Utah is only about 50% at this time.
As for his "claimed" claim about 1/2 of utah being polygamists: no.
 
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RSLancastr said:
I seem to recall that Mormons don't partcularly like this description of events, but that it is described this way in some Mormon documents, such as the one quoted here.

Of course, that is from an anti-Mormon site, so consider the source.

Also, read about Smith's evident propensity for using stones in hats on this page.
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The URL you posted goes to a site of Nelson's talk that mentions David Whitmer 's writings. For people's background knowledge, Whitmer is one of the 3 Witnesses. The witnesses are 3 guys who claimed they SAW the book of mormon (BOM). Their testimnony is written in the front pages of all BOMs. All 3 eventually were excommunicated (kicked out) of the church. Later one came back.
He broke off and founded his own church claiming God told him to.;)
 
aargh57 said:
Just one comment and one question.

Question: A coworker of mine said that he saw that Judge Napolitano guy talking about some recent polygamy case. Judge Napo said that the attorney general of Utah was going after polygamists/bigamists but that the AG won't get reelected because of this. He claimed that was because 75% of the state was Mormon and about 1/2 still practiced bigamy. I said to my friend that didn't sound right because I'd recently seen some shows on polygamy and in them they claimed their were only about 30000 or so practicing polygamy. I also looked it up on wikipedia and it said about 37000 (even a fox news article sited the 30000 number). Anyway, my question is, in your opinion is this AG going to be unpopular for taking a stand against this? I've heard that in the 50's they tried cracking down and it was met with a good deal of backlash from the public mainly because it put a lot of women with oodles of kids without a bread winner.
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Most of the Mormons I know are a little embarrassed by their history of polygamy and consider the few who practice it today to be kooks.

I say most, because I haven't polled every mormon I know, but I've never heard a word of support for polygamy.
 
money said:
Most of the Mormons I know are a little embarrassed by their history of polygamy and consider the few who practice it today to be kooks.

I say most, because I haven't polled every mormon I know, but I've never heard a word of support for polygamy.
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Maybe you haven't asked them the right question.

The Mormon church is definitely in support of polygamy in theory. They do not think it weird, kooky or unnatural.

It is currently forbidden by the (main) LDS church only because Mormons are supposed to obey the laws of their country.

This is how it was explained to me by a fairly knowledgeable Mormon, anyway.

So, if a Mormon thinks polygamy itself is "kooky," they do not understand the church's position on it.
 
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It was my understanding that, since a single woman cannot attain the highest heaven, a Mormon man was achieving a great work by marrying many ladies. Many of Joseph Smith's wives were unmarriagble (sp?) by the standards of the day; by being married they were guaranteed a good slot in heaven.

I've a Methodist friend whose four brothers and sisters all converted to Mormonism.
 
RSLancastr said:
Maybe you haven't asked them the right question.

The Mormon church is definitely in support of polygamy in theory. They do not think it weird, kooky or unnatural.

It is currently forbidden by the (main) LDS church only because Mormons are supposed to obey the laws of their country.

This is how it was explained to me by a fairly knowledgeable Mormon, anyway.

So, if a Mormon thinks polygamy itself is "kooky," they do not understand the church's position on it.
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Ok, I will agree with you on the "in theory" part. I should have written more clearly. I have never heard my mormon friends and axquaintances speak in favor of polygamy in practice. I admit it's possible that they are censoring themselves, as they know I'm not Mormon. Even, so, I'm not sure that I have any real moral objection to it, in theory.

The mormons I know disassociate themselves with the smaller compounds that do practice polygamy, and consider the people in those compounds kooky. I'll be more specific. My brother and a bunch of his friends went to Dixie College in Southern Utah. He told me stories about the polygamists down there, seeing them in Walmart, etc (apparently they dress distinctively). He and his friends consider those people to be kooky.

So perhaps it's more accurate to say that the mainstream Mormons consider the FLDS and other smaller sects to be kooky than polygamy itself. I can see that point...
 
supercorgi said:
My, my, that Joe Smith sure knew how to spin a yarn, didn't he? Welcome to the forum Just Me. Have you seen the HBO show "Big Love?" It's about a Mormon offshoot family that practices polygamy.
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Yeah, I've been watching it every episode for the past month. What is their relationship to the main church? They seem to be part of this quasi church/local society thingie led by one of the guys from Alien (I forget what it, and he, are called.)

Apparently because it portrays them not just in a positive light, but as being persecuted, having to hide both from "normal" Mormons and The Long Arm of the Law, there's a big crackdown going on, and polygamists are fleeing Utah for surrounding states.
 
Just Me said:
This Guy,
You're right, it would be much better to start a thread asking why the gov't partially subsidizes churches.
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The government allowing you to keep money you earned yourself is not "subsidizing". People and their livelihood and their endeavors preceed government and armed thugs laying claim to money that's not theirs.

Oh, wait, this is a lighthearted thread. Sorry! :o :redface1
 
bluess said:
It was my understanding that, since a single woman cannot attain the highest heaven, a Mormon man was achieving a great work by marrying many ladies. Many of Joseph Smith's wives were unmarriagble (sp?) by the standards of the day; by being married they were guaranteed a good slot in heaven.
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Well, when a Mormon man (in good standing and whatnot) dies, he becomes a god with his own universe to populate, which he does with all of his wives.
 
RSLancastr said:
Maybe you haven't asked them the right question.

The Mormon church is definitely in support of polygamy in theory. They do not think it weird, kooky or unnatural.

It is currently forbidden by the (main) LDS church only because Mormons are supposed to obey the laws of their country.

This is how it was explained to me by a fairly knowledgeable Mormon, anyway.

So, if a Mormon thinks polygamy itself is "kooky," they do not understand the church's position on it.
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Exactly. Mormons don't like to mention polygamy although they beleive polygamy will return to the religion in the future.
 
bluess said:
It was my understanding that, since a single woman cannot attain the highest heaven, a Mormon man was achieving a great work by marrying many ladies. Many of Joseph Smith's wives were unmarriagble (sp?) by the standards of the day; by being married they were guaranteed a good slot in heaven.

I've a Methodist friend whose four brothers and sisters all converted to Mormonism.
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The only reason they were inelligible for marrigae was becasue at least one was already married and if I recall correctly a few were about 12-13 yrs old.
 
Beerina said:
The government allowing you to keep money you earned yourself is not "subsidizing". People and their livelihood and their endeavors preceed government and armed thugs laying claim to money that's not theirs.

Oh, wait, this is a lighthearted thread. Sorry! :o :redface1
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Well, the quote you mentioned certainly was made lightheartedly along w/ many other posts, yet the info I, and rclancatsrer, have written is the serious teachings of the church, w/ a little mormon culture thrown in.
But comeon, the money is being given to CHURCHES:mad:
 
Just Me said:
Well, the quote you mentioned certainly was made lightheartedly along w/ many other posts, yet the info I, and rclancatsrer, have written is the serious teachings of the church, w/ a little mormon culture thrown in.
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What, did you throw my name in a blender? :eek:
 
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