Posted on 01/06/2012 8:46:23 AM PST by colorcountry
A crusade (of sorts) is moving across Facebook. It is targeting pages that are critical of Mormonism. Who the crusaders are is unknown, but it seems reasonable to suggest that they may be Latter-day Saints.
The crusade is aimed at silencing those who disagree with Mormonism. In a broad sense (and from the perspective of many Mormons), this has some biblical support:
“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:15)
The Facebook crusader’s strategy, however, does not involve “doing good,” nor does it seek to expose what some Mormons would call “the ignorance of foolish people.” The Facebook crusade instead is employing oppressive tactics in order to have critical discussion shut down and/or removed from public view.
Though a bit more complicated than I’ll describe here, the program goes something like this: A site critical of Mormonism is identified by the crusaders; this group of people begin a flurry of reporting, flagging the page’s status updates, videos and comments as “hate speech”; Facebook’s automated response sends warnings to the page owners and Admins, removes flagged “offensive” content, and eventually disables (temporarily) the personal accounts of those who receive sufficient warnings.
Trying to look at things from a Mormon perspective, I can acknowledge how some things posted may be reasonably understood as offensive to a Mormon (e.g., a discussion about sex; namely, the physically sexual relationship between Heavenly Father and Mary. In fact, this Mormon teaching is offensive to me, too!). Due to “one or more reports,” Aaron received a Facebook warning at Christmastime related to his audio series on the Virgin Birth:
But most of the things that have been flagged in this crusade (that I am aware of) reflect mere disagreements between Christians and Mormons regarding spiritual issues. For example, this (subsequently flagged) Facebook comment was posted on December 9, 2011 as part of an ongoing conversation:
“God has provided these tools to validate His truth. While there is an element of faith, I’d say that faith is based on things that are unseen, BUT NOT PROVEN false. Science and history have definitively proved the Book of Mormon not to be [of] God. The Bible holds its own.”
Two more examples, these removed by Facebook:
“Which Jesus, Elizabeth? The created brother of satan or the Un-Creator of all things? God?”
“oh! but one last thing Bobbi…how did you check to make sure that the answer to your prayer was truth?”
According to Facebook policy, the use of a person’s name in comments, even in a response to a comment that person may have previously posted, can be construed as “harassment.” That explains Facebook deleting some of the comments, but it does not explain the initial reporting of these conversational comments. Only a crusade designed to itself harass and silence Mormonism’s critics makes sense.
On December 26th a Christian friend received a warning from Facebook for posting a link to Aaron’s video project, God Never Sinned – Do Mormons Agree? Facebook removed the entire post and threatened the owner of the page with possible loss of his Facebook account. Facebook stated that the video link had been reported, and anything that is “hateful, threatening, or obscene” is not allowed. Yet the God Never Sinned video consists entirely of Mormons responding to a question that clarifies their own individual beliefs. Why flag that as hateful?
All of this sounds a bit un-American, or at least unlike the America envisioned by her Founding Fathers, who placed a premium on freedom of speech and the lively, open exchange of ideas. In fact, as others have noted elsewhere, these crusaders on Facebook seem to be following in the footsteps of Mormonism’s founder. When Joseph Smith was confronted with dissident voices in Nauvoo, Illinois, rather than answer them, he did his best to silence them by destroying the newspaper and press that gave the critics a platform.
Yet another aspect of this crusade is equally troubling. Assuming that the crusaders are Mormons, it must be noted that Mormons expend a lot of energy trying to convince the world that they are Christians (that is, followers of Jesus Christ). But their disregard for biblical teaching regarding how to deal with critics demonstrates a different spirit.
The Bible, recognized by Christians to be the very Word of God, does not tell followers of Christ to silence critics by taking away their voices.
The Bible tells us of the benefits of a “soft answer.” It proclaims, “To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!” It teaches that the righteous think about how to answer, as opposed to the evil responses of the wicked (Proverbs 15:1, 23, 28)
The apostle Paul talks about “persuading” people of the truth while being “able to answer those” who are mistaken in their spiritual focus. He says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (2 Corinthians 5:11-12; Colossians 4:6)
And, of course, there are the familiar instructions for God’s people to “contend” for the faith, be ready to “give a defense” of that faith, while “patiently enduring evil, correcting [spiritual] opponents.” (Jude 3; 1 Peter 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Christians are not supposed to bully those who disagree with them by forcing them into silence. Christians are supposed to answer the objections and persuade opponents by speaking the truth, hoping that the lost and deceived will “come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil.”
This is what the Christians on Facebook (and here on Mormon Coffee) are endeavoring to do. What, then, is the aim of the crusaders?
Let me draw you a picture.
Adam + Eve (sealed in the temple)
Eve dies
Adam + Susan (sealed in the temple)
Adam dies
After life = Adam + Eve + Susan = polygamous afterlife
So if you are Christian and you believe in an afterlife that is just as important as the one you currently reside, then yes that is polygamy just the same.
Pretty much the way it’s always been I guess. Probably won’t ever change.
Wouldn’t any religion that can be proved by the bible, just be one?
Well, Muslims believe that Jesus was the Messiah and they love and honor him. I guess you feel that same affinity for Muslims as you do for Christians.
You know...about 3/4s of the households that 52,000 Lds missionaries knock on every day have some considerable linkage to Christianity...(some households more intense; some lessened of late).
What if those 52,000 Lds missionaries suddenly said, "It doesn't matter that 3/4s of our knocks & doorbell rings aren't lds & are 'Christian'"??? What if they, like you, airborne, suddenly "didn't care" about that?
Why, if that was the case, all known Christians -- or all discovered Christians upon knocking -- could just be immediately bypassed by Lds missionaries. NEVER for any Lds missionary to knock on that family's door again.
But you know what, Airborne? For all the negative things that could be said about Lds missionaries, let me say three positive things:
I admire their level of sacrifice -- including the financial sacrifice of their families;
I admire their zeal -- especially since in most areas of the world, they are soundly rejected;
And thirdly, I admire that they do care spiritually speaking -- even as they are indeed misguided.
That stands in stark contrast to your sadly uncaring spirit. If you have a Christian background, how even more sad that you "don't care" about the spiritual development of Lds. Mormon missionaries at least are trying to show they do care; Christian missionaries and evangelists show they do care.
You? Who cares? is the upshot of your spirit. Iow, there's nothing noteworthy about your spiritual convictions worth "converting" to...That is the message you convey to both Jeff and the world.
How extremely sad.
Let me draw you a picture.
Mormonism is guilty of the same thing. They demoted Jesus from being God to being a god. The Mormon ideas of Jesus and the gods are idolatry.
Galations 1
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Allow me to translate that worldview.
This is a worldview that essentially says we won't be held accountable for ANYTHING we do in this life. I mean, how could we? If we won't be able to recall anything, how could any "higher power" hold us accountable for it?
This is a statement that essentially says to the Hitlers and bin Ladens of this world: It doesn't matter what you do in this life; all will be forgotten.
“They are sealed to more than one person in their temple with whom they will live eternally in a polygamous relationship.”
Hold the phone. You don’t believe that, do you. So why do you care?
Tara here again..:)
Elsie, first I want to say..Thank you for the info you posted on the doctrine of Mormonisim, as I said before...I do not know much of what they do believe....
However my question is more about the kind of people who do belong to the Mormon church...
My neighbors are Mormons, the best neighbors you could ask for..Would help you out in a New York minute..
Very family oriented and conservative folks.....
The famous family the *Osmonds* who have led a life of fame, yet without dis-honoring their families..With the exception of Marie Osmond’s problems, it appears that all the Osmond brother’s are committed to each other and were twoard their Mother and Father who they all adored...
Mormon’s who helped California pass Prop 8 where many other Christians were for allowing and endorsing *Gay Marriage*
If Christians live a life of Hypocrisy, or as Christ said:
in Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Either Mormons are great deceivers about hiding their hypocritical and flawed flock or the Laodicean Christian Church needs to examine the commitment of parishoners of the mormon faith....
As I said: This is not about the doctrine they believe, but how they conduct their life in the public eye as Jesus Christ aspires for all of us to live like...
GOD Bless...
Wouldn’t any religion that can be proved by the bible, just be one?
The teachings Of Jesus are on faith, not religion
James 1:27
27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
The above is the only reference to religion in a good sense that i know of in the new testament.
This is a statement that essentially says to the Hitlers and bin Ladens of this world: It doesn’t matter what you do in this life; all will be forgotten.
I am to the point where I feel very sad for the anti Mormons here; they know not what they do. I feel bad for the anti Mormons because their comments reflect hatred rather than logic and reason. You are such a good writer in the way you summarized the situation in your above mentioned post!!
How are you feeling these days, Bro? My hubby is doing well and we are grateful for great medical care and for prayers and blessings. No reoccurrence of sacral chordoma! Yes, he still has some side effects from surgeries and treatments but life goes on!!! Happy New Year!!!!
Mr Jeff Head,
Just want to say, I live next door to the best neighbors who are Conservative kind and compassionate that are Mormons, and I am glad I no longer live next door to some Baptists that loved to spend the weekends getting drunk and beating on each other....
Jesus said, “ ‘My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father’” (John 15:8
Thank you for your kind comments about my pal Jeff Head and you don’t know the half of it. He is one of my heroes.
Your post made me laugh. Thanks.
Your post made me laugh. Thanks.
Besides, don’t get bent when people teach others about the LDS beliefs. It’s LDS doctrine so how can it be anti-mormonism if its part of the beliefs?
(hope you feel better soon)
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