Deja
Vu
he best and worst in people seem to come out when political
or religious preference is the point of discussion. I think it’s safe to say
that most regard religious preference as a personal issue consisting of
subjective beliefs that when questioned can instantly straighten one’s
defensive posture. Because our beliefs are personal, they include an element of
passion. That passion is what religious zealots work to inflame when herding
followers into their cause.
The somewhat frequent attacks on presidential candidate
Mitt Romney’s religious preference, and something I saw in a small-town
newspaper yesterday, brought back some interesting memories. Way back when I
was in high school, a friend and I attended a rally put on by an anti-Mormon
group. The area where we grew up had a wide variety of religious followings
that in most cases coexisted without malice. Not this group. They were Mormon
haters on parade.
The rally was held in a school auditorium and it was packed.
A man claiming to be an ex-Mormon paced back and forth on the stage, talking
about the great deceivers with their Book of Mormon, Word of Wisdom, temples,
strange practices and this and that. They even showed a film made mostly with
the input of excommunicated Mormons. I found it all quite strange. People would
ask questions and the man would respond with commissioned fervor. Some in the
crowd were obviously Mormons there to defend their faith. Others were there to
condemn, and many it seemed were just there to see if a riot would break out.
It was a heated ensemble, but no brawling ensued.
Fast-forward 25 years. I drove back to our farm this past
weekend to spend a few days visiting my mother. While perusing one of the local
papers, an ad caught my eye. It was only an Internet address in bold that
included the letters LDS (Latter-Day Saints). It gave the impression of
something benign and friendly…too friendly.
Curious, I brought up the website and under the wig, big
nose and sunglasses, I found that old familiar dog – anti-Mormon propaganda.
The interesting thing was even though the points of debate hadn’t really
changed, the method of message delivery this group employed was completely
different. The site was full of love and kindness, claiming they wanted to save
the wayward Mormons by revealing all the lies the poor saps believe as truth.
The site even had full color pictures of people who
support the cause. I looked carefully into their faces, and maybe it was just
me, but I didn’t see people who were really happy. Their smiles seemed a little
forced – their expressions a little lost. So do you suppose these people are
really searching for truth driven by the desire to save their fellow man, or
just looking for others to bring into the fold to share in their discontent?
Personally, I’ve never understood the need for one sect to
prove another one wrong. Salvation is not a competition – at least it shouldn’t
be. So it makes me wonder why some try so hard to discredit the faith of
others. And to do it under the guise of caring is just down right conniving. I
sincerely doubt that these people have truly made the lives of anyone,
including themselves, better by attacking and tearing down the faith of another
person. Last time I checked, that wasn’t considered proper Christian behavior
regardless of its implied benevolence.
- Ranse
Parker
Circle
of Doors
