Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Shots fired

Probably unfair of me to lift these three paragraphs only out of David V. Mason's op-ed, but I couldn't resist.

I’m with Harry Emerson Fosdick, the liberal Protestant minister and former pastor of Riverside Church in Manhattan, who wrote that he would be “ashamed to live in this generation and not be a heretic.” Being a Christian so often involves such boorish and meanspirited behavior that I marvel that any of my Mormon colleagues are so eager to join the fold.

[...]

Eventually, Mormonism will grow up. Maybe a Mormon in the White House will hasten that moment when Mormonism will no longer plead through billboards and sappy radio ads to be liked, though I suspect that Mr. Romney is such a typical politician that, should he occupy the Oval Office, he’ll studiously avoid the appearance of being anything but a WASP. This could set back the cause of Mormon identity by decades.

Whatever happens in November, I hope Mormonism eventually realizes that it doesn’t need Christianity’s approval and will get big and beat up all the imperious Christians who tormented it when it was small, weird and painfully self-conscious. Mormons are certainly Christian enough to know how to spitefully abuse their power.

It'll be interesting to survey Greater Wingnuttia's reaction to this. I suspect the consensus will congeal around yelling about the NY Times "trying to drive a wedge." And of course, being haters of Christianity.

4 comments:

Don McArthur said...

In the competition for "most batshit crazy mythology" only the LDS church can give the Scientologists a run for the gold.

What utter, deranged crap.

bjkeefe said...

@Don: I suppose. Although I've heard people cast the core Catholic dogma in slightly different words than the ones I was brought up with, and I gotta say, it sounded just as looney.

@MB: Nice! (Wonder if anyone reading that comment years from now will get it.)

Don McArthur said...

Brendan,

That's only because the LDS church hides the really good stuff - like good Mormon men end up as gods on their own planet populated by a race of mortal beings who will worship them. I mean, how transparent can one get?

bjkeefe said...

Okay. I gotta admit, I didn't know about that.

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