Big Love does the Mormon Temple ceremony this Sunday

by FormerMormon 66 Replies latest jw friends

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  sir82

  I am sure you recognize that when a church can insert itself as proxy for god himself, and people put god(church) first, that this can be VERY dangerous

  Once again, that sounds REALLY familiar....
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  inkling

  And I highly doubt that all of the intelligent people that I admire and respect who have become Mormons have been duped.

  *blink*

  *blink blick*

  Yea, wow, I got nothin'.

  [inkling]
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  FormerMormon

  Sir82,

  Agreed. We are spiritual abuse cousins. It's important to recognize cultic tools.

  Pillowhead, if you can't allow your self to see cultic tools in Mormonism, continue to hang out here and other cult recovery websites. It will help you see the same tactics in Mormonism. The fact that mormons have many recovery sites, like other cults is telling.
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  FormerMormon

  Post 1418 of 1418 Since 10/14/2007

  And I highly doubt that all of the intelligent people that I admire and respect who have become Mormons have been duped. *blink* *blink blick* Yea, wow, I got nothin'. [inkling] there are intelligent people in all cults. Hitler had very intelligent people swept up in his cult. Intelligence wont keep you out of cults. Read/listen to cult expert Steve Hassan. He does a wonderful job debunking this "intelligent people are immune to cults" thing.
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  inkling

  And I highly doubt that all of the intelligent people that I admire and respect who have become Mormons have been duped.

  Ok, let me try again....

  I sure you friends are wonderful and sincere people, and intelligent in many areas, but "duped"
  is exactly what then have been.

  Duped by people who, in all fairness, were duped themselves, taught by people who were duped
  themselves.... all the way back to Joseph Smith, who was literally a convicted con man.

  [inkling]
• 

  purplesofa

  And I highly doubt that all of the intelligent people that I admire and respect who have become Mormons have been duped.

  I think of the highly intelligent people that are admired and respected that got duped by Madoff.
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  pillowheadpete

  True Purplesofa, inkling and Former Mormon - I've misspoken. Poor choice of words in using 'intelligent'. 'Duped' perhaps equally a poor choice. I acknowledge this after rereading what I wrote.

  I recognize that there are those among us who have fallen prey to activities where intelligence has had nothing to do with it. I recognize that people are born into these situations everyday. I recognize that when children are born into families and do not have the ability to choose what to believe until they've grown up a bit and read and traveled and lived a while and then can decide for themselves. - Becoming part of a cult is not necessarily a sign of lack of intelligence. I was only speaking in the context of a few friends of mine (who happen to be CCGs *card carrying geniuses*) who have sort of been marked as free thinkers and intelligent, in my estimation, when I posted what I did.

  I guess I'm not familiar with cultic tools. And the definition of a cult is so loose anyway. That is, any group that is unified in religious worship and that has particular ceremonies is a cult and in this definition there is not the negative connotation that other definitions of cult have. The real definition of a cult that is the most widely used is a sect of religion that is living outside the conventions of society and that follow a charismatic leader. And Muhammad, Budha, the Pope and even Jesus Christ all fall into this category. So any religion anywhere is kind of a cult.

  I recognize that ALL people can be drawn into things that are good for them and can also be drawn into what is not good for them. I realize that on a global scale, collectively religion can do equal harm as it does good. And it often comes down to who is in charge and what they do with that charge.

  So the collective assertion is that JW and Mormon are cults is true in the literal sense of the definition of what a cult is.

  BTW: Did any of you happen to see Big Love? Have any of you talked to any Mormons about it? I learned that they showed the apex of the ceremony. It was like a shot to the gut of a close friend of mine. We both didn't see how it affected the story. And really what was shown made sense to me. Sorry if I'm seen as a mindless idiot to all of you who have been abused or disconcerned. I'm probabally a guy who is headed straight into hell in your estimation and headed for a life of torment. But I did see it and think that it was special. -- These guys are simulating what they think it would be like to pass into heaven and HBO and others just punked them.

  So I guess the sympathy for my friends of watching someone splatter what they hold as dear all over is part of their cultic tools?