Pro: A bunch of them are nutty doomsday preppers, with a lot of food supplies in their basements.
Con: The polygamy, child abuse, and endless fast and testimony meetings get kinda old after a while.
Con: The polygamy, child abuse, and endless fast and testimony meetings get kinda old after a while.
Speaking anecdotally about my experiences in Oregon with Mormon friends, this feels like a gross misrepresentation. I haven't seen any of these situations pop up, and certainly not in any way that would cause it to be systemic.
What the fuck? No. I’ve traveled all over, and met a lot of Mormons and have Mormon friends. The most sinister thing they’re into is family game night. Ok, I’m no fan of the missionary thing, but again, as a non-Christian I appreciate that the Mormons take no for an answer, and will still hang out with you.
Their religion is wacky, but so is every religion. They have cults, but so do all religions. So... no.
However, Utah has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the nation, and one of the highest rates of anti-depressant medication use in the nation. This is in large part due to the unrealistic expectations and pressure its members are subject to.
Sure, they're not as overtly harmful as similar high-demand cults like FLDS or Scientology, but try joining and then not paying 10% of your gross income to the church and see how that works out.
Look... If you want a different perspective, just start reading people's stories here: https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/
https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/155/5/413/171404
Not compelling, especially when you note that suicide is only one metric, violence against others being another, and so much more. Most of all though, I didn’t say they were wacky in particular, I said that they were wacky as are all religions. I don’t see them as materially different from any other religion, except in some cases, age.
Many Mormons entered into polygamous marriages after 1890. Over 200 polygamous marriages were performed between 1890 and 1904.
note though all Christian religions claim to believe in a book, the Bible, that has people who practiced polygamy blessed by God. It's pretty hypocritical for any one who believes in the Bible to be against polygamy when the God that book is about blessed the practice.