Among the Mormons Pt 3
I was shocked. There, in what seemed like an LDS bookstore, packed to the gills with books and vidoes from church leaders and others, was porn. Lots of it. Playboy videos, X-rated movies and many "foreign films" with people having sex on the cover. Granted, it was not Deseret Book, the official LDS store, but an independent store, owned by a well know downtown merchant, a bishop in his ward, and member of the school board.
This was 18 years ago, when I first came to Logan. Due to my letters to the editor and several protests from other Christians, they pulled the worst of it. Today there are still NC-17 titles and plenty of raunchy hard R titles in this mostly LDS bookstore. The owner's wife is now on the school board. It is still a great example of Mormon hypocrisy that abounds here and is getting worse.
Those of us in ministry here can see the LDS church basically falling apart. It is like the snow melting, slowly losing it's properties, sinking into the ground. Mormon families are getting smaller-no longer are women encouraged to have lots of children. Mothers are working more and more, leaving their kids with day care or relatives. As a result, they are watching more and more TV, video games, etc. The elementary kids at school tell my kids all the time how many PG-13 films they have seen, or brag proudly of the "M" video games they have played. Mom and Dad are just too busy to notice. Oh they are still doing their temple chores, etc. but are too busy to notice what is happening to their kids.
I see the result on this 90% Mormon college campus. Foul language, sex, drinking are all increasing. Starbucks opens in town soon, following Border's and other coffee places. A tobacco store opened recently and is doing well (so much for the "Word of Wisdom"). Liberal professors are dominating the campus now, pushing such issues as homosexuality and evolution and deriding the beliefs of their students. The owner of the local theater, a BYU grad, proudly shows "Brokeback Mountain" as he bows to the god of Tolerance.
Perhaps more important, and encouraging, is Mormon beliefs are slowly shifting-toward Christianity? Church leaders are openly emphasizing grace and Christ, not works and Joseph Smith. Historical events such as Ravi Zacharias in the Tabernacle last year seem to herald a new openness. Institute leaders at the University of Utah recently invited Campus Crusade workers to feel free to evangelize their members, as many of them are not "living the gospel". Our efforts are welcomed on campus by LDS students and leaders. It is really amazing.
Where will it all lead? No one knows. But we can hope, and trust that God is at work here. One thing to pray for is the new President of the church, who will no doubt be chosen soon, as the current one is in his 90's. The course he sets as the "Prophet" will doubtless have a profound impact on the changes now taking place.
This was 18 years ago, when I first came to Logan. Due to my letters to the editor and several protests from other Christians, they pulled the worst of it. Today there are still NC-17 titles and plenty of raunchy hard R titles in this mostly LDS bookstore. The owner's wife is now on the school board. It is still a great example of Mormon hypocrisy that abounds here and is getting worse.
Those of us in ministry here can see the LDS church basically falling apart. It is like the snow melting, slowly losing it's properties, sinking into the ground. Mormon families are getting smaller-no longer are women encouraged to have lots of children. Mothers are working more and more, leaving their kids with day care or relatives. As a result, they are watching more and more TV, video games, etc. The elementary kids at school tell my kids all the time how many PG-13 films they have seen, or brag proudly of the "M" video games they have played. Mom and Dad are just too busy to notice. Oh they are still doing their temple chores, etc. but are too busy to notice what is happening to their kids.
I see the result on this 90% Mormon college campus. Foul language, sex, drinking are all increasing. Starbucks opens in town soon, following Border's and other coffee places. A tobacco store opened recently and is doing well (so much for the "Word of Wisdom"). Liberal professors are dominating the campus now, pushing such issues as homosexuality and evolution and deriding the beliefs of their students. The owner of the local theater, a BYU grad, proudly shows "Brokeback Mountain" as he bows to the god of Tolerance.
Perhaps more important, and encouraging, is Mormon beliefs are slowly shifting-toward Christianity? Church leaders are openly emphasizing grace and Christ, not works and Joseph Smith. Historical events such as Ravi Zacharias in the Tabernacle last year seem to herald a new openness. Institute leaders at the University of Utah recently invited Campus Crusade workers to feel free to evangelize their members, as many of them are not "living the gospel". Our efforts are welcomed on campus by LDS students and leaders. It is really amazing.
Where will it all lead? No one knows. But we can hope, and trust that God is at work here. One thing to pray for is the new President of the church, who will no doubt be chosen soon, as the current one is in his 90's. The course he sets as the "Prophet" will doubtless have a profound impact on the changes now taking place.
posted by Rob | 10:04 AM
9 Comments:
Fascinating post. Do you really think the LDS church could drift to orthodox Christianity? That would be wonderful. I wonder what it would look like, since it would require a rejection of the Book of Mormon. One day there will be a Last member of the LDS church. May God make it soon.
There is generally a broad range of views on popular sexual culture in Christendom as well as Mormondom. Some Mormons and Christians unwisely expose themselves and their children to narcissistic sexuality, crude language, and graphic violence through their media choices. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Our family has invested in the Clearplay DVD player filter system (www.clearplay.com). My kids are teenagers now so movies with adult themes are now on our watch list. The Clearplay technology allows us to watch many excellent movies than have one or two scenes that I should not watch let alone my kids. It allows us to filter movies at several levels in four catagories - Sexuality, Language, Violence, Drug Abuse, etc.
While Hollywood spits vehement objections, the courts and congress have protected Clearplay's filtering methods. The filtering technology does not alter the DVD product. Rather Clearplay provides filter programs to tell the DVD player to skip the offending parts or language.
I highly recommend the technology. You must purchase a 'clearplay' DVD player (I got mine from Walmart) and subscribe to the Clearplay filters, which must be updated regularly.
I also note that the company is out of Salt Lake City, Utah and probably owed mostly by Mormons. Do I hear a round of applause for LDS efforts?
Vince
What did you mean by the LDS church is losing properties and sinking into the ground?
I am a friend of Travis'. His blog has a link to mine and I was just "reading around" and found yours. nice blog you have.
Great comments! As far as the snow analagy goes, I simply meant that the LDS church will not disappear overnight, but gradually. If it continues on its quest to be accepted as a mainstream christian church, it will gradually lose its distinctiveness and just be one of many denominations. This will be a long time in coming, if ever, but the signs are there...
Rob, are we really supposed to be surprised that some Mormons do not live their religion? How are they more wicked than those in a standard Christian Church? Frankly, I think your comments are prejudicial.
So there is a sexual culture at USU? Name me one state college that does better.
I am not sure that hating Mormons is the most Christian thing to do -- especially if they are showing tolerance for you!!!!!
Someone is a little too sensitive, me thinks!
I can't see anywhere in here where Rob said or even suggested he "hated" Mormons. You should be careful in projecting your own thinking onto someone else. Rob may disagree with the LDS teachings, but in no way does that equate with hate, please understand that.
My view of what Rob is talking about is somewhat different. I view the changes in the LDS church as a primarily social change due to the surrounding culture, not as a spiritual response in a move towards "real" Christiantiy. In fact, I view all religions in much the same way. I see religions/churches follow typically social patterns, I don't see an underlying spiritual pattern to these movements, it all looks like social responses to the surrounding culture.
Well I was waiting for the usual cries of "intolerance" and "hatred". It goes with the territory these days. Thanks for the defense too, my fiendly commenters.
Of course other religions have hypocritcal members. I know from personal experience the widespread hyopcrisy in the bible belt, for example. I could easily be writing about them, but I am not. I live in Utah. This is what's happening now, here. Additionaly, there are two important differences:
1. Mormons are supposed to be intensly moral, with a strict code of behaviour that is quite specific and hammered into them from birth. Thus a 90% LDS campus should be VERY DIFFERENT from the typical college. They also would hardly be expected to blatently, publicly go against these teachings. This is what is changing in Utah.
2. Unlike, for example,Protestants, the Mormons have a prominant leader and "Prophet" who cleary speaks for God. Again, they are taught from birth to listen to him, obey his teachings and follow his advice. When they openly do not, they are dramatically going against the most basic tenants of their faith. According to them, theirs is "the one true church." If that were true, I would think they would not follow the typical sociological patterns that other relgions seem to follow, and stick to what Pres. Hinckly and others say.
By the way, criticizing something or someone is not hating them, now is it? I have lots of problems with Star Wars, but basically love the movies.
So let's try and be a little more creative in your critques out there. In fact, let's agree to avoid the words "intolerant" or "hatred" in all future discussions, shall we? If nothing else, it will improve your vocabulary!
OK, I accept that you do not hate Mormons. Glad to hear it. I was not sure after reading your blog "Among the Mormons Pt 3."
Also, if there is immorality on the USU campus, then I am sad to hear that (but not surprised). However, I am still unsure what that says about the Mormon church. Your comment just begs the question, "Is BYU as bad as USU?" Maybe so, but maybe not. Your comments suggest that you would predict the former.
Finally, what church has not changed over time? Rob, is there really a church out there that practices the religion found in the Book of Acts? Catholics have changed. Protestants have changed. Seems to me that Mormons have changed for the better. (Oh, yes, that was one of your points). If so, why are you hammering on them?
Yo. Yo.
I have 'intolerant' (oops) distain for a particular part of our American population. They are associated with Rob's original post ... Hollywood people who think it necessary to put narcissism, vigilanteism, and sexuality without consequences in movies for kids and teenagers.
I believe they are directly responsible before the nation and God for the tragedies of (1) high rates of single parent households and (2) high rates of sexually-transmitted disease.
Hollywood movies destroy moral heros, elevate individualism, and idealize street-savy bums. Count how many movies in the last 3 decades have held up the chaste teenager, the respectful youth, the 'boringly' faithful spouse, the Christian person of integrity? These categories are considered villians categories by hollywoodites.
As beautifully acted and filmed as "Pleasantville" was, it was the saddest film I have ever seen. It despised everything good in community life. Old-fashion community life and committed marriage were portrayed respectively as arrogant hypocrisy and boringly asexual facade.
The Evangelical Christian and LDS communities (on the average) have the common sins of silence and accommodation for the moral tragedies displayed in their homes on DVD and Cable.
As Edmund Burke famously said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Generally, people who cry that I am calling for censorship of movies, are missing the main point of my complaint. I am not complaining about adults watching stupid, violent, sexual movies. I am complaining that movies for kids and young teens actively destroy any desire for moral, civil, committed relationships. A good rating system is needed to HELP parents raise responsible, moral, altruistic kids.
My proposal for concerned parents is:
Write your government representatives to put film ratings in the hands of the PTA.
The PTA should be required to create local volunteer "Rating groups" that receive pre-release movies. The local volunteers cannot be PTA national officers. The ratings must have meaningful catagories. The canadian rating system is an age based rating with several catagory (language, violence, sexuality, subject).
The Rating Groups should be constructed using requirements that
(1) the raters must be parents with kids in school,
(2) their kids must have a B+ average,
(3) not officers in the state or national PTA organization.
We want to have successful parents helping us rate movies.
Vince
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