Bylimet Spiritwalker

Based on the fact I see at least four a day it seems, and others have not seen any yet, it may well be targeted at specific areas.

The ads show a 'typical' individual of either sex and they talk about who they are and what they do (motorcycle repair/restoration, world long board surfing champ, clerk in one of the offices at the capital, etc) and the importance of friends and family and education.....and, "I am a Mormon" is the line at the end of each short oratory.

It really does strike me as a saturation campaign meant to assuage the fears that were voiced during Romney's last bid for the nomination; a method of letting folks know that Mormons are 'just like them'. And typing this, I am struck by the amusing parallel with the strategies used by Anna and the Visitors.

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Live like it matters!

Cados Evilsbane

Exactly. Two completely separate entities.

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Malse

I live the in the northwest, I know a lot of Mormons and formons (and had no opinion until moving up here). I didn't say they were terrible. I said they were crazy. You can be nice and still nuts. If you want some real Mormon hatin', just check in with their former members (who frequently request to be excommunicated. Yes). There are the people who were so nuts, the already insane evangelicals that were too nuts and fled Europe kicked them out of the American northeast, you know, the place that had witch trials, revivals, and temperance movements. Those guys speaking in tongues and kissing snakes for Jeezus thought the mormons were nutty. It's not like it's just me.

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Some people believe with great fervor preposterous things that just happen to coincide with their self-interest. -- Easterbrook, J., Coleman v. CIR 791 F2d 68 at 69 (7th Cir 1986).

LummusL

Ambassador Huntsman here in China is considered as a possible GOP contender for the 2012 election. Very strong contender actually. He is as Mormon as they come. In spite of that, out of any of the current crop of dopes the Republicans have been putting forth, Huntsman is probably the one, if he ran, who would probably win the election by a landslide. IMHO he might be that one rare example of someone who has enough experience, wit and charm as well as relative youth and the billions to bridge the aisles. Think JFK, only Republican.....and Mormon. Plus between being a state governor as well as serving in Asia with China being the capstone...the man is well aware of the truly big issues. Even the environmental ones. Heh, you can't be posted in China and not see to the extreme degree that Humanity is fucking our environment up. All we have to do lately is look the window.

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"

Elemak the Enchanter

Every group has their fringe, Mormons, Baptists, Catholics, even Atheists have their Zealots.

99% of your Mormons don't fit into that category. And yeah those nutjobs from the FLDS (Warren Jeffs and his ilk) have at most a tiny tiny strand of a thread to any actual connection to the LDS church. I.E. Their great great great great grandparents were members but they're not in any way shape or form members of the church. They just claim the name. Much like Phelps and his bunch are "Baptists"

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Malse

It's got be a lot more than 1% tithing for the church to have as much money as it does. Per capita, the LDS temple brings in more money than the Vatican (which is sort of unfair given how much Catholicism has been spread to the 3rd world, but I don't have per country stats. It's still an interesting point).

In any case, the two religious organizations currently buying public relations ads on TV and cable networks are Scientology and Mormon.org.

You tell me what that says.

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Some people believe with great fervor preposterous things that just happen to coincide with their self-interest. -- Easterbrook, J., Coleman v. CIR 791 F2d 68 at 69 (7th Cir 1986).

LummusL

Is says....they have money and like to spend it? Catholics don't have as many rich and or generous members of their flock?

Otherwise...what? Who cares. If you don't like someone's religion, than ignore it. Change the channel. Those organizations are operating within the laws of our country and yes, some of the laws allow Group A to possibly offend Group B and B can go after A in the courts if they really want to make a big deal out of it.

Mormons are harmless. What is offensive about them? Their ideals of having big familes and wanting to live prosperous lives? Their wierdo undergarments? The most extreme of them sometimes take an extra wife. For most sometimes one wife is more than enough so that is where the craziness might apply?

Scientologists are too kooky to be taken seriously even on a good day.

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"

Sanchek

Gotta love the "Oh, they're just harmless Mormons and Scientologists, don't worry about them" from the same people that wax neo-Crusader at the mention of fundie Muslims.

LummusL

Sanchek, my view towards most organized religion is bluntly speaking...fuck em. Not sure if you had a target for your comment or were just generalizing but *shrug*.Some faiths do lend themselves better to that philosophy because they more or less believe in mutual respect and co-existance with other faiths. Mormons are actually one of the better ones to this regard. Cases in point:

Mormons have not tried to suicide bomb crowded marketplaces, have they? Fly any hijacked airplanes into buildings? Do any form of HARM to innocents due to some misguided followers who read too deeply into the militant side of the holy tome of choice? At least within our lifetime? The ambassador here as far as I know has not tried to eat his (or anyone elses) young. There are no Church of Latter Days Saints tracts being nonchalantly left in the embassy cafe. Point being is that they are harmless and leave me alone. They don't offend me and I don't go out of my way to offend them. Heck I get more badgering from fundie Christains trying to make me smoke their Jesus than any Mormons or Scientologists. Scientology exists for the nutjobs of the world to have something to do with all their Hollywood money. Its easy to laugh at them.

All religions are quirky but some are harmless in their application of their quirks. Buddhism compared to Christianity is very odd and might be considered hazardous, but in what way...who knows. Too much peace and harmony I guess. Some religions handle their PR better than others and Islam...unless you are in the club, does not translate into much past the "Either you are for us or against us mentality" that is also shared by many Christians.

Another thing, while on the topic of translation...how well do all these faiths really translate into our modern world? Catholism.. LOL now there is a faith that does NOT translate very well in its practice in spite of the core values being almost basic common sense. Some of the pomp and ritual almost seem as camp as Civil War reeanactments. Same with Islam. Perhaps some faiths conflict less with modern advances in technology and philosophy as compared to others. Pretty sure you can get a daily scripture app for the Iphone but that is not the same.....

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the war room!"

Sanchek

Do a news search for "Mormon rape". The way they treat their women is on not far from being on par with the "terrorists" in the Middle East we loathe so horribly.

In regards to bombs and airplanes, how many brown people do you have to kill to square things? Why aren't we systematically exterminating Eric Rudolph, Timothy McVeigh, or Ted Kaczynski's family, friends, and acquaintances too? While you're at it, assume anyone of their religions are just as bad and got after them too!