It's Just Not True

From the best source of fish-wrapping & cage-lining material in all the Southland (don't leave all the slick lithographed sections from the Sunday edition on the floor, you'll slip, fall & hurt yourself) the actual, historical roots of a more-cultish-than-many religion that has millions of adherents & no small influence:

How did the Mormon Church get started?
In 1820, a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith Jr. knelt in the woods near Palmyra, N.Y., to ask God which church he should join. He later reported that he saw two glowing figures who told him that all the churches of the day had fallen into apostasy, believing false doctrines. It would be up to him to restore the truth. Over the next several years, Smith said he was visited by an angel named Moroni, son of Mormon, who directed him to golden plates buried in upstate New York and helped him translate them from a language Smith called "reformed Egyptian." The Book of Mormon was published in 1830; the church was founded that year with a handful of believers. Since then, it's grown to 13 million members worldwide, including nearly 5.8 million in the U. S.

Remember, just because your system of book-inspired delusion dates back 1400, 2000, or almost 5800 yrs., it is still cut from the same cloth of lies as Joseph Smith's upstate New York fantasy. But w/ Mormon moronicity we have the entire delusion laid out before us in the historical record. For example, those "golden plates" have never been seen by anyone not directly involved in the scam. They were lost, or taken back by the "angel" Moroni, or something. Do your own searching; it's easy to find what the "story" is.

What do Mormons believe about God?
Mormons believe the Heavenly Father is the same species as man; he has a body of flesh and bone -- only more perfect than we could imagine. He's married to a Heavenly Mother. Mormons do not accept the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity; they view God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as three separate beings.

Talk about "man" created in the "image of god." Or vice versa, as it truly is.

Why can't non-Mormons go into a Mormon temple?
Everyone is welcome to attend regular Sunday services in Mormon meeting rooms, known as wards. But Mormon authorities aim to keep their temples sacred by excluding nonbelievers. (They won't allow outsiders even to attend a son's or daughter's temple wedding.)

Practicing Mormons must be screened every two years by their bishops, who will ask questions such as: Do you believe in God and Christ? Are you giving 10% of your income to the church? Are you chaste? Are you honest? Do you smoke or drink? Those who pass get a "temple recommend" that allows them to participate in sacred rituals.

What are those sacred rituals?
Men and women of good standing undergo a ritual cleansing ceremony when they reach maturity, usually about age 20. They also go through an "endowment session" when they are instructed in rules for faithful living. The temples are also used for weddings and for baptism, marriage and endowment ceremonies for the dead.

Don't Mormons have to wear special underwear?
At the time of their ritual cleansing (known as "washing and anointing"), both men and women are given temple garments, which look like a boxers-and-T-shirt set embroidered with sacred symbols. Mormons are expected to wear their garments daily, though not every minute. The garments are supposed to remind them of their promises to God and thus provide spiritual protection.

Most important question for the "temple recommend:" "Are we getting 10% of your income?" Especially funny since the Mormon "bishop" (equivalent to a parish priest) is a "ward" member who isn't compensated for his (never her) services. Where does all that moolah go, if the "bishops" are unpaid? The "sacred rituals" are a variation of Masonic "temple" rituals. Again, search for yourself. And the holy underwear, of course, remind the faithful of what saps they are, & how they've sacrificed what little was left of their dignity (not to mention that tithe). Below, we see that the "garmies" have changed as much as Mormon theology over the yrs.:Note the drawstrings on the first model. Imagine wearing a set of long johns under all the clothes a typical 19th century American was already bundled up in, especially in a Utah summer.

A last bit from the LAT:

The church is led by a president who is considered a living prophet, a member of an unbroken chain of prophets including Joseph Smith and stretching back to Jesus Christ. The president governs the church with two counselors and 12 apostles, all males. All can receive divine revelation. In 1978, for instance, the church president said God revealed a need to end the practice of excluding blacks from the priesthood, even though the Book of Mormon describes dark skin as a divine mark of disfavor.

And you thought the Pope was an authoritarian patriarch?

See also.