Comments about ‘LDS Church critical of media reports on FLDS’

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One Cult-ure is the same as another Cult-ure. Take away the practice of Polygamy, and how are they different from each other?

There is "no such thing as a Fundamentalist Mormon"? Then who are all these pervs that are constantly using the teachings of Joseph Smith to justify their adultry?

If the media can't get this right, I wonder about their accuracy in other issues such as politics, war, immigration, global warming and others?? They are even worse when they have an agenda which is most of the time.

yourselves from them, but now from all their teachings.....they are in plain sight in your scriptures. You can't have it both ways!

There are at least 4 churches in Independence MO that hold sacred the original plot dedicated for a temple there. They are (1.) The Church of Christ (2.) The Community of Christ Church (formerly the Reorganized Church) (3.) The Reformed Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are a recent split off group from the Community of Christ Church. (4.) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the group who left Missouri then Nauvoo, Ill. and traveled by handcart, wagon, & foot to Utah beginning in 1846. Their headquarters are now in Salt Lake City.

All can be loosely categorized as 'Mormons' with some being more 'fundamentalist' than others. The SLC Sect has no more claim to being the 'one and only' than do the others.

The FLDS look more Mormon than the LDS, from polygamy to communist living. Dose that make Mainstream Mormons uncomfortable that they practice a lesser form of the fullness of the gospel?

wishful thinking

The defining characteristic of the Restored Fullness of the Gospel (aka the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is ongoing Priesthood Authority. It is not the Book of Mormon, nor communal living, nor reverence for a temple plot; and it is certainly not polygamy.

The sects you mention have rejected that Priesthood Authority. Regardless of superficial external trappings they have no more to do with the True Church than do the Baptist or Catholics or any other sect you may cite.

Frederick:

It's interesting that you feel more qualified than Church leaders to determine who can and cannot be "loosely categorized as 'Mormons.'" Using the same standard, do I get to decide whether or not you can be loosely categorized as a bigot?

I guess I'd be more concerned if I hadn't seen this same kind of persecution play itself out many times before. I'm convinced we'll convert this latest row into an opportunity to confirm what most who know us already suspect: We are who we say we are -- honest, decent, hardworking, neighbor-loving Christians. As usual, we'll forge ahead, for the most part, leaving bigots to shriek to one another in forums like this.

Them FLDSers believe that the Book of Mormon is another testimony of Jesus Christ. That makes 'em Mormon in anybody's book. That's the way it is, man.

Does that make all protestants pretty much the same since they all broke off from the Catholic church? No. A common foundation is about all they have in common now but a Luthern is not "loosely" a Catholic. The same can be said for the FLDS and LDS. Very different.

Sorry but I think the term "Mormon" is referring to the Book of Mormon, which they believe and use just as the LDS Church does.
Maybe the mainstream church should examine its role and responsiblity in why some of these crazies still exist.

I think those news agencies are not doing a good job, they should contact the Church in the USA for that, thank you!

Some of us are just saying that the fact that the "FLDS" believe the Book of Mormon is going to mean some in the media call them Mormons.
No need to everybody to get all defensive. Most people are going to judge what the religion is about based upon somebody they know, not what the media says.

Lets see they use the Book of Mormon, so we'll call them Mormon. The Catholic Church, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and all the other confused churches use the Bible, so we will call them all Catholics since that is the oldest of the churches and they all come from that church, now we can call them all Catholics, Ya! Lets see all these churches started from the Bishop of Rome and then splintered off so they are all the same. Re: Karma, when was the last time you sacrificed a lamb like Abraham. Polygamy had its time and place, just like animal sacrifice and both where used by God, read the Bible, but not needed now. You can't have it both ways, you must do animal sacrifice if you believe the Bible, stupid logic. Do you question all previous biblical doctrines? Thank you all for making me feel better about myself and strenghtening my understanding of truth and those that kick against the pricks. You would have ridiculed and killed the biblical prophets had you lived in thier times.

I view polygamy as started by God in the Old Testament. It is not a Principle of Salvation but a Practice which God turns on and off as the need arises. We all honor the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These great men did not have just one wife. In New Testament and Book of Mormon times people were taught to have just one wife.

To "Protestants vs. Catholics" I would say the big difference is that the protestant churches, themselves, would say they broke off from the Catholic Church. If you go back to Missouri, however, most folks would say that the Salt Lake Church is a break-off. Just because the SLC church is the biggest, doesn't necessarily mean that it didn't do the breaking off. Same with the priesthood comments earlier in this thread. Back in Missouri, you'll find others who claim they have the priesthood restored through Joseph--not the Salt Lake group. As a missionary, it always bothered me that we glossed over the Missouri era, not giving full disclosure to the splintering that occurred there. Salt Lake Mormons are a splinter group--they just happen to be the most successful one.

Easy! The Book of Mormon addressed at least one policy behind the practice of polygamy. In Jacob 2:30 the Lord gave a clear explanation. He said, "For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up a seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things." This statement was in the context of the Lord condemning a group the Book of Mormon people for seeking to justify their own adultery based on the ancient practice of polygamy when the Book of Mormon people had been directly commanded not to engage in the practice. For those skeptical of the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith they must concede the incredible foresight that Smith had in inserting that verse. It set him up years before he engaged in the practice a way to be both critical of the practice and to later condone it and ultimately to abolish it when its purpose had been served. For those of us who know better, we simply marvel at the wisdom of the Lord who spoke those words to one of his prophets.

I agree, I thought it was very poor of the Morning Deseret News to use FLDS in a headline on the front page. They should have used Fundamentalist Sect.

Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow both called those who continued to practice polygamy after it was ended "fundamentalists." Very interesting to hear that current leaders are so paranoid and ashamed of their own history of the "great leaders" that went before, that they want to try to deny the designation "fundamentalists".

Whichever way the wind blows, that is the way the current Church leaders will steer the LDS Church! Whatever it takes to do good Public Relations and appear mainstream so they can grow the numbers and the tithing revenues. Just like a business. Just what we would expect from having Monson and Eyring (one of whom has a Harvard MBA doesn't he?) in the leadership!