Any Mormon DUers? What's it like?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

I did my medical training where it was about 10 percent Mormon in each class, I hadn't really known any Mormons prior to this. Half my lab group was Mormon.

There seemed to be a bit more peer pressure than even in most religions--I noticed that the one or two dudes who were single seemed to get a lot of peer pressure to be married, and were married shortly thereafter.

I remember my one Mormon lab partner named "Greg" who was a great guy, very funny and smart, seemed to espouse a more liberal way of thinking than the rest (this was during the Reagan years and we were military officers), and he received OVERT peer pressure from a small cadre within the Mormon students, who were military academy grads. I remember Greg getting hostile verbal exchanges from these guys for sitting at our table instead of with his RW churchmates at the Reagan worshipping table.

Ironically I've heard recently that this same academy grad who harrassed Greg is now divorced and shuttles his practice from state to state trying to dodge alimony etc. I wonder if he still goes to LDS services. I hope Greg is doing OK.

[benddem]

1. I'm not mormon

but because of access to voter files I know that many of my mormon friends and neighbors are DEMS.

[trumad]

2. I live in a neighborhood full of Mormons,,,

and everyone of them had Bush/Cheney signs in the yard.

[edbermac]

3. I can't dislike any religion that practices polygamy...

They solved the problem very neatly; don't cheat on your wife; just get multiple wives...

:silly:

[Left Is Write]

16. As do I. I would be surprised if any of my LDS neighbors were

not Bush/Cheney voters, but I didn't ask any of them. The two B/C signs in our neighborhood belong to the evangelical non-denominational Christians.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. I would be totally not surprised if "Greg" voted Dem if I could see his

vote.

I wonder if the LDS folks preach "vote Repub/Bush" from the pulpit. Mormon church has a LOT of money behind it and losing the tax exempt deal would be a huge thing.

I would expect that they have slightly more subtle ways of "getting the message out".

[Radical Activist]

23. LDS churches don't allow politics from the pulpit

However my experience has been that Republicans are louder about their beliefs in Church and claiming they are following God's way, while Democrats are less likely to speak up in church.

Officially the church is always politicaly neutral in elections and it rarely takes a stance on political issues. The only major recent exception to that is their opposition to gay marriage. Of course that leads many in the Church to vote Republican.

[seito]

42. No

The LDS church does not engage in political discussions. The leadership will not publicly endorse any candidates. Politics is never discussed in church.

...from my personal experience.

[LDS Jock]

55. not from the pulpit, but this was effective I'm sure

First Presidency Issues Statement on Marriage
7 July 2004

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement today. This is a statement of principle in anticipation of the expected debate over same-gender marriage. It is not an endorsement of any specific amendment.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints favors a constitutional amendment preserving marriage as the lawful union of a man and a woman."

http://www.lds.org/newsroom/showrelease/0,15503,3881-1-19733,00.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
You'll notice it claims not to be an endorsement of any specific amendment. However, does it really matter if they "endorse" it or not when making statements like this?

[Radical Activist]

58. Ironic

The LDS church was severely persecuted for their belief in an unorthodox system of marriage. Now they participate in a drive that results in a great deal of prejudice and persecution against another group who believe in an unorthodox form of marriage. I'm sure almost no Mormons would make that connection or admit to the similarities. Their support for the marriage amendment effort also gives more power to an evangelical conservative movement that thinks Mormons are a cult and is likeminded to the protestants who persecuted them in the 1800's.

[katinmn]

11. we need you on the draft board then

so you can sort the Repugs and the Dems

[katinmn]

12. sorry for the dupe n/t

[MaryH]

5. There are lots of Mormons who are not really practicing their

religion. At least there are in SLC and they are called Jack Mormons. They make more fun of the church than the non-Mormons do.

Good Mormons pretty much tow the line. Most of their activities are in the church so they don't need to go outside for entertainment.

Mormons are just like any other group. Some people are really nice and others are jerks.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

6. "Jack" Mormons. I like that. You mean people who are born into

Mormon families but either don't buy into it, or had a falling out with the LDS church at some point?

[MuseRider]

7. I am one of those Jack Mormons

but I have nothing of worth to say except that the Mormon friends I still have are good people and some of them did vote for Kerry. Like a poster above said, some are great people and some are not. You can say the same about any group.

One other thing, the peer pressure is huge from the kids through the adults, HUGE. It is like having an overprotective mommy around all the time.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

8. Yes I found my Mormon acquaintainces were human beings like everyone

else. But I see the 70 plus percent Repub voting numbers from Utah and think that the peer pressure/cultural homogeneity factor must be somehow stronger than among Catholics and other Christian religions.

[MuseRider]

13. Persecution will do that

to a group of people. They were a bit clannish to begin with being that their religion was founded the way it was and because it tends to be thought of as either kookie or somewhat mystic. They were pushed around and persecuted but then like many human beings in a certain specified group they turned around and did it back. That is good old religion for you I suppose. I think they may have done a lot of things to keep themselves separate(Deseret) but who really knows when you are run by one man who talks directly to God.

As a Jack Mormon I have no hard feelings toward them as a group but it is a most difficult group to understand.

[medeak]

10. Love "Jack Mormons"

they support my county driving across state line to drink and party at Casinos.

God bless'em. We hired one young buck who we couldn't keep out of titty bars....he was a bit repressed and went nuts.

[Jack_Dawson]

22. Are you in Wendover?

Or Mesquite?

[Zomby Woof]

29. toe

Toe the line. Toe the line. Toe the line.

[Bouncy Ball]

9. Please

keep in mind when you read this that not ALL LDS are like this, but here is my experience:

in the mid-70s, my aunt and uncle (mom's sister and brother in law) decided society was getting too raunchy and whatnot and wanted to raise their kids in a nice strict church. A neighbor of theirs was LDS and introduced them to it.

They had two kids at the time and seemed happy with two (boy and girl) but a few years after becoming LDS they adopted two more kids (foster kids) and then she took fertility drugs (she was in her late 30s by then) and had two more biological kids. They moved out to the country because they said there were "too many blacks" where they were living.

The whole point, for them, of being LDS, was to raise their kids in a pro-family atmosphere, but either they went to far with it, the church did, or both, because out of the six kids, only one is still LDS. The oldest has been unemployed for eight years and has three kids by three women. He has battled drug and alcohol problems and rebelled HARD against his strict religious upbringing when he was a teenager. (They went LDS ALL the way, no caffeine, in church all the time, etc.)

One of the adopted kids ran away at 16 and they never saw her again. The other adopted child has been divorced twice and is living with another man, has three kids. She's been in a lot of trouble with the law and just lost her baby to CPS.

The last two biological kids--one of them committed suicide when he was 19 and the other is gay and has been disowned by the family.

The one who is still LDS did everything that was expected of her. She was a "good girl," made straight As, went to Brigham Young University, met an LDS guy there, stayed a virgin until her wedding night, has never touched alcohol, married him and has six kids and is living in Provo, Utah.

Says she loves it there because "there aren't many blacks."

Ok that's about my only experience with LDS.

On edit, my aunt and uncle aren't much involved with the church anymore, though they stayed involved long enough to see their "good" daughter get married in the temple. Well, my uncle couldn't go in because he had started back to smoking. And my grandparents couldn't see her get married because they weren't LDS.

[Utah_liberal]

14. Mormons are Republicans most of the time.

Look at the voting results of the last election. Out of all states, Bush got his widest margin of victory in Utah winning 71% of the vote. Ironically, this is almost the same percentage of Mormons in Utah. Utah is approximately 70 percent Mormon. Now I know non Mormons who voted for Bush and Mormons who voted for Kerry, but I think those two groups of voters canceled each other out. I am from a devout Mormon family. I quit my activities in the Mormon church years ago. My wife and children are Catholic, and I support them and attend church with them even though I don't consider myself to be religious. Out of my 5 Brothers and sisters, their spouses, and my parents, not one of them voted for Kerry. I tried the best I could, but I could not budge them to-wards voting for Kerry during the last election.
Now Metro Salt Lake City is the one area of Utah that non-Mormons outnumber the Mormons by about 60%. Salt Lake City has a democratic Mayor, a democratic county mayor, and the congressman who has Salt Lake City in his district, is also a democrat.
Mormons almost always vote republican. Just as Evangelicals have been conned into believing that the republicans somehow stand for Moral Values, most Mormons have also have fallen for this load of B.S.
The Mormon community is very fond of Sean Hannity, he is played on the most powerful A.M. station in Utah ;KSL, which is Mormon owned. Hannity was also the celebrity guest at the states largest fireworks show at Brigham Young University, last 4th of July. Besides the Mormon owned KSL, most of the other radio stations in Utah are owned by Clear Channel, and what do we hear? Michael Savage. Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, and a host of other right wingers. Our state is a right wing stronghold. I'm here doing what I can to keep up the fight for liberal thinking.
Ed P.
P.S. Trivia: Utah was the only state where Ross Perot got more votes than Clinton.

[Utah_liberal]

17. More info about Mormons?

I just wanted to make an addition to my last post to give my Mormon credentials. I'm new to democratic underground. I've lurked it for several months, but only recently registered.
If you want to know something about Mormons I know all about them. here's my credentials as listed.
1. Born in Arizona in 1962 and raised as a devout Mormon
2. Moved to Utah when I was 8 and have lived here since with the exception of my 6 years in the U.S. Navy.
3. Attended 4 years of Mormon seminary during my Jr. and Sr. High school years.
4. At age 21 served a Mormon Mission in the Philippines.
5. I had always questioned some of the weird teachings of the Mormon Church and began to break away from my beliefs shortly after my mission.
6. Stopped wearing the "Special" Mormon undergarments at about the age of 24. A year after my mission. Stopped attending Mormon services. I was a true Jack Mormon.
7. Joined the Navy at 25. Part of the reason was to make a clean break from the pressures of living with a Mormon family, and Mormon community, that puts tremendous pressure on you for not living their way.
8. Got back from the Navy with feeling strong and secure that I was no longer a part of the wacky Mormon system, which is a culture of brainwashed robots. To those who want to know more about this wacky church there is a great Message Board for people like me, who have left this radical and brainwashing religion. It's at http://www.exmormon.org/

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. Hey welcome to the board, Utahlib. It must be hard living in Utah and not

subscribing to the prevailing cultural winds. I am certainly finding it hard here in TX after spending the rest of my life in coastal "blue" America aside from my service time in Guantamano (yes, former Navy too).

[Bouncy Ball]

24. Special Mormon undergarments?

Was that, um, a joke?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

25. deleted

[Bouncy Ball]

27. How incredibly........attractive

and.....uncomfortable looking they are.

I had NO idea about that. I knew about getting your own "celestial world" when you die, populated by your progeny if you are a righteous Mormom, I know about a lot of stuff about LDS, but apparently that one got past me.

Wow.

[LDS Jock]

33. That is highly offensive

to have something considered sacred to be posted online for the amusement of others. I know it does exist online in other places, but must it be on DU too? Amazing insensitivity toward those who take this religion seriously, including me.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

35. I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend, honestly. This stuff is already online

just google it. Poster hadn't heard of it and had a question.

[LDS Jock]

36. I know its online, but it doesn't have to be here.

I'm sure you didn't mean it to be offensive. But it is.

[Bouncy Ball]

38. Eh?

I am really confused here. They are considered sacred???

:shrug:

[LDS Jock]

39. Yes, they are

Anything connected to the temple ceremonies is considered sacred.

[medeak]

59. nothing is sacred on this board

come on...you've been here long enough to know that.

If memory serves me correctly recall you answering some "sacred" questions I had re Mormons quite awhile ago?

edited to say....Utah is going to Fiesta Bowl!
received email joke today... a young boy's parents were getting divorced and judge asked him who he wanted to live with..

judge after much thought said "I'm sending you to BYU..they can't beat anyone" :-)

[MaryH]

60. You gave up your Angel Chaps?

Mormons are interesting to study. The religion is so not like mainstream Christianity. And the people are interesting, too.

We had a big wig that lived across the street from us and he was an awful man. But all of our other Mormon neighbors were really nice and just like other people.

I went to Sunday Afternoon Services once - that was an odd experience for a Methodist.

We had a Greek Orthodox priest move in up the street. He mowed the lawn in his t-shirt and shorts. And the whole neighborhood went into an uproar. It was pretty funny.

[warrens]

61. Welcome, good to have you here

And thanks for the link. Very interesting.

[Radical Activist]

21. Only about 13% of Mormons worldwide live in Utah

You make a BIG mistake when you use Utah to make generalizations about all Mormons. There's a significant difference between Mormon culture in Utah (and the Mountain West) and Mormons in the rest of America. I stated in another post that the LDS congregation I grew up in was split about 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans. It would have been majority Democratic if you took out all the people who had moved in from Utah.

If you want to make generalizations about Mormonism in Utah, fine, but don't pretend that is an accurate representation of Mormons everywhere. Even many Mormons outside of Utah have a negative view of what the Mormon culture there has become and feel it doesn't always live up to the religion's true ideals. The LDS church membership is much more politically diverse than it is in Utah.

[blondeatlast]

15. I know a young Mormon couple who are Independents and voted for Kerry

this election. They enjoy their church and the people in their wards, and they felt enormous pressure to vote for W.rong, but they could not bring themselves to do so.

These people have a difficult time of it indeed. I've been surrounded by Mormons my whole life; my very best friend was a Mormon who left the church.

There is so much disinformation regarding the Mormons. I have real arguments with their policies, but the followers tend to be very good, caring people, if a bit misguided.

It takes a tremendous amount of chutzpah to be a Mormon AND a Democrat. The peer pressure is their through your entire life.

[Radical Activist]

19. I was raised Mormon

and I'm happy to see that the highest ranking Democrat in America is a Mormon, Harry Reid.

The LDS church places a lot of focus on the family and does encourage young people to get married. Most do get married at an early age.

I had my own reasons for leaving the LDS church but overall I think it is a healthy religion that encourages healthy and positive life choices. It isn't a cult and many of the nasty rumors and things said about it (especially by protestants) are untrue.

They are also much more politically diverse outside the mountain west. People have a stereotype of all Mormons being Republican, but that is much less true outside of the mountain west and California. I grew up in a Mormon congregation that was split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, and I was not in a Democratic area.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

20. So far seeing only "former" Mormons etc. Maybe no "practicing" members

on the board.

[judaspriestess]

26. I would say 99% of mormon/LDS are Repukes

Vegas is loaded with them. and if they follow their cult, er religion closely they are HARDCORE evangelicals who believe in having as many kids as possible and and CTR'ing everything. thats called "choose the right". That is their model. But what I find interesting is the jack mormons, talk about some partiers and lots o strippers here in vegas are LDS but they are still republican.

[Radical Activist]

28. you can say that but you would be wrong

but go ahead and keep making generalizations about a worldwide religion base on your experience in Nevada.

How does Harry Reid fit in with that view?

[Spiffarino]

30. All the ones I have known have been RW

But most of them have been really great people, too. We have no problem being friends.

They know I'm a dyed-in-the-wool liberal; they're OK with it, and I'm OK with their politics, too. The ones I know are kind-hearted, helpful and are, above all, just like the rest of us.

Spiff's Golden Rule: People over politics.

[Bouncy Ball]

31. I can say

that I'd be hard-pressed to find a Mormon Democrat here in Texas.

[Radical Activist]

32. My brother is a Mormon Democrat in Texas

and he's friends with a very liberal Political Science professor in his congregation that is a Democrat who I have met, and he knows that a number of other people in his congregation are Democrats. This is a small town in East Texas too, not Austin.

The problem is that they don't always make as much noise about being Democrats as the Republicans make, so you don't always know that they're there.

[LDS Jock]

34. I am a Mormon Democrat in Texas

I live in Austin.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

37. I started the thread because I was curious about the peer pressure

aspects of being in this particular group and not being Republican. I fully expect it to be shut down soon. Oh well. Sorry to offend.

[Radical Activist]

43. Well as far as that goes

It depends on the area. I'm sure there is a lot of peer pressure and groupthink in Utah that lead people to vote Republican. On the other hand, the only NPR station with a conservative bias I've ever heard was in Salt Lake City Utah. You're more likely to be Republican when you've never heard anyone make a good case to be a Democrat and the only liberals in the area all complain about how bad Mormons are. So part of that is just the lack of young people hearing alternative viewpoints. That's true in any area where one party or philosophy is dominant.

My experience, as I alluded to in other posts, is that Republicans are usually more vocal in church. No one is allowed to preach politics from the pulpit, but Republicans seem more likely to speak up during Sunday school or in the hallway. Of course, every congregation is different and I know there are exceptions. Once I became very involved in politics the Democrats in my congregation started speaking up more. Pretty soon people realized that at least half the people were Democrats, which I think had never occurred to anyone.

Also, if this thread is locked I hope you won't feel bad. You can't control some of the negative comments people make.

[seito]

40. Yes

Though I have not attended church in several years.

Most of my family are California Mormons and most are liberals. My mother is the most devout Democrat I have ever known. From my youth I remember her saying she would never vote for a Republican.

I would just like to point out, and I am not baiting the flame, but are we not supposed to be the party of tolerance and acceptance? I am not feeling a lot of love out there.

[Bouncy Ball]

41. I think Mayberry

was asking about peer pressure within the Mormon church.

[Book Lover]

44. Can't we even have a conversation?

No better way to close the avenues of communication that to be offended by the questions those of us who are ignorant ask. Some of us don't know much about LDS, OK? If the questions offend, we're sorry. Please accept the apology offered to you in good faith.

[LDS Jock]

46. have any conversation you want

I'm done with this. I've had enough of the bashing of my church on this site. It is not just about this thread. There have been many times people have felt the need to post hate filled threads on here and now I find pictures of things sacred in my church.

[Book Lover]

47. *backing off*

I have not been party to any other LDS-bashing threads. And I do not understand why answering a question with an image is disrespectful. I am sure you would say that that is my problem.

[LDS Jock]

45. There is a tremedous amount of peer pressure

to conform in a number of ways. You mentioned marriage. There is strong pressure to get married and have children. There is also strong peer pressure for all men to serve missions. Pressure to pay tithing, which while private, is known in a way since you can't participate in temple ceremonies without paying it. There is pressure in general just to play the part of the perfect family. Perfect home, perfect children, perfect jobs. You name it. The kids should all go to BYU, serve missions, marry other LDS kids who did the same. Pressure to do well at church callings, so you can advance up to higher callings in the church. It just never seems to end. But for those who believe, it is worth it.

[seito]

48. From my perspective...

There is not much political peer pressure since politics is not discussed in church. I suppose a person might be reluctant to put a Democratic bumper sticker on the vehicle they drive to church. My family was always ready to engage in debate, so most LDS visitors rarely brought up politics.

I grew up as a Democratic Mormon in CA, and I never felt pressured. Of course I grew up in CA, and even among members of the LDS church, the culture of CA Mormons is somewhat different from Utah Mormons.

I agree with LDS Jock as far as social and family pressures.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

49. See, that is interesting to me. Because guessing from voting numbers

from Utah, and the Mormons I've known through the military and since, I would have guessed there would have been considerable political influence through the church structure. But I suppose it must come in through other ways. Is abortion a big issue there?

[Radical Activist]

50. Like I wrote in another post

Utah is a different story from the rest of the Church. There are a lot of avenues outside of church for one to feel pressure to vote Republican in Utah.
If you grew up in Illinois like I did, you wouldn't see many Mormons outside of the church meetings. So, unless someone told me to vote Republican during church I wasn't likely to hear that message from another Mormon. Mormons don't talk politics too often at church, so I didn't have the opportunity to be pressured by other Mormons politically very often. In Utah it's different because much of the pressure comes from outside the church meeting, even if it's still coming from Mormons.
I don't know if I'm making sense here but there is a Mormon culture that is unique to Utah and Idaho that is different from what happens in other areas. That's partly why Utah is very Republican while Mormons in other areas are more diverse on political issues.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

51. What you have written in your posts is very instructive, to me. But I

guess most of the Mormon's I've met are originally from Utah, so they reflect that culture.

I thought that the missions and stuff were a requirement, since it seems like pretty much all the Mormon males I've known have done those.

[Radical Activist]

53. It is very strongly encouraged for men

to go on a mission. They won't be kicked out of church for not going, but the social pressure to do so is tremendous, especially in Utah. Some Mormon women will refuse to date or marry a man who has not gone on a mission.

[seito]

56. Yes, I think abortion is probably the biggest issue

I have actually done quite a bit of soul searching on this very subject. What issue(s) could blind so many good people to the tremendous "evil" that is being perpetrated by this administration.

I think many "Christians" have allowed the abortion issue to overshadow everything else. Most Mormons feel that abortion is wrong, but many feel as I do, that it is a personal choice.

I think many Mormons feel that liberals are somehow responsible for all of the violence, profanity and pornography in the world. This probably has a lot to do with Rush, FAUX and the other SCLM outlets.

Many Mormons also feel that it is the responsibility of family and community, not government, to take care of people. The Mormon church has its own welfare system, so that members do not have to rely upon the government. That is fine, if you are an active member of the church, but for the poor soul that lost his job because * gave his company a tax incentive to go overseas...I guess he is sucking wind.

The repukes have done a wonderful job of framing issues so that good, descent people are blinded to the truth. When a lie is repeated enough times, many will believe it. Mormons, just like most Americans, believe what they see on TV and hear on the radio.

So, to answer your question, the influence does come from the culture and the community. These are the so called "values" voters.

[flamingyouth]

52. All of my mother's side of the family is Mormon

They are, for the most part, good people.

My mother is no longer an active member of the church. But when times are hard, she always looks to the Book of Mormon for comfort. And she is the most devoted Democrat you'll ever meet (trust me).

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

54. I guess what I was really getting at with this post, was, if you are a

Mormon, living in CA or UT or wherever, and are known to be a Dem voter and against Bush or whoever, do you get a ration of shite and arguments all the time from family and the others in your congregation or your group of Mormon friends, or get shunned where people will not socialize with you?

What I saw from my medical school experience was some pretty overt pressure and some hostility from fellow Mormons applied against the one guy who was a little different and didn't express wholehearted support for Reagan and his whole agenda.

I am one of two people in my neighborhood who had Kerry/Edwards signs in their yard. I would say my neighborhood is much more Repub percentage wise than even Utah, there are basically NO Dem elected officials or even candidates a lot of times around here. One of my coworkers, a Mormon dude, who lives near my house, spotted it and actually called me up on the phone to give me crap about it, but it was in a friendly ballbusting way, not a "how could you engage in such heresy" way, we actually get along pretty well.

[seito]

57. Ball busting yes, shunned, no

As I said in an earlier post, people learned quick not to bring up politics in my house because they would lose. That is not to say we did not have lively discussions. I have taken plenty of friendly flack from time to time.

I served 6 years on active duty, and I currently work on a military installation. When the shite flies around here most Dems tend to keep their heads down.

This is more about the majority exerting pressure on the minority. When individuals do not share the same ideas held by the majority, they tend to stay quiet rather than face ridicule. However, when a minority voice speaks out, many will join in. That is just human nature.