Joseph did You Know
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a totally American institution. From its shadowy beginnings in Palmyra New York to the present Mega Church centered in Salt Lake City it has struggled to exist and spread its message around the world. And it’s not that “Mega!” From the publicity, both positive and negative one would think the Mormon Church is high up on the international registers of the highway to heaven. If you Google that question in any of its many forms you will not get a definitive answer. While understanding that all religious organizations are a bit sketchy about numbers you will be led back to the numbers provided by the Mormon Church itself and even those vary wildly from six to sixteen million. I think it’s fair to assume that the Catholic Church or Islam is not disbanding any time soon.
So what’s the big deal about Mormons? Of late a group of lawyers out of LA claim to have a boatload of victims of sexual related offenses from within the holy confines of the church. Alert the media! The Catholics had little boys, the Muslims little girls. So why pick on a church that forbids coffee, whiskey, and Marlboros? Well, the first thing was polygamy. Mormons believed that women were like beautiful flowers and men were the bees going from flower to flower. Now theologically they believed, and still do that all spirits are waiting in heaven to come down to earth and do their thing and it is the job of every true believer to provide a vessel for these spirits therefore the more wives the more vessels. And the separated church and state of America did join in one religious belief. Mormons can only have one wife. Of course the Supreme Court said a man can marry a man, a woman can marry a woman or a tiger can marry a chair but a civil servant in Salt Lake City can’t have a couple sister wives hanging around the house in obedience to a tenant of their church.
Officially polygamy ended in 1890 when the President of the church said they couldn’t do that no more. And all the Mormons ran their extra wives off and if you believe that have I got a bridge for you and it’s on sale. There are still gobs of polygamous families in Utah and elsewhere who live quietly, pay taxes and don’t drink Folgers. And the stigma of polygamy will stain the walls of the Temple forever and ever, amen! And it doesn’t hurt a thing!
But when you have that, and sexual assault comes into the picture people think, “Well, yeah!” If some guy has some big girls hanging around the house it only goes to follow that there simply must be some little girls in there somewhere. No it doesn’t! Pedophilia is a mental condition that capitalizes on the helpless and immature. Practiced by men who are rejected by informed mature women who see through them. The DSM-5 wants to define them as “minor attracted.” How minor? Twelve. Ten? Five maybe. Just check out Drag Queen Storytime at your public library and the ages of the children in attendance. I want Taylor Swift sitting on my lap and I’m still too old for her.
And pedophiles are everywhere. Doctors, lawyers, Indian Chiefs and yes, Mormon Bishops. But it’s not the churches having them within its confines it’s what they do when they discover them. And you don’t just transfer them to another parish Mr. Pope. You make a big, stinking deal out of it. Such a big deal that the effects are felt throughout your church. If you don’t do that you are complicit. Or worse than that, you’re doing the same thing and don’t want to get caught. One from column “A” or one from column “B.”
And comments on Facebook have a ring of truth. Most devout Mormons have never heard of such a thing and would not believe it if they had. Many are called but few are chosen. Mormon wards are filled up on Sunday while there is more than ample parking at the Temple because that Temple Recommend is not printed on toilet paper. It’s hard to be Temple Worthy. And it’s not just the belief set, it’s the life. To enter the Temple requires being a true believer. I can’t do it. I don’t even try. I know better. I don’t believe in most of Mormonism but I don’t asperse on those that do.
But, if there’s a dollar to be made you will find a lawyer who will make it. Consider this. You’re a Mormon. You could never get a recommendation. You are thirty-six. Two divorces and your husband ran off with his boyfriend. Ok, some Bishop said or did something when you were sixteen. I’m sorry that happened. Having had a perfect life myself I’ll pray for you. Get over it! The Mormon Church didn’t do that to you. Life happens. Five years ago my family put me in a nursing home to die. I wrote a movie, formed a film company, got out and pounded it up their butts. Life happens!
But you didn’t do that. That lawyer waved a hundred dollar bill at you and you believed! And you think that money will change your life. It will not! If you have a million dollars and buy a Coke you are no longer a millionaire. You are a millionaire minus one Coke. And the money goes faster after that. And what will it cure. If you do have emotional scars, can money buy them out? Can you drink enough to make it go away. I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work. The Kingdom of God is within you in whatever way you define it. And you won’t find in money, religion, sex, or psychology. You have to find it yourself. It has always been there. You could have seen it had you only looked.
Look! I’m not saying it doesn’t hurt. I’m telling you what will work and what won’t work. Lawyers, psychologists, and medicines are not the answer. You must learn from experience. I saw over thirty bodies at Luby’s, and don’t have PRS CRAP! And I’m not psychotic, or narcissistic, or reactively detached. I’m a survivor. And you can be, too! A new, stronger human being. But you won’t get there by tearing someone’s belief system down.
My message to the Mormons is this: All religions come to these junctions. Where is your faith? This is not going to go away! You have billions of dollars hidden away in your vaults and these lawyers want it. Physician heal thyself! Root this out! Don’t excuse it, or hide it. There are wolves among your sheep. Not many, but they are there. I’ve seen them. From school principals to bishops. And I’ve seen those in authority hide it for some reason. So when you say it’s never happened you are burying your heads in the desert sand. What did you come to the desert to see?
Mormonism has a spotty record. But so do the Catholics, the Baptists, The Methodists, and all other purveyors of “The Truth” according to whatever version they subscribe to. You can never get over that. Joseph Smith did what he did. Brigham Young did what he did. You can’t undo that. Your church is changing. Take the good and walk away from the bad. You made the desert bloom. Don’t let a few tares destroy your crop!
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