Anti-mormon backlash like discrimination against blacks?

[donco6]

Mormon leader: religious freedom at risk
By ERIC GORSKI (AP) – 15 hours ago

The anti-Mormon backlash after California voters overturned gay marriage last fall is similar to the intimidation of Southern blacks during the civil rights movement, a high-ranking Mormon says in a speech to be delivered Tuesday. Elder Dallin H. Oaks refers to gay marriage as an "alleged civil right" in remarks prepared for delivery at Brigham Young University-Idaho, a speech church officials describe as a significant commentary on current threats to religious freedom.

In an advance copy provided to The Associated Press, Oaks suggests that atheists and others are seeking to intimidate people of faith and silence their voices in the public square.

"The extent and nature of religious devotion in this nation is changing," said Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a church governing body. "The tide of public opinion in favor of religion is receding, and this probably portends

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iCrSWSM6V3N-yi3tAJOBlnjwR27wD9BAEL1O0

Wow, if DUers hate comparisons of gay rights to civil rights, wonder what they think of this?

[Sinti]

1. DUers hate comparisons of gay rights to civil rights?

That's ridiculous, of course gay rights are civil rights. Isn't that kind of like saying we're not going to give the same rights to people with red hair as we give to everyone else, but it's not a civil rights issue? Are gay people less people than others - and do we have fractions? I must be ignoring the improperly informed without realizing it.

[donco6]

4. There have been quite a few knock-down drag outs-

between people who resent the comparison of the gay experience with African American.

[QC]

10. For some reason, though, this comparison has not outraged the usual suspects.

Interesting, isn't it?

[Raster]

25. You know what they say...."bigots of a feather..."

I'm sorry... it's "birds of a feather..." My bad.

[mitchtv]

26. Not surprising

however

[donco6]

27. Which is exactly why I asked the question.

Yes, it is interesting. Wonder why no one has chimed in on the use of Civil Rights era imagery with this group, as opposed to the barrage of crap we get when we mention the words "drinking fountain."

[QC]

30. Surely it must be the purest coincidence. n/t

[QC]

36. Still no outrage.

I guess being compared to a racist UFO cult is not as bad as being compared to homos.

[hobbit709]

2. All rights are civil rights

All the people are entitled to the same rights, no matter what their color, orientation, religion, etc. What torques me is when some religious leaders try to claim their civil rights are infringed upon when they are stopped from trying to keep others from enjoying their right.

[Deep13]

3. Yup, objecting to an irrational, organized and well-financed effort...

...to deprive you and our friends of their right to live as they want is bigotry. :sarcasm:

They are intentionally confusing freedom of belief with the freedom to impose belief on others.

[donco6]

6. I had to shake my head just looking at the headline.

Who lost rights? Mormons? What rights did they lose? The right to anonymously oppose legitmately approved legislation? Cry me a river.

[greennina]

5. It ain't the same when you do it to yourself!

They decided to be hateful and hurt others as their so-called religion requires. That's why there's a backlash.

[get the red out]

7. Their religious "freedom" is domination

What they don't want is the loss of the ability to dominate the "public square" and for their opinions to carry more weight than those who do not use "faith" in order to gain status in the eyes of others, or lend legitimacy to goals that are nothing more than an assault on freedom for all, or an economic assault from the corporate elite that religion panders to.

It is a great threat to this particular demographic, those owned by religion (which is different from someone who simply practices a religion IMO), for ALL Americans to have an equal voice, whether they choose claim membership in a religion or not.

And no one ever choose their race, or other intrinsic attributes, but EVERYONE in this country chooses their religion (or lack of), whether they are willing to admit it or not.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. This is a talking point I first read here on DU

They say that if anyone opposes their organized efforts to strip their neighbors of rights and express their dogmatic bigoted hate freely and without any form of voice against them, that they are being subjected to bigotry. That is correct. They claim that opposing the KKK is the same as being the KKK, and they say it right here as they defend their 'right' to slander and plot against minorities they openly say they see as inferior. Of course, the Mormons were openly and institutionally racist until 1978, keeping black people from equal participation in the religion because they say a person is black because God cursed them. Of course to criticize that bigotry is the same as being a bigot, according to them. Racism is the same as opposing racism. That is what they say.

[zbdent]

9. When did we stop gassing the Mormons?

I didn't get the memo ...

you know, that's the next step ... they'll be calling us Nazis ...

[joeybee12]

11. Mormonism is a cult, not a religion...n/t

[jonnyblitz]

12. as an atheist i think all religion is equally whacked out. I know

every religionist believes his or her own loony belief system isn't loony, it's the other guys religion that is crazy or a cult.

[joeybee12]

16. At least chirstianity and judiaism and islam have historical roots...

...Mormonism believes they descended from the 13th lost tribe...now with DNA testing that was imnpossible, none of what is in the Book of mormon can at least to have shown have happened historically. Oh, and those magic tablets NO ONE has seen....

[Raster]

21. I am a former mormon. NOTHING in the book of mormon can be authenticated. NOTHING!

Nothing archaeological, biological, anthropological or historical. Nothing.

Genetic testing has conclusively proven that the Native American and Polynesian populations did NOT descend from Hebrews, contrary to intrinsic mormon doctrine. I could go on and on about the church's disconnects from provable reality.

A devout mormon until my mid-teen years, I parted company with the church over some of their moral edicts. I was content that we both go in peace. Now that the church has made it their mission to declare war on my kind--because of my sexuality--I have declared war on them.

mormonism presents such a clean, wholesome face to the world. Their history is bloody and a textbook case of revisionism. If ANYONE is even thinking about succumbing to the squeaky-clean mormon "brothers" and their toxic gospel, I STRONGLY suggest doing as much research as possible. Don't get sucked in to the "mormon matrix."

Boyd K. Packer (a top LDS leader - President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) on the three greatest threats to the Mormon church:

“The dangers I speak of come from the gay-lesbian movement, the feminist movement … and the ever-present challenge from the so-called scholars or intellectuals.” (Talk to the All-Church Coordinating Council, May 18, 1993).

The greatest threats to the mormon church: gays, feminists and intellectuals.:kick:You have been warned!

[joeybee12]

22. Yeah...and it makes me wonder, are the Mormons anti-evolution?

i worked with a few who were...not sure if it's a teaching, or this was just another aspect of their looniness...you know, the types that said God put the dinosaur bones into the ground as a joke.

[Raster]

23. Yes, anti-evolution. The church is essentially anti-science.

Quietly anti-evolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_evolution

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) takes no official position on whether or not biological evolution has occurred, or on the validity of the modern evolutionary synthesis as a scientific theory. However, throughout the 20th century, the LDS Church has published doctrinal statements on the Fall of Adam and creation. In addition, individual leaders of the LDS Church have expressed a variety of opinions on evolution, many of which have affected the beliefs and perceptions of Latter-day Saints.

[joeybee12]

24. Yeah, all the well-known Mormons are business people, no scientists,

famous doctors, etc....no wonder you go into an emergency room and most of the doctors come from other countries...they teach evolution and have no problem with it...if you don't understand evolution, you can't essnetialy grasp the other sciences...we are so screwed.

[Deep13]

14. That's a bigoted thing to say.

Explain the difference.

[jeremyfive]

13. Public monies for this Mormon lunacy?

OK, religions can believe what they want, no matter how looney.

But why do American taxpayers (including gay taxpayers) need to support such lunacy with their hard-earned tax dollars, especially when these "churches" have abandoned good works and help to the poor, in favor of advancing their own esoteric political agenda???

Overt political groups should not be receiving tax-advantaged status at all. Why should American taxpayers be forced to support a political agenda that they do not believe in?

My own church deplores discrimination, polygamy, degredation of women, child abuse and other disorders associated with the Mormon Church. Why should my hard-earned dollars support such social ills? Or the perverted political activities that are derived from such squalid behavior?

We needed to end tax-advantaged status to "churches" that are no longer "churches" but overt political groups. Obviously, that includes the Mormon Church.

[Toasterlad]

15. The Usual Haters Will Probably Love It.

As long as teh gays aren't doing it, it's fine.

[Neecy]

17. The victimizers playing the victim

Cry me a river...

[qb]

18. Premtive bullshit in an attempt to promote their bigotry anonymously

the next time marriage equality shows up on the ballot.

[Duncan Grant]

19. This thread needs a 5th rec (and a 6th, 7th and 8th). (nt)

[jgraz]

20. It's EXACTLY like discrimination against black people

If black people has started an insane, misogynist cult and then used their power to preach hatred.

[donco6]

32. LOL!

Yeah, it'd be just like that! :rofl:

[sui generis]

28. the "backlash"??????

Oh there ARE consequences. If you take away somebody's civil rights you lose your right to claim to be a victim.

MESSAGE #1 TO THE MORMONS:

It's your bed - you made it that way.

MESSAGE #2 TO THE MORMONS:

When something dreadful happens to you people naturally feel sorry for you.

When you DO something dreadful and then ask people to feel sorry for you, they generally just want to smack you upside your head.

[donco6]

29. LOL! Yes.

And I wanted to smack them even before that.

[JAbuchan08]

31. In other news John Boehner says that Homosexuality is a choice, but religion is immutable

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/14/boehner-hate-crimes-posit_n_320431.html

So I guess that Mormonism is as inherent in your DNA as the color of your skin.

[Jamastiene]

33. Do what?

I've heard it all now.

:silly:

[Jamastiene]

34. The silence is deafening.

:eyes:

[Duncan Grant]

35. And expected. (nt)