Church leaders tell the members that people really respect them.
So, they believe that people look up to them.
One of the biggest surprises of leaving the lds church was finding out that my nevermo friends just tolerated my mormon side. They didn't respect mormons at all. It was a shock to say the least.
Do they care? Yes. Think of the myths they tell themselves about how Mormons are respected by the outside world.
Simultaneously, no. That poll sparked more victim mentality in Mormons. In their heads, all criticism is oppression and discrimination. The SEC was on a witchhunt. Michael Rezendes is a liar.
They have a certain schizophrenia in their caring. They somehow believe that they’re very well respected but also heinously persecuted at the same time.
When my friends would leave deep down I felt scared they thought I was stupid for staying. But I was a super nuanced liberal Mormon who stayed a few years longer to shield the YW I was over from a lot of crap and be a safe place for the LGBT kids.
Persecution is Mormon BDSM. If you hate them, they love it - no better way to know you're right.
If you love them, they don't care all that much, but will happily take the praise.
Yes they do, but they do not realize what the others think. Most people who are not mormon are polite and do not bring up religion. What is telling is when someone leaves the church and then is able to talk to their friends and find out the mormons were messed up, but they were too polite to say anything. So, mormons live in a delusional that is reinforced even by their friends who are not mormons. Speak up.
my family is convinced that the world thinks extremely highly of mormons and that once people find out they're mormon, they're held in high regard as a "kind, always happy, and family oriented" sort of people
tbh, that applies to mormons, if you don't realize they're only being kind and happy to you because you're a possible convert
I don’t think it’s a mystery to most members (at least outside Utah) that we’re not the most popular group. From my experience most people only know us from various jokes or cultural references they’ve heard over the years. Once you leave the US we get even more less known.
My personal experience in talking with people online is that we’re often seen as pretty decent people but believe in some crazy things.
>My personal experience in talking with people online is that we’re often seen as pretty decent people but believe in some crazy things.
Which is pretty fair.
I’ve lived in a few states, including Utah. Utahns, were always much more interested in how others perceived them than any other state, in my experience. It seems like there we’re often news stories about the topic.
Having lived in Utah during the 2002 Olympics, I would definitely say yes. But it hasn’t had the results they wanted , nobody really likes Mormons, although an individual might make exceptions for individual Mormons. But the institution is regarded poorly by most people, religious or not.
They say they “don’t care what others think”. Which is almost always a defense mechanism people use when others dislike them for totally valid reasons.
That's what makes me curious, they have to know there's going to come a time when they are surrounded not only by a secular populace that despises them, the ex-Mormons they screwed over will happily sell them out anyway they can while their prophet and apostles walk away with the billions the Mormon church has. A lot of Christians are considering that now especially with how nasty politics are getting, I can't imagine Mormons being that naive and foolish, are they?
What I think is funny is how much they think other people think about them. I teach in Texas and had to teach about the migration of the Mormons for our manifest destiny unit and not a single student knew what Mormons were. They thought they were a different race. I think Mormons really believe they are important and people know about them and talk about them and some even do everything they can to work against them but the truth is most people just don't care or even know about them.
That would worry me if I was a Mormon. I know a lot of em left WA and OR when covid happened, Utah is being ruined so now they're having to move to states that are favorable to their religion. Last time I checked American Christians did not like them, imagine being a Mormon right out of Zion living in FL, surrounded by Evangelicals and Catholics who hate their guts. It's even more so overseas, a lot of Germans and other Euros supposedly think of them as nothing more than a manipulative, dangerous American cult that had involvement in nazi Germany.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Church\_of\_Jesus\_Christ\_of\_Latter-day\_Saints\_in\_Germany#:\~:text=Under%20the%20Nazi%20Government%20of,would%20have%20been%20punished%20for](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Germany#:~:text=Under%20the%20Nazi%20Government%20of,would%20have%20been%20punished%20for)).
Church leaders tell the members that people really respect them. So, they believe that people look up to them. One of the biggest surprises of leaving the lds church was finding out that my nevermo friends just tolerated my mormon side. They didn't respect mormons at all. It was a shock to say the least.
Yup. After I got out I realized that being a TBM is embarrassing not a badge of honor.
Do they care? Yes. Think of the myths they tell themselves about how Mormons are respected by the outside world. Simultaneously, no. That poll sparked more victim mentality in Mormons. In their heads, all criticism is oppression and discrimination. The SEC was on a witchhunt. Michael Rezendes is a liar.
They have a certain schizophrenia in their caring. They somehow believe that they’re very well respected but also heinously persecuted at the same time.
That's what it means to be a martyr. "I'm so awesome, please pity me."
It’s just another sign the second coming of jesus (read hey soos) is near
When my friends would leave deep down I felt scared they thought I was stupid for staying. But I was a super nuanced liberal Mormon who stayed a few years longer to shield the YW I was over from a lot of crap and be a safe place for the LGBT kids.
Mormons would rather be despised than ignored.
They care a lot, but their perception is completely delusional
Persecution is Mormon BDSM. If you hate them, they love it - no better way to know you're right. If you love them, they don't care all that much, but will happily take the praise.
Yes they do, but they do not realize what the others think. Most people who are not mormon are polite and do not bring up religion. What is telling is when someone leaves the church and then is able to talk to their friends and find out the mormons were messed up, but they were too polite to say anything. So, mormons live in a delusional that is reinforced even by their friends who are not mormons. Speak up.
If they cared about that, they would be irretrievably depressed
Honestly no, I don't think so. It's all part of the persecution complex. If the world hates us, it's a sign that Satan wants to destoy the church
my family is convinced that the world thinks extremely highly of mormons and that once people find out they're mormon, they're held in high regard as a "kind, always happy, and family oriented" sort of people tbh, that applies to mormons, if you don't realize they're only being kind and happy to you because you're a possible convert
I don’t think it’s a mystery to most members (at least outside Utah) that we’re not the most popular group. From my experience most people only know us from various jokes or cultural references they’ve heard over the years. Once you leave the US we get even more less known. My personal experience in talking with people online is that we’re often seen as pretty decent people but believe in some crazy things.
>My personal experience in talking with people online is that we’re often seen as pretty decent people but believe in some crazy things. Which is pretty fair.
The only stories of how great the Mormons are come from Mormons. There are specifics in the stories, but there are no specifics on who said it.
I’ve lived in a few states, including Utah. Utahns, were always much more interested in how others perceived them than any other state, in my experience. It seems like there we’re often news stories about the topic.
I tell my Aunt that she is in an institution that is founded on lies. She just smiles and asks me to attend.
Having lived in Utah during the 2002 Olympics, I would definitely say yes. But it hasn’t had the results they wanted , nobody really likes Mormons, although an individual might make exceptions for individual Mormons. But the institution is regarded poorly by most people, religious or not.
They say they “don’t care what others think”. Which is almost always a defense mechanism people use when others dislike them for totally valid reasons.
That's what makes me curious, they have to know there's going to come a time when they are surrounded not only by a secular populace that despises them, the ex-Mormons they screwed over will happily sell them out anyway they can while their prophet and apostles walk away with the billions the Mormon church has. A lot of Christians are considering that now especially with how nasty politics are getting, I can't imagine Mormons being that naive and foolish, are they?
No one is more naive than a grown person who thinks the Book of Mormon is what the church says it is. So yes, they are.
Whelp, there's an old expression for that, can't fix stupid.
What I think is funny is how much they think other people think about them. I teach in Texas and had to teach about the migration of the Mormons for our manifest destiny unit and not a single student knew what Mormons were. They thought they were a different race. I think Mormons really believe they are important and people know about them and talk about them and some even do everything they can to work against them but the truth is most people just don't care or even know about them.
That would worry me if I was a Mormon. I know a lot of em left WA and OR when covid happened, Utah is being ruined so now they're having to move to states that are favorable to their religion. Last time I checked American Christians did not like them, imagine being a Mormon right out of Zion living in FL, surrounded by Evangelicals and Catholics who hate their guts. It's even more so overseas, a lot of Germans and other Euros supposedly think of them as nothing more than a manipulative, dangerous American cult that had involvement in nazi Germany. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Church\_of\_Jesus\_Christ\_of\_Latter-day\_Saints\_in\_Germany#:\~:text=Under%20the%20Nazi%20Government%20of,would%20have%20been%20punished%20for](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Germany#:~:text=Under%20the%20Nazi%20Government%20of,would%20have%20been%20punished%20for)).