Another conference weekend, another round of self-inflicted ignorance.
Did you know there’s a holocaust happening this moment within the confines of our country?
Each day, 1,700 newborn babies are ripped from their nine-month sanctuary of warmth and thrown into Dumpsters nationwide-especially in San Francisco.
All this according to “Mormons Against Abortion,” a group of free and progressive thinkers courageous enough to hold a divergent opinion from that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ majority.
They dropped by Temple Square this past weekend to join the handful of protestors before leaving town for a national meeting of like-minded progressive religious thinkers, co-chaired by “Catholics for Sexual Abuse in the Clergy.”
Since transferring to the U nearly three years ago as an entrenched New England liberal, I’ll admit I still have more questions than answers about the LDS Church and its customs.
But since I was raised by great parents who never watched a NASCAR race, I learned to respect things I didn’t understand until I could understand why I shouldn’t respect them.
I’ll also admit here and now that if I blindly believed all the horse pucky (it’s an old fashioned word whose meaning rhymes with hit) I hear about Mormons, I’d probably be disgusted by them, too.
But what really disgusts me is watching supposedly grown men and women scream at nonthreatening, peaceful and well-intentioned people participating in an event that’s a very important part of their religious lives.
How hypocritical that so many people who find proselytizing disdainful feel the need to share their shortsighted beliefs so vehemently in public to a large group of people who just want to be left alone.
I’ve spent many a column defending and upholding people’s rights of speech, expression, assembly and every other fundamental value protected by the First Amendment.
But right doesn’t always mean should.
It’s a waste of time to stand outside the focal point of a religious institution and actually expect to sway believers with narrow-minded and misunderstood rhetoric.
The God my friends say exists would never stand for such arrogance, and I know he would have no place in his world for hateful, ignorant and abusive foot soldiers of stupidity.
Do I know much about Mormonism?
No.
Do I want to enlighten myself further about the religion’s doctrines and customs?
Nope, don’t care.
What I do care about are the great people I know who happen to be LDS: People I can disagree with morally, but for whom I still hold a tremendous amount of respect and admiration. People who don’t deserve to be accosted by spitfire pseudo-preachers burning underwear.
A common refrain I heard over the weekend was that Joseph Smith was a pedophile and child abuser by these upstanding Christians.
Offended?
Good.
Welcome to another civil conference weekend.
Freedom of religion is free for everyone, so next year, leave the signs at home.
Next time conference rolls around, just remember What Would Jesus Do?
