The Southern Baptist Institutional bias against Mormonism
In an area I know nothing about, I found this interesting.
So there's been an established institutional teaching against Mormonism by the Southern Baptists? Interesting.
Not only do many Southern Baptists regard the Mormon church as a cult, they also regard it as a competitor that is winning -- or poaching -- converts from among the evangelical flock.
"There are now more Mormons that used to be Southern Baptist than any other denomination," said Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, a 16-million strong group.
"As a consequence, Southern Baptists and other evangelicals have taught their people what Mormons believe and why it's beyond the boundaries of the Christian faith, to inoculate them against those Mormon missionaries," he told Reuters.
So there's been an established institutional teaching against Mormonism by the Southern Baptists? Interesting.
posted by mikevotes at
7:06 AM
8 Comments:
I don't find it strange at all. Pretty much all religions think they have it right and others are wrong. That's what makes them "religions."
You can bet young Mormons are taught what evangelical Christians believe and how to argue (very gently, of course) against it.
By
Patrick, at 11:35 AM
Yeah. Again, to me religion is hoodoo, but you're right.
But it's still pretty weird to me that they would teach, craft message specifically against another religion instead of propping their own up. You know?
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mikevotes, at 1:21 PM
As a tactical matter you're right. Give your people a solid understanding of their own faith and they are unlikely to be swayed by the message of others. It's not as easy as it sounds from the outside, though.
You may be reading too much into the Land quote. When he says ministers have "taught their people" what Mormons believe, that probably means they preach a sermon about it once every year or so. Maybe they have a rack with brochures for people to read. It's not hard-core indoctrination. I'd guess most Baptists still have little more than a superficial understanding of Mormon belief.
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Patrick, at 1:51 PM
One more thing... I'm not sure you can say the Southern Baptists have an "institutional bias" about anything. There really is no institution beyond the local churches which are all self-governing. They work together in some cooperative projects (like Land's agency), but there is still wide variation within the group.
Now you could say there is a "cultural bias" about some things. Drinking and dancing, for instance. But even there you will find plenty of people who consider themselves loyal Baptists and still disagree with that particular principle.
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Patrick, at 2:27 PM
Okay, but even in your scenario somebody's producing literature on it or preparing sermons or whatever. It would be a conscious thought that we have to war our people about Mormonism.
Your second comment is certainly right, despite the convention's loud voice, it really doesn't reflect any particular church.
I'm not trying to cast Baptists as villains, it's just weird to me that if you think you have the "right" religion that you would even bother with "negative campaigning" against other groups.
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mikevotes, at 2:35 PM
I'll bet it's nuthin' compared to the anti-Catholic tracts they've got. At least in volume.
Christians have being trying been poaching sheep from each other's ranches since the crucification. If not by persuasion, then by coercion. If not by coercion, then by armies.
If it's not the heathens it's the heretics that must be saved...
*sigh*
I believe John Kerry was the victim of religious zealotry an intolerance as well. Only it was his own church which damned him (on top of whatever loathing was heaped upon him from the anti-Catholic types). Romney will, I'm sure, receive the full and vigorous support of the Mormon church machinery.
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-epm, at 3:43 PM
It's a little more complex, Mike. In any church you have a core group : the ministers and more dedicated members. They take the trouble to educate themselves and get a solid understanding of the church's beliefs. These people are, indeed, unlikely to leave for another denomination.
Then there is the much larger group of people who are more casual members and probably don't grasp all the nuances of their own religion. When someone like a Mormon comes along with a different message, they are more likely to fall away.
So what happens is the core group spends most of its time trying to educate and reinforce the church's teaching to the rest of the members. They do this partly in self-defense (to keep members from leaving to join other churches) and partly in an effort to build a larger group of dedicated people. It is a never-ending task.
Another reason is that Baptists would like to convince all the Mormons join them. To do so effectively, they need their own people to understand a little about the Mormon faith.
By
Patrick, at 4:16 PM
Patrick, I get it. It's just weird to me.
By
mikevotes, at 5:31 PM
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