LDS / Fundamentalist Mormon Q's (Mormons, America, church, prophecies)

[bigthirsty]

Yes I understand there is a difference between the two but for sake of thread aggregation lumped the questions together..

1. Why do fundamentalist mormons wear 19th century clothes? Never understood that one.

2. I don't mean for this question to be an ignition of a poweder key.. but is it true that LDS or FLDS believe that native indians are evil? Same for people of color? If not, where did this dis-information start?

3. Is it true LDS or FLDS don't believe that Christ will come back in a year in which a rainbow was seen?

4. Have you ever driven through colorado city? Anyone live there?

5. Do you find yourselves constantly setting the record straight on Joseph Smith with non-mormons. If so, what is the record?

Again.. just curious..

[ParkTwain]

What is it that you find you have to set straight about Joseph Smith?

[MomtoFour]

1. Why do fundamentalist mormons wear 19th century clothes? Never understood that one.

Well, fundamentalist Mormons have not changed the garments (the special underwear worn by those who have been through the temple), so they have to wear clothes that go to wrists and ankles. As for why they choose that style of clothing, I don't know.


2. I don't mean for this question to be an ignition of a poweder key.. but is it true that LDS or FLDS believe that native indians are evil? Same for people of color? If not, where did this dis-information start?

I can't speak to the FLDS position, but for the LDS, the answer is no. I can see how non-Mormons can get that idea though. The Book of Mormon tells the story of a family who comes to the Americas. There are four main sons in the family. The "bad" sons and their descendents are cursed with dark skin. At one point in the book, some of the "bad" descendents repent and become righteous. At this point, their skin becomes white again. There was a belief in early Mormonism that when the Native Americans accepted the Gospel, they would become white. You can find some pretty offensive statements even from the last half of the 20th century about how Native American kids raised by Mormon families have lighter skin than those raised on the reservations. You don't hear much about this now.

Blacks were not allowed to hold the priesthood from the time of Brigham Young until 1978 (although Joseph Smith ordained a black man to the priesthood). It used to be you heard a lot about how blacks were fence sitters during the War in Heaven (before we came to earth). I don’t know that it was ever official doctrine, but it was a popular belief to explain why someone would be born with black skin and therefore not eligible for the priesthood and by extension the temple ordinances. (The fence sitting theory was not necessarily a majority belief, but it was a significant minority belief.) I believe Bruce R. McConkie wrote about this in his book Mormon Doctrine (which, btw, caused quite a stir among church leadership because of its many doctrinal errors—that didn’t keep it from being popular with the masses). I don’t have a copy on me so I can’t say for sure.


3. Is it true LDS or FLDS don't believe that Christ will come back in a year in which a rainbow was seen?

Again, not sure about FLDS, but I am pretty confident that the majority of LDS members don’t believe this (not that they necessarily believe this is false, but it just isn’t on the radar). However, I do have a vague memory of having heard this theory taught, but I can’t remember what the source was.


4. Have you ever driven through colorado city? Anyone live there?

Nope.

5. Do you find yourselves constantly setting the record straight on Joseph Smith with non-mormons. If so, what is the record?

When I was Mormon I did “set the record straight” on some issues. Of course, I later learned that not all of my information was accurate. Was there something specific you were curious about?

[bigthirsty]

It was nothing specific.. In doing pseudo research you inherently come across many sites that show .. well a lack of "love" for Joseph Smith. As the number of sites concerning this issue were prevelant I was just wondering if you had to set the record straight.

I've seen things from false prophecies to the kinderhook plates thing (sorry I don't understand kinderhook nor do I profess to understand), and just general inconsitencies in the renditions of his history.

Again.. I'm not attacking anything. Just wondering.

[imbobbbb]

ive driven thru colorado city a couple times in the early 90's.i dont recall it looking much different then a lot of isolated western towns,but i never stopped there.