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I am suggesting to my sister (who lives some 2000 miles away) that she and her children join the Mormons
The LDS has a great system in place of taking care of their members. She has 3 children she cannot care for, who are in need of direction and guidance (which she is incapable of giving)
She has no education or work skills, has three failed marriages behond her, basically an all around unsuccessful person (I can't say Loser on the forum but you get the idea)
She needs someone to step in and help out, and I think the Mormons could more than provide that. They can help her find work, a place to live, and her children will be placed into a church setting that will give them some guidance and direction that they do not get with any church involvement that they have now.
Some complain and whine that the Mormons are a "cult" or that their theology is Moderator cut: deleted etc
No more so than anything else from what I can see.
As a non-theist, it would not work for me, but then again I am not the one who is unemployable , broke and with three kids that I cannot ( or perhaps do not want) to care for.
and as long as they maintain a 2000 mile or so buffer between myself and them, what am I to care?
The LDS has a great system in place of taking care of their members. She has 3 children she cannot care for, who are in need of direction and guidance (which she is incapable of giving)
She has no education or work skills, has three failed marriages behond her, basically an all around unsuccessful person (I can't say Loser on the forum but you get the idea)
Wow. Just wow. So you recommend someone picking a religion based on what it can do for her, but don't mention the commitment or contributions she can make back to a religion?
I know of 2 Mormon couples, both of whom have 4 kids, and who can barely afford them. Maybe they should have considered birth control. I get the feeling their church helps them, somehow, and they seem to nonchalantly produce additional offspring.
Eventually, the commitments they will expect of your sister will cause her to run in the other direction. If your sister can't commit to marriages and can't take care of her kids, how is she going to commit to a religion? Any religion?
I am suggesting to my sister (who lives some 2000 miles away) that she and her children join the Mormons
The LDS has a great system in place of taking care of their members. She has 3 children she cannot care for, who are in need of direction and guidance (which she is incapable of giving)
She has no education or work skills, has three failed marriages behond her, basically an all around unsuccessful person (I can't say Loser on the forum but you get the idea)
She needs someone to step in and help out, and I think the Mormons could more than provide that. They can help her find work, a place to live, and her children will be placed into a church setting that will give them some guidance and direction that they do not get with any church involvement that they have now.
Some complain and whine that the Mormons are a "cult" or that their theology is Moderator cut: deleted etc
No more so than anything else from what I can see.
As a non-theist, it would not work for me, but then again I am not the one who is unemployable , broke and with three kids that I cannot ( or perhaps do not want) to care for.
and as long as they maintain a 2000 mile or so buffer between myself and them, what am I to care?
Jsut an idea.
I actually think that is not too bad of an idea.
I am a former Mormon and am critical of Mormonism and would not recommend it for most people because it is not true. However, there are some people who can get more benefit than harm from it and your sister and her kids seem to be exactly the type of people who could benefit most from it.
Yeah My sister SHOULD have considered Birth Control, and the whole issue with her having kids that she cannot afford and also lacks the ability to take care of is an issue (her friends were all having kids at some point so she had too as well)
Wrong reason to have kids, but I do know the LDS church does take care of it's families.
From my point of view, some commitment and responsibility that she has never had in life will be a good thing, even if it comes from Mormonism. At this point, she is totally irresponsible and out of control and for the sake of her kids (Who NO , BTW, cannot come live with us) she needs some serious help and guidance and of anything out there, LDS could give it to her. Unless they have some sort of familial institutions where the whole 4 of them can be put into a facility
Sure beats ending up homeless, or in jail.
I should caution that whatever anyone's stance on the Mormon church, it does behave like a cult in the respect that it has a tendency to drive non-Mormon family members away from the members who are Mormon. If your sister did join the Church, you can expect to probably hear less and less of her and the possibility is there that eventually you may never hear from her again.
Personally, it sounds to me like you're falling for one of the many lures used by religion to reel someone in. I understand your intentions (I do like the idea of taking advantage of a religious institution) but I get the feeling that this may backfire on you.
There are plenty of organizations that can help your sister without all the excess baggage and stupidity. The Mormon Church displays every characteristic of a cult and whether or not it's classified as one is irrelevant. Telling your sister to join the Mormon Church is equivalent to telling her to join Scientology, Heaven's Gate, or my personal favorite, the Raelians.
There are plenty of organizations that can help your sister without all the excess baggage and stupidity. The Mormon Church displays every characteristic of a cult and whether or not it's classified as one is irrelevant.
True:
a) the "treadmill" of mission at 22, marriage at 24, and a stream of babies beginning 9 months later, and
b) the fact that you can't attend a Mormon temple wedding if you are NOT Mormon and don't have a temple recommend...
says "secret society" to me.
I should caution that whatever anyone's stance on the Mormon church, it does behave like a cult in the respect that it has a tendency to drive non-Mormon family members away from the members who are Mormon. If your sister did join the Church, you can expect to probably hear less and less of her and the possibility is there that eventually you may never hear from her again.
That is absolutely false. I would say that, for the most part, the exact opposite is true. Families are more important to Mormons than almost anything else, and most Mormons who have non-Mormon relatives do everything possible to keep the relationships between them good. My sister was raised Mormon, as was her husband. She is now agnostic and her husband is an atheist. Neither of their families in any way, shape or form shunned them or distanced themselves from them. My son and daughter were both raised Mormon. Neither of them has been in a Mormon Church for years, and it hasn't changed our relationship with them one bit. I know of literally dozens of other families where similar situations exist, and very, very few (offhand, I cant actually think of any) where the situation you describe exists.
Quote:
There are plenty of organizations that can help your sister without all the excess baggage and stupidity. The Mormon Church displays every characteristic of a cult and whether or not it's classified as one is irrelevant. Telling your sister to join the Mormon Church is equivalent to telling her to join Scientology, Heaven's Gate, or my personal favorite, the Raelians.
You are so far out-of touch with reaity it's not even funny. No one should ever join a religion in order to get the kind of help this woman could evidently use, but your reasons for suggesting that this woman not even consider Mormonism are narrow-minded, bigoted and flat out uninformed.
There are plenty of organizations that can help your sister without all the excess baggage and stupidity. The Mormon Church displays every characteristic of a cult and whether or not it's classified as one is irrelevant. Telling your sister to join the Mormon Church is equivalent to telling her to join Scientology, Heaven's Gate, or my personal favorite, the Raelians.
I should caution that whatever anyone's stance on the Mormon church, it does behave like a cult in the respect that it has a tendency to drive non-Mormon family members away from the members who are Mormon. If your sister did join the Church, you can expect to probably hear less and less of her and the possibility is there that eventually you may never hear from her again.
There are plenty of organizations that can help your sister without all the excess baggage and stupidity. The Mormon Church displays every characteristic of a cult and whether or not it's classified as one is irrelevant. Telling your sister to join the Mormon Church is equivalent to telling her to join Scientology, Heaven's Gate, or my personal favorite, the Raelians.
Well, let me explain I have as little to do with her already, as well as the rest of the family 2000 miles away as possible. I am just getting tired of all the phone calls Emails drama text messages etc trying to "keep me in the loop" which may be an appeal deperate help, but not hearing from her again is no big deal. I mived away from them for a reason.
Two, I do not like to see anyone suffer. I know the Mormons take good care of their families.
Three, we had relatives who were Mormons. They did nothing to alienate any of us, in fact my cousin and I remained close up until her illness/death a few years ago.
There is no equivalency of Mormons to Heaven Gate or Scientology. Those types of organizations taught to take and isolate followers, taking what they can. Mormons seek to involves families and work to bring up the quality of life.
As far as the theology, I will try to repost this without a mod cut. I am a Non-Theist. I believe that all religions, without exception, are futile attempts to control or understand something that basically cannot be put into human control. I do not believe in Jesus as the unique son of God anymore than Joseph Smith's revelation, or Ron Hubbards musings, or anything that spews out of Pat Robertsons or The Popes mouths. I do not believe in Mormon theology anymore than Chrsitian mythology any more than the Jehovas Witness etc (I do fine with Any Rand and Buddha)
All religions in America seem to exist to make money, with various emphasis and success to some degree. The LDS church has immense wealth, acquired through tithes, donations, and gifts. IF my sister joined it, three things would happen
1 They would find her a job. She does not seem to be able to do this on her own, but I am confident that she would with the right help/trainaing.
2 She would secure a place to live. She is about to be kicked out of her rental home (she had to sell her own when she got divorced the 2nd time) Mormons are well known for providing housing and food for those members in need.
3 She would be expected, along with her 3 kids, to attend church,. This would be in an atmosphere where all the issues plaguing her kids like teenage drinking, truancy food addictions etc would not be tolerated and efforts would be made to help them overcome these addictions and problems.
The Bottom line is, again, I do not like seeing anyone suffer, and I do not like be bothered by her and hers and no she is not welcome here but I would like to see her at least get into a situation where someone can help her. And this would be a good situation for her, absolutely better than being homeless, living in shelters, trying to mooch off family members or having her kids eventually carted off to jail. just Saying.
All religions in America seem to exist to make money, with various emphasis and success to some degree. The LDS church has immense wealth, acquired through tithes, donations, and gifts. IF my sister joined it, three things would happen
1 They would find her a job. She does not seem to be able to do this on her own, but I am confident that she would with the right help/trainaing.
2 She would secure a place to live. She is about to be kicked out of her rental home (she had to sell her own when she got divorced the 2nd time) Mormons are well known for providing housing and food for those members in need.
3 She would be expected, along with her 3 kids, to attend church,. This would be in an atmosphere where all the issues plaguing her kids like teenage drinking, truancy food addictions etc would not be tolerated and efforts would be made to help them overcome these addictions and problems.
It sounds like a panacea. There are NO guarantees. No one knows how much and how thin they will spread their wealth.
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