I am Mormon, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On Tuesday night I was watching MSNBC when at the end of the show the anchorman told the nation how the Mormon faith was made. Lawrence O'Donnell stated which obviously was to be an attack on Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, that:
"Mormonism was created by a guy in Upstate New York in 1830 when he got caught having sex with the maid and explained to his wife that God told him to do it. 48 wives later Joseph Smith's lifestyle was completely sanctified in the religion he invented to go along with it, which Mitt Romney says he believes." (Watch the video clip here)
While this statement was directed at Mitt Romney, it is also about me and my faith. This statement from Lawrence O’Donnell is not true. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded by a young man named Joseph Smith that, like me and you, was just trying to do the best he could. This is a quote from the website, Mormon.org about Joseph Smith:
“With so many religions available he felt confused about which religion was the true religion. He turned to the Bible for guidance. He read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). With simple faith he decided to do just that. “
For the rest of Joseph Smith’s story and how the Mormon church was established please see Mormon.org.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I am saddened that a well known and successful news source like MSNBC could support and promote a show that would not check facts before airing a show. I realize that the opinions of MSNBC are different than mine, but I respect other people’s opinions and try to keep an open mind and hope that others would do the same.
It is unfortunate that a world that so desperately needs acceptance and cooperation is constantly inundated with lies, deceit and corruption.
I do not expect an apology from MSNBC or feel that I need one, but I do feel that the truth should be told. There are six million members of the Mormon Church in the USA; just like people of all faiths, we’re trying to do the best we can in hard times. It does society no good to intentionally discredit a group of people because they believe something differently than you do. I have endured people attacking my faith many times in my life, but for the first time I feel like a victim of bigotry.
I hope that you will take the time to explore the about Mormon website and learn more about how the Mormon Church was established by Joseph Smith and what we believe.
Thank you for listening. If you would like to contact MSNBC about this news article you may do so on their webpage.
I would love to hear your thoughts and comments as well as answer any questions you have, however, please be respectful with what you say.
Addendum:
I wrote this post at two a.m. this morning. I have debated on making this post all day but did send it to the news stations in Utah as well as MSNBC. The Utah news stations contacted me and will have stories on tonight's news. I have yet to recieve comment from MSNBC.
4 comments:
I'm sorry this happened. It's embarrassing when anyone attacks someone's religion or faith.
I'm not a Mormon, and did not know much about your church until I read a LDS novel this past year. I thought it was really interesting so I made a point of finding out about the history of the Mormon church. I didn't think anything bad about it at all.
I have visited my friends churches. They have different beliefs and religions. I find it very enlightening and beautiful to be able to attend. It's a blessing to spend this time with them and see how they celebrate God.:)
I think people will do anything sometimes to hurt someone. They misrepresent facts, slander, and ridicule them.
It's not ok, and I'm glad that you posted this story so I could understand how this impacts you.
Fantastic post, Jennifer! I whole-heartedly agree with everything you said. Recently, my husband stopped supporting Jewish Anti Defamation League because of a blanket statement they made about Mormonism that wasn't true either. Here's what he said about it:
"I have been a long-time supporter of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League. That is until today and I read what the leader of this organization had to say about my faith and its practices (Temple Work). So I withdrew my support today with the following explanation to their organization.
"'I am LDS. I support the premise of the ADL and the work being done around the world to end racism and bigotry. However, I find it unfortunate that the National Director of the ADL would make such blanketing statements about my religion after one member of my faith breached a protocol surrounding what I believe to be one of the most love inspired acts our religion has to offer. Whether or not one believes as I do, I find it unfathomable that a leader of an organization such as the ADL would do the same thing the organization is trying so hard to stop.
"'Statements such as, ". . . And here comes the Mormon church taking away their Jewishness. It's like killing them twice." is just as inflammatory as any hate speech I have heard. Bigoted statements such as this only help continue hate and mistrust. Shame on you Mr. Foxman. For this reason, I cannot continue to support the ADL while such a person leads it."
"'If you feel the same way, let people know that it is not okay to lead with bigoted views and to accuse other faiths with the same kind of hate speech they are purportedly striving to squelch. Let them know how you feel, but let them know with sincerity and love. One cannot stop the cycle of hate until one's heart is too full of the love of others to make room for it.'"
I think it's important that we stand up for our faith. I know that many members are just as bigotous as other people, but as you know, our religion teaches tolerance and acceptance for all walks of faith. It would be nice if others gave us the same courtesy.
Thanks for that fantastic post! It is hard to talk about religion while still respecting everyone involved. I'm LDS as well and have been seeing a lot more bigotry coming out since Mitt Romney began running. I think most of it just stems from ignorance.
Not a mormon or anything but I don't think a persons faith should be spat upon when they are running for office. It doesn't matter if I believe in that religion or not, its how well the person acts and how he can help America. :(
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