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| Anti-Mormon DVD given to 18,000 homes in AZ |
| 2007-03-27 |
| A ministry opposed to Mormonism distributed 18,000 copies of a DVD to homes across the state on Sunday as part of a nationwide effort to persuade members to leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The distribution of 15,000 DVDs in Mesa, Gilbert and Tempe was timed for the last weekend before the church holds its General Conference in Salt Lake City on Saturday and Sunday, said Jim Robertson, executive director of Concerned Christians, an organization largely made up of former Mormons. Another 2,000 copies of Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith were distributed in LDS-heavy Snowflake and Taylor, and 1,000 were distributed in Tucson. "We've found this works very well. We need to step out in faith to do it," said Robertson, a former Mormon who founded the organization 35 years ago. "We're not against the Mormon people. If we hated the Mormons, we'd let them stew in their own juices." But Don Evans, an LDS spokesman in Arizona, said Robertson is on a lifetime crusade to attack his church. "It won't faze members of our church one iota," Evans said. "They're strong enough in their own beliefs. It's water off their backs." Dave Udall, a Mesa attorney and former church spokesman, said Concerned Christians was denounced in the early 1980s by the National Conference of Christians and Jews and by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith after showing the film The God Makers at the Mesa Convention Center. "I'm disappointed. We need tolerance in our community, and religious tolerance is one of those things we need to do," Udall said. He said Concerned Christians pickets the annual Easter Pageant produced at the church's Arizona Temple in Mesa, handing out literature, but the LDS Church opposes religious conflict. The pageant begins tonight. "The attitude of the church is there is freedom of religion," Evans said. "Our church would not go after another religion." But Robertson said the DVD was produced in response to aggressive Mormon missionary work, saying, "they're stealing sheep" from other religions. "I don't like the fact that they lie to people to get them into the church," he said. "They're not telling people what the church is all about until after they have them hook, line and sinker." Utah-based Living Hope Ministries coordinated the nationwide distribution of the DVDs, Robertson said. Bob Betts, Concerned Christians' office manager, said the DVD contrasts the teachings of Jesus Christ with those of Joseph Smith. He said about two dozen southeast Valley residents upset by the DVD called the ministry's office Monday morning to complain. He said about 100 volunteers, mostly from churches, distributed the DVD but another 35,000 were not distributed because of a lack of manpower. "The Mormons are madder than hornets," Betts said. Evans said that Mormons believe in Jesus Christ but also believe that church founder Joseph Smith was a prophet. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #11 I was a paid actor for two movies for the LDS and I did a lot of research on Joseph Smith. He was either a very good con-artist or truly believed what he said. He did endure a lot of physical abuse at the hands of "Christians". Brigham Young, on the other hand, was a cold, calculating opportunist who thought nothing of swindling or even killing anyone he felt was a threat. That said, the Mormons I know are very good people. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-03-27 19:31 |
| #10 When I see people in the LDS strapping on bomb vests and stepping onto school buses, then Robertson will have a point. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2007-03-27 18:44 |
| #9 1,000 were distributed in Tucson. Darn. I didn't get one. Just think of the fun I could have had "revising" it. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2007-03-27 18:42 |
| #8 From my humble point of view, I think there are a lot more important things to put your energy towards than a religious bitch slapping fight. If you want a good and right religious fight, distribute anti-Islam DVDs. Along with T-shirts that in arabic say, "Eat pork or die!" |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-03-27 15:04 |
| #7 Where are those golden plates again translated by Smith with a "scrying stone" in a hat? Written in "reformed Egyptian". Ok, right. From what I understand of the DVD, it takes LDS apart at the seams through simple lessons in history and genetics (Smith claimed Native Americans were descendants of ancient Hebrews). I don't see anything hateful about this. LDS is a complete shame and speaking of hate, one of LDS's ceremonies depict a Pastor as Satan's friend. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were plagiarist, liar and scam artist. The book of mormon is full of fraud, elephants, barley, wheat in North America and so on. That being said you don't see any Mormons strapping bombs to children. For the most part they are fantastic Americans who have been misled. I love talking to the folk. South Park did an amazing job of hitting everyone of Joseph Smith's BS stories. Someone really did their research for that episode. Actually it's a fantastic primer for those of you that don't know anything about the founder of LDS. Also if you don't know anything about Concerned Christians check out their website. This is nothing more than educational free speech. Myself, I think of the Mormons as the only major denomination surviving from the 19th century equivalent of the modern New Age movement. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-03-27 13:56 |
| #6 Like Bubblehed sez: "We Mormoms are like anyone else, ask any of my wives." |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-03-27 13:10 |
| #5 Yeah - usually the anti-Mormon stuff is followed pretty quickly by Anti-Catholic "Papist/Idolator/AntiChrist" stuff. These guys are predictable. Their ministry is defined by thier hate, not by their love of God. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-03-27 11:06 |
| #4 Wait next there will be the Anti-Catholic DVD distributed and finally the Anti-Jewish DVD. I don't endorse hate of anybody especially because of someones belief. Shame on Jim Robertson and his gang, very un-Christian. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-03-27 10:58 |
| #3 I heard a Mormon with a sense of humor, who said, "Mormons. Think of us as the 'anti-Muslim'." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-03-27 10:51 |
| #2 Nah. Mormons are a pretty patient lot on the whole and they've seen a lot of this type of idiocy before. When the CC's find that this type of exercise gets them absolutely nothing for all the time and effort, they'll go back to doing whatever kept them occupied before this bee got in their bonnets. |
| Posted by: Mac 2007-03-27 10:27 |
| #1 Jihad! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-03-27 10:00 |