I have decided that every time I make a blog post I will always include a photograph. This evening I am including a copy of one of my favorite Dali paintings. My last post was about the relative merit of art in the medium of painting or drawing. I have always loved Dali and if you review my own personal portfolio you will see that I dabble in surrealism myself.
This post isn't about art though. This post is a troll. I am trolling my friends at "The Masonic Traveller" blog and "The Burning Taper" to tackle a topic I am not comfortable confronting.
In the past year I have twice had the experience of either reading a book or watching a show on TV and thinking, man, this guys has *got to be* a Freemason; only to find out he was a Mormon instead! In the first instance it was while reading a book by Orson Scott Card from the "Tales of Alvin Maker" series. The second case was this evening when I was watching a TV show on the Travel channel titled 'Sacred Places".
In each instance I was watching, or reading, and kept thinking "man this guy sure sounds like a Freemason". So, I was rather amazed to find out that Orson Scott Card is a big-time Mormon and was equally surprised when the TV program turned out to be a product of Brigham Young University.
Now, I have a lot of strong opinions about Mormonism. My personal feelings about Mormonism were pretty well summed up by the South Park episode on the topic. That said, I am supposed to be tolerant of other people's religious beliefs so I am trying to keep my public comments in check.
As you may know, the folks who created the Mormon church were all Freemasons. This was during a very interesting time in American History. I have also heard that the Jehovah's Witnesses may have had a Masonic background with some of their founders.
The reason I would like my friends to take on this topic is that I'm afraid I am too biased to get involved in it.
I am genuinely interested in the fact that when I encounter Mormons, and do not actually know they are Mormons (I only hear them speak and act), I jump to the conclusion they are Masons.
Let us assume, for the sake of argument, that the Mormon church adopts most of the same principles of morality and code of ethics that Freemasonry promotes. Let us even take into account the fact that their 'secret' temple ceremonies mimic Freemason ritual.
How is it they could get so much right and so much wrong?
Can I join the Mormon church?
Will they let me attend if I agree with all of their principles but, personally, believe their holy text is nonsense and their founder is immoral?
Can I be a Mormon, or a Catholic, or a member of any other Church if I believe in their morals but not their dogma?
I think there is an interesting question here.
I believe I will attend a Mormon church service this Sunday and report on the experience. I will make sure to avoid the Angel Moroni along the way...
Comments
Love that painting!
You asked: "Can I join the Mormon church? Will they let me attend if I agree with all of their principles but, personally, believe their holy text is nonsense and their founder is immoral? Can I be a Mormon, or a Catholic, or a member of any other Church if I believe in their morals but not their dogma?"
I ask: Why would you want to join, if you don't share their beliefs? I mean, certainly you CAN join, unless they actually ask you, as some churches do, if you accept their beliefs, and even then, you could say yes but not mean it. But again, why would you want to?
On the flip side, why do men join Freemasonry? We all answer the Four Big Questions affirmatively, or else we wouldn't be allowed in: Do you come freely and voluntarily? Do you come as a result of a favorable opinion of the fraternity, a desire for knowledge, and a sincere wish to be of service to your fellow creatures? Will you coform to the ancient usages and established customs? Do you believe in the existence of one supreme and everlasting God, in some revelation of his wil, and in the immortality of the soul?
Are we all honest in our answers? Are we really there freely, or are we trying to make Daddy happy? Do we desire knowledge or do we just want to hang out on Tuesday nights? Do we want to be useful to mankind, or just get away from the wife? Will we learn the ritual and attend practices, or sit on the sidelines and complain that it should be updated into modern English or done away with all together? Can we keep our religious opinions about God's nature in check, or are we going to proselytize about our particular denomination or sect?
I realize I'm digressing from your original question, but I know more about Masonry than I do Mormonism.
I knew a few Mormons when I was in school, let a few stand on the porch and witness to me years ago (just for the fun of it), and have visited their facilities in Salt Lake City. I was amazed at the Tabernacle, where you can hear a pin drop from 75 yards away.
My most vivid memory of my visit to their campus was our tour guide, a lovely young woman, probably still a teenager, doing her bit for God and Church. I recall that she seemed stoned for Jesus... she had that zombie-like "I'm in a cult" look that so many religious people get in their eye and voice when they've been thoroughly indoctrinated into their group's particular dogma.
I think you and I agree — the study of comparative religion is fascinating, as long as you don't get too swept up in accepting any particular dogma.
That's why it's so difficult to deprogram a cult member, or to say it politically correctly, to sway a religious person from their God-given viewpoint. When you're living inside a Myth, you can't see that it is a myth. You mistake your viewpoint for Reality.
But in a way, it IS a reality. One shared by only you, or by you and those who agree with your viewpoint. Science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick explained this reality-creation beautifully, in a speech he gave in 1978, called "How to Build a Universe that Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later."
PKD wrote: "The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words. George Orwell made this clear in his novel 1984. But another way to control the minds of people is to control their perceptions. If you can get them to see the world as you do, they will think as you do. Comprehension follows perception. How do you get them to see the reality you see? After all, it is only one reality out of many. Images are a basic constituent: pictures.... Our memories are spurious, like our memories of dreams; the blank are filled in retrospectively. And falsified. We have participated unknowingly in the creation of a spurious reality, and then we have obligingly fed it to ourselves. We have colluded in our own doom."
PKD continues by telling us that not all are doomed; the "authentic human" survives: "The authentic human being is one of us who instinctively knows what he should not do, and, in addition, he will balk at doing it. He will refuse to do it, even if this brings down dread consequences to him and to those whom he loves. This, to me, is the ultimately heroic trait of ordinary people; they say no to the tyrant and they calmly take the consequences of this resistance. Their deeds may be small, and almost always unnoticed, unmarked by history. Their names are not remembered, nor did these authentic humans expect their names to be remembered. I see their authenticity in an odd way: not in their willingness to perform great heroic deeds but in their quiet refusals. In essence, they cannot be compelled to be what they are not."
I apologize for the rambling of this comment. Not exactly being sure what your real question was, I cannot quite focus an answer, much like 42 wasn't quite satisfactory as an answer to the Big Question in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Knowing you to be an authentic human (that is, if you exist at all, not having met you), I don't think you'd stay a Mormon very long.
The Widow's Son
The Burning Taper
One joins a Church to honor deity and share fellowship. I get exactly the same two desires met quite well in Freemasonry.
However, for years before I knew about Freemasonry I did attend a traditional Church. Eventually I ran into the problem of belonging to an organization that I ultimately didn't believe in. In addition to that, I experienced a great deal of hypocrisy inside the institution.
I have yet to find any hypocrisy in Freemasonry. I'm sure I will eventually. And I have heard some stories about cranky old-timers who run their lodges like private fiefdoms. I'm glad I haven't experienced anything like that yet.
Nevertheless, I am still curious about Mormonism. I am also interested in Catholicism. I am intrigued by Mormonism because of the quality of the people I see involved in it and because of the bizarre and surreal nature of its founding. I definitely plan to 'audit' at least one service to satisfy my own curiosity.
Catholicsm I like for the same reason I enjoy Freemason ritual. We all know by now that ritual itself is comforting. When I attended Mass at Notre Dame recently it was a deeply moving experience. I like the fact that so many Catholics are into paranormal beliefs. It kind of keeps it 'alive' in a sense. I once attended a 'Virgin Mary' apparition once a month for a couple of months and even witnessed a miracle 'or a mirage'; whatever you might call it.
What I find especially intriguing is how many Catholics I have met who basically express very 'new age' or 'holistic' views of deity. I find it very curious how they can adapt this ancient, and once very barbaric, religion into some modern flavor they concoct for themselves; all of the time taking comfort in the ancient rituals.
I will try to audit a Mormon church service soon and will report here on my experience.
So very true. One of the strongest weapons nowadays is controlling the media, including bloggers:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4655196.stm