Mister Scratch wrote:Yes; the documentation is all there. The Church itself has admitted to the existence of the SCMC. The Church itself has admitted to the BYU spy ring. And, further, we have Nehor here admitting that the Church "hunts down" people it wants to discipline. Thus, these claims of "tinfoil hats," and the general pooh-poohing away of stuff which has been admitted to by the Church itself, points to some very deep insecurity and worry on the part of TBMs. But what is the root of this worry? Is it a fear that outsiders will think badly of the Church? Fear that this kind of stuff genuinely exists within the Church (and in a secretive fashion to boot)? Or, is it a fear of having to acknowledge that they willingly sustain an organization that engages in this obviously questionable behavior?
Regardless of the facts of a particular case, I would say there is a definite "cloak and dagger" aspect to the LDS Church's image. Some of this suspicion is undeserved; some of it is well deserved. At the very least this warrants some suspicion on the part of people who quite publicly run afoul of the Church's standards and objectives, particularly when it comes to breaking the 11th commandment (thou shalt not publish). It seems pretty obvious to me that those who have absolutely no reason to fear Church discipline would not credit the seeming paranoia of apostates and those who break that 11th commandment.
But there are certain patterns in the LDS Church's behavior and image that could reasonably cause its critics to worry. Here is a list off the top of my head:
1) Danites: I don't think we need to worry about Danites, but what is worrisome is the precedent such people set for zealous Mormons who see it as their personal mission to protect the Church and its leadership.
2) Mountains Meadows Massacre: this is an excellent example of the kind of tragedy that once occurred when paranoia and zeal got the best of decent Mormons.
3) There is enough evidence to suggest that some folks, whether acting officially or unofficially, have taken it upon themselves to harass critics of the LDS Church. We know of occurrences on the net.
4) The Committee for Strengthening the Membership.
5) The Church practice of collecting all criticisms, perceived criticisms, or too independently minded publications. At times this has amounted to an orthodoxy patrol used to fire BYU professors and excommunicate independent thinkers.
6) Church cooperation with the government in collecting information on polygamists.
7) BYU administrators entrapping homosexuals and placing spies in classes to monitor the orthodoxy and political opinions of professors.
8) The government's tendency to recruit Mormons for the CIA, FBI, and NSA.
9) Foreign suspicion that Mormon missionaries work for a US intelligence agency.
10) Howard Hughes's use of Mormons for his personal security.
11) The similarity between Church security and the Secret Service, and the use of ex-FBI and ex-CIA Mormons in that capacity.
12) The involvement of prominent members like Ezra Taft Benson and Cleon Skousen in fringe, hyper-patriotic, and jingoistic political groups.
13) The common Mormon perception that a Mormon who publicly disagrees with a policy of the First Presidency or the Twelve is an "enemy" of the LDS Church.
14) The meddling of members of the Twelve in local disciplinary actions, and then ordering stake presidents to lie about said meddling.
15) Unusually close strictures on information about the LDS Church, even keeping things secret from its own members.
16) Church's efforts to monitor member-critics' activities online.
I am sure many more interesting things could be brought up. Not everything here can be laid directly at the feet of the LDS Church. Some of this is also about perceptions. But, to attribute unreasonable paranoia to those who suspect the LDS Church of cloak and dagger tactics is itself unreasonable. The LDS Church has definitely acquired such an image, and it is not surprising that some would fear the organization for that reason. In the movie Hoax, starring Richard Gere, the shadiest character in the main character's imagination was a Mormon. Is that simply anti-Mormonism at work? Maybe in part, but one has to ask what prompts such things. It doesn't come from thin air.
“I was hooked from the start,” Snoop Dogg said. “We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real.”