What's wrong with the LDS church (or religion in general)?

[_GoodK]

I've heard it said many times that religion should be treated with respect, reverence and tolerance (and of course, without criticism)
I imagine many of you may agree, but for those that don't, what is specifically wrong with the church?

I'll give you mine:

The intense inculcation of children.

GoodK

[_Sethbag]

That it's not actually true. It is, therefore, a perpetuation of mythology as history. It is the creation of a virtual reality and the willing suspension of disbelief that allows that virtual reality to become objective reality in the minds of its followers.

I'm not happy about my mind being bent to the perpetuation of fiction as fact. The whole organization exists to perpetuate itself, like an organism. It's a mind virus.

Mind you, it's not the LDS church only - it's all of them. The LDS church just happens to be the mind virus I caught as a zero year old infant, and it took me 36 years to recover.

[_Mercury]

I've heard it said many times that religion should be treated with respect, reverence and tolerance (and of course, without criticism)
I imagine many of you may agree, but for those that don't, what is specifically wrong with the church?

I'll give you mine:

The intense inculcation of children.

GoodK

The governing principal of religion is false power. Turning your decisions over to another under the pretense that they have special information only religion can provide. Its arrogant, dangerous and ultimately destructive.

[_The Dude]

<sigh>

I'm going to have to agree. The worst thing about religion is the way it just falls on children who happen to be in the way.

For all the good it might do them, in the very best of circumstances, it nevertheless fills their brains with lots of useless tradition and even some dangerous and traumatic notions. Just one example: advanced apologists and theologians may understand something deeply spiritual about the story of Abraham almost slaughtering his oldest son in order to please an invisible deity, but until you get to that point of "maturity" the story of Abraham and Isaac is nothing but hideous. Teaching a child that the forces of good in the universe might work that way isn't far off from teaching them that it's sometimes rightous to fly airplanes into buildings.

I'm teaching my kids about Mormonism, but only so they can understand their relatives. Not to get them to actually believe the fairy tales. Ha!

[_Scottie]

Are you talking about the LDS church, or any church?

[_Scottie]

My goodness...there are SO many things that have the potential to be harmful in the LDS church.

The absolute trust in the Prophet.
Teachings that God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of tolerance. The unattainable goal of perfection.
Paying tithing as a requirement for temple attendance, when many families simply can not afford it.
Licked Cupcake lessons.
The threat (disguised as a "blessing") of eternal families and how you will lose yours if you leave the church.
Some of the member callings take the parents out of the home for undue amounts of time.
The teachings to avoid any and all "anti-Mormon" materials like they are covered with flesh eating bacteria.
Public humiliation in the form of being denied the sacrament when you break certain covenants.
Many Utah Mormons have an intense distrust and downright bigotry towards non-Mormons. I think this stems from an elitist attitude of having the truth, while the others are stumbling in darkness and sin.

These are just a few off the top of my head.

One of the things that is difficult in a discussion like this is that the apologists will start screaming that these harmful teachings are NOT church doctrine. But they are taught just the same. The culture of the church is a much more powerful entity than the brethren and their teachings. And, I can attest that every one of these things it taught, OFTEN, in the culture of the church.

As for Christianity in general, I despise fear based religion. Any religion that tells you to be good because, if you aren't, you're in for an eternity of pain and torment is tantamount to emotional abuse in my book. I much prefer religions that teach self improvement for the simple sake of improving yourself.

** I would also like to say that the LDS church has many good teachings. For the most part, members of the LDS church are upstanding citizens, always ready to lend a hand and help a neighbor. They are good parents and raise good children. They have a good work ethic, and because of the WoW, are generally healthier than most.

[_GoodK]

Are you talking about the LDS church, or any church?

LDS specifically, but I just suspected that most reasons wouldn't be entirely unique to the LDS church...