Bill Maher and Romney's Mormon Charity

[_Equality]

I find the glee you all have about all the rather shabby treatment of the Church odd. Would you feel the same if such things were said about Jews, Catholics, blacks or some other group. Is distortion and half truths really funny and necessary?

I don't think Jews, Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists, Republicans, Democrats, Creationists, Lutherans, Vegans, Pacifists, Anarchists, Socialists, Libertarians, Oenophiles, or any other group ought to be immune from criticism, commentary, discussion, debate, argumentation, investigation, etc. Why do you? The Mormon church corporation engages in an expensive and sophisticated PR campaign of lies, half-truths, cover-ups, and distortions to further their fraudulent multi-billion-dollar enterprise. One of its leaders is now running for the most powerful position in the world. It is certainly worthy of scrutiny and criticism. Slapping the word "religion" on a corrupt organization does not earn it a free pass.

Does Maher get everything right when he talks about Mormonism? No. And when he gets something wrong, he should be corrected in the public sphere (the same goes for O'Donnell or anyone else out there commenting on the subject). But Maher seems to get a lot more right about Mormonism than your typical TBM, and certainly a lot more right than what you'll find coming out of the Church's PR department, which traffics in almost nothing but "distortion and half truths." The Church deserves far shabbier treatment than it typically gets from the mainstream media. It deserves mockery and ridicule and public shaming, the same way any organization engaged in systematic fraud should be treated. Mormonism is the Enron of religions. It deserves the same degree of respect given to that notorious company.

[_Jason Bourne]

My glee in this is in the fact that Mormons are so secretive. I like watching the roaches scurry when the light shines on them.

Besides the temple and the financials, which I believed should be published, how so?

[_Jason Bourne]

I saw it - most entertaining. He does make some good points. I don't think that any religion should get charity status for tax purposes.

Well you are entitled to your opinion. I disagree though as do most Americans as well as those who write the law.

By the way we probably should find some other term than charitable deduction. 501(c)(3) grants tax exempt status to a wide array of organizations that certainly do not meet the narrow definition of charity many here prefer.

[_DrW]

Mormonism is the Enron of religions. It deserves the same degree of respect given to that notorious company.

Equality,

Hope you don't mind that I put this quote from you in my signature line.

(Great one liner. Wish I had thought of it.)

[_Equality]

Mormonism is the Enron of religions. It deserves the same degree of respect given to that notorious company.

Equality,

Hope you don't mind that I put this quote from you in my signature line.

(Great one liner. Wish I had thought of it.)

I am greatly honored.

[_Hades]

My glee in this is in the fact that Mormons are so secretive. I like watching the roaches scurry when the light shines on them.

Besides the temple and the financials, which I believed should be published, how so?

I thought we were talking about financials, but hey, any light is good light.

[_Albion]

I am not much of a fan of Maher....I think he laughs at his own "jokes" too much for my taste suggesting to me that he thinks highly of himself. That said, I think he was spot on with this subject. One thing about charities, the vast majority of churches, too, for that matter, is that they do give a full public accounting of income and how they spend it. The LDS Church does neither and until they do, I think their tax exempt status should be suspended. People being imperfect as they are it puzzles me that so many Mormons blithely give money to their organisation without expecting any accounting of it.

[_krose]

Just get rid of the deduction for charitable contributions (along with all the other deductions and exemptions). Problem solved. People can then give as much as they want to whatever they want and it's no longer any of our business.

[_Albion]

Well that might solve some of the issues but it might result in a major downturn of giving to genuine charitable organizations where giving for faith reasons is not an issue.

[_Jason Bourne]

Dr W

Here is what my non practicing Jewish friend sent me:

I'm sending you this link from a Jon Stewart show because it focuses on Romney's faith. This was a little upsetting for me to watch, though I enjoyed Stewart's humor, so feel free to delete it without watching or commenting You mentioned some time ago that the evangelical movement is anti-Mormon. However, until I watched the clips in this episode, I had no idea how absolutely vicious, bigoted, and even crazy their attacks are. I was even more shocked to see clips from some commentators on the left, as I thought they would take a more balanced and enlightened position. I guess there are bigots on both sides of the spectrum. What was most upsetting to me about all of this is that there has been no national outcry against these ridiculous attacks. If people were making the same sorts of public comments about African Americans or Latinos or Jews or Catholics, there would be a thunderous outcry in protest. I do not understand why there is not similar outrage when Latter-Day Saints are attacked so irrationally. At least Stewart is having none of this and I think uses satire very effectively to make an unequivocal and stinging criticism of this religious bigotry. Unfortunately, you are probably already familiar with what was quite shocking to me so feel free to delete this without watching.

My friend is rather liberal and I am sure and Obama supporter. He is a spiritual man but not religions. He and I have talked hours and hours and he has helped me become much more, I believe, enlightened on many fronts. He is also a gentle and caring man, one of the finest people I know. So there you have his view on the behavior of the Maher's and others. I think he would find the gleeful vitriol from some of the disaffected and ex Mormons here very odd. But I know he does not understand what we have vested in it and some of the anger that can be felt when things unravel though I have discussed it with him.