In recent weeks, the term ‘Anti-Mormon’ has been applied to me. I think this is a mislabeling. I’m not ‘an anti-Mormon’. Here’s why.
1. I’m not anti-Mormon in particular, I’m anti-Every-Religion. I take a contrary view on all religions because they’re non-empirical systems. They get their data not from real-world observation, but from revelations. Maybe something good can come from that once in a great while, but it ain’t knowledge. Science leads to knowledge.
2. The label ‘Anti-Mormon’ is used by Mormons to dismiss critical arguments instead of dealing with them. ‘Oh, you’re anti.’ There. Done. It’s usually assumed that the ‘anti’ is irrationally and implacably ‘anti’, and…
3. I’m not. I’m critical of religious views (Mormon and otherwise) up to the very second that they offer evidence for their claims. In most cases they can never do this because the claims aren’t falsifiable (like ‘god exists but he’s hiding from you’). But I’m still open to evidence on the claims that are falsifiable.
My duty as a critical thinker is to keep the door open. Which is why I do this blog. Anyone can come and provide the evidence that will change my mind. And I’ll do it. I’ve changed my mind before, you know. I will go wherever the evidence leads. But it’s not leading there.
9 March 2010 at 12:41 am
Seems to me you're not really an anti kind of guy at all–more of a pro-science, pro-sense, pro-critical-thought. It's why I like your blog. I get bored with all the anti. It's kind of easy to be against stuff.
9 March 2010 at 1:03 am
What Serah B. said.
Pro-truth. I really like Thoreau's quote: "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth".
9 March 2010 at 2:56 am
Which is also rather Socratic…
I've been reading a little of the noted English philosopher A C Grayling, who spoke in Perth recently. His arguments are similar to Daniel's on the religion question (he is an atheist) and his website is worth a look if you're interested:
http://acgrayling.com/
10 March 2010 at 4:39 am
It's a very easy way to label (and dismiss as you say) someone who has only recently left the church. That is where I am at and I find that I do feel like speaking and acting irrationally an awful lot as my emotions are all a jumble.
Poor Mormon too, as a character in the BOM he is a very nice guy. His name gets slung around a lot. I consider myself rather anti-'the church as organised by Joseph Smith', that might be a bit closer to describing me right now.
10 May 2010 at 7:30 pm
I have to say that although Mormons can be very nice, polite people they have their religion wrong, Jesus Christ is who the Bible says he is and he died on the cross for evry single one of us, and he IS God.
And whats up with the whole Joseph Smith guy? Oh, and when they stop you on the street to ask you questions that they already know the answer to can be very offensive.
11 May 2010 at 12:07 am
And now to prove I'm not anti-Mormon:
Worthington88, why do you think the Mormons are wronger than your religion? Mormons would be on board with what you've said about Jesus (minus the trinitarian stuff), and they think Joseph Smith was a prophet — you do believe in prophets, don't you?
Not trying to defend Mormonism, just pointing out that there's nothing that weird about it if you already accept Christianity.
The only solid ground from which to criticise another religion is atheism.