Hindus and Mormons

Hindus and Mormons 5 years ago :: Feb 22, 2008 - 1:35PM #1 Jettboy Jettboy Posts: 9 I am wondering what Hindus think of Mormons. What do you know (or think you know) about them? Have you ever met one? What are some similarities or differences that you think exist between Hinduism and Mormons? What kind of interaction should Hindus have with Mormons religiously and personally? Add any other comments not related to these questions about the topic. 5 years ago :: Feb 22, 2008 - 2:12PM #2 Maya3 Maya3 Posts: 928 Hindus accepts all faiths as valid. One truth many paths. May I ask where you are going with your questions? Maya 5 years ago :: Feb 22, 2008 - 2:45PM #3 Jettboy Jettboy Posts: 9 The reasons for my questions is that Mormons know far too well what other Christians think of them and their religion. However, I haven't heard much of what the thoughts from non-Christians are. The way Christians and particularly the U.S. and European media talk it is as if Christian perspectives are the only perspectives about anything really. Amazing considering there is a larger world that seems to get ignored. 5 years ago :: Feb 22, 2008 - 5:51PM #4 Maya3 Maya3 Posts: 928 :) I have noticed this too. Maya 5 years ago :: Feb 22, 2008 - 8:04PM #5 ramadasi ramadasi Posts: 102 Hi Maya, good to see you again. Interesting post so thought I would write back, have long quit writing here. I know many mormons, I know their faith to be among richest, fastest growing, that it evolved from belief/ angelic vision of someone deemed to be saint, the faith has very few colored people and lot of its followers practice polygamy openly or behind closed doors. The comparison to hinduism arose in my mind when I heard about it initially - because some values are similar. Sex after marriage, donating part of income to religious causes, extended families (before polygamy was illegal in India many hindus practised it) and s oon. But the comparison ends there. Hinduism for one thing is not a rich religion, some temples get money, but overall it is not anywhere compared to these mammoth churches. Other than some fundie groups hindus are not normally into converting others to their faiths. And other than some casteist/sexist beliefs color bias is not part of Hinduism. And Hinduism is completely neutral on marriage and lifestyle, both polygamy and polyandry are part of hindu myth but not as rules. In short, I don't regard this mormonism as anything great (sorry if that offends the originator of this thread). In America lack of a strong culture has lead to a mushrooming of odd and very backward beliefs, which look like family oriented on the outside and are hugely sexist/racist on the inside, that is all. 5 years ago :: Feb 23, 2008 - 7:14AM #6 Jm8 Jm8 Posts: 781 Jettboy, Mormons oppose surrender to god/s (they 'have' several ones) and want to become gods themselves (isvaro 'ham aham bhogi, BG 16.14). A former Mormon wrote to me: "I used to be a Mormon missionary so I understand their system and doctrine quite well. Yes, they are a decent people. But you didn't mention their very large animal slaughter facilities in Florida, Texas and other places. They are animal butchers. Mormonism is very much like Masonry. It is simply an attempt by white people to be jews." A devotee from Utah wrote: "They believe theirs is the only true religion, but they have Articles of Faith that mandate they appreciate other (lesser) religions also. So they are supposed to be bound by that. Also the current prophet, Gordon Hinckley, is very broad minded, and encourages co existence with other religions and beyond that, helping other religious groups out." Hope this helps. Hare Krishna "This Krishna Consciousness is a science to understand what is the difference between a dead body and a living body". (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) Your servant, bh. Jan http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz http://www.vrindavan-dham.com 5 years ago :: Feb 23, 2008 - 8:14AM #7 Maya3 Maya3 Posts: 928 Hi Ramadasi nice to see you again too! Maya 5 years ago :: Feb 23, 2008 - 9:45AM #8 ramadasi ramadasi Posts: 102 JM8, there are a whole lot of ex-mormons having churches, beliefs, blogs of their own. Many leave because of polygamy/oppression of women, excessive pressure from churches to donate money, no birth control and families expanding disproportionately to income. Some mormons are rich celebrities like Stephen Covey too who take the good part of their teachings and translate it into something the world can benefit from. But even people like him do not come out openly against polygamy, inclusion of colored people (who are considered by their faith as descendants of Cain), and the growing power of the church over individual lives. I found the mormon system fascinating to me in many ways because their oppressive systems are very similar to what hindus faced several years ago, except that hindus did not have an all powerful faith controlling them and hinduism is not based on 'revelations' to one or two people, it is a time tested century old belief system(s) that sustains many. 5 years ago :: Mar 26, 2008 - 1:00AM #9 jennieblue22 jennieblue22 Posts: 23 [QUOTE=Maya3;306283]Hindus accepts all faiths as valid. One truth many paths. May I ask where you are going with your questions? Maya[/QUOTE] Clarification: we don't accept ALL faiths as valid, but that they can be HELPFUL tools in ultimate salvation, as all have good teachings that point in the right direction. 5 years ago :: Mar 26, 2008 - 1:05AM #10 jennieblue22 jennieblue22 Posts: 23 The attitude of Mormons largely depends on the knowledge of the person. Many have never even heard of the faith and are indifferent. Some may have heard of practices that they, to say the least, disagree with strongly for moral reasons. I happen to know several Mormons - very nice, friendly, family-oriented, religious people. Multiple Mormon missionaries have approached me wanting a conversion, but I politely refused, as I disagree with many of their beliefs. Some of the missionaries can be particularly rude and distasteful, but that is true for missionaries of many religions, including other denominations of Christianity, and is non-exclusive to Mormons. I know some who have left the faith for a variety of reasons. I say it really depends on the knowledge or experience one has with Mormons. Hindus as a whole, unlike many Christians I know, do not automatically despise of Mormons. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next Post Reply Beliefnet Forums Interests and Topics Hinduism Hindus and Mormons Page 2 of 2 Prev 1 2 Switch to Forum Live View Hindus and Mormons 5 years ago :: Mar 26, 2008 - 7:37AM #11 Maya3 Maya3 Posts: 928 Jennieblue, My two main gurus say that yes ALL patsh are just as valid. Maya Page 2 of 2 Prev 1 2 Post Reply