I’m not a Mormon, or even a Christian, so I have no stake here.
What the fuck? No. I’ve traveled all over, and met a lot of Mormons and have Mormon friends. The most sinister thing they’re into is family game night. Ok, I’m no fan of the missionary thing, but again, as a non-Christian I appreciate that the Mormons take no for an answer, and will still hang out with you.
Their religion is wacky, but so is every religion. They have cults, but so do all religions. So... no.
Of course your anecdotes are true, individual Mormons can be the nicest, most well-meaning people ever, and Mormonism does indeed have a reputation for being a wacky but harmless religion.
However, Utah has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the nation, and one of the highest rates of anti-depressant medication use in the nation. This is in large part due to the unrealistic expectations and pressure its members are subject to.
Sure, they're not as overtly harmful as similar high-demand cults like FLDS or Scientology, but try joining and then not paying 10% of your gross income to the church and see how that works out.
How’s the suicide rate among evangelical Christians? Southern Baptists? If you tell young people to shape up or be damned, some will implode, especially LGBT youth, people struggling with addictions, atheists, etc. Sadly (imo) Mormons are like many other Anrahamic religions (and others) which make life very hard for a significant portion of the population. I also don’t believe they’re somehow different or worse than any others. They have strengths and weaknesses like any large group of humans.
Not compelling, especially when you note that suicide is only one metric, violence against others being another, and so much more. Most of all though, I didn’t say they were wacky in particular, I said that they were wacky as are all religions. I don’t see them as materially different from any other religion, except in some cases, age.
What the fuck? No. I’ve traveled all over, and met a lot of Mormons and have Mormon friends. The most sinister thing they’re into is family game night. Ok, I’m no fan of the missionary thing, but again, as a non-Christian I appreciate that the Mormons take no for an answer, and will still hang out with you.
Their religion is wacky, but so is every religion. They have cults, but so do all religions. So... no.