Bahai or Conservative and Reform Judaism. All rather recent 'inventions'.

Right.

Just say "no."

Do not put much stock in membership numbers put out by the Mormon church. They are wildly inflated as they include many people who are no longer active members. It is a huge pain to get your name taken off the offficial rolls so very few make the effort to do so despite a significant number of them leaving active participation in the religion.

What's funny is when I get the looks from fellow Mormons when I let them know I have no problem voting Democratic. "But - they support gay marriage and abortion!"

"Yes - and they also support health care and tending to the poor, two things that if we took care of, then people likely wouldn't feel the economic need for abortion, wouldn't they? And didn't Jesus say 'unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me"?

Then again, it's easier for me than for some of my evangelical friends it seems. When I explained to one of my work buddies that I taught my daughter evolution at a family home evening night and how we all came from monkeys (hey, she's 8 - I'll fill her in on the details as she gets older). I thought he was going to have a heart attack. "But - I thought you were religious!"

"Yup - and isn't evolution a wonderful system God invented to make us?"

Yeah, I still get the "but how many wives do you have" and "why don't you believe in Jesus" and other stupid questions. (Seriously - people, it's enough. We dont' ask jews when they're going to sacrifice another bull, or catholics when they're going to torture another scientist. It's in the past, we're over it, save for those southern Utah assholes.) But, like Stan learned on South Park, sure, Mormons have weird ideas - but last time I checked, we're still a pretty decent bunch.

Some of us are even Democrats - and proud to tell their fellow members of it ;).

I wish candidate Romney would speak and act more like a Mormon and less like a Republican. Then he might have an honest chance at winning the election.

@mcqball: No kidding. I wouldn't vote for that guy. "Oh, I love gay people now that I'm in MA! Oops - well, now I'm a 'real' Republican, so now I can't stand them! Hey, while I'm in MA, abortion is A-OK - but now that I'm trying to get conservative votes, screw pro-choice!"

I don't care what religion you are - the guy's a lousy panderer, and I can't stand him. Sure, lots of thanks for fixing the Olympics, but other than that - forget it.

I was briefly a Mormon. However, I don't recall Joseph Smith being such a charismatic looking hottie. I guess that explains why he was able to marry all those women and actually persuade people that his bogus hocus pocus was actually religion.

I am so glad I escaped.

I know and have affection for Mormons in my community. They're quirky, but they are good people. Still, I think that this point bears examining:

While there is little or no historical, linguistic, genetic or archaeological evidence to support the Book of Mormon, neither the stories it spins nor the story of its discovery can be disproven at this point.

Proof is pretty important stuff, for a "religion" that, like Scientology, bears every indication of having been manufactured out of whole cloth. While the exact origins of Judaism, Christianity or even Mohammedism have perhaps disappeared in the sands of time, the origins of Mormonism are still close at hand.

The fact that Mormon scientists & scholars can't find (any) archeological proof of the events in the Book of Mormon make its every claim to legitimacy questionable. Including the fact that its author(?) allegedly discovered secret vanishing gold plates and "let me say this one more time -- translated it with his face inside his hat."

Possibly, 180 years is not quite enough time to move Mormonism from "cult" to "major world faith."

I really don't mean to stir up controversy or offend anyone by this. I respect that others have very odd beliefs from my perspective. Frankly, I take the view, to take from Wicca,"If it harms none, believe what though wilt." However, I have real problems with Mormonism because it is so evangelical in its bent. It bothers me that it is so focused on converting everyone, and has so little respect for other belief systems. Why not leave others alone? How is it ethical to go into undeveloped areas and prey on the populations with what are essentially high-pressure and deceptive sales practices? In short, my beef with Mormonism is the same as it is with any evangelical religion, from varieties of protestantism to atheism. People should be allowed to find their way religiously without being proselytized to. If your belief system is truly the only correct one, and if it matters (an important distinction - Zoroastrians believe they are absolutely correct, but they also believe that God doesn't care what you believe), then people will figure that out on their own (yes, my views on religious exceptionalism can be read from this comment, I imagine). Mormonism rankles me more than most because it is so focused and organized in its disrespect for others and effort to sell itself as widely as possible. Again, why not leave others alone? Would it really be so hard?

Again, no offense to any Mormons on this board, but that is how I feel.

I'm glad somebody already mentioned the similarities between Mormonism and Scientology. Most religions seem to be myths created by people who evidently lacked scientific knowledge and common sense, but these two were invented by con men. They seemed to believe their own propaganda to a certain extent, and then their creations grew out of control and have spread to a certain extent because people actually believe in this nonsense.

The information exists to put the lie to all religions, particularly Mormonism and Scientology. I think those are my two favorite religions.