My peculiarities VS Your peculiarities

My favorite radio talk show host/philosopher is Dennis Prager.  He is a reasonable, conservatism-loving, politically right-leaning Jew.  He is extremely respectful to all callers, even to those who disagree with him.  He has also written a number of best-selling books and his latest, "Still the Best Hope", expounds on America's greatness.  I have listened to him for several years.

One day, several months ago, a caller was voicing some concerns about presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormon faith.  The caller, a Christian, was very vocal about his perception of Romney's religion.  Dennis Prager's rarely-heard anger flared.  His words:

"Every religion to an outsider has wackiness." 

I agree.  I can, without a moment's hesitation, see how my religion looks weird to others.  I get that.   I'd be surprised if it didn't!  So I quoted his statement in a Christian-hosted online forum, after which I wrote:  (For clarity, my comments are in blue, the others are in red.)

"I heard this stated by a wise Jewish philosopher. He admitted his own beliefs could be perceived as strange by a non-Jew, and couldn't be proven.

I too, fully agree that my religion appears strange/peculiar to outsiders. Of course! And I can't prove any of it. I accept it on faith and so far, over my lifetime, it has proven - to me - that it works."


Here was the first response. 


"The uniqueness of Mormonism is that it is internally contradictory."  


To which I asked, (with full admission that I let myself get momentarily distracted by the off-topic remark)   "And Christianity isn't?"


Then he said:  "Christianity is not contradictory. I am glad you admit Mormonism looks bizarre and that you separated it from Christianity. Looks like you are beginning to understand that Mormonism isn't Christian."


I responded:  "Of course it (Christianity) is contradictory. Thou shalt not kill. Yet the Israelites were commanded by God to kill all the people of Canaan. Not to mention God taking out millions in the flood. These are my beliefs too and I have defended them! But there are conflicts, particularly in the Old Testament. 

Can't anyone here step back for a moment and be objective?"

Apparently not.

He said:  "If you want to try to attack Christianity or the Bible, take it to the proper forum.

But in the meantime, thank you for demonstrating Mormonism's utter BANKRUPTCY in trying to defend itself, and its need to attack other religions instead (which doesn't defend Mormonism in the least)."

Was I attacking Christianity or the Bible?

I said:  "I am NOT attacking Christianity. I DO believe in the Bible, remember? I'm just able to look at it from another's point of view. I'm NOT asking you to forsake your beliefs. Just for a moment, try seeing it as a non-believer would see it."  

His response, after accusing me of insulting him:  "Why do you continue to ignore the fact that Mormonism is inherently contradictory while Christianity is not?"

Sigh.  I tried again.  "Whether or not Mormonism or Christianity is contradictory is not the point here. Go back to the OP.  (Opening post)  Every religion would seem strange to an outsider.  This includes your religion also."

Then another person added, (in response to my comment about killing in the Old Testament) "Thou shalt not kill" in Hebrew is actually "Thou shalt not murder". Killing in war is not murder, unless you are calling our dear service men and women murderers. Are you suggesting that God is a murderer?"

Me:  "I'm not suggesting such a thing at all. And contradictions isn't the point. 

Do you honestly say that Christianity and its complete acceptance of the miracles of the Bible, including the divinity of Christ, would NOT seem strange to a non-Christian?"

Other person:  "Our point isn't that Mormonism is strange- which it is. It is to show that it is a lie straight from hell, which it also is."

Long story short, this discussion lasted for exactly 105 comments in which I had to constantly herd it back on topic.   Only one person, a Buddhist, ever agreed that his, or any other religion would look weird or odd to an outsider.  NOT ONE other person would agree.   Instead they danced around the subject with one accusation about Mormonism after another.  

So what's my point?  

Simply this:  It is now a reality that there will be a LDS candidate on the ballot.  This will be a first in American history.  (Joseph Smith did announce his candidacy, but due to his murder, I assume his name never made it on the ballot.)  Every president of the United States has been Christian of one type or another, and yet not one non-Christian-American fell apart over it.  We have Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, etc., in this great melting pot that we call home.  And many of these non-Christians have voted for Christians without the worry that if elected, the country would soon be overrun with crazy Protestants.  And why not?  If we examined every miracle of the Bible, none of which is provable by science, any outsider would certainly have reason to wonder.

I mean, consider a large sea .... that parted in two, leaving a dry path for a HUGE mass of people to safely cross.   Where were the scientists who closely observed and provided reasonable data as to how it happened?  Or what about two immortal people eating a piece of fruit, becoming mortal, getting evicted from a garden, and then living for hundreds of years ..... or people returning to life after dying ..... or a man building an ark on dry land and filling it with animals .....   

How can anyone who believes such things be a credible leader of a modern, industrialized nation?  

Therefore, if claims by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seem weird and difficult to swallow, take a look at those beliefs which have been accepted for the most part, by virtually every U.S. president thus far.  

And then consider who's the pot calling the kettle black.

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P.S.  Here is the entire radio conversation.  Warning ... if you listen to it, you WILL become a Prager fan like me.