Editoral from an email

I received the following as a forward. I'll be honest, I often don't take the time to read forwards, but I did read this one and thought I would share it with all of you. In a recent church meeting, Latter Day Saints were apparently encouraged to share our religion and our testimony through blogs and such (I say apparently because I read about it on a blog and didn't actually hear/read the quote.). So, here is one way that I can share my religion with all of you.
Not because I want you to become LDS, though that would be cool, because then we could make fun of church people together, but because I think this non-LDS point of view really lets you know Mormons really aren't that bad. :-)


Editoral written by a Paul Allen in Santa Clara Valley, CA
>
> I have heard and seen enough! I have lived in the West all
> my life. I have
> worked around them. They have worked for me and I for them.
> When I was
> young, I dated their daughters. When I got married they
> came to my wedding.
> Now that I have daughters of my own, some of their boys
> have dated my
> daughters. I would be privileged if one of them were to be
> my son-in-law.
>
> I'm talking about the Mormons.
>
> They are some of the most honest, hardworking people I have
> ever known. They
>
> are spiritual, probably more than most other so-called
> religious people I
> have encountered. They study the Bible and teach from it as
> much as any
> Christian church ever has. They serve their religion
> without pay in every
> conceivable capacity. Not one of their leaders, teachers,
> counselors,
> Bishops or music directors receive one dime for the hours
> of labor they put
> in.
>
> The Mormons have a non-paid ministry - a fact that is not
> generally known. I
>
> have heard many times from the pulpits of others how evil
> and non-Christian
> they are and that they will not go to heaven. I decided
> recently to attend
> one of their services near my home to see for myself.
>
> What a surprise!
>
> What I heard and saw was just the opposite from what the
> religious ministers
>
> of the day were telling me. I found a very simple service
> with no fanfare.
> .I found a people with a great sense of humor and a
> well-balanced spiritual
> side. There was no loud music. Just a simple service, with
> the members
> themselves giving the several short sermons.
>
> They urge their youth to be morally clean and live a good
> life. They teach
> the gospel of Christ, as they understand it. The name of
> their church is
> 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. Does
> that sound like a
> non-Christian church to you? I asked them many questions
> about what they
> teach and why. I got answers that in most cases were from
> the New Testament.
>
> Their ideas and doctrines did not seem too far fetched for
> my understanding.
>
> When I read their 'Book of Mormon' I was also very
> surprised to find just
> the opposite from what I had been told I would find.
>
> Then I went to another church's pastor to ask him some
> of the same questions
>
> about doctrine. To my surprise, when he found out that I
> was in some way
> investigating the Mormons, he became hostile. He referred
> to them as a
> non-Christian cult. I received what sounded to me like evil
> propaganda
> against those people. He stated bluntly that they were not
> Christian and
> that they did not fit into the Christian mold. He also told
> me that they
> don't really believe the Bible. He gave me a pile of
> anti-Mormon literature.
>
> He began to rant that the Mormons were not telling me the
> truth about what
> they stand for. He didn't want to hear anything good
> about them. At first I
> was surprised and then again, I wasn't. I began to
> wonder.
>
> I have never known of a cult that supports the Boy Scouts
> of America.
> According to the Boy Scouts, over a third of all the Boy
> Scout troops in the
>
> United States are Mormon. What cult do you know of that has
> a welfare system
>
> second to none in this country? They have farms, canneries
> and cattle
> ranches to help take care of the unfortunate ones who might
> be down and out
> and in need of a little help. The Mormon Church has donated
> millions to
> welfare causes around the world without a word of credit.
> They have donated
> thousands to help rebuild Baptist churches that were burned
> a few years ago.
>
> They have donated tons of medical supplies to countries
> ravaged by
> earthquakes.
>
> You never see them on TV begging for money. What cult do
> you know that
> instills in its members to obey the law, pay their taxes,
> serve in the
> military if asked and be a good Christian by living high
> moral standards?
> Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Mormon youth get
> up before high
> school starts in the morning to attend a religious training
> class? They have
>
> basketball and softball leagues and supervised youth dances
> every month.
>
> They are recruited by the FBI, the State Department and
> every police
> department in the country, because they are trustworthy.
> They are taught not
>
> to drink nor take drugs. They are in the Secret Service -
> those who protect
> the President. They serve in high leadership positions from
> both parties in
> Congress and in the US Senate, and have been governors of
> several states
> other than Utah. They serve with distinction and honor.
>
> If you have Mormons living near, you will probably find
> them to be your best
>
> friends and neighbors. They are Christians who try to live
> what they preach.
>
> They are not perfect and they are the first to admit this.
> I have known some
>
> of them who could not live their religion, just like many
> of us. The
> rhetoric which is spread around against them is nothing
> more than evil
> propaganda founded in untruths. (Others) had successfully
> demonized them to
> the point that the general public has no idea what they
> actually believe and
>
> teach. If you really want to know the truth, go see for
> yourself. You also
> will be surprised.
>
> When I first moved here some 25 years ago there were five
> Mormon wards in
> Santa Clarita. Now there are 15. They must be doing
> something right.