MORMONS.......thanks heather

I have always said Mormons are "weird". Here is some more evidence:
PAUL ALLEN, SPEAKS OUT ON MORMONS

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 (2) 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 encourage their youth to be morally clean and live a good life.
They teach the gospel of Christ, as they understand it. The name
their church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.
Does that sound like a non-Christian church to you? I asked the
many questions about what they teach and why. I got answers that i
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
of 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, p ay 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] have 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.

Isn't one synonym for "weird" peculiar? (1 Peter 2:9)