Mormon conversions surge in Latin America

[dArKeR]

By Leonor Ayala
Reporter
NBC News


GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala - Clutching the Book of Mormon and dressed in a white starched shirt and neatly pressed charcoal colored slacks, Willy Guzman walked across the cracked sidewalks of Zona 6 in Guatemala City to the shiny, white church that rises above the modest and mostly shanty flats of the neighborhood.

As it neared 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning, the streets were bustling with men dressed in Western-style suits and women in skirt suits pushing baby strollers, all making their way towards the church.

“Everyone walks to church,” Guzman explained, “so as not to make anyone work on this day of worship.”

As he approached the Mormon church gates, Guzman was greeted by several church Elders, mostly Americans speaking in heavily accented Spanish. Being the church music director, they inquired about his music selection for the service and what instruments would play accompaniment.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5378318

I had a Mormon roommate for a few years. From knowing him and his friends, I have no respect for the Mormon Church if the people I met are a representative sample of their group. They give me the feeling of the rise of another Nazi army.

[mstrsplinter326]

1. I have reservations about judging mormon religion

But there are som seriously twisted practices that go on in their church. The are extremely ego fed every day too, everything is "eternal" "forever" "always" "I testify here before all of you that ....." etc.

I was creeped out. They also have many teachings that they reserve from converts until those converts have been in church for years. They have rules about what kind of underwear women over 65 can wear and so on. It's not that other churches don't have weird rules, but most don't follow the jacked up practices.

So creepy...

[cprise]

2. It is a fundamentalist sect

...something the folks at MSNBC won't bother to point out.

They offically espouse the doctrine of biblical inerrancy. That puts them on my "dangerous cult" list.

[aquart]

3. A very WEALTHY cult. With rigid morals.

And after what's been happening in the Catholic Church, not a bit surprising people are running for the exits.

The Mormon Murders is a nice book on the little wiggles in the faith.

And if you want to watch a Mormon squirm, ask about the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

[DeadBroke]

4. My brother ran his own air freight business ...

... in South America for many years and sometimes had Mormon missionaries as passengers. He told me they always had beaucoup money and complained about meeting conversion quotas.