Are LDS hyper-sensitive about religion?

[deacon blues]

I haven't talked directly to many people about religion since my missionary days, but I visit online sites where religion is discussed, and it seems that many LDS are hyper-sensitive about criticism, about the Church. In particular, the reference to Mormon Church, or even LDS, more often than not will spark resentful or sarcastic comments from members of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" who post online. I might be hyper-sensitive myself, but it seems that way to me.

[Hagoth]

Many elements of Latter-Day Saint history and doctrine sound weird, cultish, and/or humorous when spoken out loud or by non-members. So, yes, I think many LDS people are hypersensitive about having outsiders - or even insiders in some cases - talk about those things. Mormons are also raised with a persecution complex. Anything that is not an overt compliment is taken as a personal insult or a cruel or sinister attempt to destroy the church or the faith of its members. There is little room to imagine that someone might just be dispassionately interested or curious, without being on the path to either baptism or an angry mob.

[Angel]

I'm starting to understand that shunning, or ex-communicating is encouraged. Don't like it? No rational explanation? Just get tight lipped, and easily offended.

I've seen it around others sharing their sincere different religious beliefs, as well as anything around lgbtq - not even anything attacking the church, just casual talking about friends or other faiths. My tbm mother-in-law was studying a religious chart my parents had on wall (different faith), and my dad noticed and offered to explain the chart. My tbm mil gave hard stare, flipped around, and stiffly walked out of room. (I had recently left church, pulled fam with me - did not join parents church either, am unaffiliated).

Similar reaction with trans kiddo - used their "new name", tbm's corrected me with old name - you mean ... - ... I stuck with new name (Mormons know about new names, right?), and - tightened face, turn around, stomp out of room.

The insecure and misled take the truth to be hard.

[stealthbishop]

One issue is that all human beings whether they realize it or not have some degree of rejection sensitivity. We are biologically wired to be sensitive to rejection signals whether they are real or perceived. This comes from our tribal heritage where rejection by other human beings was deadly and loss of tribe status or banishment meant almost certain death. Bottom line is that we don't like rejection even from people we don't like!

Another issue is cultural. Culturally, our religion is an outgrowth of Jewish Apocalypticism which became Christianity. Within those traditions is a sort of 'us against the powers of darkness/the world' framework. The forces of evil have control over the dominant powers of this earth. If you are not with us you are against us. Expect to be "persecuted for righteousness sake" and some may even be martyred. The LDS tradition amplified those themes and put them on steroids.

LDS is more than a religion. It is a cultural identity that runs deep. When someone criticizes the LDS Church it triggers automatic defensiveness related to these biological/environmental/social forces within many LDS people. I was the same way until I began to step away from the tribe.

It sucks. I wish it was different for all of us. Sometimes knowing that these forces are at work can help us to recognize why they and we do some of things we do and perhaps deal with it in healthier ways.

[moksha]

I suspect LDS people are sensitive to fluctuations in the stock market and outsider observations about their faith. Consideration of the beliefs of others, not so much.

All other beliefs are regarded as less true and worthy. Joseph Smith took the ticket to heaven from an ancient Egyptian mummy and published a vignette into Facsimile #3 of the Book of Abraham. On the printing plate, he had the snout of the Egyptian God Anubis chopped off so that he could claim he was a slave, because of his black dog hair. That act was a desecration of another religion.

[Not Buying It]

Many elements of Latter-Day Saint history and doctrine sound weird, cultish, and/or humorous when spoken out loud or by non-members. So, yes, I think many LDS people are hypersensitive about having outsiders - or even insiders in some cases - talk about those things. Mormons are also raised with a persecution complex. Anything that is not an overt compliment is taken as a personal insult or a cruel or sinister attempt to destroy the church or the faith of its members. There is little room to imagine that someone might just be dispassionately interested or curious, without being on the path to either baptism or an angry mob.

Bingo. Freakishly weird doctrines + deeply ingrained persecution complex = complete inability to handle even the slightest less-than-positive comment about your religion. Add to that the fact that Church members are taught that people admire Church members when the reality is most non-members think we are a bunch of weirdos, and you've got a complete inability to deal with the way the Church is actually seen by most of the rest of the world (when the rest of the world even bothers to think about it, that is. That's another thing, the Church is way less important to 99% of the world's population than Mormons are taught to think it is).

[annotatedbom]

Many elements of Latter-Day Saint history and doctrine sound weird, cultish, and/or humorous when spoken out loud or by non-members. So, yes, I think many LDS people are hypersensitive about having outsiders - or even insiders in some cases - talk about those things.

I think this is a keep observation. When I let my family of origin (who are all neverMos) know that I no longer believed the LDS Church is what it claims, I was talking with my mom about it. I don't know how we got on the subject, but I asked her what seemed the oddest thing about the religion to her. She said that Mormons (in general - not all of them) always seemed a little dishonest about the beliefs and teachings of the Church. She she said she suspected they realized these things seemed crazy, so they wanted to make it appear less peculiar than it was.

Mormons are also raised with a persecution complex. Anything that is not an overt compliment is taken as a personal insult or a cruel or sinister attempt to destroy the church or the faith of its members. There is little room to imagine that someone might just be dispassionately interested or curious, without being on the path to either baptism or an angry mob.

This part was my initial thought too.

[annotatedbom]

One issue is that all human beings whether they realize it or not have some degree of rejection sensitivity. We are biologically wired to be sensitive to rejection signals whether they are real or perceived. This comes from our tribal heritage where rejection by other human beings was deadly and loss of tribe status or banishment meant almost certain death. Bottom line is that we don't like rejection even from people we don't like!

This is so spot on. Right or wrong, the Church teaches it adherents to identify with its teachings, values, and traditions. I know I strongly identified with the Church that way.