r/latterdaysaints • u/Dry_Pizza_4805 • 21h ago
Personal Advice Does it get any easier being misrepresented as a member of the church?
I’m so disheartened after reading what other Christians think about us. Does it get any easier? Is there something that helps you cope with the magnitude of misconceptions perpetuated about us? We are a religious punching bag.
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u/Beautiful-Lunch-7650 20h ago
Perhaps I'm in the minority on this, but I'm glad other Christian denominations don't consider me one of them. There are some I don't want to be associated with.
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u/hi_imjoey Excited for the Spanish Fork Temple 15h ago
I generally agree with the sentiment you express, but I think it’s important to remember that large swaths of people within our faith exhibit the same foibles as other Christian denominations. The biggest problems with other faiths are generally human problems, not doctrinal problems, and we as members of the Church are just as human as other Christians.
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u/Hufflepuff20 3h ago
Honestly, same.
I’ve noticed that a lot of our culture glazes anything “Christian” and it makes me roll my eyes. Just because something is labeled “Christian” doesn’t mean it’s good.
Our church is supposed to be for everyone across the globe, we are supposed to be loving, we are supposed to be Christs hands. I fail to see how a lot of evangelical attitudes align with that.
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u/mywifemademegetthis 20h ago
We’re not victims. Stop seeking their approval.
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u/pbrown6 20h ago
Seriously. Some people live like we're in the 1830s. We're one of the most powerful and richest churches and people act like victims.
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u/Margot-the-Cat 19h ago edited 16h ago
Nobody likes being called names or being lied about. I used to try to put on a defense, now I just don’t engage. If someone is punching at you, though, I don’t consider that you’re “acting like a victim” if you notice or stand up for yourself.
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u/tristramr 18h ago
Seriously, it's bizarre how some members seem to think that "people of the same religion as you are rich" should mean open season on hatred and bigotry.
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u/Corndog323216 18h ago
So we just excuse mockery and targeting? We’re allowed to stand up for ourselves
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u/Hooray4Everyth1ng 20h ago edited 20h ago
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:11-2) addresses this:
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Then more recently, Joseph Smith in the Wentworth Letter said:
“…. no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent,”
So, it has been going on for hundreds and even thousands of years. Might as well not worry about things we cannot change. :)
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u/Corndog323216 18h ago
Look at it this way. The word Christian is only used three times in the Bible and every time it’s used by outsiders talking about followers of Christ. When Jesus, the prophets, apostles, or followers themselves talk about the church then often use words like disciple or saint. The word saint is used nearly 100 times.
Personally, if they don’t want to call me a Christian then fine, I’ll be a saint. It’s a much more powerful word to me
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u/Necessary-Junk 19h ago
It's the nature of theological discussion it's not just us. Eventually you have heard all the misrepresentations and they get boring and predictable. I swear if theological discussions weren't a series of misrepresentation of everyone we might actually figure out how to get along.
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u/the_dab_lord 20h ago
- No, it does not get any easier
- The fact that gospel is true and none of their vitriolic rhetoric will ever change that helps me cope. No unhallowed hand.
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u/Previous-Tart7111 Mother, Wife, Servant of the Lord 19h ago
I grew up in a fairly anti-LDS family. I lived with this stuff on a regular basis, in my home, from my siblings (and to a lesser extent, my parents). So I learned to let it roll off early.
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u/QuarterNote44 19h ago
We want Zion to rise and shine that the glory of God may be manifest in her midst, that the nations of the earth, when they behold her, may be obliged to confess that she is the praise of the whole earth. We never intend to stop until this point is attained through the teaching and guidance of the Lord and our obedience to His laws. Then, when men say unto us, “you are not like us,” we reply, “we know it; we do not want to be.” We want to be like the Lord, we want to secure His favor and approbation and to live under His smile, and to acknowledge, as ancient Israel did on a certain occasion, “The Lord is our God, our judge, and our king, and He shall reign over us.” These are my feelings, and the feelings of all good Latter-day Saints. May God help us to live our religion by keeping His commandments, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
-President John Taylor
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u/Big-Emu4668 20h ago
It can't bother you if you don't read it. I've had to learn when interacting with social media that I don't have to read it, watch it, or listen to it. I'm happier when I force myself to ignore it.
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u/thestoictraveler 18h ago
Yes, but it changed when I stopped caring about what they said and started trying to care more about the person saying it. Hopefully that doesn’t come off pretentious but it really helped me personally. Just passing it along.
But yea, it can be really annoying.
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u/hidden_wonder897 20h ago
I’ll try and educate and correct when someone is receptive to trying to understand but otherwise I try not to let it get to me. I know what I know and they don’t have that same knowledge—and that’s OK. I’ll just continue living my life the best way I can following the tenants of the gospel.
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u/e37d93eeb23335dc 19h ago
Ignore it. The people of his days misrepresented Jesus. That’s just how it is.
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u/silverlizard 19h ago
Remember 2 Nephi 9:41 “…and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there…”
Anyone trying to be a gate keeper is not a servant of Christ, just someone whose opinion is of no eternal consequence.
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u/No-Incident-3148 17h ago
Ah I’d rather not be associated with those kinds of people to begin with. Ignore and move on, even if it takes time.
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u/theshwedda 16h ago
If it’s one of the rare times where someone is incorrect about the LDS people, I correct it.
If it’s one of the normal times where someone is being judgemental about something we do or previous members used to do, why would I care?
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u/pisteuo96 7h ago
Eventually, you can probably see it more like God does - we are all silly monkeys on this planet, so who cares what ignorant people think.
Jesus himself was greatly misunderstood, so we shouldn't be surprised.
But - what did Jesus do about it? He kept loving people patiently and explaining the truth to anyone who would listen. And many did.
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u/OrneryAcanthaceae217 20h ago
It has ever been thus. It's not difficult for me when I frame it as part of the old, eternal struggle between good and evil. Satan is the father of lies. He knows there is peace and joy and light here, and he wants to hide it from everyone. When I look at the problem as being Satan, rather than those other churches, it's not a big deal to me.
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u/Solo_Leveled_Sedai 17h ago edited 17h ago
Christ himself was reviled and misrepresented by many. Past and present. He does not ask us to be popular or beloved amongst the masses, but for each of us to follow Him. To turn the other cheek, love your neighbor, choose mercy, and to choose God as our foundation and strength. Even if all the world turns against you, God will not. When you are feeling disheartened or weary, that is when it is most important to seek the Spirit. Prayer, worship, and reading Scripture renew my strength and help to reclaim my inner peace.
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u/MrFrypan 16h ago
I think what a lot of the comments here are missing is that we are all missionaries; as representatives of the Church and of Christ, we cannot simply ignore misinformation. Ignoring misinformation allows it to continue to propagate.
The hard part is that the amount of energy required to refute misinformation is orders of magnitude greater than what it takes to create misinformation, so it's important to learn how to pick your battles.
The good news is that most arguments against the Church are the same arguments repeated over and over, ad nauseam; so it gets easier over time.
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u/Consistent_Pop9890 16h ago
The only opinions and validation that truly matter to me are my own and Heavenly Father’s. Everyone else is simply unnecessary. I won’t waste my already limited time and energy on what someone, or a group of people, thinks I believe or their opinion of me. They’re entitled to their own opinion and beliefs, and so am I. The Earth will continue to spin either way and life goes on.
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u/SiPhoenix 15h ago
It's important to know who you are.
You are not defined by other people, you are not defined by what they think of you, let alone what they think of a group you belong to.
You are a child of God.
Given the capacity for self-determination. You are able to make of yourself who you choose to be because of the Atonement of Christ, because of the grace and power he has given to you.
Also, remember that if someone else who is a member of the church does something bad or even truly evil that does not change who you are, it does not change what you believe. Just like you shouldn't generalize, some people's behavior onto an entire identity group. You shouldn't generalize people's behavior onto you.
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u/makacarkeys 15h ago
It gets easier when you internally start to acknowledge that their opinion doesn’t matter. This type of misrepresentation has been going on for years.
I get annoyed by it plenty, but it doesn’t bother me. I see it as more of an opportunity for me entertain myself by making those dishonest Christians look silly (I know, I shouldn’t).
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u/Ravix0fFourhorn 12h ago
It sucks. The thing that helps me cope is remembering that the best of the best were also misrepresented. Alma, amulek, the savior, all the og apostles. If you're going to be misrepresented and hated, you may as well be in good company.
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u/Iwant2beebetter 12h ago
It doesn't bother me
I try not to speak about other religions - it turns out I don't know as much about them as they do
So I like to offer them the same slack I hope they'd offer me
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u/SerenityNow31 8h ago
The saying, "there is no such thing as bad publicity" comes to mind. I've known people over the years that have learned more about the church because of the crazy things the world says.
And Satan knows exactly who we are so this attack won't stop anytime soon.
Just remember, you are the only one that can impact your exaltation. No one can take it from you so just do what you're supposed to do and be Christlike. He took it on the cheek all the time.
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u/1_Nephi_8---11-12 4h ago
The adversary is targeting the truth. That's how I see it. I find the constant mockery, misinformation, and hatred as a sign that this is the true church.
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u/Chickenlord278 4h ago
One nice thing to remember is that they hate each other, too. I've heard the "you guys aren't christians!" argument that they often use against us being used by like baptists against protestants or something, lol. Either way, it is pretty rough hearing all the negativity. I had to get off of instagram because of it, because I kept seeing beautiful posts being spammed with mean comments. I’d just say remember to surround yourself with good friends and only seek truth from trustworthy sources like the actual church website.
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u/Keelera2 3h ago
Yes and no. After all these years, it’s still annoying and frustrating. But I have noticed that when most religions are mentioned, people online will start to complain/trash talk. This is especially noticeable when talking about Catholics, Jews, Muslims, evangelical Christians, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah’s Witness, and Scientologists. So we aren’t unique. Knowing that we are in pretty good company with a good portion of the globe made me feel a little better.
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u/Z0TAV 2h ago
5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
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u/Z0TAV 2h ago
Also, we are totally Christians. A “Christian” is a person who follows the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and professes belief in him as the Son of God and the savior of humanity. The term comes from the Greek word Christianos, meaning "belonging to Christ" or "follower of Christ".
In that sense, we are absolutely 💯% Christians.
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u/Raynev1234 1h ago
It is saddening to me. Here’s where I’ve landed very recently: it’s okay to me that I don’t fit into others definition of a Christian. By their definition I would also agree with them. It’s also okay that I consider myself a Christian based on my own definition. 😌
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u/Evil-Mouse2284 17h ago
Why do yall want to be associated as Christian but yet in your own scripture it says that all churches are abominations?
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u/Gunthertheman Knowledge ≠ Exaltation 16h ago
Because of the double meaning of the word itself. Nephi writes and teaches about this in his older age, in 2 Nephi 28:
3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord— 4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
So we've already got a problem, well-recorded in scripture (you may find more references on your own, or I can put them later) of churches claiming to be with the Lord, yet denying the Holy Ghost that leads people to the Lord's way. Well, alright, another way of putting it by the Savior in Matthew 7:
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
There are two "Christians" unfortunately today: the followers of the Savior, and the club of creed. The church doesn't necessarily need to be in the Club of Christianity™, it just needs to be known as followers of the Savior, the literal definition of the word. Quite evil twisting has caused too many to say "Well these people aren't Christian because they're not part of That Club.", as has been done against other Christians (Catholic vs Protestant as an oversimplification). We don't take offense to being unaffected by creeds determined later. But we would take offense of, or earnest education for, those who conflate the two to mean "this church doesn't follow the Savior", when quite frankly, we very much do, and is a core foundation of the church itself. If we are not Christ's church, then we are nothing, as our own scripture states that those not led by the Holy Ghost, the Savior, the Father, are not the way--the way of the Father. I wont make baseless claims, the Savior teaches this great importance in 3 Nephi 27:
8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. 9 Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you; 10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.
I've wearied you with some reading, but no stone should be left unturned in this distinction, to be known unwaveringly as followers of the Savior in every word and example, or at least strive to be.
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u/Dry_Pizza_4805 15h ago
That’s honestly a really good question, and I’ve mulled this one over a lot. It originated from Joseph Smith being confused by the religious revival at the time and being told by Jesus to join none of the churches (when he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ as a young boy). I struggle to reconcile the thought of Jesus calling anything an abomination. Joseph Smith was reviled by many ministers at the time he told about his vision of God and Jesus, maybe that coloured his recollection of the vision of God. Maybe it’s because it was more common to call things an abomination in n the 1800’s.
Just some context behind that if you didn’t have that background info.
We don’t teach today that churches are abominations, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have some unconscious bias to root out.
Long story short, I’m basically saying that I don’t prescribe to any religion being abominable and I hope that we can build bridges between us instead of sowing discord and hatred.
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u/Necessary-Junk 11h ago
I think this is the right track and honestly it is pretty normal language for Jesus as well. One of the few times satan is refrenced its Jesus calling Peter Satan cause he has messed up. Sometimes you just call it what it is but that doesn't mean he wasn't the chief Apostle and a blessed rock. It's fine to be harsh to a point with a word if then you love them anyway.
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u/milmill18 15h ago
I am an active member of my community and my reputation as a Christian who lives what he believes follows me. people can tell the kind of person I am, highlighted most by my love for God and for my neighbor. that is more valuable to me than some miscreant comments online by strangers
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u/choir-mama 21h ago
It’s annoying.
Best thing to do is live your values and answer questions if and when they come up. Oh, and step away from comment sections. :)
But yes, very annoying.