From the only Mormon on the Inf Team. (i think)

[Buddy_Pickle]

Megaman, and everyone else who cares about this...

Yes, the Pickle is indeed a active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (The Mormons)

I go every Sunday, I teach a group of 12 year olds, I am an assistant scout master to these same kids on Wednesday nights. I have three kids who go every week, and my wife goes, and teaches a Sunday school class herself. I pay tithing, don't drink or smoke, was a virgin till the day I got married, and try to live many other Christian lifestyle attributes the best I can each day. There are days I fail miserably, but that is not my point here.

My point is, I am completely comfortable with my choice, and my personal belief system. I adhere to a religion that teaches my children, among other things, to treat others with openness and respect, to love your family, to take care of your body, to work hard, to pursue an education, to give to others, to share what you have, and to pray. I am really thankful for these kinds of principles, and I am happy to include them as part of my families life.

I could care less about any criticisms, name calling, or verbal attack levied against me or what I believe in. I am completely content in that way. When lived in Mississippi, I lived with bigotry towards my affiliation every single day! I have Baptist friends that live in Utah, that feel the same thing directed towards them.

It all comes down to who YOU are. What others say about you does not matter, and what you say about them does not matter. What matters is that you are true to yourself, and to those you obligate yourselves to. (Family, children, spouse, friends, etc.) I can't speak for the other Mormons living in Utah or Idaho, or the 11 million others out there, but a core belief in our religion is that of not judging others, or discriminating against others with beliefs that may differ from our own. As for me, I choose to follow that line of thinking. Everyone else can do what they want, because in the end, it just won't matter what a guy down the street did in his life that I disagree with, it will be all about what kind of man, father, husband, friend, and person I tried to be.

Anyway, just wanted to give my 2 cents on the issue.

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Buddy_Pickle
RealMaps Co-Founder / Web Guy

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[Dragon]

Well Said!

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[CBuzz]

Reasons why BP is one of the those people you should be glad you've happened to come across in life.

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[Alpha_9]

I have always admired the way the Mormon Chuch so actively proselytizes around the world in such a completely non-judgemental manner, never preaching down to people, never saying "damnation will be yours if you don't follow us". They use a very enlightened, compassionate approach that I think is responsible for their great success. Kudos to you folks!
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"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

John Donne

[the real pacman]

Well I guess I did take it a bit too far. You are right I should't be worrying about the guy down the street or anyone else for that matter. Its just the fact that they would actually insult people like that for no apparent reason. I guess it all has to do with back a few years my best friend was ex-communicated from the church for just such a thing.

He was fairly racist and one day took it over the line. He called a girl a "******" in school one day and was suspended. For that the church did not want him to be affiliated with them and asked him to leave. Ever since then I was worried that if I ever said the wrong thing I would get the boot aswell...

To make a long story short it is just that if he can't do it, and if he gets ex-communicated for something like that, everyone else should be treated the same. Anyways thank you Pickle I really needed to know that I wasn't the only LDS around here. It sucks being alone.. Trust me on that one.

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Sometimes I feel like you want me to fail...

Pacman@planetunreal.com

[Warren]

I'd like to share my views- because hey, I just don't get to that often. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I was stationed in Utah and have lived there for almost 6 years. Unfortunately, my experience with mormons has been unpleasant to say the least. I worked for the government, and my wife in the private sector- we both had a hard time. Both of us are unpracticing catholics, so we come from a biased background. However, I think we're both very open minded people so I don't feel we were coming into Utah expecting the worst.

One example I love to share, because I find it so hilarious, yet unfortunately sums up both my wife and my experience there. When my wife and I moved into our first house, I was working nightshift in the military. One evening, my wife answered the door to find a lady standing there holding a cake. She welcomed us to the neighborhood and started making chit-chat. Well, then she asked her what time my wife and I would be in church on Sunday- that's when my wife had to break it to the poor woman that we weren't LDS.. she tried to take the cake away!!! LOL! Well, needless to say, we weren't visited by any neighbors- weren't invited for dinner- we've tried to make friends there, but just didn't turn into anything. That lasted for two years, and finally we were able to move to Portland- a city so diverse in culture that we feel right at home.

Anyway, truth is we lived in a small town, but my architect wife worked in a larger town 30 minutes away and was constantly talked down to. Only friends she REALLY had at work were those who were also not LDS... or not practicing. I was in the military, so I was surrounded by all different kinds of people- but outside the base it was a different story.

Well rather than hate all mormons, I did research on their beliefs- fact is, I don't appreciate what they believe in at all.. but I certainly don't find it's my right to curse and hate them as a group. I don't practice catholicism because I don't agree with everything they believe in either. Guys like BuddyPickle have truly been incredible friends. We never really had the chance to meet in person (he was still pretty far south of me), but he's somebody you could always count on putting your needs above his. I have met and been good friends with countless people who are LDS. I think the point is to treat people as individuals. Let their actions speak for themselves, rather than their religion or ethnic background. I wish my experiences in Utah were different, and I've lived in other areas of the country that were diverse in other religions. But other than the middle east, where we are vocally unwelcome, my time in Utah wasn't as pleasant as it could have been.

[the real pacman]

So does that make ME a bad person?

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Sometimes I feel like you want me to fail...

Pacman@planetunreal.com

[Buddy_Pickle]

Warrens experience here was to say the least, embarrassing for me to hear. (We talked about it long ago, before his leaving to Portland.)

It embarrasses me because those people, who showed him such crappy friendship and attitude, have very specific things the religion teaches them. Specifically, friendship and kindness to ALL PEOPLE!! Not just other Mormons. I have a Catholic buddy that complains of the same cruddy behavior by fellow parishioners in New Orleans where he calls home. (That area could be compared to Utah in the sheer number of people being numbered in that cities majority religion.)

I think that majorities are a dangerous thing. They create separatism, and a sense of justification, even if to the outsider, the behavior seems totally inappropriate. Sometimes I suppose it is even more potent in the Mormon culture due to the fact that we are so vocal about all the rules we place on our lives. (The smoking, drinking, sex, lying, things for example. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif)

But there is one truth here that makes me feel a bit better about this phenomenon: The fact that individual people, regardless of race, religious affiliation, or sex, can rise above it all. They can live their lives in a way that exemplifies the very existence of a higher being, regardless of the name used to describe him or her.

The battle is only won on a personal level...I really believe that. Example: Our leader in the LDS faith, Gordon B. Hinkley, wrote a NY Times best seller, called "Stand for Something." A great, non-denominational book that touched on trying to bring back values in our society like honesty, friendship to all, civic duty, etc.

Well anyway, Senator Joseph Leiberman endorsed the book for its high moral content. And he, and our church took a BEATING by some! Becuase Leiberman is Jewish? Nope. It was because our church, like the Catholic faith, speaks out against abortion, with the only exceptions being the life of the mother being threatened, or incest. And the senator is pro-abortion!!

Arrrggghghg! My point is that Jesus and Mohamed may not agree on everything, but you can bet they would probably be friends.

Anyway, did not mean to ramble on.

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Buddy_Pickle
RealMaps Co-Founder / Web Guy

Infiltration Webmaster / PR Man

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[the real pacman]

Well said Pickle. I read that book and I had to forget about it because it made me hate everyone else for being suck idiots. I hate society and the way it functions.

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Sometimes I feel like you want me to fail...

Pacman@planetunreal.com

[Mojo.the.Red]

Hurray for unpracticing catholics!

Of course, despite the fact that everybody knows Catholicism is the superior religion (of course!), its unfair to measure somebody's perception of God. All of the major religions that have survived to this day all believe in one superior being, be they Christian, Jew, Muslim. Even Hindus have the one "High" God, the master of all other Gods -- comparable to God and His angels. If you read the Muslim Koran (I hope I've spelt that right, I've seen it Q'ran as well,) a certain scripture reads "God gave Mohammed the same religion as Jesus and Moses" -- which is why I have difficulty understanding so many clashes. Just because Moses, Jesus, or Mohammed happens to be the prophet of your particular region of people, just because they happen to be the philosopher who's beliefs you trust in the most, does not change the fact that we ultimately share the same belief in the Creator, whatever He may be. To say somebody's religion is false is insane... (except for Anglicans, I have a hard time accepting a religion based on an English King's desire to divorce his wife as legitimacy. But they're just Catholics with divorce, so big deal.)

As for abortion, I have a hard time swallowing it.

I mean, sure, I believe in a woman's right to choose. I just think that choice was made when she spread her legs. Period

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[perrin98]

damn.. i'm sorry BP...i made a comment about mormons the other day, and now i feel bad. the only mormons i know are annoying 15 year old girls...i meant nothing against you. sorry about that, i meant to be slightly humorous, i didnt mean to offend anyone. my apologies.

Lord Perrin

War comes down to he with pointiest stick

[Buddy_Pickle]

hehe...no prob LordPerrin. Like stated earlier, none of that stuff really offends me. I just wanted those who may have firm stereotypes of LDS people in their minds to take a second look, and realize that we are as diverse a group as anyone.

But again, np man. Your post here proves the kind of guy you are and I appreciate it.

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Buddy_Pickle
RealMaps Co-Founder / Web Guy

Infiltration Webmaster / PR Man

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[I_ABuGa]

Thank You BP, you've reaffirmed my faith in religion as a whole. Its nice to know there are practicing believers such as yourself that are open minded and forthcoming to others.

The only reason I've never taken on a religion is that most of the practising believers are really... not nice people to be around. I've had loads of bad experiences from both relationships and work due to religion, and wonder regularly if the world would have been a better place were that religion did not exist or that jesus and mohammed were revealed and proven to be brothers.

[Platypus_Corpse]

ha just a quote hehe i dont really want to go to hell butt the church can kiss my butt i have no respect for the church. God well thats diff. Hes not sure if i exist and im not sure if he does either. So do he that created the Platypus we thank u. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

What did the optimistic platypus say to the sad platypus?


Don't be such a pouty-puss!

[Cap'n Beeb]

/me hands BuddyPickle a 40oz of his fav liqour

Well said! Even though about every time a Mormon has spoken to me, it has been in a negative way, I still have respect towards 'em. Hell, I even have a couple of buds who are mormon, and they are the greatest couple of friends I have ever had.

Out.

WHEN I'M GOD EVERYBODY DIES!!!

-Marilyn Manson

Youth is wasted on the young.