Mr. Deity

[LazyGun]

This guy is new to me - anyone else familiar with him?

Series of short videos with high production values, and a humerous take on religion and the various more confusing elements of god, religion, hell, lucifer, mormonism, the works.....

They are a hoot!

http://www.youtube.co...deos?flow=grid&view=0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5_L1coztJ4&feature=plcp

[birdie1971]

Interesting video and nicely put together.

Speaking of the mormon religion, I was quite shocked to learn that US presidential candidate, Mitt Romney (himself a mormon), endorsed and was present at the posthumous 'baptism' of his own father-in-law, Mr Edward Davies. Davies was an engineer and an atheist and was opposed to all forms of organised religion.

It would appear that the 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' (aka. mormons) has a rather dubious recent history of posthumously baptising people into their church regardless of the dead person's views on such matters when they were alive. People such as Princess Diana, Elvis Presley, Adolf Hitler, Anne Frank, Steve Irwin, Pope John Paul II, Mohandas Gandhi, Joan of Arc, etc. have all all been posthumously press-ganged into the moron religion.

I know it's ultimately meaningless since the very idea of posthumously baptising someone is positively moronic but I also find the idea rather loathsome. It's like desecrating a grave – completely unnecessary and makes the perpetrator(s) look imbecilic.

[naomi24]

He’s new to me too and I shall watch the other videos. Like all the Abrahamic religions, Mormonism encourages division and hatred. There’s no sense in any of them.

As for baptising the dead, in reality it means nothing, but I’ve always thought that, on principle, it is an appalling thing to do. Again, arrogance reigns!!

[modeller]

This is pure politics . The Mormans have not been racist for the past 100 years , but he never mentioned that in any form. In fact they were leading members of the anti slavery movement. Like most of America they consider the whites to be superior . Most still do when you talk to them .

[LazyGun]

@Modeller - I think he does mention that, Modeller, toward the end of the video he says that he is not calling individual mormons racist. He says though, that so long as they believe in the literal word of their holy book, and as long as those chapters relating to skin colour as being a mark of evil, it will permeate their culture, and that sounds about right to me.

[LazyGun]

@Birdie - I would agree with you that this practice of baptizing the dead seems dishonest, and a kind of violation.

Wiki has the following paragraph about it;
"is currently practiced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), where it is performed only in dedicated temples, as well as in several (but not all) other current factions of the Latter-day Saint movement. Those who practice this rite view baptism as an indispensable requirement to enter the Kingdom of God, and thus practice Baptism for the Dead to give those who have died without ever having had the opportunity to receive baptism the opportunity to receive it by proxy. The LDS Church teaches that those who have died may choose to accept or reject the baptism done on their behalf."

Note that last sentence - The LDS magnanimously offer the dead the chance to reject the baptism - its comedic in its nonsense :)

As to mormons and allegations of racism - well, the policy against ordaining black ministers was in force until 1978. The policy against racial restrictions was not lifted until around 1978, following a supposed "revelation" - which was convenient, I guess.

I am no expert on the Mormon religion, but it is difficult to see how a culture that reveres a holy book so much, cannot fail to be influenced, even subconsciously, by what is such a clearly racist attitude.Lets hope there are plenty of prophets and revelations to amend the holy text.....

[naomi24]

//The Mormans have not been racist for the past 100 years//

That’s not true. After the death of Joseph Smith, black men were barred from the priesthood until 1978 when a ‘revelation’ from God decreed they were acceptable after all. If anything was political, it was that ‘revelation’. Funny how revelations often appear at a rather convenient time. Some claimed by Mohammed were a bit like that too.

http://en.wikipedia.o...elation_on_Priesthood

[modeller]

It's a mixed picture but Elijah Abel was ordained in 1836 . There were a number of ex slaves who became elders of the church at that time .
http://en.wikipedia.o...e_and_early_Mormonism

I think it aso became more racist for a while afterwards but Abel still kept his priesthood.

[wildwood]

LG //anyone else familiar with him? //

I first thought it was a young Rolf Harris. ☺

[naomi24]

modeller, //It's a mixed picture but Elijah Abel was ordained in 1836 .//

Joseph Smith died in 1844 - after Elijah Abel was ordained - but his successor, Brigham Young, had very different ideas.