"Whatever it is that Mormonism has, quite clearly, it works sociologically speaking."

Exactly. It's an absolutely bullshit religion, and it works.

Could it be made better? Maybe. I hope so, because certainly it has problems. But clearly there is a lesson somewhere in Mormonism's success, if we are able to learn it.

In fact, I suspect that Mormonism's craziness could be a significant source of its success, as its most intelligent practitioners will realize early on that the practice is more important than the theory, and act accordingly for the good of the community instead of wasting much time attempting to reconcile the irreconcilable.

I wonder sometimes if the Mormons could set up an affiliate program for people like me who don't want to be bothered with the silly origin story and magical underwear, but still think highly of the many practical accomplishments of the church and their penchant for long term thinking. However, I'm not sure that the system would work without at least some of the craziness - and the hard part is knowing which parts.




Baldur