Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Money has an uncanny knack of getting people to rationalize just about anything.<< I was just telling my parole officer that this morning...
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Baha`i is interesting - thanks for that, Dave. I'm leaning towards solipism, though. That way none of the rest of you exist, so there's nothing to worry about. Politically I could go for complete and total anarchy, with me in charge.
Originally Posted By Mr X I'm going with jedi myself. Although it's a little known splinter group of the religion not many people know about. Very few of us in it actually. Only two. )
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Actually Mr X, we put jedi down as our religion in the last UK census, along with 1.3m other people in the uk
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Actually Mr X, we put jedi down as our religion in the last UK census, along with 1.3m other people in the uk>> Weak the forces is with you, hhhmmmmmm?
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka I agree with dave about the Baha`i religion. There are so many paths to God. I think one of the things that will be tough for any member of LDS to run for office (outside of Utah) is that there is a chance that people will innocently request information about the religion, honestly wanting to learn about it, and might be shut down by someone saying "it's sacred and I can't/won't talk about it". It is only going to reinforce the "cult" idea and it could be a real hurtle for any politician to jump. (Not saying it's right or wrong, just that it exists.)
Originally Posted By jonvn And what if someone does decide to talk about it? The President is going to run off and quit in a huff? Do some other drastic thing? Obviously, this is not a state secret, but it is some sort of secret to the point where OTHER people talking about it is enough to cause someone to become emotionally distraught. you can't have someone like that be in charge of anything.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo >>>you can't have someone like that be in charge of anything.<<< a number of presidents have been been Masons, none of them have given away the Blue Lodge secrets.
Originally Posted By jonvn Yes, but do they get hysterical when their "secrets" are disclosed by non members? Do they actually go out and prosyletize for this secret society? It's not quite the same thing. BTW, has anyone been to the first Mason Hall down by Olvera Street? I think it's still used. It's next to the Pico House. I went in there once, it was the creepiest looking thing I've ever seen.
Originally Posted By fkurucz <<Do they actually go out and prosyletize for this secret society?>> I've never had Freemasons knock on my door, so I suppose that the answer is no. But not too long ago they didn't have to. It was very popular to belong to these type of organizations at one time. So much so that the Catholic Church, which frowned on Catholics joining them, started the Knights of Columbus so that they could have an "approved" lodge they could join. I think that the "secrecy" thing was somehow a big selling point in years past, as the KofC also have silly secret rituals. Much like the Freemasons the Knights of Columbus are now a relic of the past. Most knights are old geezers, and as their generation passes away the KofC will fade away with them.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>I've never had Freemasons knock on my door<< Someone who wants to join has to ask a Freemason to become a member. They don't (according to various Mason sites) solicit membership.
Originally Posted By jonvn "But not too long ago they didn't have to. It was very popular to belong to these type of organizations at one time." Yes, these organizations used to be very popular. Not so much anymore. My father-in-law was in the Rotary Club, which is pretty much a business and charity organization. I suppose you could call this sort of thing what we do here a similar sort of venture. Groups getting together with a common interest to do whatever. "Much like the Freemasons the Knights of Columbus are now a relic of the past" I don't think the Masons are such a relic. They're a pretty big group.
Originally Posted By jonvn <a href="http://www.freemasonry.org/" target="_blank">http://www.freemasonry.org/</a>
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan According to a 2004 article in USA Today, membership peaked in 1959 at 4.1 million members. Over the years, the numbers dropped to 1.6 million members by 2004. The article is about a recruitment drive to make the organization appealing to younger members, ages 21-55. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/2004-11-30-freemasons_x.htm" target="_blank">http://www.usatoday.com/life/2 004-11-30-freemasons_x.htm</a>
Originally Posted By jonvn Here is an article on the site, though, that says FreeMasonry is on the decline in North America: https://freemasonry.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=54
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan BY comparison, there are 13 million members of the LDS. <a href="http://www.allaboutmormons.com/number_of_mormons.php" target="_blank">http://www.allaboutmormons.com /number_of_mormons.php</a>
Originally Posted By jonvn How many are active LDS members, and how many leave each year vs. get recruited? I think we should all become Masons.
