We ended up talking about amish people for a minute and now I'm curious. Do people in european countries have groups like amish, scientologist and mormons? Thats just a few off the top of my head but I assume nobody in the middle east would ever see a picture of an amish family and think that they were american. Just wondering if you guys know what those groups are and/or if you have your own groups as well.

Mormons and Scientologist both exist in Europe as well.

For minority groups the Roma/Gypsies come to mind.

There's scientologists and mormons in Australia too -- those cults seem pretty global these days.

There's plenty of ethnic minorities in Australia with 1 in 5 people having been born overseas (or 1 in 3 people in my city). The indigenous population (Australian aborigines) are actually a pretty small minority, making up about 1 in 50 people.
Some of the ethnic groupings here probably wouldn't be recognised by Americans/Europeans (i.e. non-pacific people) - e.g. Micronesians, Polynesians, Melanesians.

There's scientologists and mormons in Australia too -- those cults seem pretty global these days.

There's plenty of ethnic minorities in Australia with 1 in 5 people having been born overseas (or 1 in 3 people in my city). The indigenous population (Australian aborigines) are actually a pretty small minority, making up about 1 in 50 people.
Some of the ethnic groupings here probably wouldn't be recognised by Americans/Europeans (i.e. non-pacific people) - e.g. Micronesians, Polynesians, Melanesians.

Mormons is a cult? How so?

Mormons is a cult? How so?

I think I saw a post elsewhere that said you followed the latter day saints, so I'm sorry if this is offensive. There's no such thing as the absolute truth, and we're all entitled to believe in our own version of the truth...
...however, in my truth, the Mormon prophet was a known criminal, fraud, medium, charlatan, etc... who founded a fake religion with the purpose of obtaining fame, wealth and polygamist sex for himself. I personally regard such self-serving religious inventions as cults. That's the way I interpret the facts. You're free to interpret them as the acts of a prophet though.

For minority groups the Roma/Gypsies come to mind.

This reminds me of a classic Wizard of Id cartoon from the funny papers, where someone tells the monarch that he sees a band of gypsies coming. The latter says "quick, raise the drawbridge!", but it's too late as the other says "what drawbridge?" (implying the gypsies even stole the drawbridge).

As someone from Eastern Europe, where there's heavy gypsy infestation, I can only confirm how apt this cartoon is. Thievery and other petty crime is rampant among the gypsy population. While I wouldn't say the origin is genetic, quite clearly it is a fundamental, if uncodified, aspect of their culture. It has little to do with their economic conditions, as these are largely self-inflicted. During the past when my country of origin was still under communist rule, they were afforded the same opportunities (and restrictions of course) as every other member of the proletariat, yet they still stood out with their degenerate social behavior and complete and pure lack of any moral and ethical substance.

The ameliorating circumstances regarding the gypsies are that they are not well organized and lack drive and ambition, which tempers their potential for destructive influence to Western civilization. This makes them purely a nuisance (and you see France etc. deal with them in such a manner), as opposed to the the West's existential threats of widespread and increasingly empowered Islamic fundamentalism, and the amoral and repressive but efficient Chinese state capitalism.

...however, in my truth, the Mormon prophet was a known criminal, fraud, medium, charlatan, etc... who founded a fake religion with the purpose of obtaining fame, wealth and polygamist sex for himself. I personally regard such self-serving religious inventions as cults. That's the way I interpret the facts. You're free to interpret them as the acts of a prophet though.

I am amused by this. You know nothing of the religion.

[quote name='Zeraan' timestamp='1298006687' post='4775713']
Mormons is a cult? How so?

I think I saw a post elsewhere that said you followed the latter day saints, so I'm sorry if this is offensive. There's no such thing as the absolute truth, and we're all entitled to believe in our own version of the truth...
...however, in my truth, the Mormon prophet was a known criminal, fraud, medium, charlatan, etc... who founded a fake religion with the purpose of obtaining fame, wealth and polygamist sex for himself. I personally regard such self-serving religious inventions as cults. That's the way I interpret the facts. You're free to interpret them as the acts of a prophet though.
[/quote]

I can understand why you'd think it's a cult based on that article. But it is biased against Mormons, you'd need to consider both sides to give it a fair opinion. One example, Joseph did show the golden plates to 11 other people, that article implied that he never showed it to anyone.

Don't worry, I'm not offended, I'm just weary of people bashing Mormons as a cult full of mysterious occults and secrets. Most people that I've met that are anti-Mormon have only read articles that are biased against Mormons, and don't know what our actual beliefs are. A friend even had a person ask him if he had horns growing on his head.

I can consider Catholics to be a cult full of pedophiles and cannibals (eating literal flesh and blood of Jesus through transmutation or whatever) who believe in a bisexual God (Priests and nuns are married to Jesus), but that's one biased view, and not fair to Catholics.[/quote]
Well I think most people know that a small minority of priests have done this, so to say 'full of pedophiles' is weird. Just because some priests' have done it doesnt mean catholics believe it. Just because a few muslims are suicide bombers doesnt mean they all are. His argument is what mormans actually believe and how the religion was founded. All religions have their extreme wackjobs (like that one church that protests military funerals). On a side note I think all child molesters should be put away for life, but whats sad is that if a priest does it everyone goes nuts, but when michael jackson did it, we buy his tickets and praise his funeral. People just WANT to hate other religions, they just need a reason. All I know about mormons is what a south park episode told me and that was hilarious.

I can consider Catholics to be a cult full of pedophiles and cannibals (eating literal flesh and blood of Jesus through transmutation or whatever) who believe in a bisexual God (Priests and nuns are married to Jesus), but that's one biased view, and not fair to Catholics.

Well I think most people know that a small minority of priests have done this, so to say 'full of pedophiles' is weird. Just because some priests' have done it doesnt mean catholics believe it. Just because a few muslims are suicide bombers doesnt mean they all are. His argument is what mormans actually believe and how the religion was founded. All religions have their extreme wackjobs (like that one church that protests military funerals). On a side note I think all child molesters should be put away for life, but whats sad is that if a priest does it everyone goes nuts, but when michael jackson did it, we buy his tickets and praise his funeral. People just WANT to hate other religions, they just need a reason. All I know about mormons is what a south park episode told me and that was hilarious.
[/quote]

Well, that's what happens when you "twist" something in what it's not. I edited out the Catholic part a few moments after I posted it, because I felt that it wasn't appropriate and can be insulting to Catholics. But the point is, people see flaws, or sometimes see things that are not there, and blow it all out of proportion.

You focused on "full of pedophiles", while disregarding the rest of the statement, I said that view is not fair because not all catholics are pedophiles (a very few, maybe hundreds out of a billion people?). But people can twist the news to suit their view, and that was what I was trying to point out. I wasn't trying to insult the Catholics, I respect their beliefs and the people.

Hodgman's arguments are not what the Mormons believe. I've studied Joseph Smith's history (both sides of view), while he do have his flaws, he wasn't what Hodgman described him as.

Heh, that south park episode, I've heard about it, but never seen it. I should watch it sometime