From: jhays@boi.hp.com (John_D. Hays)
Subject: Re: Mormons and Human Statistics
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 16:44:25 GMT
Organization: Hewlett Packard - Boise Printer Division

In article <28o402v326Xo01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> agr00@juts.ccc.amdahl.com (TONY ROSE) writes:
>This letter is in response to the recent discussions of statistics in the
>Salt Lake, and other Utah areas.  I post these statistics, not to show how
>bad the LDS church is.  That is not my attempt.  My attempt is to
>disprove the claim that the LDS people are "better" people when it
>comes to morals and normal humanity problems.  These results are to only
>show that Mormons are normal sinful people just like everyone else.
>

>SALT LAKE CITY, UT --  A U.S. Department of Justice study has shown an
>                       alarming trend in the rise of sexual assaults
>                       and rapes between 1989 and 1991. The increase in
>                       the largely Mormon state of Utah is 59% over the
>                       last year.
>                       Crisis calls to the Salt Lake Rape Crisis Center
>                       jumped nearly 93% said the center's executive
>                       director Abby Trujillo Maestas. "The number
>                       never decreases. It only increases every day and
>                       every year," Ms. Maestas said.
>                       Utah is more than 77% Mormon and the LDs church
>                       has a hold over most of the state. Some

Interesting note:  Salt Lake City itself has a much lower LDS population component
                   (Salt Lake County's lower LDS population is offset by the high 90s
		   percentage of LDS in other counties such as Utah County [Provo-Orem])
		   and having lived there a number of times in my life, I have noted
		   that there seems to be a concerted effort by those who are non-LDS
		   or "rebellious" LDS to be somewhat aggressive in demonstrating their
		   rejection of the LDS norms.  So much so, that I had the impression
		   for a long time (a prejudice) that if one wasn't in the LDS Church
		   they definitely were abusive, adulterous, and self destructive ...
		   fortunately I have lived enough in different areas to find that not
		   to be the case, by a long shot, knowning now that there are some
		   very caring, loving, God fearing people in the world, who are doing
		   the best they can.  If anything, I would encourage non-LDS, especially
		   in Utah, to let your light shine so that this misconception can be
		   erased.  [Indeed, non-LDS with ties to non-LDS in Utah should
		   aggressively encourage their friends to help remove this 'jerk'
		   image.]

		   The association of "violent (sexually related)" crime and the fact
		   that there is a high LDS component, is like saying Mafia crime in
		   sicily or Drug cartels in Columbia are representative of the high
		   Catholic religious component.  Obviously evil can consume or befall
		   anyone regardless of religous affiliation.  I find it interesting
		   that you rarely see a headline "Presbyterian Father robs bank" but
		   all too often you will see "Mormon robs bank" --- a little prejudice?
		   Maybe?  In Northern Ireland you might see "Protestant Robs Bank" or
		   "Catholic Robs Bank" but in all of these cases the author/editor is
		   making a prejudicial political statement, shouldn't all be equally
		   incensed?

>                       publications have even listed parts of Utah as
>                       one of the best places in the world to live. Yet,
>                       the Rape Crisis Center here does not see Utah as a
>                       paradise but a troubled plave.  Ms. Maestas stated
>                       that the noted statistics indicate that there are
>                       a lot of people in the Salt Lake City area that
>                       are in crisis because of sexual assault.
>                       On top of the incerase in rape and sexual assault
>                       there has also been a 21% increase in the number
>                       of reported child abuse cases in 1991.  Ms. Maestas
>                       said that of the 939 rape victims counseled by
>                       crisis-center volunteers last year, more than 400
>                       of them were under the age of 14.  The youngest
>                       clients that the center has severd are a sexually
>                       assaulted 4-week old boy and a 2 1/2 year old
>                       female victim of rape.
>
>

Another side note: As another post pointed out, the overall rates for violent crimes
		   are low in Utah compared to the average for the country.  If you
		   have 1 murder in community in one year and the next year you have 3
		   it can be said that murder is 300% compared to the first year.

>free.  Once again, I am not trying to show the "bad" side of Mormonism,
>but as someone posted and inquired about the "successfullness" of Mormons,
>she has been fed the lie that Mormons are not normal when it comes to
>these things and that they are better.  This is not the case. They are as
>normal and as sinful as any other human organization.
>

Ah come on, if you weren't trying to show the '"bad" side' you wouldn't be in here
posting and attacking in the first place!!!  Are you lying to yourself or can't you
see it?  

I don't think anyone has claimed LDS were perfect or sinless. Maybe that the
standards are little higher, and that seems to make others uncomfortable.  The claim
to be the one "Authorized Church of Jesus Christ" really upsets a lot of people, but I
wouldn't want to belong to a Church that wasn't authorized by Christ, I would hope
that others would feel the same.

Yes LDS are successful, successful in bringing people to Christ, and usually this
makes the people so converted to Christ a better people.  As the LDS are successful
jealousy sets in by those who want everyone to be at their level, and they have to
find something to attack, so that they won't have to hold themselves to the same standards
they see the LDS striving for.  LDS don't expect you to live those standards, we just
want others to know Christ and follow him, when one does, the standards will follow.

>I have other statistics from the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News,
>(Mormon owned newspapers in SLC) with similar articles.  I will post these
>later.

Is the Tribune owned by the Church, I don't know for sure?  The Deseret News is,
however in any case they are not official publications of the Church .... indeed there
is remarkable editorial freedom for Church owned media (I'm not saying there isn't some
influence from the Church on the editorial freedom, but it is not singleminded, nor does
the Church review every item) ...

John
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