Why are people so against the Mormons?

[Aristocles]

I research for such an organization. Whatever the case, WE are here now. I may be biased also, but I think WE too can be misguided/silly, etc. I have participated in forum topics regarding the forum misguidedness, and it too wilted.

I visited Mormon.org and the first thing I got was the key to happiness, if I give personal information, I will be sent a book with such a blueprint. Again, I too may be biased, but I am partial to happiness. Can we perhaps do the opposite, while we wait for better reasons to dislike Mormons, and tease out some Mormon distinct happiness?

[LuckyR]

Where I come from most people are not against the Mormons, they are just regarded as misguided silly people who believe an obviously made-up religion.

Good point.
Problem: Lack of knowledge
Solution: Learn and research from Mormons themselves. No Bible bashing!
How is that?

Aside from a semantical diversion of "against" not equating to misguided silliness of that which is obviously false, this view appears to beg the question: what organized group is not misguided, silly & false?

I would say the Mormons, but that would be a biased opinion as I am a Mormon, so I advise research (not just on Mormon.org) to see if there is any such organization.

It is at best an oversimplification or just plain incorrect that learning more about the history of the Mormon church (solving the lack of knowledge) will universally lead to a more positive feeling about the church.

[-0+]

this view appears to beg the question: what organized group is not misguided, silly & false?

Any organised group that one belongs to and identifies with is unlikely to be viewed as misguided, silly, and false (unless one views oneself as misguided, silly, and false).

[Aristocles]

this view appears to beg the question: what organized group is not misguided, silly & false?

Any organised group that one belongs to and identifies with is unlikely to be viewed as misguided, silly, and false (unless one views oneself as misguided, silly, and false).

Probably. As many pointed out, what is so particular to Mormonism? We tend to dislike ourselves, but we tend to not be comfortable addressing it, so we attack those for which we deem "different." The group dynamic is a further complication of that individual struggle.

Does this better address the question of why people are against Mormons?

[Lark_Truth]

Perhaps it does, and by far that seems to be the best answer that I've read on this post. Can anyone match it?

[Eduk]

It is certainly a factor that some people who attack others do so out of general dislike of themselves.
It would perhaps be better to be more specific and say they are most against what they most see in themselves but reject. For example some of the strongest anti gay sentiment comes from people who are gay but are, sadly, against themselves.
I suspect some people who are against the mormon religion because it is obviously man made do so out of hatred that they see their own religion in the exact same way.
Certainly it is a very common theme that people seem to strongly dislike themselves. Christianity is in part founded on the very idea that we are all born straight into sin before we have committed a single action. So clearly a lot of people 'like' this idea, or it at least has a profound hold on them.
But having said all that it's not the total summation of all reasons for disliking something. Just a part of the answer.
Some people for example aren't against Mormons as people but believe the religion is man made and ultimately harmful. To most Mormons there would be no distinction but that does not mean the distinction is not there.

[-0+]

As many pointed out, what is so particular to Mormonism? We tend to dislike ourselves, but we tend to not be comfortable addressing it, so we attack those for which we deem "different." The group dynamic is a further complication of that individual struggle.

Does this better address the question of why people are against Mormons?

How does this address the question of why people are against Mormons compared to other religious groups, especially groups that are more different?

People are more likely to be against others who they feel are against them or some kind of threat to them. If a group is perceived to be harmless, people are less likely to be strongly against them, no matter how different or silly they may appear to be.

[Lark_Truth]

Okay, one thing that I have heard is that some other christian churches dislike the Mormons because they keep "stealing" their members.
Could that be perceived as a logical threat, -0+?

[-0+]

Okay, one thing that I have heard is that some other christian churches dislike the Mormons because they keep "stealing" their members.
Could that be perceived as a logical threat, -0+?

Any organisations that compete to gain more people (members, customers, voters, etc) can be viewed as threats to each other to some extent.

If one church successfully gains members from another, this could naturally lead to feelings of dislike, but it can go deeper than this.

Consider political parties. They could just say positive things about their own parties to try to gain more voters, but if they say negative things about opposition parties then this is likely to end up going both ways and increase animosity between them.

If one denomination teaches that other denominations are corrupt and an abomination in God's sight, then the other denominations may not appreciate this and they may teach denigrating things about the one denomination in return.

However, individuals are less likely to be concerned about threats to church membership than they are about threats to their own identity and relationships they care about.

What is it about the most controversial religious groups that makes them so controversial? Perhaps it is the effect they have on their members?

The bigger the conversion effect, the more power and influence the group has over its members, the more concerning this may be for outsiders.

Even if members believe the group has a positive effect on them, outsiders may disagree. They may compare the person and their relationship with that person before and after the conversion. If the comparison is not favourable in their view, they may feel that the group has had a negative effect on the person, and this may cause them to dislike the group.

[Lark_Truth]

Applause and cheering