Undercover atheists in LDS Church

[Apex]

They Do It So You Don’t Have To | Friendly Atheist

Looks like an atheist couple recently went through all the motions to join the LDS Church so they could talk about it on a podcast. Do you think think it is ethical for people to lie to others just to get an inside look at their beliefs?

Ross Blocher and Carrie Poppy have an excellent podcast in which they try out all the skeptical things you always hear about.
In recent months, they’ve gotten ear-candled, visited a Sikh Gurdwara, and — this is impressive — gone through five months’ worth of classes in order to become official Mormons.

 

[Splarnst]

I have no problem with it, as long as they don't intentionally hurt anyone.

And if we're really concerned about lying, shouldn't we be talking about the authoring of the Book of Mormon?

 

[Breathe]

I don't like people lying.

By all means, visit for curiosity. Why lie and profess belief in something you don't have, though? Looks ignorant.

 

[silvermoon383]

5 months of classes? I don't remember those.

 

[Revoltingest]

They Do It So You Don’t Have To | Friendly Atheist

Looks like an atheist couple recently went through all the motions to join the LDS Church so they could talk about it on a podcast. Do you think think it is ethical for people to lie to others just to get an inside look at their beliefs?

Hmmmm....tricky. Undercover investigations have their use. I'd prefer to do so without lying though.

 

[Me Myself]

I just think and how sad all their mormon brothers will feel when they know they were tricked they would be like "oh...I thought you view us as brothers ... not test subjects..."

I don´t know, it feels... not well. As I understand people are emotional about this stuff, I know it is not the intent, but it plays with other people´s emotions :/

I mean it´s not one person for a little while, its a whole community for months.

I don´t think such an approach was called for, but honestly, who am I to say?

 

[MissAlice]

Well I've had to go to churches with other people unwillingly just to make them feel better. I had a friend who's family asked me how I felt when worshiping in the house of the lord, did I feel His divine presence? I hid my true feelings and said something to the point of interesting, since it worth a try. I don't see any harm with this. Education including a religious one is probably much healthier to the atheist than just being an atheist for atheist sake.

 

[Madhuri]

On a scale of good-to-horrible, I'd call this mild. It isn't nice, but it isn't a huge deal.

 

[Splarnst]

I can best evaluate this by reversing the situation:

Let's say a pair of devout Mormons regularly came to meetings of a local atheist group and pretended to be atheists themselves for half a year, and at the end, they produced a podcast about their experience. If I were a member of the group, how would I feel about the couple?

I'd feel surprised. I might feel a little stupid for thinking they were authentic. I might even be a little upset, but not really that much. It just doesn't seem to be that big a deal. One thing is for sure though: I'd want to listen to their podcast to hear what they said about us.

 

[Katzpur]

Since I value integrity above pretty much any other quality, I find their charade pretty pathetic. Maybe they didn't actually "hurt" anybody, but it still was dishonest and disingenuous.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Skepticism is one thing, but what is learned from this? What can they be skeptical about in becoming Mormon? My first thought is that this is simply being mean-spirited in the name of skepticism.

 

[Splarnst]

How many of you have actually listened to the two episodes?

I just did. At the end, they explained the entire situation to everyone involved. The elders who instructed them aren't angry at them. They now know about the podcast. They didn't tell them to go away. They asked them to keep coming. They even agreed to a two-way conversation about their beliefs!

It's really easy to condemn the podcasters knowing very little about the situation.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

How many of you have actually listened to the two episodes?

Not I! I made a judgement based on what I read on the linked site.

I just did. At the end, they explained the entire situation to everyone involved. The elders who instructed them aren't angry at them. They now know about the podcast. They didn't tell them to go away. They asked them to keep coming. They even agreed to a two-way conversation about their beliefs!

It's really easy to condemn the podcasters knowing very little about the situation.

Good on them!

 

[McBell]

What I do not understand is the why the need for secrecy?
I have as yet to visit a Mormon Church and be treated like anything other than a member.
Nor have I ever been told anything like "Well you are not a Mormon so we cannot answer that question."

I have had specific individuals tell me they do not know, but they directed me to someone who did know the answer.

 

[no-body]

What I do not understand is the why the need for secrecy?
I have as yet to visit a Mormon Church and be treated like anything other than a member.
Nor have I ever been told anything like "Well you are not a Mormon so we cannot answer that question."

I have had specific individuals tell me they do not know, but they directed me to someone who did know the answer.

I think the implication is there are hidden Mormon teachings that aren't revealed to the public.

 

[Splarnst]

I have no idea why they actually got baptized. It didn't seem at all necessary to achieve their goals.

 

[Father Heathen]

They Do It So You Don’t Have To | Friendly Atheist

Looks like an atheist couple recently went through all the motions to join the LDS Church so they could talk about it on a podcast. Do you think think it is ethical for people to lie to others just to get an inside look at their beliefs?

It was rather deceitful, dishonest, and not very ethical at all.

 

[Mazdak]

I think it's a bit excessive just to make a mockery of a religion you are skeptical about.

Then again, I've known divinity school professors who have been there for decades - and who were also life-long atheists. I could never figure out why they would teach something they didn't believe in, until I actually sat in on a class taught by an atheist professor: the purpose was to sow doubt and to mock his religious students. Some people seem to get a rush out of acting like this.

 

[Father Heathen]

I think the implication is there are hidden Mormon teachings that aren't revealed to the public.

Surely if they had some astounding secrets they would've been leaked by ex-members long ago.

 

[Splarnst]

I think it's a bit excessive just to make a mockery of a religion you are skeptical about.

There was no mockery of any kind in the two hours of material. You don't know what you're talking about.