Mormons against Democracy

I was reading about a recent controversy in the LDS Church and noticed that in the comments section of the official Mormon Newspaper in Salt Lake that a person had written the following:

"Let's get one thing clear here... The LDS church is not a democracy. If you have a problem with the doctrine either get over it or leave, it's that simple. The doctrine of the church comes from God, not from men, so who are men (and women) to question the authority and doctrines of God? Come on people! You can argue and 'discuss' all you want, but that will never change the facts or the church's stand on issues."

So many times while I was in the Mormon Church I heard that same line: The LDS Church is not a democracy !


Okay, so what is it then?



If it's not a democracy, it must be a fascist or communist styled governing system. Perhaps it's more like Iran where religious law overrides secular law. But the fact that Mormons define the LDS Church as "not a democracy"raises the question of whether Mormons view Democracy as a good form of government or not. An interesting discussion of what form of government Mormons really want can be found in this article but without going into that depth of discussion here, I can offer my observations of the ideas and attitudes I came across during my time in Mormonism.



From my experience, I'd have to say that it's a theocratic dictatorship with the First Presidency and Quorum of the twelve acting as a Supreme Soviet. If anyone looks at the LDS Church and thinks that I'm being extreme, imagine Barack Obama saying the following at the Democratic National Convention:



"Obedience is a fundamental law of the the United States Government. It is not only the demonstration of our loyalty but also will be the foundation of my administration. But the philosophical standard of the world holds that unquestioning obedience equals blind obedience, and blind obedience is mindless obedience. This is simply not true. Unquestioning obedience to an Obama Administration indicates that a person has developed faith and trust in me to the point where he or she considers all inspired instruction — whether it be from my Cabinet members or the words of my administration — to be worthy of obedience."

Obama would be thrown out and Hillary would get the nomination hands down. Yet in the LDS Church, the main governing idea is unquestioning obedience to the brethren.

Perhaps this was one of the main reasons I left Mormonism. I was raised in the American Democracy and love it's freedoms. I can't and won't accept any other form of government in my life. I won't live my life behind a Zion Curtain.