Microsoft Founder, NFL Owner, Paul Allen speaks out on Mormons~

Paul Allen is the owner of the Seattle Seahawks, the ones who played
the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Super Bowl a few years ago. He is also
the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers NBA basketball team and is
co-partner with Bill Gates in Microsoft. He wrote this editorial in the
Santa Clarita, California newspaper:

I have heard and seen enough! I have lived in the West all my life. I
have worked around them. They have worked for me and I for them. When I
was young, I dated their daughters. When I got married they came to my
wedding. Now that I have daughters of my own, some of their boys have
dated my daughters. I would be
privileged if one of them were to be my son-in-law.

I'm talking about the Mormons.

They are some of the most honest, hardworking people I have ever known.
They are spiritual, probably more than most other so-called religious
people I have encountered. They study the Bible and teach from it as
much as any Christian church ever has. They serve their religion
without pay in every conceivable capacity. Not one of their leaders,
teachers, counselors, Bishops or music directors receive one dime for
the hours of labour they put in.

The Mormons have a non-paid ministry - a fact that is not generally
known. I have heard many times from the pulpits of others how evil and
non-Christian they are and that they will not go to heaven. I decided
recently to attend one of their services near my home to see for
myself.

What a surprise!

What I heard and saw was just the opposite from what the religious
ministers of the day were telling me. I found a very simple service
with no fanfare. I found a people with a great sense of humour and a
well-balanced spiritual side. There was no loud music. Just a simple
service, with the members themselves giving the several short sermons.

They urge their youth to be morally clean and live a good life. They
teach the gospel of Christ, as they understand it. The name of their
church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. Does that
sound like a non-Christian church to you? I asked them many questions
about what they teach and why. I got answers that in most cases were
from the New Testament. Their ideas and doctrines did not seem too far
fetched for my understanding. When I read their "Book of Mormon" I was
also very surprised to find just the opposite from what I had been told
I would find.

Then I went to another church's pastor to ask him some of the same
questions about doctrine. To my surprise, when he found out that I was
in some way investigating the Mormons, he became hostile. He referred
to them as a non-Christian cult. I received what sounded to me like
evil propaganda against those people. He stated bluntly that they were
not Christian and that they did not fit into the Christian mold. He
also told me that they don't really believe the Bible. He gave me a
pile of anti-Mormon literature. He began to rant that the Mormons were
not telling me the truth about what they stand for. He didn't want to
hear anything good about them. At first I was surprised and then again,
I wasn't. I began to wonder.

I have never known of a cult that supports the Boy Scouts of America.
According to the Boy Scouts, over a third of all the Boy Scout troops
in the United States are Mormon.

What cult do you know of that has a welfare system second to none in
this country? They have farms, canneries and cattle ranches to help
take care of the unfortunate ones who might be down and out and in need
of a little help. The Mormon Church has donated millions to welfare
causes around the world without a word of credit. They have donated
thousands to help rebuild Baptist churches that were burned a few years
ago. They have donated tons of medical supplies to countries ravaged by
earthquakes.

You never see them on TV begging for money.. What cult do you know that
instills in its members to obey the law, pay their taxes, serve in the
military if asked and be a good Christian by living high moral
standards? Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Mormon youth get
up before high school starts in the morning to attend a religious
training class? They have basketball and softball leagues and
supervised youth dances every month.

They are recruited by the FBI, the State Department and every police
department in the country, because they are Trustworthy. They are
taught not to drink nor take
drugs. They are in the Secret Service - those who protect the
President. They serve in high leadership positions from both parties in
Congress and in the US Senate, and have been governors of several
states other than Utah. They serve with distinction and honour.

If you have Mormons living near, you will probably find them to be your
best friends and neighbours. They are Christians who try to live what
they preach. They are not perfect and they are the first to admit this.
I have known some of them who could not live their religion, just like
many of us. The rhetoric which is spread around against them is nothing
more than evil propaganda founded in untruths. (Others) had
successfully demonized them to the point that the general public has no
idea what they actually believe and teach.. If you really want to know
the truth, go see for yourself. You also will be surprised.

When I first moved here some 25 years ago there were five Mormon wards
in Santa Clarita, Calif. Now there are 15. They must be doing something
right.

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything.
.... They just make the best of everything."