RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


 

Mormons accused of being American spies

DOCUMENT: OPEN LETTER OF THE RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN RUSSIA

 

On Sunday, 22 March 2015, at 18:00, the program "Glavnoe" on Fifth Channel showed a clip with the title: "With Codename 'Saint': How American Spies Penetrate Russia under the Guise of Pious Missionaries."

 

In the opinion of believing Russians, who are adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this video story deliberately offends their religious feelings and also contains a number of statements that do not correspond to reality.

 

Individual theses that distort the religious doctrinal provisions (for example, false statements that Mormons "have nothing to do with the Bible" or instead of God "they worship an ordinary American named Joseph Smith") may be attributed to the religious illiteracy of the journalists who were the authors of the broadcast. However this circumstance cannot serve as an excuse for blatant commentaries, many of which provoke hostility toward compatriots on the basis of religious identity.

 

The distortions that were committed in the broadcast offend the religious feelings of believers and cause moral harm to a church that enjoys in Russia and in many countries of the world deserved respect thanks to its missionary service and its social and philanthropic activity.

 

On the basis of the fact that the awareness of both society as a whole and the collective of journalists of Fifth Channel as to the doctrine and character of the activity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints may be insufficient, we consider it appropriate to recall that:

 

--the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a Christian denomination numbering more than 15 million adherents in 165 countries of the world. Historically the church has been present in our country since 1895;

 

--the sources of the doctrine of the church are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, containing the articles of faith;

 

--in their daily life, members of the church are guided by the commandments of the Bible and the norms of New Testament Christian morality;

 

--the genealogical work conducted by the church is an integral part of the doctrine and is based exclusively on a religious and humanitarian motivation;

 

--the church in its practice maintains political neutrality: the church does not participate in political processes, has no political goals, and does not evaluate political convictions and positions;

 

--Russian Mormons, like their fellow believers in the whole world, adhere to the cultural traditions of their country, create strong families, lead a healthy lifestyle, and observe the norms of the legislation in effect in the state.

 

Respecting the freedom of each person to have and express one's own opinion, believers of the church, nevertheless, are outraged by the repeated dissemination of information that does not correspond to reality and defames the reputation of the church.

 

Believers have the right to count on respect for their dignity, religious convictions, and feelings. We earnestly request the management of Fifth Channel to publish a refutation of the crude defamation committed within the framework of two editions of the program "Glavnoe," on 1 February 2015 and 22 March 2015.

 

We pray that the Lord will prompt the management of Fifth Channel to realize the harmfulness of the released program and, filled with courage and dignity, will issue an apology to the believers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

 

In the name of believers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,

A.V. Podsobliaev,

president of the centralized religious organization, the Religious Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Russia

(tr. by PDS, posted 25 March 2015)

 

Russian original posted on Portal-credo.ru site, 24 March 2015


Russia Religion News Current News Items

Editorial disclaimer: RRN does not intend to certify the accuracy of information presented in articles. RRN simply intends to certify the accuracy of the English translation of the contents of the articles as they appeared in news media of countries of the former USSR.

If material is quoted, please give credit to the publication from which it came. It is not necessary to credit this Web page. If material is transmitted electronically, please include reference to the URL, http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/relnews/.