A cross-section of Utah clergy hold basically the same views about the LDS Church as their California counterparts, and nearly half say they are "very knowledgeable" about Latter-day Saints. Yet the majority believes members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are misguided in their faith.
The attitudes are reflected in the results of a recently released survey conducted by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), a group of Latter-day Saint scholars and members whose purpose is to counter anti-Mormon rhetoric. Scott Gordon, president of FAIR, said the survey of 500 clergy was split evenly between California and Utah.
Not surprisingly, he said, the numbers show that only 6 percent of the 95 respondents characterized Latter-day Saints as Christian, while 78 percent said they are non-Christian and 15 percent believe "some members are Christian and some are not."
What did surprise Gordon was the consensus of opinion by clergy in both states on their views about the LDS Church. "I thought going in that the Utah group would have stronger feelings about the Latter-day Saints either one way or another — that they either associate with them and their friends are LDS, or stronger negative feelings. The numbers came out pretty much identical." Responses to some questions add up to more than 100 percent, he said, because some clergy gave multiple answers to the same question.
Gordon said when respondents were asked to choose a phrase that best describes Latter-day Saints, 63 percent said they are "well-meaning but misguided," 32 percent labeled them as "non-Christian cultists," while 12 percent said they are "a major threat to all Christian denominations." Only 2 percent said Mormons are "good Christians."
Dennis Egget of the Center for Statistical Research at Brigham Young University helped Gordon with the statistical analysis of the survey and said the results are legitimate, though he said there are concerns about "why those who responded did so and why those who didn't respond did not." The only way to correct for that type of potential bias, he said, is to track every potential respondent down individually and get some type of response.
Egget said he doesn't know of another comparable survey to examine clergy attitudes toward Latter-day Saints.
Perceptions of Latter-day Saints aparently go beyond merely casual investigation or observation for many, according to the survey, which found that 66 percent of clergy had sponsored some type of gathering within their congregation to discuss LDS beliefs. Of those who had, 93 percent labeled the experience as "positive, productive and/or spiritually uplifting," and 43 percent said they plan to hold another such event.
Some 84 percent said they had read all or parts of the Book of Mormon, revered as scripture on par with the Bible by Latter-day Saints, and of those who had read it, 26 percent labeled it an "interesting book," while 51 percent said it was a "waste of time" and 23 percent called it "evil."
Every respondent said he/she was at least somewhat knowledgeable about the LDS Church, with 48 percent saying they are "very knowledgeable" and another 38 percent who are "moderately knowledgeable." Yet Gordon said he was disturbed that all but one of the 93 sources of information clergy listed as reference for their knowledge about the church are considered by his group to be anti-Mormon literature.
Twelve listed the film "The Godmakers," which was denounced in 1984 by both the National Council of Christians and Jews and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith as erroneous for using half-truths about LDS history and theology. Nine respondents listed books by Gerald and Sandra Tanner, who recently lost a court fight with the LDS Church after they posted copyrighted information from the church's "Handbook of Instructions" on the Internet.
Gordon, who teaches business and technology at a California community college, said he decided to undertake the survey while he was an LDS bishop serving on a local interfaith council.
After observing an uneasy feeling between pastors and LDS representatives, he wanted to know "what they really thought of us. Were we being begrudgingly accepted, or was it that, valuing diversity as our country does, that we were just tolerated?"
Gordon said the results of the survey will be posted on FAIR's Web site at www.fair-lds.org as well as in proceedings of last year's annual conference.
The group will hold its third Mormon Apologetics Conference at the Woman's Council of Provo Building, 310 W. 500 North, Aug. 16 and 17. This year's conference, "The Book of Mormon: Modern Witnesses for an Ancient Record," will explore topics dealing with the book's authenticity. The Friday session will begin at 10 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m. Saturday's sessions will begin at 9 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m. For information, see the Web site or call 801-861-8430 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.