RE: [A-List] Autobiographical Writing For Reality: It's A Damn G ood Thing For All

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Mine:

Thanks. I did not plan to write this much on Mormonism, and I do include the
Moonies and some other cults that have organizational ties, intrinsically
racist and sexist and homphobic "theology" and stated genocidal intentions
going far beyond those of the conventional "religions" that have also been
used in the service of reaction. But my real pitch is not even the
anti-Mormonism; my real pitch is about the unity of theory and praxis and
what may be termed "revolutionary epistemology" for lack of a better term in
this context.

I could go down memory lane also; I could recount how many times I have seen
Indigenous lands and Peoples ripped off by the Mormons taking advantage of
the desperation of the Indigenous Peoples (desperation they helped to
engineer)l; I could recount the words of the Mormon bishop who, thinking I
was white, told me that the "assimilation and whitening" of the "Lamanites"
was the only way to get rid of them consistent with the laws that the
Mormons use and need to protect themselves and their own activities. I could
go on and on with my own personal anecdotes including what was done to my
mother and so many like her. But that is not the point. The point is their
doctrine, organizational connections, methods of recruiting, methods for
punishing "heresy and apostasy", genocidal intentions and practices and
overall role in the expanded reproduction of monopoly capitalism and
imperialism.

So I say, as they do themselves, read their own shit. Read accounts of
ex-Mormons (not simply the excommunicated but those who came to their own
realizations and left on their own). Are there individual Mormons who are
pleasant, well-meaning, nice, etc? Of course there are. But any worth
working with are ex-Mormons not practicing ones. And for anyone to promote
Mormonism, telling outright lies about their doctrine (any off-white they
recruit they expect to become "white" as a "reward" for their faithfulness)
under the banner of "some of my best friends are..." is simply mixing
personal agenda/feelings/ignorance or whatever with the political and then
passing it off as political. When that is done on a Marxism list, it is a
slur against Marxism as well as against the list (and its fine moderator)
itself.

take care, and best to Louis,

Jim




-----Original Message-----
From: Xxxx Xxxxxx [mailto:xxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2002 12:19 PM
To: A-List
Subject: RE: [A-List] Autobiographical Writing For Reality: It's A Damn
Good Thing For All


I absolutely agree, Jim. Yes, we should not simplify any issue in the
struggle for socialism. How peripheral it may look, racism is racism,
including Mormon racism.

anyhow..hope to see you back on marxmail, btw

Thanks, Xxxx

 > None of these issues is a peripheral issue in the struggle for socialism.

 > It is like a woman promoting misogyny on a feminist list; it is like an
 > African-American promoting "The Bell Curve" on an anti-racism list;


--
Xxxx A. Xxxxxx
Ph.D Candidate,ABD
SUNY at Albany
Nelson A. Rockefeller College
Department of Political Science
135 Western Avenue,Milne 102
Albany, NY 12222