The Way of the Anti

Consider the following anonymous comment recently left on My Life After Mormonism. It consists of a quote by Orson Hyde, an early leader of the church, and is followed by commentary:

Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, be active in the discharge of your duties, You are watchmen in your wards, and stand in a similar relation to your Bishops that the Apostles do to the Presidency. Great responsibility rests upon you. Every person in your wards should be known to you, and his business or occupation also. You should not only know the man or the woman and his business, but should likewise know his spirit and be able to weigh it in the balance of truth." -Orson Hyde

classic cult technique, isolate them by limiting contact with people outside the church. Exhauste them with hours-long sermons that break down mental resistance. Scare them by telling them that they were being hunted by religious and government assassins and that they would only survive by banding together.

Knowledge of the outside world is a dangerous thing.

Can you say non-sequiter? The quote and the commentary have nothing to do with each other. Orson Hyde exhorts the church-goers to be sociable and interested in each other, and this is supposed to mean that they are to "limit contact with people outside the church."

The author moves quickly into a sillier statement about another Mormon Brain-washing Technique. I must admit I've never heard this one before.

Next is a sentence about Mormon scare tactics. Nevermind the fact that Mormons were being hunted by religious and government assassins, and that their very survival did depend on banding together, Orson Hyde's quote has nothing to do with this.

Lastly, this

Knowledge of the outside world is a dangerous thing.

is crap. Mormon scripture contains the following admonition:

Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in... all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—

I question the mental capacity of someone capable of writing this stuff, much less who someone who lets this comment through their moderation queue.