A Response to Sorrid Tales:

Mr. Decker, Are you truly that ignorant, believing every tale that anti-Mormons feed you? Or do you actually know Mormonism and it's beliefs, and choose to ignore it to sway others to your beliefs? Either way, I feel truly sorry for you. If you would like, I can point out every single mistake you made in your article, http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=6278, and quote a reference for you. Next time, get your facts right.

Cody, I believe I have my facts straight and have various sources to support them. I’m sure that you can point me to sources that suggest I have my facts wrong. And you have the right to believe those sources, as I have the right to believe mine.

Speaking of facts being straight, the correct spelling of my column title would be SORDID Tales. Not SORRID, whatever that means.

Thanks for your letter,

Ed

The first rule of writing: Write what you know. Your are totally uninformed about the Mormon Church - and it seems about Christianity in general. How did you get your job? I'm amazed you still have it.

Leave fiction out of the newspaper. That is a newspaper you write for, isn't it?

Great work. You'll be cured of that nasty agnosticism in no time.
Richard Dawkins for president.

Cecil

Ed,

If you are not sued for religious discrimination for this sick bigotry, it is because Mormons are far more tolerant than they should be. If you were to similarly attack a Muslim's more visible religious attire or maybe that of of the nun's habits or even the Jewish skull caps, you would likely have to face retaliation.

Your gross use of our Lord's name in vein should be so offensive to all Christians, which likely represents a majority of the folks living in the San Diego, that you should be fired for that alone. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) is the second largest Christian denomination in California, yet they will not likely demand accountability for your discriminatory article.

Your characterization of "Mormon" beliefs is pure bigotry spawned by total ignorance. You should be ashamed to consider yourself a reporter. Your comments about Joseph Smith, beginning with the assertion that he was the Messiah are based on ignorance and devilish lies, the likes of which, led a mob of cowards, with faces blackened, to murder him and his brother in cold blood as was Christ and his ancient prophets and apostles.

You should know that there were others besides Joseph Smith present as witnesses in every heavenly manifestation that was involved in the restoration of Christ's primitive church, gospel, sacred ordinances such as baptism and the priesthood authority to perform them. Hundreds were recipients of heavenly manifestations during that crucial time for church.

You apparently do not realize that devout "Mormons" lead major corporations, have served in prominent political positions including several now serving in Congress, are presidents of universities and many other highly responsible roles. The most recent past Dean of the Harvard School of Business and also the chairman of the Harvard MBA program are devout Mormons. The present quorum of the Twelve Apostles consist of the likes of a world renown cardiologist, along with lawyers, educators, and prominent business leaders. Your article is deeply offensive to informed men and to God.

Verl Doman

Verl,

As offended as you are by my anti-Mormon rant, I am equally amused by the notion that I should be "sued" for my anti-religious beliefs.

Too funny.

Oh, and by the way, I have written sharply critical columns about Jews, Catholics, Muslims and just about every orthodox religion out there.

So, while my writing may be blasphemous, at least I am an equal opportunity blasphemer.

Ed Decker

Edwin,

I read your article about Mitt, Its not a nice thing to talk about his religion that way. you probably have some different views about him, but you need to be nice to people who believe their lifestyle. This is America. we have the right to freedom.

You might want to see where he stands on his policy and talk about him but not about his religion.

You are a good man, but i need it does not help the mormon community to talk about them this way might friend.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers

Joe

Well ED, all I have to say is that it is bad enough to bash on an entire religion just to try and discredit a presidential candidate that you don’t agree with, but to do it with such poor writing is just unacceptable. How many “short of” analogies do you have in that little mind of yours.

I won’t bother trying to convince you about how mistaken your “facts” about the religion are. But answer me this, cause no one else has ever been able to, why do people like you make hero’s out of men that are able to have casual sex with large numbers of women who they never see again, but think it disgusting if a adult man and a few consenting adult women want to be in a polygamous marriage where they support and love each other? Do you see the lack of logic there?

Just for the record I don’t support polygamy for several reasons, I just have never been able to understand the thought process behind this, and was hoping that a piece of work like yourself might be able to help me out with it.

Oh, and please try not to include any “short of” analogies in your response.

thanks

Luke Hopkin

Ed, on behalf of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, let me thank you for your "compelling, fact based" reporting. With reports like yours, members of the church have nothing to fear. Lunatics often provide our best defense. People read stuff like yours and if they have half a brain realize that you are the idiot, not the people you highlight. There was a time when I lamented that people like you would do some honest reporting - like - what was the first major group on the scene after Katrina hit the Gulf cost 2 years ago? It was the LDS church with semi loads of emergency materials, supplies and food to help those folks. But now I don't worry about reporting like yours any more. People like you just make smart people more curious because they realize that no one can be as stupid as this. Thank you for being one of those crazy, idiotic, fanatic reporters.

By the way, not one word of your story is true. Not one. But I won't bother you with the facts because it's pretty evident that those really don't matter to you.

Thanks again,
Floppy Dog

ho-ho-ho, ha hahahaha ha ha, snort, chuckle, ho ho har har har, oh my!

A Mormon is calling me a fanatic. Oh yes, that's rich, really really rich.

Ed Decker

.....that Mormons believed up until the late 70s that blacks were descendant of Cane, and therefore could not be members of the church...........until one of the Mormon higher ups had a "vision" later on that blacks could be members of the church, but just couldn't hold higher office in the church, until the 1990s when he had another vision saying that blacks could also hold higher office. So, all I gotta way is, fuck Mormonism!

Victor Patton

Edwin,
I have a first cousin named Edwin. I meant to tell you that MMM may have happened because of Mitt Romney's Great grand father Parley Pratt. In 1857 Pratt was on a mission to Arkansas when he took his 12TH wife. The problem was that she was already married. Her husband killed Parley Pratt. The wagon train that was massacred came from Arkansas a few months later. Revenge? I think so!
Jerry

Edwin,

Any relation to Ed Decker of "God Makers" fame?

http://saintsalive.com/

"God Makers" was a film made by Ed, back in the 70's I believe, exposing what Mormonism is all about. Love your article, keep trying to get the news out. I signed up for Ann Coulter's chat when I heard she was supporting Mitt for president. I tried to tell them what Mormonism is all about, but most people don't want to listen. I became known as the Mormon hater. On September, Tenth, I posted a list of the known names of people killed in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. As usual, I was attacked for my post. They did leave it open for a day and a half before they locked it to more comments. 9/11/2007 was the 150TH anniversary of MMM when 120 men, women, and children were killed by the Mormons in southern Utah, ordered by Brigham Young. On 9/12/2007 I posted an article that said that a Mormon leader apologizes for the massacre. The next time I tried to sign on, they had locked me out.

Keep doing what you are doing because we DON"T what Mitt for president.

Jerry

Actually yes, I have seen his site. I've even had a short email discourse with him a few years ago. People were accidentally going to his site looking for me and vice-versa.

Eventually he sent me an email. Here's the articleI wrote about it.

Ed(win not ward) Decker

Ed,

I simply can't help myself in responding to your rant on Mitt Romney and the Mormons. I find people like you fascinating; that there are those in this country still so given to misinformation and fantasy and enjoy construing it as truth. Or perhaps you actually are not one of these people and know better but like to play games like this anyway. Perhaps you have something against Mitt Romney or the Mormons but know that most of your list of beliefs are wildly taken out of context or simply incorrect, but you simply don't care. Instead you play on others fears and misinformation and you find it funny. I am not a Mormon, but have a degree in religion. While I don't pretend to know everything about the LDS I know enough to know that you sound something close to ignorant early 19th century Calvinists who stirred up fear and hate against the Mormons which drove them to Utah. In an age of tolerance, respect, and a politically correct world, I find it amazing that people like yourself, probably a proud liberally-minded atheist, cannot see the double standard in which you currently find yourself. Wake up, Ed. Be respectful. And in the case of Mitt Romney, understand that there is more to being president than one's faith.

M. Keith

Did Edwin Decker forget to take his medication the day he wrote the Romney column or is he a pill short of a full prescription?

Larry Ogan, Santa Fe, NM

Dear Poor Ed,
When I first read your column about your take on Mitt Romney and the Mormon Church, I was going to write you a scathing email about your asinine, archaic and incorrect beliefs about Mormons. But, as I thought about it, then went to your web site and saw the incredibly low following you have, I just simply felt sorry for you. But, being a good Mormon, I want to extend a couple of ideas that I think would help you.

First, get over the 'monster under the bed, and the boogie-man in the closet' mentality. It is so second 'gradish'. Second, as you do your research, go to the source, perhaps in this case the Mormon Church itself, would be a good start. They have lots of great stuff on their website now. Try to avoid anti-mormon literature as the primary source of your opinions. They all say the same thing and can be rather, well, venomous and one sided in their views. Not good for an open minded blogger such as yourself to put too much weight in the tiny number of believers in the anti Mormon theology.

Finally, get out more. Attend social events. Perhaps an "Ask Mitt Anything" forum would be helpful.

I wish you the best, bro. Keep on keepin' on.
Best regards,
John

John, thank you for your concern about my "low following." It is true, I lay awake at night and think, "Gee, why don't more people like me? Why won't they visit my website? I'm so lonely."

Indeed, my following is the reason for my existence and since my website doesn't have any followers, well it's either end it all or just lash out at Mormons and other religious fundamentalists. I'm sure you don't mind that I chose the latter.

Thanks for the letter,
Ed Decker

Hey guy,

You are dead wrong about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Your statements are incorrect. I am interested to know what
wonderful Christian church you belong to that encourages the publication
of falsehoods such as yours, and to attack of the religions of others?
Can't you see that you look like a blithering idiot and a bigot in the
eyes of possibly the thousands that might be unfortunate enough to come
across your words, many of whom have actually taken the time to examine
the LDS Church? You are a pretty rash judge in my opinion. And
because of that... you will likely be judged rashly in return. If you
are ever interested in the truth, I would advise you to look into it.
Start here:

http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/
http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg

Final advise: I would advise you to change your course before the
inevitable and terrible regret takes over your soul.

Paul

Paul, I may be an idiot, but to call me a bigot when your Church condemns homosexuality and until VERY recently, considered blacks to be subhuman is a laugh. The very reason I loathe most organized religions is for their exclusive, bigoted beliefs.

ed decker

don't worry Ed, if they come for you, you can just hide in the bar. they're not allowed to go there, you know?

I just finished The Mitt Loony column.
It was good reading, but I, too, had problems with the exaggerations--or maybe it was the lack of sources to support your facts.

In your opinion, was Kennedy a good president given his belief in the Catholic religion, with its many dogmas based on miracles and faith of the people. Did his religion harm our government? or the people?

Just wondering

love Mom Decker

It’s a good point mom, and yes I think Kennedy was a good president despite the fact that he believed in all that Catholic hocus pocus. And perhaps Mitt Romney would make a great President too. I guess the point I was trying to make was that, when I see a presidential candidate who actually truly believes in any sort of religious orthodoxy, I am immediately skeptical of their level of sanity and intelligence. Naturally, I had a good time exaggerating my concerns about Romney and his faith, but that concern is real.

Love,
your eldest son

If it was your goal to offend all of your Mormon readers, I think you have succeeded. You spent a thousand words ranting about Mitt Romney’s religion, but you didn’t say anything about his stance on the campaign issues.


I have listened to Romney speak and, although I might not agree with everything he says, he didn’t come across as being “crazy,” as you characterize him to be. (Perhaps he was just feigning sanity in an attempt to win votes.) Could a man suffering from insanity be elected governor of Massachusetts, become a CEO of a successful company, and President of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games?

I think Mitt Romney is a Mormon not because he examined all the major religions of the world and chose Mormonism because it was the most appealing and made the most sense; he is a Mormon because he was raised a Mormon. (Could it be that Mr. Decker was born into a family of skeptics?)

But maybe Romney’s beliefs aren’t that wacky. At least one of the other presidential candidates believes that the design we see in nature is the result of a series of random events over millions of years.

Having said all that, would I vote for a Mormon? That depends on who he’s running against, where he stands on the issues, what his values are, and whether or not he is living those values.

David Schmiedeberg
Mira Mesa

David, thank you for your letter.

For the record, my goal was not to offend Mormons, but to poke fun at their religion. I realize that doing so would be offensive to most, if not all , Mormons, but offending them is not my goal.

Secondly, the reason I spent a thousand words ranting about Romney's religion and not about his campaign stance is because this was a column about Mormonism. There's no rule that says when an opinion columnist writes about a presidential candidate he must write about his campaign.

I agree with you,Romney's accomplishments are VERY impressive. And I don't really believe him to be insane. But remember, Sordid Tales is a humor column and I reserve the right to exaggerate and twist for comic relief.

Truth be told, the article was never really about Romney. It was about a silly little cult called Mormonism and Romney was just the vehicle I chose to present it with.

Lastly, I was not born to a family of skeptics, I was born to a family of Catholics, all beholden to their own kooky beliefs, every bit as outrageous and bizarre to me as LDS, and who I often target in my writings and speaking engagements.

Hope that answers some of your questions. Thanks again for the letter

Ed Decker

Mitt and his family are good people. He is an American first and this should be how he is preceived when running for office of the President of the United States of America. All religions are good and because Mitt happens to be a Morman is even better. Mormans have good ethic's to live by and Morman's are very normal people. Watch conference sometime and hear our leader's talk and then, if you have the guts, try to say something bad about the Morman's. In my book, if everyone in this world was a Morman, it would be a much better place to live. Also, you showed very poor taste in showing Mitt and his wife in their garments. You should be ashamed of yourself. To me this only shows your mentality. You should look into the Morman Church because after reading your comments, you need some guidance and you also need your mouth washed out with soap. If you were my son you probably would be locked up until you repented for this column you wrote for the world to read. Not very nice!

Umm, Pat -- that is not a real picture of the Romney's in their underwear. Their faces were superimposed over the faces of some other silly-underwear wearing couple. Also, I'm a little too old for my mommy to be locking me in my bedroom.

Thanks for the comments though.
ed decker