@andrewbloom Please: Educate yourself about cults before you tell people they are harmless.
You choose not to believe the horror stories of people who got out because you think that stuff like that doesn't happen in your countries.
It does!
The Moromons, Jehovas Witnesses (the cult I was raised in) and Scientology are dangerous - at least to people who are born in and want to get out.
And no, not celebrating christmas is not what is so bad about it (no idea why ppl keep asking me about that when they learn I grew up as a JW).
Don't hate the people in the cult (except for those running it), but do hate the cults. They ARE destroying lifes - and believe me, while they look happy, many of them are not.
"Being happy" (normal people call it acting happy) is part of the religion.
I don't know about Mormons in this regard, but JWs are being taught, that when you are unhappy (literally including depression, which they don't really understand) you should pray, and "do more for gods kingdom" (meaning ring more doorbells preaching...) and god will make that sadness go away.
At the same time, there is a competition going on about who is the best and most faithful JW (while being overzealous is also bad - yes its kind of weird). Since you get rewarded for being a good JW with not being sad, sadness is never shown - especially not to outsiders (that would also let JWs shine in a "bad light", which is really bad and can even get you sanctioned).
I think I hit the general points - there is lots of videos on YT explaining what those cults are doing - even some especially about the religious South Park Episodes - which cite actual scientific evidence and experts - some are even made by experts themselves.
To be fair: The catholic and protestant churches weren't much better until just a few centuries ago.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-02-01T23:07:05Z
[9.5/10] A definite classic. I love both parts of this episode, and how they weave together. The story of Joseph Smith is great, and has the chipper spirit of those olden times videos or scenes from history your third grade teacher might put on for you. It perfectly captured the same “gee whiz” tone and bouncy score, making good comic use of the “dum dum dums” of the half-singers/half-narrators.
But I love the part of the story set in South Park too. The “kill em with kindness” vibe of Gary and his family is delightful in how disarming it is to both Stan and, ultimately, Randy. Just seeing them be kind of baffled but eventually awed by this dorky but loving family is a great setup.
And I love where the show lands on this. I’m not a Mormon myself, but I’m sympathetic to the show’s notion that despite some hard-to-believe things in the story of Joseph Smith, the core teachings in the present have done a lot for people like Gary, and he values them independently of any literal truth of his prophet’s origin story. And some almost-as-unbelievable levels of kindness and camaraderie among the practitioners are the genuine fruits of the good life and family Gary gets to enjoy.
Overall, it’s a shockingly ecumenical and optimistic take from a show prone to taking the stuffing out of any institution near or far, replete with tons of laughs from beginning to end. One of the show’s all time great eps.