Gary Lawrence thinks so, as related in an SL Trib piece. He's the author of a new book, How Americans View Mormonism: Seven Steps to Improve Our Image. Lawrence, a pollster, sampled a thousand people. Here's the bad news:
Forty-three percent said the church treated women as second-class citizens, 39 percent said it used pressure tactics, 38 percent said it was pushy, 16 percent saw it as racist and 16 percent said it was a "church to be feared."
Here's his prescription for dealing with the public perception problem.
To combat these images, he recommends that Mormons listen before commenting, avoid LDS jargon in their conversations, speak plainly and follow the Golden Rule. They also should eliminate pressure tactics from missionary outreach, he says.
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Some thoughts: It is a little ironic that Gary Lawrence in opining on Mormons' image problems, having been one of the most recent contributors to the problem. And, Dave, I am not sure what your goal was in moving to beliefnet, but I think you might be trading in your open-minded "liberal" Mormon readers for angry, not-particularly-open-minded folk who want to rant against the Mormon Church. Maybe you have a long term goal here that has just not been realized yet, but this site is becoming less and less interesting to me because of the commenters.
(Sorry this is a little off-topic)
Considering the sort of persecution the Jews have had to deal with (including the Holocaust), it seems weird to me to invoke "war" over something like baptisms by proxy. If you're not a believer in baptisms for the dead, then what exactly are the Mormons doing that's so bad? Using your ancestor's name in vain?
On topic: Romney's candidacy really shed light on the country's view of Mormons. It's amazing how much ignorance there is. I see it on a personal scale in talking to my Southern Baptist family members. It's ... frustrating.
Considering the sort of persecution the Jews have had to deal with (including the Holocaust), you would think people would have some compassion and listen when you say "Please stop."
Our dead are being desecrated. Our dead, who would have died rather than have the unholy water of baptism thrown on them.
It's a RESPECT issue.Gentiles (including the Mormons) have so little regard for the wishes of Jews that they simply ignore what we ask.
Yes, it's worth a war, if only an economic one. But this is the U.S.A. - $ talk louder than any actions.
Regarding your image problem, I'd suggest an updated haircut and a change in wardrobe. In particular, you might stop wearing your bigotry on your sleeve. Until this year, "Mormon" to me merely referred to those annoying missionaries that used to accost me on campus when I was in college. Now you guys have directly targeted my life, and you have become the ones to avoid in personal and business relations. The politics of boycotts and blacklists aside, I personally want to do nothing to support any of you.
Now clearly you don't care about your image with one gay boy in Los Angeles. But I have many friends. Among them, you're vying with me for their respect. Who do you think will win?
Dave: Your haircut and wardrobe selections are fine with me.
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