I have one idea:
Maybe you could stop baptizing dead Jewish Holocaust victims – or any dead Jews, for that matter – which we have been repeatedly asking the LDS for over a dozen years, and which they have promised to stop – and haven’t.
That might go a long way towards improving the Mormon image.

Here’s another suggestion:
Don’t generate lies and deception to target a minority group’s right to marry.
Why is a church imposing their religious perspective via a Proposition. What will they be marshaling their forces to impose on other states next? It is scary.
Mormons were a significant part of spending $40,000,000 to mislead voters into thinking California’s Proposition 8 was about teaching “gay marriage in schools” and removing the tax status of churches. But if you actually read the Prop, it was 14 words that said same-sex couples couples could not marry.
If Mormons really cared about marriage, they could have spent 40 million dollars on spousal abuse issues, marriage counseling, adoption programs, etc.
Mormons have their perspectives all messed up from what I’ve experienced.

One of the suggestions is to follow the “Golden Rule”. Did that happen when the LDS leaders decided to encourage their members to support the advertisements AGAINIST same gender marriage in California? NO. Their money supported the lies in those ads. Not exactly following the “do unto others” routine.

Mormons have every right to perform proxy baptisms for deceased people, especially those to whom they are related, whether or not they are Jews.
Also, just because it has become popular to consider folks with same-sex sexual fetishes as a unified group, they are not, in fact, an actual ethnic group. They are not united by shared blood, history, faith, or geography. The Mormon church took a bold, necessary stand by risking persecution to stand for that truth.
I believe the Church has practiced the Golden Rule. They have spoken the truth, however hard it might be to hear, but they have not condemned the individual. They have used respectful words throughout.
The only image problem we need to work on is the one we have with ourselves. We are not just another Protestant church. We are not a simple ideology. We are a people and we have a purpose. Popularity is for the “great and spacious building”, not for us.

Gary directed the Mormon “grassroots” campaign for Prop 8. Isn’t it just a little bit crazy for him to now be dispensing advice on how to improve Mormonism’s image?
And isn’t it just a little bit sad that he tries to foist the responsibility for repairing Mormonism’s image onto rank-and-file members? It almost seems like a ploy to deflect attention away from the responsibility the Mormon LEADERSHIP bears for pushing its members to get involved.
And, finally, how to feel about fathers of gay children, like Gary, who personally profit from running anti-gay campaigns?
Physician, heal thyself.

On second thought, after reading Alex’s comment, maybe Gary’s right that the rank-and-file could do a better job of presenting the case for Mormonism.

So I guess in order to be a “unified” group, one has to be an ethnic group…related by blood, history,faith, or geography? Wow, that’s a different excuse to not allow individuals their equal rights! Guess that since homosexuality has only existed since time began, that doesn’t count? It’s not new, it’s just the latest group (even if it isn’t “unified”, IYO) to be discriminated against.
The church has spoken the truth? That would be their VERSION of the truth. Nice that they used “respectful” words throughout while they were telling GLBT that they can’t have equal rights.
All people have a purpose…one of which shouldn’t be to deny American’s their rights…because of their sexual orientation.
Proxy baptism is the LDS right? Wonder if the folks that you do it to would have agreed with you? Scott R. makes a good point…why Jewish Holocaust victims?

I have a gay son. I hope for tolerance and love for him &his choices. We are all sinful humans.

I really doubt Mormons have that many deceased Jewish relatives. Especially ones who died in the Holocaust.
My relatives would have died first before submitting to the spiritual death of baptism, so what the Mormons are doing to them now is beneath contempt. It is disgusting.
You have every right to your baptism. And the Jewish community has every right to engineer a boycott of LDS owned businesses. And cut social ties with Mormons. I’m sure we can count the gay community as allies in that (since some Jews are already boycotting because of Prop 8).
If you want a war with the Jewish community, just keep it up. This is something we will go to ground over.

Everyone of age has the right to marry someone of the opposite sex who consents, is of age, isn’t already married, and isn’t too closely related. There are all sorts of people in my life whom I love and who love me in return who I can’t marry for one or more of the above reasons. Getting to marry your one true love is only a civil right in Disney princess land.

Even Jesus had an image problem. It got him killed, in fact.

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.