The Church of Latter Day Saints and the internet.

[Icehaven]

A Church of LDS member came into my work (a library) today and wanted to join (so she could use the internet) but had no address ID as she was only in the country for 18 months. Usually in this instance we ask people if they can to join online and we'll send their card to them as this replaces the need for address ID, and she had a friend with her who was a member so I explained that they could share a library PC and do it there and then. She looked slightly awkward and explained that as a member of the Church of LDS, they had to adhere to strict rules, and that there's certain websites they can't look at, and our website was one of them, so could I do it for her? At this point her friend piped up that this was how she'd joined, so I checked with a colleague who said that yep, she'd come in a few weeks before and had the same conversation, and they'd done it for her. So she filled in a form, and I noticed that she had a gmail email address (so obviously Google isn't on the blacklist), and that was that.
But what the fuck? Obviously there's huge swathes of the internet off limits to the pious, but why would a council website be something that an entire religion was apparently not supposed to use? Is this likely to be the reult of some personal falling out between the two organisations (although there's none that I'm aware of) or is it actually an ideological thing? I have to know!

[Zetetic]

I'm going with "Can't be bothered with your (no doubt terribly designed) council website." I often claim to be blind in order to avoid having to interact with these sort of things, and I save on the TV license, but the religious angle is a pretty good one.

[easytarget]

Mormonism was made up AFTER steam trains had been invented.
The shit you can make people believe.

[Dusty Gozongas]

Is this likely to be the reult of some personal falling out between the two organisations (although there's none that I'm aware of) or is it actually an ideological thing? I have to know!

It'll most likely be ideological rather than a falling out. Funny bunch the Cult of Mormon, although they're not particularly fanatical or vengeful in the bigger picture. I'd file it in the pigeonhole marked "they don't drink tea or coffee and their magic underwear ain't nowt special" and be done with it.

[MojoJojo]

One of the few things I remember about signing people up to the library when I worked in a library was the mum with a bunch of scallywag children asking to join and claiming a different birthdate in the hope that I wouldn't notice the fact that someone with the same name and address already owned over £100 to the library. Kids sent on a mission to look over my shoulder in case " LOWERCLASS SCUM" or similar appeared on the screen, although I doubt they could read.[nb]I'm playing a character for effect, but I've been reading that Steve Coogan book and it's obviously influencing my playing[/nb].

I was 17, and a naive moron, but not a complete moron, so I got my supervisor over. This was the mid-nineties, so libraries were just terminally understaffed rather than computerised, so it took a good 10 minutes before my supervisor could come. During which time I tried to keep the mother and her brood calm, while simultaneously discoverig 5 other people with very similar names and addresses on the system, all of who owed similar amounts to he library[nb]I should say that most of the books were kid books. Part of my 17 year-old confusion at the time was I couldn't work out why anyone would go to so much effort to nick stuff from the childrens section, it's not as if they had much resale value.[/nb].

Anyway, the supervisor sorted it out. Then talked to me and said quite angrily that I shouldn't have promised her a membership... I never did and was a bit confused about why she believed that I had said that when everything else he had said was obviously a lie.

Typing this, I've just realised she was probably just angry about having someone lie through their teeth at you to get some children's books for her kids and having to tell them to piss off. Insulted/pity/shame - not a nice combination.

To get to the original LDS post, I'd be amazed if the the council website was banned specifically... unless the elders are idiotic in their dictatorship they'll be working on a whitelist system.
Assuming they actually have any web access, could be it's just the lie they are told to tell.
Was the email address like a name or something personal, or something that could belong to a group? Not that you need the web to access gmail.
Also, they could have just been working the bureaucracy[nb]i.e. you[/nb] a bit to get a quicker response. Or they can use the website but find it all a bit confusing and would be far happier to have someone do it for them. Being a Mormon is probably a great reason for getting some one-on-one customer service.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

People shouldn't owe £100 to the Library. They should just employ one man to turn up and sigh "Come on, give us that fucking book back."

[Nobody Soup]

we get loads of LDS members in my library and I work in the internet bit (we also do IT tutoring so I do that and the book stuff is all other people) and this is odd because firstly, they have never once had a problem with looking at the council website, which is our homepage and you have to look at it when you join the library, I think given that it links all our online resources they even browse through it sometimes, and secondly they always just give the address of their mission, why couldn't they do that?

so I'd reckon it was a regional thing too, maybe the guy in charge has a beef with the council and is telling everyone they can't look at it.

I think the idea about them being lazy is most accurate, I'm constantly doing bullshit for people that clearly can't be arsed trying to get their head round using a computer.

[MojoJojo]

People shouldn't owe £100 to the Library. They should just employ one man to turn up and sigh "Come on, give us that fucking book back."

It was all a bit depressing. The maximum fines were massively out of date, something like £7 for a hardback fiction book. And they sold the debts to debt collectors.

Although that happened rarely, and it was those taking the piss. Although occasionally management would send the collectors after people who probably found it quite amusing to have library debt collectors come round after they'd had the water cut off.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Did you have a library detective to hunt down missing books?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF2gZu3ygEQ

[gmoney]

People shouldn't owe £100 to the Library. They should just employ one man to turn up and sigh "Come on, give us that fucking book back."

[rudi]

[momatt]

I'm still excited about the Book of Mormon musical.
MARCH 2013

http://www.westendtheatre.com/tag/the-book-of-mormon/

It says a lot about the good nature of the mocked mormons, in that they don't seem to really mind at all.
"The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ."

[NoSleep]

There's a reasonable audience-filmed version of The Book of Mormon doing the rounds.

[momatt]

Ahh, I think someone already told me that (maybe you).  Must remember to get that when my computer's fixed.

[Icehaven]

They should just employ one man to turn up and sigh "Come on, give us that fucking book back."

There was! But he retired about 4 years ago, and like all council staff that leave, wasn't replaced. He probably didn't swear either but maybe he did, who knows? I would if I had to do that job.
As for the LDS, after talking to other people at work, I'm definitely going with the taking-the-piss explanation, as apparently with the one that came in the other week and had to join the same way, my colleage just got the online form up on the pc then turned the screen around so she could fill it in herself, which she happily did with no problem. If they can look at and use the site in that way I can't possibly believe that they have a rule which means they just can't type the address in themselves, so it would seem lies are being employed for convenience, which although they might have some bizarre labyrinthine ideological justification for, is still

a lie, which makes baby Jesus cry.

[Buelligan]

I imagine that it would be utterly, utterly wrong[nb]and possibly, quite offensive,[/nb],  to suggest to this lady, when she returns, that she might wish to borrow some special spectacles.  Of course, these would enable her to accurately interpret any written material she may find in the library.

[Harry Badger]

According to http://www.apologeticsindex.org/594-mormon-missionaries-rigid-rules:

Missionaries may only access mldsmail.net, lds.org, mormon.org and josephsmith.net.

I like The Elbow Rule. A lot of the rules there seem to be to ensure good bicycle husbandry and to prevent accusations of noncing.

[mook]

well my hopes of becoming a mormon have been dashed.

LYB! (Lock Your Bike!) indeed.

[Harry Badger]

My bike was nicked out of my fucking back garden yesterday. There might be something to this Mormonism after all.

[BlodwynPig]

Mentalists.

[Icehaven]

According to http://www.apologeticsindex.org/594-mormon-missionaries-rigid-rules: ''Missionaries may only access mldsmail.net, lds.org, mormon.org and josephsmith.net.''

And Googlemail, according to my ones. My LDSs! Maybe I'll take them all bowling. 

[Zetetic]

Ah, but is she a missionary?

[Icehaven]

Gawd knows*, she was a bit young, but I imagine that can only help the cause.






*Not a turn of phrase.

[Blumf]

And Googlemail, according to my ones.

Maybe they're using IMAP

Apparently there are a lot of Mormon Sci-fi/fantasy writers about... maybe.

[MojoJojo]

Hmmm, I knew Orson Scott Card[nb]he also helped write the jokes for the sword fighting in Monkey Island[/nb] was a Mormon, but can't think of any others.

[Blumf]

Stephenie Meyer is another popular one.

[Dead kate moss]

I had a man from the library come round to demand back some overdue items, and he was just like the Seinfeld fella, and treated me like a paedo. Admittedly the books were about naked children haha no they weren't they were Seeds albums.

[Mister Six]

Hmmm, I knew Orson Scott Card was a Mormon

And despicable homophobe.