By their fruits and all that stuff

Actually, you can judge a 
church by its members

Sooner or later, someone will tell you not to judge the Mormon Church by its members.

Let’s mull that over a burger at the nearest McDonald’s. 

It shouldn’t surprise us if McDonald’s employees aren’t as cheerful as what’s portrayed in TV ads. Somewhat detached service is pretty much what we have come to expect there. Now, McDonald’s headquarters might beg to differ. They could tell us not to judge a company by its employees. 

Trouble is, that’s exactly how we judge a company. Any marketer will tell you that a brand is not what its advertising claims, but the experience it delivers. If McDonald’s employees act detached, then it doesn’t matter what their TV ads show and their training manuals urge. McDonald’s is detached.

Likewise, Mormonism is not what you see in the “I’m a Mormon” campaign, Meet the Mormons, or Sunday school manuals. Mormonism is no more nor less than the experience you have when you run into Mormons.

Besides, didn’t some dude say, “Ye shall know them by their fruits”? Mormons trot that out when members shine. When they shineth not, they tend not to bring it up.

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