Mormon Church Launches Hundreds of Mormon Ads in New York City

Why would the Mormon Church launch ads about Mormons in NYC?  General consensus is that it is being done because their church has two candidates in the race for President.  If Romney and Huntsman think this is going to help their cause, think again.  This is going to turn people off would be my guess.  I know their ads on TV turned me off and I was not alone.  We all have our own opinions of the Mormon religion but when a Church pays for ads like these when they have candidates running, it gives the impression of tying the candidates direct to the Mormon Church and their policies.  There is no way to make the Mormon Church a mainstream religion -- not going to happen no matter how much they recruit.

Didn't appreciate the Jehovah Witnesses showing up at my door and same goes with the Mormon Church and their outreach into our neighborhoods.  That is not how I choose a church -- don't like having pressure put on by someone knocking at my door and trying to sell me a religion like you would sell Fuller Brush products in the past.

It is up to everyone to look at the facts and make their own decisions.  Personally I find this flat out weird, but then I am a Coca Cola drinker and as someone put in a post , "would a Mormon President want to take away our cola drinks?"

I don't see any other candidates where their churches feel a need to take out ads, but then the Mormon Church spent a lot of money in California fighting the proposition on Gay Marriage.  How did the Mormon Church get by with putting money in that proposition fight since churches are not allowed be part of a candidate or issue campaigns as they are subject to losing their tax exempt status.  How can the Mormon Church continue to claim 501(c)(3) status with IRS when they spent so much money on this issue?

Hundreds Of Mormon Ads Launched In New York City

 First Posted: 06/22/11 10:15 AM ET Updated: 06/22/11 12:55 PM ET

With two Mormons vying for the Republican presidential nomination and a hit musical about Mormon missionaries playing on Broadway, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has launched a million-dollar advertising blitz in New York City, complete with two 40-foot billboards in Times Square. 

The "I'm a Mormon" campaign, which showcases video and print portraits of young, diverse and energetic Mormons -- and steers clear of images of missionaries in white shirts and black pants or talk of theology -- includes hundreds of ads on top of taxis, in subway stations and at bus shelters around the city. The campaign tested in nine markets last summer and it is going to expand to two dozen this fall. 

"There's a national conversation going on about Mormonism and we want to be a part of it," said Michael Purdy, a spokesman for the 14-million member church, which is growing at a rate of of about 333,000 members per year, according its own statistics. 

The ads direct viewers to www.mormon.org, where they can specify age, gender and ethnic demographics or type key words to "discover Mormons who share your personal experience" from a database of 30,000 church members. Those members range from Sheryl Garner, a Haitian-American elementary school teacher who converted to Mormonism when she was 10, to David Baker, a church-loving gay San Franciscan in his 20s who works at Google and says his sexual orientation leaves him in a "precarious position" since the faith prohibits sex between two men. 

The church has run ad campaigns before, but they were largely focused on clarifying church beliefs, not promoting everyday members. The latest online videos stress a "faith in Jesus Christ," but they do not get into theological details. 

"Our research showed us that many people know very little, if anything, about members of the church," Purdy said. "By giving people a glimpse into the both ordinary and extraordinary aspects of the lives of our members, we hope they'll realize these are people with whom they have a lot in common."

Mormonism is receiving heightened media attention thanks to former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, who announced his bid for the presidency on Tuesday, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, a front-runner among Republican 2012 candidates. But the ads also come as the church has come under fire for its efforts opposing same-sex marriage in California and amid controversies surrounding fundamentalist Mormons in Utah. 

Excerpt:  Read More at Huffington News AOL