Norm to OAV : I think if you were to associate with Mormons and talk with them you’d get a very different (and more accurate) understanding of the faith than you’d get from people who seem make it part of their life’s mission to tear down the church.
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I will agree with Norm that you will get a different story from Mormons but not an accurate one. Ask us ‘antis’ any time to source our statements and we will, the LDS will not.
Stick around OAV and you will see what many other freepers have seen, that it is the so called “anti’s” that quote sources, give documentation and scriptural support. The LDS don’t.
Our mission isn’t to ‘tear down’ Mormonim, it is to tell the truth. The truth that Mormons WON”T tell you. I believe in full disclosure of LDS teaching, something I was not given prior to my joining.
When I converted to Mormonism, I was told one set of beliefs, only after I joined did I learn a whole OTHER set of beliefs, that the missionary discussions were only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ on the LDS Titanic.
Now, this begs the question “Why would anybody lie about their religious beliefs?”
Well, as a Christian, I can’t imagine anyone doing so, but when I was Mormon that is exactly what happened to me and what I was taught to do to others. The phrase the LDS use is “line upon line, precept upon precept”. Mormonism is very Gnostic that way.
Mormons always accuse anyone who speaks out against Mormonism of lying or twisting things. I made the same claims about the ‘anti’s’ when I was Mormon. And then I set out to PROVE the antis were lying. What I discovered was that the LDS church was lying to me, even as a member!
I have this good friend (since Junior High) who is LDS. She knows I was LDS (we went to the same congregation) and she knows I left and that I am now an ‘anti’. She is also one of the few LDS friends who did not automatically dump me when I left Mormonism (shunning is very common). She also knows I would love nothing more than to see her leave Mormonism. The fact that she still speaks to me is testimony of how close we are.
A couple of years ago she started dating a Christian man (grew up Pentecostal) and we discussed her relationship at great lengths.
I approached him as a sister in Christ and told him (I also told her) that I could not support them getting married (they haven’t yet) because he would be unequally yoked, even though she is a long time friend.
She wanted him to take the missonary lessons, in hopes of him converting and we had a very frank conversation about it. I told her it was his decision to take the lessons or not and to convert or not but that SHE needed to make sure he knew ALL the teachings of the LDS church. She need to give full disclosure or I was going to. We discussed specific teachings. She balked and gave me the ‘line upon line’ response to which I rememinded her that he had been lied to in a previous relationship (his ex-wife) and that if she didn’t tell him it was the same as lying and asked her how he would respond if after 6 months in the LDS church, some guy in Priesthood meeting started in about Jesus being married at Cana? Would he feel betrayed. She agreed he would. He ended up not taking the lessons or converting after all. He did his own research and said ‘no way, they aren’t Christians’ even though he is still involved with her.
Now I gave her a chance to be honest with him about LDS teachings before I stepped in and gave him the full story. My goal isn’t to ‘tear down’ as much as it is to get the LDS to stop lying to themselves and everyone else. If they really believe they have the truth, then they need to be honest. If the leadership really believes, then there is NO reason to whitewash their history or make excuses for things. Yet they continue to do so because either it is ALL true or none of it is true.
The thing I think you are missing, Reaganut, is that something like the marriage at Cana being Jesus’ own wedding is not what the LDS Church teaches. Someone may have said it once — offered it as an opinion — but it’s just speculation. Its not in our scriptures and I have never heard it taught in any church meeting in the many years I’ve been a member.
What’s central to our belief is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Saviour and that we are called to love, serve and follow Him.
My faith is focused on Christ — with out Him I have no faith and no hope.
Best regards,
Normandy
Very interesting. I used to babysit for a Mormon couple. They were very nice to me. Additionally, I know a Mormon man who comes to our Support the Troops rally. There are people here who are claiming to understand Mormonism, because they read about it on the net.
I keep pointing out that Mormonism isn’t running for president. Mitt Romney is. The Founding Fathers said we should never have a faith test for a presidential candidate. If you are in disagreement, then who else should be on that list? Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, traditional American Indians, etc?