I am truly sorry if you have been mistreated, shunned, or belittled. That is not good coming from anyone, and particularly not family or people who consider and call themselves Christian.
As I have stated, I have been a member now for 42 years this September. In that time I have been to, been involved with, and served in wards and branches in all the following areas:
Denton, TX
Provo, UT
Karsruhe, Germany
Feurerbach, Germany
Mannheim, Germany
Worms, Germany
Kaufbeeuren, Germany
Brea, CA
Fontana, CA
Houston, TX
Spring, TX
Arlington, TX
San Jose, CA
Livermore, CA
Gainsville, TX
Milfrod, OH
Dillon, MT
Nephi, UT
Taipai, ROC
New Delhi, India
Boise, ID
Meridian, ID
Emmett, ID
Certainly I have seen wrong doing, and cases where people turned away from someone who may have showed up smelling badly of tobacco or alcohol...in all cases I have tried to remind and point out that all God’s children are welcome, that the Church is a hospital for sinners and not a country club of saints, and that folks with ills are what the church and the Gospel is for...for each of us. I have given talks on what might happen if lieing, cheating, immorality, watching bad things on TVs or Movies, or jealousy, envyy, or any other sin had its own distinctive smeell like Tobacco or Alcohol. In each case my sentiment and message was that the whole place would stink so badly that we would all be driven out...so it is best to love people and try and help them when they come, and not shun or turn away from them because, spiritually if we could smell the aroma of our own sins...we would be just as obvious.
So, of course, as humans, and imperfect, we find these types of things everywhere. The best we can do is try and live ourselves, humbly, trying to avoid such attitudes and behavior and help others to do the same...and not point the finger.
As I say, for the most part, the vast majority of members where I have lived and worked try to do this and are good, honorable, decent people. I am sorry that your experiences have clearly run you up against folks who apparently do not try and be Christ-like. The best you can do is to love them, and try and treat and show them how to be Christlike by treating them as you would be treated.
Again, the vast majority of members I have dealt with in all of those places, all over the country and around the world, have been good, Christian people, trying to follow the Savior and live as best they can, thankful for and relying on His grace and atonement to guide their lives.
I ray the people you have had run ins with will turn their lives around and seek you out one day, asking for your forgiveness.
Mormonism is not a Christian faith.
I have to wonder how you believe that posting your resume and testimony is going to convince anyone of mormonism's claim to be "Christian" when there are 52,000 mormon missionaries going out every single day telling Christians that their faith is bogus, and the only way to salvaion is to become baptized mormon and take part in arcane temple rituals that are manmade and do NOT bind God to their promises.
What does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church?
Our first responsibility and purpose is to testify of Jesus Christ to a world that suffers to know of His divine mission. As my response to that great responsibility, I will speak about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only true and living Church. In doing so I know I speak against the powerful tide of what is called “political correctness.”
The fashionable opinion of this age is that all churches are true. In truth, the idea that all churches are the same is the doctrine of the anti-Christ, illustrated by the Book of Mormon account of Korihor (see Alma 30). That account was given to teach us a vital lesson in our day.
A revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831, soon after the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke of those who had been given “power to lay the foundation of this church.” The Lord then referred to the Church as “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased” (D&C 1:30).
Because of this declaration of the Lord, we refer to this, His Church—our Church—as the “only true Church.” Sometimes we do this in a way that gives great offense to people who belong to other churches or who subscribe to other philosophies. But God has not taught us anything that should cause us to feel superior to other people. Certainly all churches and philosophies have elements of truth in them, some more than others. Certainly God loves all of His children. And certainly His gospel plan is for all of His children, all according to His own timetable.
So what does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church?
Three features—(1) fulness of doctrine, (2) power of the priesthood, and (3) testimony of Jesus Christ—explain why God has declared and why we as His servants maintain that this is the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth.
Mormonism is anti-Christian.
Jeff, as always you state your experiences are not mine or the millions, upon millions who have left lds or deal with it on a daily basis.
My lds family does not and has never referred to themselves as Christians, as they are not. The say they are lds, sometimes they say mormon.
They beleive in the foundation of mormonism, and at its core is anti-Christian. Most of them can trace their line to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
My personal experiences have been going on since 1962, even longer than yours.
In fact Jeff, I have never heard anyone talk about their real experiences with lds as glowingly as you do.
One of my lds cousins says “they are nice to your face, and will cut your spin in two if it benefits them, while they have an “oh I am so good” smile on their faces”.
Just because someone says their watch is a Rolex doesn't make it so. It could be a fake.
The bible warns of false Jesus - yet I'll bet the followers of those false Jesus called themselves Christian too - but they weren't.
It is undeniable Jeff - mormonism staked its claim that they were NOT Christian. They still teach that Christian churches are apostate and that mormonism is the only "TRUE" church. So don't try to spread this falsehood. By every key criteria, mormonism is NOT Christian.
And mormonism's doctrine would repudiate that a woman PRIEST could even exist - let alone give credence to it - except for PR purposes - blurr the lines and begile the unknowing.