I can answer that, both the motives and the innocent. Keep in mind whatever sin I may point out in the LDS such as my last post here, I can only do this because I know my own sin well. We are so much alike in that aspect of faith. Its not all one sided if you know what I mean?
They are told to look for different things such as statues for instance or bowing before the Alter. Its pretty much set up. If it is not they have their questions answered by these leaders in a Mormon light afterwords.
It also gives them the opportunity as they grow older to say oh yes I have been to a Catholic Mass but I know my Church is true.
I had a man here in Northern Utah ask me about my faith. He was just off a mission. He told me that he had studied all faiths and found the LDS church to be true. I asked him what he thought of the mass and he could not answer. We discussed sin in out lives. As I left he told me that he does not go there enough.
You will also find young LDS on some Sundays at Mass taking notes. These notes would get answers from an LDS leader, again in their own light.
But….listen to this
We give a tour of our Church each first Tuesday of every month. If you do not do that at your Church do it. put it together, find someone to do it etc… I have a brochure I could give you, its what we give to visitors. We tend to shy away from evangelization at these tours…we just speak about each station such as the Baptismal font for immersion at our doors, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the Crucifix etc…
We had an LDS youth group come through, their leader was their Scouts leader. He was an LDS chaplain in the Army who had to know what Catholics believes so he could do his job well. I was talking about the lady of Guadalupe when he asked if he could tell his kids a personal story. We backed off and said of course you can, I have to admit I became pretty curious as to what he was going to tell them. Keep in mind we had just spoken about Confession in the confessional, spent a couple quiet moments with them in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and explained Baptism. So he bagan and I will quote him as close as I can…you don’t forget something like this.
He said “I was a Chaplain just a few years ago in Iraq” and he told the kids his job. He said he was scared most if the time. Not for himself rather for his wife and children back home. He could not imagine leaving them behind as he love them so much. He said
“I came to know a Catholic; he became a really good friend of mine. A few days before Christmas he asked if I wanted to go with him to the Christmas Mass. (Christ_Mass)I said of course. I had never been and thought it would be neat, plus he was a friend and I did not want to let him down” After the Mass was over he stayed in the chapel behind the rest, he wanted to speak to the Priest. He walked up to the priest who was attending the Alter and they began a conversation on this Christmas Eve. During the conversation this Chaplain told the Priest that he was scared and the feelings he was having. When the conversation was about to end the Priest told him to “reach out his hand and close his eyes.” He placed a small object into his hands and then closed them for him. The Priest told him “when ever you get scared you look at this” He told the youth group that he had been given a small cross with a chain. “to this day when I am scared I look at this cross and it helps so much” he told them that we should never be ashamed of the cross and that even us, the LDS can learn something of importance from another faith.” I cannot remember to much of what else this man said but I do remember having a few tears thinking to myself “wow” that was really special. I believe it was sincere and we did have common ground.
Here was an exchange that I believe was honest, not only between a Catholic Priest and an LDS Chaplain, but also during a tour of our Church. So much so, I had to place it on the
www.utahmission.com site
http://utahmission.com/pages/Tour.html
When I get another it will be placed on the same page……still waiting
