Clarification on Mormon Belief

[Marie5890]

Spockrates,

What is faith to you?

Do you believe God answers prayers?

Do you think God is obligated to answer your prayers in the way you insist? or demand? or require?

Do you believe in God?

Do you pray?

 

[zerinus]

Yes, Jay, you, Marie, and other Catholics have suggested this to me. Ironically, some Mormons suggest a similar method, albeit with a alternate goal: They suggest I pray and ask God to show me the Book of Mormon is true and that God will confirm it is so by giving me peace and removing my feelings of doubt (even though my rational reasons for doubt remain).

That is not exactly what I am suggesting. What I an suggesting, before doing anything else, is to read the Book of Mormon and ponder it, like it says in the promise of Moroni. That means exercise your intelligence, not just your faith. That is how the inspiration comes; not just by praying about it.

 

[zerinus]

What I need is some measure of truth–like a ruler is a measure of the truth of length, or a multiplication table is the measure of the truth of a mathematical calculation. Don’t you think?

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:....static.flickr.com/41/84342679_5584124956.jpg

There is such a ruler. It is called the Bible! You seem to be reasonably acquainted with the Bible. That is the best ruler you can have. Read the Book of Mormon and compare it with the Bible. That is easy enough! But you can only make that comparison by actually reading the Book of Mormon, not just asking other people who have read it what they think!

 

[catholic-rcia]

I have no problem with that. It is a pity that Paul didn’t tell you how to “try the spirits”! So I am curious in finding out how you intend to carry out that test.

I am all for it. But the question still remains: how do you intend to carry out that test?
zerinus;6022489:

After reading a few more post here, I see that Spockrates is testing the spirits here.

I know a few people who have been told by the LDS here in Northern Utah to just put their hand on the Book of Mormon and ask if it is true. You have to be real careful in these things. As a Child I used to do this with a Weegi board and I received many warm feeling when asking it things like will my mother and father get back together and such. It’s not right to ask someone to simply have blind faith such as that. As a Matter of fact it reeks of sorcery, magic, superstition and testing the spirits in all the wrong ways. Its temptation is it not. To Temp…

Catechism
***Superstition ***
2111 Superstition is the deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes. It can even affect the worship we offer the true God, e.g., when one attributes an importance in some way magical to certain practices otherwise lawful or necessary. To attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions that they demand, is to fall into superstition.

God made us with a brain. Jesus taught for three years, before their eyes were opened at His table in the breaking of the bread. This same table exist today for all souls.

You don’t get married, find the one true love in your life by placing your hand on anything and asking if this is the one. No, you spend precious time together building a relationship, falling in Love. This is how it works with Jesus.

You learn about Him, with an open heart you receive the very same revelations about Him as His first disciples did. The deposit of faith delivered once for all…nothing new needed, only Jesus and what He has done.

Hope that helps
www.utahmission.com
www.chooseyourcross.com

 

[Marie5890]

]God made us with a brain. Jesus taught for three years, before their eyes were opened at His table in the breaking of the bread. This same table exist today for all souls.

You don’t get married, find the one true love in your life by placing your hand on anything and asking if this is the one. No, you spend precious time together building a relationship, falling in Love. This is how it works with Jesus.
You learn about Him, with an open heart you receive the very same revelations about Him as His first disciples did. The deposit of faith delivered once for all…nothing new needed, only Jesus and what He has done. ]

Wise insight, Catholic-rcia. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Rachel_Malloy]

This thread is now closed. Thanks to all who have participated.