I am a 40 something female and had been a very devoted Catholic all my life. Went to Catholic school, attended Sunday and oftentimes weekday masses… Sent my children to Catholic school… I was very much in touch with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
A little over a year ago, I discovered through
Ancestory.com that I was directly descended from one of the eight witnesses of the golden plates claimed to be the source of the Book of Mormon. His name is even listed in the front cover of the Book of Mormon. This discovery rocked my world. This came at an extremely low point in my life, since my husband had left me a few years earlier and had just succeeded in convincing the courts to let my twin daughters come to live with him on a “trial” basis. I was left alone and was feeling abandoned by all, including God, though I was still attending Sunday Mass.
Following this discovery, my path led me to one encounter after another with Mormons who had answers for me. Within the last year, I agreed to be baptized just as Jesus had been. He wasn’t baptized as a child, like we are. He was a full grown man just about to start His mission. It only made sense to me that if we were to follow Christ’s example, we should be baptized in much the same manner as He was. The baptism and subsequent confirmation were both extremely Spirit filled events, giving affirmation to the fact that God was present.
I have since found the LDS people to be excellent examples of who Christ would want us to be. They are very humble, loving, and kind. They put a very high value on family and do a splendid job of raising clean, chaste, Christian children. They reached out to me when I was down and the Catholics I knew were too busy with their own lives and fears to care about their fallen sister. I have grown to love the LDS Ward family that I am now a part of, just as though they are family. They have never taught me anything but Christ like virtue straight from the Bible.
Still, I miss Christ’s presence in the Eucharist… GREATLY. I am now completely torn as to what God wants me to do. I still have a very deep and personal relationship with my Savior. I am not sure if it is my mind or the Holy Spirit that is telling me that the Nephites, Lamanites, and now LDS Members are the sheep of a different fold Jesus referred to in John 10:16. The Book of Mormon clearly claims that they are.
To further clarify, I will quote John 10:16 from the Catholic Edition of the Living Bible (paraphrased): “I have other sheep, too, in another fold. I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice; and there will be one flock with one Shepherd.” I could quote the Book of Mormon on its references, but I don’t think that is what this forum wants to hear.
We as Catholics, have never believed that the Bible was the end all of end alls. That is why there are volumes and volumes more of published chronicles of the lives of the Saints and such. The Bible, itself, was not the endeavor of one person sitting down and writing it out, but rather a compilation of many authors’ writings taken down over many thousands of years. This is why I am open to the potential of the Book of Mormon, along with its claims.
However, I feel now like a lost and confused child of God. I have scrambled everything up in my head and fear for my soul, despite my pious lifestyle and Christian heart. I am not out to steal anyone else’s soul. I am just earnestly searching for the truth. I wanted to let you all who have judged me so harshly know who I really am and what I am really going through.
I am certainly open to your opinions and request your prayers for my guidance. I have not seen where Mormons could possibly be anti-Christian until I just realized that by keeping people from the Eucharist, they are removing the actual presence of Christ from their lives, and leaving them unprotected from the adversary. I love the LDS people who are now like family to me and I do not want to leave that family. I am truly torn and in need of prayers.
