Ex-Mormon Looking For The Truth

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Just recently, I have become friends with an ex-Mormon who is trying to find a religion he likes. He is looking at a few churches right now, including the Catholic Church. He seems like he is really just trying to find the truth. I was talking to him about what he likes/dislikes about Catholic teaching, and he mentioned a few things he didn’t like. One of the major things we talked about was the idea that Christ intended to make Peter the leader of the Church on earth, and that Peter passed that on…(throughout all the confusing anti-popes and true popes)… all the way down to the current pope. Does anyone have a good argument that I can use? I didn’t want to press the issues too much, as I am just getting to know the guy, and I think the best thing for me to do right now is be a friend to him and answer the questions that I can. He actually is interested in looking closer at the Church, and he sounded interested in going to mass with me to see what it’s like.
This is the first time I’ve really done any kind of apologetics (but I think he’s a good guy to practice on), so I will be looking for advice on some other issues he has in the future.
 
Matthew 16:18, 1 Timothy 3:15. If you know Greek (or whatever language it is), I’ve read online (from smart people) that you is really yous, referring to the successors of St. Peter.
 
bigfootbob said:
Just recently, I have become friends with an ex-Mormon who is trying to find a religion he likes. He is looking at a few churches right now, including the Catholic Church. He seems like he is really just trying to find the truth. I was talking to him about what he likes/dislikes about Catholic teaching, and he mentioned a few things he didn’t like. One of the major things we talked about was the idea that Christ intended to make Peter the leader of the Church on earth, and that Peter passed that on…(throughout all the confusing anti-popes and true popes)… all the way down to the current pope. Does anyone have a good argument that I can use? I didn’t want to press the issues too much, as I am just getting to know the guy, and I think the best thing for me to do right now is be a friend to him and answer the questions that I can. He actually is interested in looking closer at the Church, and he sounded interested in going to mass with me to see what it’s like.
This is the first time I’ve really done any kind of apologetics (but I think he’s a good guy to practice on), so I will be looking for advice on some other issues he has in the future.
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What is wonderful about your friend is that he is searching. I have been to ex-mormon sites and it is so sad to see many of them becoming agnostic or atheist.

As a Mormon he is used to reading the Bible. He is using the KJV but maybe you can get him, as a gift, the New Answer Bible. This is a Catholic Bible with inserts which answer many of the questions non Catholics have. The NAB (New American Bible Translation) is the one we use at Mass. The difference is the inserts inside.

This is the Bible I bought when I was in RCIA. I was not a Mormon but it is safe to say I was most certainly not a true believer.

You can get it here. amazon.com/dp/1592761402/ref%3Dasc_df_15927614021538502/%3Ftag%3Daskcom05el-20%26creative%3D394997%26creativeASIN%3D1592761402%26linkCode%3Dasn

Or at my store. After I became a Catholic I became co-owner of a Catholic book store. 😃
 
Swiss_Guy said:
Matthew 16:18, 1 Timothy 3:15. If you know Greek (or whatever language it is), I’ve read online (from smart people) that you is really yous, referring to the successors of St. Peter.
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Yeah that’s nice… but… you can make statements like that all day and not get anywhere. If I was an expert on that kind of stuff I might be able to make a convincing argument, but my knowledge is limited. I know what the Catholic Church teaches and why, but anyone could come up to me and say, “The long lost Gospel of Ebekeneezer says that Jesus had twelve wives.” and I haven’t even heard of it -how could I disprove it? That’s kind of my problem.
 
bigfootbob said:
Yeah that’s nice… but… you can make statements like that all day and not get anywhere. If I was an expert on that kind of stuff I might be able to make a convincing argument, but my knowledge is limited. I know what the Catholic Church teaches and why, but anyone could come up to me and say, “The long lost Gospel of Ebekeneezer says that Jesus had twelve wives.” and I haven’t even heard of it -how could I disprove it? That’s kind of my problem.
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You could ask who it was by and when it was written, etc. Ever heard of the “gospel” of Barnabas? Ugly.

But I’m confused about what your situation is then. Sorry. :o

I’m sure others can help better than me, as some already have.

God bless.

P.S: Maybe you could let him know that it was the Catholic Church that gave him and the world the bible. That’s the best I can do to help. I’m not an expert either. 🤷
 
Swiss_Guy said:
You could ask who it was by and when it was written, etc. Ever heard of the “gospel” of Barnabas? Ugly.

But I’m confused about what your situation is then. Sorry. :o

I’m sure others can help better than me, as some already have.

God bless.

P.S: Maybe you could let him know that it was the Catholic Church that gave him and the world the bible. That’s the best I can do to help. I’m not an expert either. 🤷
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He is the kind of guy that does his homework, so that’s part of the challenge, but he is very open to looking at new ideas which is good. I guess we’ll see how things play out.
Thank you much for your ideas and prayers
 
Miriam1947 said:
What is wonderful about your friend is that he is searching. I have been to ex-mormon sites and it is so sad to see many of them becoming agnostic or atheist.
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Yeah, but I’d hate to see him end up anywhere but the RC Church
As a Mormon he is used to reading the Bible. He is using the KJV but maybe you can get him, as a gift, the New Answer Bible. This is a Catholic Bible with inserts which answer many of the questions non Catholics have. The NAB (New American Bible Translation) is the one we use at Mass. The difference is the inserts inside.
Click to expand...
This is the Bible I bought when I was in RCIA. I was not a Mormon but it is safe to say I was most certainly not a true believer.
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He seems like he has definite opinions about which books are authentic or not, so I’m not sure it would make much of a difference or not. The inserts might help though.
 
bigfootbob said:
Just recently, I have become friends with an ex-Mormon who is trying to find a religion he likes. He is looking at a few churches right now, including the Catholic Church. He seems like he is really just trying to find the truth. I was talking to him about what he likes/dislikes about Catholic teaching, and he mentioned a few things he didn’t like. One of the major things we talked about was the idea that Christ intended to make Peter the leader of the Church on earth, and that Peter passed that on…(throughout all the confusing anti-popes and true popes)… all the way down to the current pope. Does anyone have a good argument that I can use? I didn’t want to press the issues too much, as I am just getting to know the guy, and I think the best thing for me to do right now is be a friend to him and answer the questions that I can. He actually is interested in looking closer at the Church, and he sounded interested in going to mass with me to see what it’s like.
This is the first time I’ve really done any kind of apologetics (but I think he’s a good guy to practice on), so I will be looking for advice on some other issues he has in the future.
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Suggest you have him read THE CRUCIFIED RABBI by Taylor Marshall $8 via Kindle download from Amazon. It demonstrates how the Jewish and Catholic faiths are interwoven to include “the Pope” and “the Virgin Mary” - a good read.
 
bigfootbob said:
Yeah, but I’d hate to see him end up anywhere but the RC Church

He seems like he has definite opinions about which books are authentic or not, so I’m not sure it would make much of a difference or not. The inserts might help though.
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The difference between the NAB and the KJV is that there are more books! :clapping: He gets the whole Bible, not just a partial one. As a non-Catholic I had the KJV and I still do have my original one.

I have noticed though that the really nice Catholic Bibles have the gold leaf on the page edges. Just another reason to buy one I guess. 😃

The KJV I have has Christ’s words in red which is really cool. The DR translation I have also has Christ’s words in red. I like it. 😉
 
bigfootbob said:
Just recently, I have become friends with an ex-Mormon who is trying to find a religion he likes. One of the major things we talked about was the idea that Christ intended to make Peter the leader of the Church on earth, and that Peter passed that on…(throughout all the confusing anti-popes and true popes)… all the way down to the current pope.
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Hi Bob - great that you’re talking to him - here are a few ideas:

– Pray about this and for guidance from the Holy Spirit and to give you the right things to say to him.

– Point him to CAF, in particular the “Faith” tab and encourage him to type of “Peter” or “apostolic succession” or “papal succession” or “Matthew 16:18” etc into the search box and let him read what the church teaches - that way you don’t have to explain too much yet. I’d also suggest you do the same so you learn more and become more comfortable answering these questions.

– Ask him what makes him uncomfortable about Christ making Peter the leader of the Church?

If you do some of these searches what you’ll find is biblical support, from a Catholic perspective, of
  1. Christ said he would build a visible church on earth,
  2. Christ made Peter the first leader of that church (Matthew 16:13-20, specifically verse 18),
  3. one of the main roles of the apostles was to pass on the teachings of Christ to the Jews, the Gentiles (St. Paul’s main role) and rest of the world (see Matthew 28:18-20) and make disciples of them,
  4. the apostles were mortal and would die - Christ knew this - so it only makes sense that the teaching authority of the apostles is passed on through the ages to the present day - including the ability of the bishops to ordain priests and of bishops and priest to validly prepare the Eucharist.
I think you can also find some similarities between the RCC church’s view of Peter and the LDS’s view of Joseph Smith that would be familiar to him and may be helpful. According to the LDS church Joseph Smith was visited by God and told that all churches on the earth were corrupt and that God had chosen him to “restore” His church on earth. So Smith is the somewhat the equivalent to Peter for the LDS in that he began the LDS church. LDS also believe that the President of the church, their Pope if you will, is a seer, prophet and revelator - IOW he has power(s) given to him by God to help uphold the church and not lead it astray.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the LDS president is the same as the RCC’s Pope - it’s simply an example that may make some sense to him to show that God’s plan in building a visible church on earth was to pass on the His teachings and sacraments through others, through time. However, if he’s left the LDS church and this line of reasoning would bring up bad feelings, then leave it alone.

Hope that helps!
 
bigfootbob, when Bp. Hunt was the Bishop of the Salt Lake Diocese, he wrote a book titled “The Continuity of the Catholic Church”. It is available online, here.

It addresses many of the issues that come up among Mormons. There is one chapter titled “The Primacy of the Pope”.

Hope that helps.
 
Hey bigfootbob,

If you don’t mind a bit of reading, try this article by Scott Hahn. It should get you up to speed on some relevant details about the history and biblical base of the papacy. Good luck!
 
I think the biggest favor you could him at this point would be to get him a copy of Catholicism for Dummies. It explains nearly all aspects and major beliefs of the Catholic Church in easily understood language. I can most highly recommend it.
 
Bob,
As a former (very devout) Mormon who also sought the Truth, I think the biggest thing you can encourage and stress is to PRAY! Encourage him to ask God to show him and lead him to the truth. That credibility and authenticity is important. God gets that.

Most former Mormons have deep seated issues that go back to having been duped by Mormonism so our ability to trust human beings when it comes to things religious/spiritual has been hurt. (at least for me that is a true statement)

Dont try to convince him of anything, or prove anything, or make a good argument. Just answer his questions best you can.

When it comes to the popes, the truth is over the 2000 years that most certainly have been moral degenerates to hold the title. Men (ancient powerful Roman families) who basically bought the seat. Etc etc. (and yes there were times when it was vacant)

But the office of the Papacy continued, even when the man who held the seat wasnt holy.

I think the best analogy I have heard when it comes to the Popes and the Papacy is comparing it to the President and the Presidency of the USA. Sometimes those men who held the title were less the stellar, but the office itself is deeply respected.

I like the suggestion someone made about Scott Hahn’s works. encourage your friend in that direction too, IMO anyway
 
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I’ll see where things go, and maybe suggest some books or articles if he seems interested.
Marie5890 said:
Bob,
As a former (very devout) Mormon who also sought the Truth, I think the biggest thing you can encourage and stress is to PRAY! Encourage him to ask God to show him and lead him to the truth. That credibility and authenticity is important. God gets that.
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I will definitely encourage him to do that.
Dont try to convince him of anything, or prove anything, or make a good argument. Just answer his questions best you can.
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I think that makes the most sense at this point, especially since I’m not that good at coming up with good arguments at the exact moment I need them.
 
Tell him to check out Father Robert Barron’s website wordonfire.org/

And make sure you tell him about the 10 Part series called Catholicism that will be on in the fall on PBS and EWTN. It is done by Father Robert Barron and looks amazing!

Here is a link about it … catholicismseries.com/
 
bigfootbob said:
Just recently, I have become friends with an ex-Mormon who is trying to find a religion he likes. He is looking at a few churches right now, including the Catholic Church. He seems like he is really just trying to find the truth. I was talking to him about what he likes/dislikes about Catholic teaching, and he mentioned a few things he didn’t like. One of the major things we talked about was the idea that Christ intended to make Peter the leader of the Church on earth, and that Peter passed that on…(throughout all the confusing anti-popes and true popes)… all the way down to the current pope. Does anyone have a good argument that I can use? I didn’t want to press the issues too much, as I am just getting to know the guy, and I think the best thing for me to do right now is be a friend to him and answer the questions that I can. He actually is interested in looking closer at the Church, and he sounded interested in going to mass with me to see what it’s like.
This is the first time I’ve really done any kind of apologetics (but I think he’s a good guy to practice on), so I will be looking for advice on some other issues he has in the future.
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I have some close Mormon friends from work and so have some understanding of LDS doctrines. As a result I’m rather surprised that the point you mentioned would be so troubling to your friend. As OHCAC mentioned, the doctrine of the LDS church is quite similar to the Catholic view of papal succession except of course instead of papal succession, they believe in an unbroken succession of prophets from Joseph Smith to present day as the head of the LDS church. In fact, some who are critical of LDS believe that Joseph Smith “borrowed” the idea from the Catholic Church when he created the LDS church.

Since you noted that you aren’t a trained apologist, I tend to agree with what Marie6890 said. Rather than offering arguments that you may not be able to support convincingly, simply answer what questions you can from your own personal experiences. If he needs convincing arguments send him to a priest.

I’ll also second po18guy’s recommendation on the book, Catholicism for Dummies. While I have since moved on to meatier sources in my personal faith journey that was the very first book I read when I first contemplated converting to the Catholic Church. It really does give an excellent introduction in clear, easy to understand terms.
 
Give him the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism just might impress him with its profoundness, insight and wisdom. And in addition to taking him to Mass, perhaps try adoration as well.
 
bigfootbob said:
Just recently, I have become friends with an ex-Mormon who is trying to find a religion he likes. He is looking at a few churches right now, including the Catholic Church. He seems like he is really just trying to find the truth. I was talking to him about what he likes/dislikes about Catholic teaching, and he mentioned a few things he didn’t like. One of the major things we talked about was the idea that Christ intended to make Peter the leader of the Church on earth, and that Peter passed that on…(throughout all the confusing anti-popes and true popes)… all the way down to the current pope. Does anyone have a good argument that I can use? I didn’t want to press the issues too much, as I am just getting to know the guy, and I think the best thing for me to do right now is be a friend to him and answer the questions that I can. He actually is interested in looking closer at the Church, and he sounded interested in going to mass with me to see what it’s like.
This is the first time I’ve really done any kind of apologetics (but I think he’s a good guy to practice on), so I will be looking for advice on some other issues he has in the future.
Click to expand...
In my humble opinion, I would just try to get to know him. I would try to get to know what he believed and what he rejected. In knowing this I can interject in the conversation things about me and my belief and observe the reaction. In doing this I can guage what it is the person wants to know and what they don’t want to know.🙂

In time as the friendship grows questions will come. If he is interested in looking closer at the Church just ask why and listen. As you listen and there are any positive notes you can add your experience.🙂

This is what I would do.👍

You are first looking for a friend.🤷

Imagine or pretend as you close your eyes and imagine the missionaries that came to parts of America. What did they do? They were celibate. The locals knew they did not want their women. They were in poverty. The locals knew they did not want their money. They engaged in life and became friends. Questions came later as to how and why they lived as they did. They started lots of missions this way.👍
 
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