Hard to respect Mormonism

[Janderich]

Janderich, I can see where you are coming from, and realize there is cause for frustration. I think that frustration is on both “sides”.

For Catholics in particular, there is a 2000 year history of defending the faith against error. Mormonism is, in our eyes, just one more error in a long line of errors. More particular to Mormonism is the recasting of Christian teaching into not something it was never meant to be.

Good and bad people exist everywhere. There is a tendency to reduce faith to “being nice”, but it is much more than that. Faith is not required to live a good life, be a good person or live ethically. I have a husband, and good friends who are completely Godless. One hundred percent atheists. Including one who thinks Jesus had a lot of nice ideas that are good to emulate. I wouldn’t call an atheist a Christian, but one of your Mormon sisters that used to post here, told me she would. (I found that a reduction to absurdity.)

All that being said, there was a time the Apostles came to Jesus, complaining that others were going about healing in His name.they wanted Him to do something about it. If you will recall, He told them, they weren’t against Him.

I view Mormons in the same way, but at the same time as Catholics, we have an obligation to our faith, of which Mormonism is in complete opposition to. Actively proselyting Catholics. Recasting Christian terms with new meaning. Sowing confusion among the faithful. Preying on those who are weak of faith, and instead of seeking to strengthen them in their faith, seeking to remove them from it.

I don’t in any way view these as barriers to working together in charitable acts, or even political cause where our beliefs and practices align. But in matters of faith, we are at opposite ends.

We profess Christ’s Church has never failed.
You profess that it has.

It is a difference that is impossible to ignore.

Rebbecca,
I’m glad you can appreciate where I am coming from. I don’t obviously expect complete agreement and there are sometimes major differences. However, Mormons are not in complete opposition to the Catholic faith. We do not need to be on opposite sides of every discussion. For example, where would we be without the Bible today? We revere those who carried it through time to the present day, and the words it contains. We both seek to worship God the Father.

Now, of course there are differences. But can’t they be discussed without resorting to derogatory statements or continuing to dredge up negative history? I have not sought to tear people down of Catholic faith on this site. Nor have I trotted out old Catholic history which does not appear to be in keeping with the faith. To do so would seem designed to incite anger. Why would I bring them up? I don’t truly believe there is no answer to such history nor do I believe they define those who I am talking to. Anyone who believe such things does not understand human nature.

We could both talk about the recasting of Christian terms. You believe we have changed meanings and we believe they have been distorted over time. So what? We can discuss.

Mormon missionaries of course teach the gospel to all people. It is only in keeping with what any faith would do who believes they have the means of salvation for all people. Would you expect any less? But we of course do not target certain groups. I served a mission at one time. There were a number of Christians who simply would nicely say “No thank you” to our message and we would move on.

 

[Elizabeth502]

I have known many Mormons in my life (studied with them, worked with them, had them as students, been in social groups with them), and not a one have I not liked. They have never considered my Catholicism to be a barrier against respecting me; why should I consider their Mormonism an obstacle to my respecting them?

I will note that we have never gotten into theological discussions. Generally, theology is not the basis of relationships. What drew us together is a common belief in decency, integrity, hard work, family, consideration of others, relating to others on a genuine level, and living one’s faith. As long as one’s faith promotes commonly held understandings of The Golden Rule, and relationships are based on mutual respect of persons, I don’t see why the theology of someone else’s religion should be an issue of “respect.”

And as for the mythical charge one hears in some quarters that Mormons are not “Christian,” hopefully we all understand here that that is a false charge…Because I will tell you that in two different cases in my life, in situations where an entire group of people rejected me for social reasons (once in adolescence, once in adulthood), it was Mormons, and Mormons alone, who invited me into fellowship with them. Nothing could be more characteristic of Christianity than that: to accept the rejected.

They truly live their faith. Not only are they involved in their church life locally, they are also involved more broadly. The faithful Mormon becomes a missionary for some period of his or her life. And best of all (to me): education, both secular and religious, is an important value. My public high school Mormon friends had to attend “seminary” every morning before school. Would that Catholic highschoolers were required to actually learn about their faith as much as Mormons do (or did). (Wait: What a concept.)

 

[truthsave]

As Janderich reported the best way to respecting mormonism is saying no thanks.
But this would be perfect if Chrstians would have a responsability only for themselves.
There is a strong responsability to point out the wrongness of the mormon doctrine and their firm intention to mixing emotive response with doctrinal truth, confounding being nice as following the right path.

You cannot say only no thanks. Yes you could say it just regarding to yourself but you should protect other “weaker” christians from the easy seduction of the wrong way where emotive response replace the truth.

If your son is going to be aproached by a pedophile predator you can take your son away from him but your responsability towrds the children other parants should push you to denonce this man, this predator.

If you believe in soul health you should feel the mormon predator is much more dangerous then a pedophile would be for your own child.
Body is temporal, soul is eternal.

 

[Janderich]

I have known many Mormons in my life (studied with them, worked with them, had them as students, been in social groups with them), and not a one have I not liked. They have never considered my Catholicism to be a barrier against respecting me; why should I consider their Mormonism an obstacle to my respecting them?

I will note that we have never gotten into theological discussions. Generally, theology is not the basis of relationships. What drew us together is a common belief in decency, integrity, hard work, family, consideration of others, relating to others on a genuine level, and living one’s faith. As long as one’s faith promotes commonly held understandings of The Golden Rule, and relationships are based on mutual respect of persons, I don’t see why the theology of someone else’s religion should be an issue of “respect.”

And as for the mythical charge one hears in some quarters that Mormons are not “Christian,” hopefully we all understand here that that is a false charge…Because I will tell you that in two different cases in my life, in situations where an entire group of people rejected me for social reasons (once in adolescence, once in adulthood), it was Mormons, and Mormons alone, who invited me into fellowship with them. Nothing could be more characteristic of Christianity than that: to accept the rejected.

They truly live their faith. Not only are they involved in their church life locally, they are also involved more broadly. The faithful Mormon becomes a missionary for some period of his or her life. And best of all (to me): education, both secular and religious, is an important value. My public high school Mormon friends had to attend “seminary” every morning before school. Would that Catholic highschoolers were required to actually learn about their faith as much as Mormons do (or did). (Wait: What a concept.)

Thanks Elizabeth. I agree that religion which promotes decency and good will should not impede respect. I’m glad to hear your view. Most of my interaction with the Catholic religion has been on this site. I keep thinking there are more Catholic’s of your sort here who may not agree with our beliefs but not disrespect us personally for what we believe.

 

[Jerusha]

Catholic’s of your sort anywhere who may not agree with our beliefs but not disrespect us personally for what we believe.

That should go both ways,

 

[TexanKnight]

Why is it hard to respect Mormonism? Are our believes so different that we can’t even be respected? We worship God. We know that we are only saved through Christ’s atonement. We try our best to follow Christ’s teachings. This is what we preach, this is what concerns us. I respect all men be they Catholic, Lutheran, Baptists, or whatever for there efforts to follow the Master.

Oh if that were true. I really wish it was. But using the sames names for things does not mean you worship the same. We believe in God. The Father Almighty. Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is the Alpha and the Omega. You believe in a exalted man. a god who used to be a man. See what I mean?

On this site Ex-Mormon’s in many instances take fringe statements and parade them as core doctrine. They exaggerate or twist our beliefs into something I hardly recognize. If I were a Catholic with little understanding of Mormonism I would not have a clear picture after reading these types of threads. Perhaps I would also say I don’t respect Mormons.

Alas, that is not true. We take core beliefs and core doctrines taught by alleged prophets. These same doctrine show how horribly wrong the beginnings of your church is, thus making it false. These are doctrines you are now forced to ignore, change, whitewash, and call “:fringe”

Why do I hear so many posters say that Mormon’s are good people but then comment on how impossible, incredibly wrong and in some cases even satanic our beliefs are. Can’t it be seen that beliefs make the man? Hence a good person’s beliefs cannot be all bad.

Again, if only that were true. I have met Satanists who are good and decent people. I have met really good Wiccans…awesome people who are kind and loving…does that mean those two groups are following the One True God? Of course not. You are following false prophets. I believe that is a dangerous path.

I came here seeking to clarify our beliefs and perhaps understand more of what is at the heart of a practicing Catholic. It’s been hard in both respects.

Yes, I suspect it is hard to tell former Mormons that what we know and what were taught is just “fringe” when we know better. It is very difficult, I would assume to ry to convince us, who know the truth, that what we know and taught and practices is now just considered tha rantings of folks who did not know any better.

Sorry if this comes off as a bit of a rant. I do not mean to direct to anyone specifically. It has simply been very difficult to share thoughts. In some ways I believe followers of Christ are becoming a rare breed. All the more precious then to reach across the table and understand.

No, I think true followers of Christ are simply putting on the Armor of God and preparing. Christ warned us that there would false prophets who sound good and act good. So, he sent a few us to be a part of some of those false churches and then be here to defend the True Church against them. So, here we are.

Be Blessed. And have a Blessed Memorial Day.

 

[septimine]

I think it’s mostly social pressure. It’s a situation that occurs in some religions, and it’s not really all that healthy. In the case of Mormons, it’s a pressure to be Mormon. Your being a part of your own family is part in parcel of being a Mormon, as is keeping your friends and so on. If you get too far out, they cut you loose and you won’t have a friend that’s a Mormon. So yeah, so long as you aren’t a heretic in their eyes, you’re going to be kept in the family, but not if you leave the church. Even within the church itself there are “super-Mormons” who are given access to Temple and so on. it’s a lot of social pressure, and it’s not all that different from other ssectarian movements. Social programs can create “family atmosphere” but it’s a lot different than a genuine family relationship. Jonestown was a “family” and pretty close, but it was all directed to whether or not you were Jonesian enough to suit them.

 

[BListon]

There is a misconception among some Catholics that all Protestants are Restorationists. Many Protestants have great respect for the 1500 years of Catholicism before the split. It isn’t our fault that illiteracy ran rampant and the printing press was developed so late.

And with those things, plus the Bubonic Plague and other factors, the Church was swimming in imperfection.

^ I agree with this. Whenever I was a Methodist. (A very anglo-Catholic one… if that makes any sense!) I had a deep respect of the 2000 years of preserved Christian traditions that the Church had to offer, I even prayed the rosary, chaplet of divine mercy, and crossed myself after communion.

 

[Vouthon]

I think that the important thing to remember is that while Joseph Smith was clearly a lying imposter who fabricated his finding of illusionary golden tablets and visitations from God, his teachings spread around quite a bit and - for some reason - attracted a large crowd of people. These people have the Holy Spirit mysteriously present in their hearts, and over the years have decreased or even removed the more malignant elements of Joseph Smith’s teachings.

Not everthing Joseph Smith taught was bad. Sure, his teachings about plural marriage, the necessity of wearing temple garments (Massive white undergarments) when walking around, all the ridiculous death rituals, baptism of the dead, the planet Kolob and his awful misinterpretation of the Trinity as three separate beings, not to mention the ability of people to become Gods and rule their own universes…this is all crazy and at times even quite satanic.

However the Book of Mormon, made-up as it is, does not actually contain an awful lot that is bad and often contradicts Mormon beliefs and supports Orthodox ones. Actually read and you will be surprised at how nearly Orthodox and flying in the face of later Mormon teachings of Smith and Brigham Young it actually is.

I can only attribute this to the foresight of the Holy Spirit, inspiring seeds of truth - of the Word - in the Mormon religion so as to help the spiritual growth of its members towards the true revelation of Christ in the Catholic Church.

We, as Catholics, should embrace those good elements of Mormonism as the breathings of the Holy Spirit at work in the Mormon religion, and also elements of their lifestyles that are worthy of esteem, while also having the charity to point out to them - as our dear brothers made in the Image of God - the very, many areas where their belief system is desparately flawed and even immoral.

We can never make excuses for the clear errors and immorality of many Mormon teachings. We do a disservice to Mormons if we accept such obscenities.

But we must also respect the truth, even if we find it in Mormonism under many blankets of ridiculous, cultic nonsense.

As Saint Thomas Aquinas explained:

“…All that is true, by whomsoever it has been said, has its origin in the Spirit…”

***- Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Catholic theologian, mystic and Doctor of the Church ***

In saying this Saint Thomas was merely attesting to this Sacred Tradition had been spoken of much earlier by all the Fathers, for example Saint Justin Martyr and Augustine:

“…All truth, wherever it is found, belongs to us as Christians and is Christian truth…”

***- Saint Justin Martyr (AD 100–165), Early Catholic Church Father ***

Yes you read that - truth is truth and inspired by God no matter who says it - even Joseph Smith or his Mormons And by divine right whatever truths are contained in other religions belongs to Holy Mother Church and us Catholics since we are the Mystical Body of and disciples of Truth incarnate.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

And as for the mythical charge one hears in some quarters that Mormons are not “Christian,” hopefully we all understand here that that is a false charge…Because I will tell you that in two different cases in my life, in situations where an entire group of people rejected me for social reasons (once in adolescence, once in adulthood), it was Mormons, and Mormons alone, who invited me into fellowship with them. Nothing could be more characteristic of Christianity than that: to accept the rejected.

They truly live their faith. Not only are they involved in their church life locally, they are also involved more broadly. The faithful Mormon becomes a missionary for some period of his or her life. And best of all (to me): education, both secular and religious, is an important value. My public high school Mormon friends had to attend “seminary” every morning before school. Would that Catholic highschoolers were required to actually learn about their faith as much as Mormons do (or did). (Wait: What a concept.)

It is not a mythical charge. How can Mormons be Christian when they do not accept the Divinity of Christ? Regardless of their other great characteristics, such as charity, humility, and doing missions, their faith is fundamentally flawed because it was instituted by a very flawed human being who made up stories and attributed them to an angel.

It is the good qualities of the people in the LDS that make it appear to be Christian. But LDS is not Christian.

 

[HonoraDominum]

It’s hard to play the same song over and over on these boards about Mormonism. But I know that the reason I come back again and again to address these issues is that I am intimately familiar with the effects of believing the lies of the Mormon church. I know how it took my good intentions and ripped me away from my Lord and my God. I know the “lying for the Lord” tactics used by Mormons to seduce them into their church. I personally taught the half-truths, the not-quite-but-almosts, the “pray and see how it makes you feel” mentality to recruit non-members. I remember being kind to non-members specifically so that I could eventually evangelize to them.

And I also feel the sting of that moment when I realized the fraud of the Mormon church. I remember feeling duped out of 10% of my pay for years. I remember feeling so bitter about the way that I was treated when I was in the church, and even more bitter that when I left, no one seemed to notice. I think of how stupid I felt, how lowly, how ignorant I must have appeared to many people who did not have on the same blinders as I. I had to face these people and say, “You were right, the LDS church is not the true church of God.” I still get Primary songs stuck in my head and get so frustrated.

Even now, I feel my “Mormon Scars” on a regular basis. I tried to start Bible Study classes with my parish, but kept getting confused with references and thinking, “Wait, it’s blah blah … wait, no, that was in the Book of Mormon”. The first time I heard the phrase “Let us go down” from the Bible story of the Tower of Babylon, I completely freaked out. That was the last time I went to the class - I lasted six weeks. The first time I went to my priest’s office, I stopped at the door, waiting to be invited in … because while I was friends with Missionaries, I could walk up to their door but was not allowed in. I still find myself drifting into “checklist” spiritual mentality after years of the If A then B method of Mormonism that I practiced. If I live a worthy life, I will find someone who will marry me in the temple. If I pay my tithing, I will never be eating ramen for a week because I’m too poor for food, if I read the Book of Mormon all the way through, I will finally get a testimony and a “burning of the bosom.” I sometimes go through “dark nights” as a Catholic and remember sitting in the Celestial Room, crying and begging God, I did all you asked of you - why do I not have that burning testimony in my soul? I give in to despair and fear that maybe I have been duped again. And yet the Good God gives me the desire to love despite the darkness, and remember that I am exactly where God wants me to be and suffering this for love of Him. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!

Most Catholics that I’ve talked to about Mormonism have no idea what goes on in temples, or even some of the fundamental basis of Mormon doctrine. It’s this naivete that makes me feel driven to explain to people the traps that can befall them, and the dangers to entertaining the idea that maybe there is some good in the religion. There is. But those of us have been there know that the good does not outweigh the bad. 97% of your body can be healthy, but that 3% of Cancer will kill you. In the Mormon church, that 3% is based on doctrines that are still canonized in Scripture as necessary for salvation, but no longer canonized (“Celestial” (read: Plural) marriage, for example). That 3% also contains the fact that the Book of Abraham, of which a huge part of the Temple ceremony is based, has been reported to be nothing of what it has always claimed to be. It also contains the fact that their “perfect” scriptures have had over a thousand edits of words, the most recent of which is a change of the phrase “white and delightsome” to describe the Good Nephites to a much less racist “pure and delightsome.” And yet I remember being taught as a youngster that Native Americans who converted experienced lighter skin after their conversion and baptism.

We just want to make sure that no one else suffers as we have for our trust in the Mormon church. We are the fortunate few that made it back to God - most ex-Mos end up being lifetime atheists or agnostics.

 

[RebeccaJ]

Mormon missionaries of course teach the gospel to all people. It is only in keeping with what any faith would do who believes they have the means of salvation for all people. Would you expect any less? But we of course do not target certain groups. I served a mission at one time. There were a number of Christians who simply would nicely say “No thank you” to our message and we would move on.

I agree that discussion does not have to be based on attack. The difficulty is, people can view there is an attack when there is none. Mormons seem to be especially sensitive, always perceiving attack, viewing others who are expressing their faith as persecuting Mormons and Mormonism.

Catholics will defend the Faith. Mormons are only in support of Catholicism so far as it suits their own purpose. You can’t complain about others expressing what they believe, and then tell us you expect everyone else to respect you for expressing yours.

That is the thing with Mormons, always wanting everyone else to forsake their beliefs in order that they don’t feel offended.

You can bring up all the Catholic “dirt” you like. No one views a person in sin a acting for God. Smith has the problem of asserting his sin as divine inspiration that everyone should follow. Mormons perpetuate this to this day, though, without realizing or understanding the astounding falsehoods that Smith taught.

That is where the OP comes in, and what former Mormons here see and know, from experience. You view people pointing out that the emperor has no clothes, as an attack. It is charitable, no, to let you know when your zipper is down?

Of course, informing someone of something amiss to them personally requires treating them with dignity. Embarrassment is not the goal.

It would be nice if a simple “no thank you” kept Mormon missionaries away. It doesn’t. They keep coming back. I’ve had missionaries at my door several times. I treat them politely, I can’t say the same from my husband though. I’ve stood there and said “I’m not interested” to every single question a missionary asked, and they just kept on talking like I hadn’t said anything at all. It was like talking to a rock. They left, and a few months later another set returns.

“No thank you” doesn’t work with Mormon missionaries. You have to be firm, open the door wide so they see the three foot cross hanging in my entry way. They haven’t been back since.

 

[Elizabeth502]

How can Mormons be Christian when they do not accept the Divinity of Christ? Regardless of their other great characteristics, such as charity, humility, and doing missions, their faith is fundamentally flawed because it was instituted by a very flawed human being who made up stories and attributed them to an angel.

It appears that you did not read my post thoughtfully. I distinguished between theology and behavior. That was the central point of my post.

It is the good qualities of the people in the LDS that make it appear to be Christian. But LDS is not Christian.

Theologically, no, and certainly not in the way Christianity defines itself relative to Jesus’ divinity.

However, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

In addition to reading The Book of Mormon, they do also read the gospels.

In any case, I thought I might get into trouble here by daring to speak well of Mormons, so I’ll leave the thread now and wish you all well.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

It appears that you did not read my post thoughtfully. I distinguished between theology and behavior. That was the central point of my post.

Theologically, no, and certainly not in the way Christianity defines itself relative to Jesus’ divinity.

However, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

In addition to reading The Book of Mormon, they do also read the gospels.

In any case, I thought I might get into trouble here by daring to speak well of Mormons, so I’ll leave the thread now and wish you all well.

I did read your post very carefully. You said that there was some “mythical charge” that Mormonism is not Christianity. But it is NOT Christianity. There is no myth. If LDS members act Christian, that speaks well of them, but it doesn’t make them into Christians unless they believe in Jesus Christ as Divine.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

A Catholic lens? How about an accurate Historic lens which then gives way to archaelology? There is my issue.

Unless your speaking to someone specific I’d say your generalization is a very large assumption. The average Catholic response, don’t know, but heres mine.

Obviously you need to work out your own dilemma with the Catholic Church to start.

Well first, I don’t have any “dilemmas” with the Catholic Church. Given that I was raised in a Pentecostal home I’ve been exceptionally charitable to Catholicism and have dealt with it with an open mind. I haven’t really seen the same from Catholics.

My generalization is fair and not a large assumption. Catholics start with the assumption that the Catholic Church is 1000% correct and irrefutable. You can’t have a reasoned discussion when you know the answer from the beginning.

And no Fab, its Love Your Neighbor. Sometimes this includes reality therapy. Here’s the difference, you can’t prove Purgatory doesn’t exit, actually today this appears very much the opposite. You can’t prove the IC didn’t happen, actually this appears very much the opposite. Can you prove Peters Chair doesn’t hold the Key to the Kingdom, very much the opposite in all these realities. Guess that would make the “indulgence” just fine with God then. You have evidence otherwise, aside from the usual noise here at CAF, like about what John Doe said that nobody really cares about?

Gary, the burden isn’t on me or on a non-Catholic to disprove the Chair of Peter or Purgatory. It’s on you, as a Catholic, to prove it. My point is not to discuss either theological point, but to illustrate that for every “weird and illogical” doctrine that Catholics and non-Catholics alike accuse Mormons of believing, there are Catholic doctrines which many put on the same level as Mormon beliefs.

Now heres the point, we can prove No Horse’s were in North America 4-6AD. There is no arguement through archaeology. Where’s the chariots, shields. sword etc etc from this fantasy battle? We can prove Joe Smith was a common criminal its factual, Gods Prophets are not murderous, lying, swindling, adultrous criminals, who happen to start a church. Prophets correctly point men back to the Narrow Path etc etc etc. Next of all in theology private prophecy has never superceeded the Apostolic Church, Its the Apostles first. They hold the succession, should one accept it or reject it.

These are valid points to debate of course. But there is a difference between finding objectionable issues regarding Mormonism and what is suggested in this topic - that there is no way that Mormonism can be found logical. Obviously it can be, because some have.

 

[RebeccaJ]

I have known many Mormons in my life (studied with them, worked with them, had them as students, been in social groups with them), and not a one have I not liked. They have never considered my Catholicism to be a barrier against respecting me; why should I consider their Mormonism an obstacle to my respecting them?

A romanticized view. All groups of people are comprised of the good and bad. Mormns work extra hard at being likable,to non-Mormons. They are trained to do so as part of their proselytization efforts. That isn’t to say people are not likable, only to broaden your
view as at to what is going behind the scenes.

It is not a jaded view, it is what Mormons are taught to do…befriend people in order to convert them. Did they ask you to go to their church with them? Did they invite missionaries to meet you? Did they give you a Book of Mormon? …all part of the script they are taught to follow. Really, for them, it’s better that you don’t get into a theological discussion. They would prefer you just listen, and tell them how wonderful Mormonism is and ask “when can I be baptized”.

I will note that we have never gotten into theological discussions. Generally, theology is not the basis of relationships. What drew us together is a common belief in decency, integrity, hard work, family, consideration of others, relating to others on a genuine level, and living one’s faith. As long as one’s faith promotes commonly held understandings of The Golden Rule, and relationships are based on mutual respect of persons, I don’t see why the theology of someone else’s religion should be an issue of “respect.”

no doubt, this is the best approach to interfaith relationships. My entire family are LDS, never have theological discussions with them. I avoid such discussions. They never come to anything good. We disagree on too much.

This forum, however, exists for dialogue between faiths.

And as for the mythical charge one hears in some quarters that Mormons are not “Christian,” hopefully we all understand here that that is a false charge…Because I will tell you that in two different cases in my life, in situations where an entire group of people rejected me for social reasons (once in adolescence, once in adulthood), it was Mormons, and Mormons alone, who invited me into fellowship with them. Nothing could be more characteristic of Christianity than that: to accept the rejected.

Again, Mormons are trained to do this as part of their proselyting efforts. I would keep a shrewd stance towards such a situation. Could be genuine care, or could not be. It isn’t easy to know with Mormons. They’re goal is your conversion. period. Be especially aware of LDS who insert themselves as replacements for your own family. Friendships take time to build, there is no such thing as insta-friends.

They truly live their faith. Not only are they involved in their church life locally, they are also involved more broadly. The faithful Mormon becomes a missionary for some period of his or her life. And best of all (to me): education, both secular and religious, is an important value. My public high school Mormon friends had to attend “seminary” every morning before school. Would that Catholic highschoolers were required to actually learn about their faith as much as Mormons do (or did). (Wait: What a concept.)

Secular education is a benefit, but I wouldn’t call it a religious value. I spent four years in a Mormon seminary. I tried everything I could to get out of it. Guess what? you can’t get it of it.

It has no value. It taught nothing more than I had been taught my entire life, from the day I was born, every Sunday, once a week during the week until I was 18 years old. Mormonism doesn’t have a deep theology, philosophy or history that a person can spend a lifetime learning. They baptize people after 6, once a week, instruction. Once they have been through a four year cycle of their lesson plans, there isn’t anything new to learn. I was bored out of mind in those four years, and was taught the most bizarre things you can imagine. things that Mormons today say are a product of anti-Mormons. Ha! Where do they think I learned it?

God lives near a star called Kolob.

A second David will be born in the middle east, die, and be rise from the dead…all the kids swooned over the suggestion that they could be the parents of this new David…we listened to a faux radio broadcast of this event. It was endless nonsense that I wanted noting to do with. Thinking all religions were as wonky, I left that religion for atheism. THAT is the fruit of Mormonism.

 

[RebeccaJ]

Maybe a perspective would help here. When I was in the third grade, I was being taught in my Sunday school class about the curse of Cain, which was, dark skin. People born with dark skin were so, because of how they acted in a pre-mortal life. A life before this one. Those less valiant were born to parents with dark skin. Because of this, God would not allow people with black skin to have the blessing of priesthood ordination.

Sitting in class at school one day, I was being taught about how people had evolved in different latitudes. I learned about melanin.

I was stunned, and this was in THIRD GRADE. It was the first time I had an idea that what I was being taught in church was wrong.

Put that in the perspective of the OP who is talking about ADULTS.

 

[smallgirl01]

You shouldn’t respect mormonism. But you must respect those who practice it. Hate the sin not the sinner.

Well said…

 

[Elizabeth502]

A romanticized view.

[blah/blah…]

Your entire post 56 is non-responsive to mine. What do you not understand about the difference between theology and behavior? I’m not offering a critique – positive or negative-- about the religious beliefs of Mormonism. I’m relating my real-world experience with these people. How dare you question the validity of my experiences? And you know what? I don’t really care what your so-called “inside knowledge” is of “life behind the scenes.” I consider it pretty low, and quite uncharitable & unChristian, to cast aspersions on people you have never met, regardless of what you and your circle did and did not do, did and did not learn.

I actually don’t need a lesson from you. However, I have learned quite a lesson from the people on this thread who apparently consider themselves superior to Mormons, as well as those who distrust Mormons simply as a result of their assocation with a religion. That is nothing short of prejudice – the same prejudice that Protestants in the original American colonies often held toward Roman Catholics, prejudices that continued for decades, I will add.

Again, I am off this thread. I only felt I needed to respond to anyone who feels that he or she has any right to discredit my personal experience (which by the way is against forum rules) and “enlighten” me. Anyone who has anything constructive to say can send me a PM or an email.

Un-believable.

 

[Elizabeth502]

I did read your post very carefully.

No, and the proof of that is what you continued to say below:

If LDS members act Christian, that speaks well of them, but it doesn’t make them into Christians unless they believe in Jesus Christ as Divine.

Again, I differentiated between theology and behavior, but the head-tripping on this thread prevents most of you from seeing that difference – because apparently unless an individual’s religious creed corresponds with Christian creeds, that individual’s behavior no matter how upright, is by definition compromised, inferior, and suspect. I have nothing more to say, other than that if I were Mormon and considering converting to Catholicism, it would be difficult for me to feel welcome when reading this thread.

Bye all.