Help: my cradle-Catholic brother is getting into the Book of Mormon

  • Thread starter Thread starter Vman358
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
V

Vman358

Guest
Hi,
My brother and I grew up in a house where our mom tried to raise us as practicing Catholics. By the time my brother was 20, he rejected organized religion, and surely Catholicism. He believes in God, but that’s about as far as he admits his belief. My now 23-year-old brother joined the Navy in May and his bunk mate in boot camp gave him the “Mormon Bible” and he has been reading it. This is a guy that hates to read and wants nothing to do with ‘nutjob Christians’ and their ‘nutjob religion’.

I sent him an RSV-2CE Bible, Scott Hahn & Curtis Mitch’s NT, and a CCC.

Any suggestions on what I should do?
Thanks.
 
Mormon conversion centers around long prayer and a “burning in the bosom” from the holy ghost: mormonwiki.org/Burning_in_the_bosom

Not to be entirely rude, but in my opinion, the burning is more likely due to the long prayer time involved. Mormon conversion is also based on friendship and a the missionary spending a lot of time with the prospect.

Rather than send books he may not read, in my opinion you’ll have to spend more time with him that his Mormon friend - a lot of time. Given his previous rejection, you’ll also have to be subtle in my opinion - for example, start off by inviting him to Vespers rather than a full Sunday mass. If you need to be even more subtle, try an Anglican Evensong to whet his appetite for the Catholic faith if he won’t set foot quite yet in a Catholic church.
 
Patavium said:
Send him this link: patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2012/04/im-not-a-mormon.html

Also share this link with him: youtube.com/watch?v=G1mFdO1wB08
Click to expand...
It sounds to me that your brother has gotten himself a Mormon girlfriend. Believe it or not, that is one of the major venues of their prolestisization!
I don’t know how old your brother is, but I would suggest some “tough love” before things really get out of hand.
One thing you might try, is for your parents to have a chat with your pastor…perhaps have him over for a family dinner, where he can talk to your brother one to one.
 
Vman358 said:
Hi,
My brother and I grew up in a house where our mom tried to raise us as practicing Catholics. By the time my brother was 20, he rejected organized religion, and surely Catholicism. He believes in God, but that’s about as far as he admits his belief. My now 23-year-old brother joined the Navy in May and his bunk mate in boot camp gave him the “Mormon Bible” and he has been reading it. This is a guy that hates to read and wants nothing to do with ‘nutjob Christians’ and their ‘nutjob religion’.

I sent him an RSV-2CE Bible, Scott Hahn & Curtis Mitch’s NT, and a CCC.

Any suggestions on what I should do?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Hopefully this story may help you…and your brother…chnetwork.org/2011/08/a-long-journey-back-home-conversion-story-of-catherine-canino/
 
I heard jeremiah project is a popular website detailing some of the things about Mormon, or LDS, as it’s commonly referred to. Instead of trying to “turn” him, I’d suggest let him think for himself. He may think it’s horse puckey, in the end. When I decided to return to the Church, I did it on my evaluation of my relationship with God, with some helpers (signs along the way). The helpers were eerily present, but it was ultimately my decision to let God back into my life. Your brother should be given the same respect.
 
Vman358 said:
Hi,
My brother and I grew up in a house where our mom tried to raise us as practicing Catholics. By the time my brother was 20, he rejected organized religion, and surely Catholicism. He believes in God, but that’s about as far as he admits his belief. My now 23-year-old brother joined the Navy in May and his bunk mate in boot camp gave him the “Mormon Bible” and he has been reading it. This is a guy that hates to read and wants nothing to do with ‘nutjob Christians’ and their ‘nutjob religion’.
I sent him an RSV-2CE Bible, Scott Hahn & Curtis Mitch’s NT, and a CCC.
Any suggestions on what I should do?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Well first, HIGHLY recommend looking up (using the Google Video Search)
long videos on Mormonism, those from Living Hope Ministry are really good.

Second, I suggest you purchase “Joseph Smith Begins His Work” Vol. 1&2,
reproductions on the original Book of Mormon and Doctrines & Covenants,
ERRORS AND ALL! No kidding, the LDS totally edited out the mistakes, I
think added verses, definitely deleted at least one verse, proving the Book
of Mormon to be not the most correct book but most corrected book.

Lastly, Heart of the Matter (hotm.tv/all-episodes), look near the bottom
of the list of episodes, you’ll find a series of episodes entirely devoted
to analyzing and dismantling the Book of Mormon. And getting back
to “Joseph Smith Begins His Work”, HOTM (at least episodes 326
to 327) will help you point out mistakes in the BoM.
 
Good for him! Let him decide which religion is true – feel free to send him all the lies and hate on the internet about the mormon church, but in the end, he’ll pray about it and I would expect you to support his decision to follow Christ in the manner that pleases him.

What’s wrong with our culture? We all of a sudden freak out when a Christian turns to another Christian faith (but we say it’s not Christian because… well… because the internet told me so!).

Calm down, live your faith, and let him live his.
 
codyfire said:
Good for him! Let him decide which religion is true – feel free to send him all the lies and hate on the internet about the mormon church, but in the end, he’ll pray about it and I would expect you to support his decision to follow Christ in the manner that pleases him.
What’s wrong with our culture? We all of a sudden freak out when a Christian turns to another Christian faith (but we say it’s not Christian because… well… because the internet told me so!).
Calm down, live your faith, and let him live his.
Click to expand...
What’s wrong with your culture? A lot, *assuming *you are referring to the Mormon culture.
It is true that Mormons are a great people indeed, but the religious beliefs of Mormons is
wrong. You also speak of lies about the Mormon Church? What lies? I’d like to see an
example of such a lie. Now it’s true that the internet is not 100% reliable, nevertheless
there can be found valuable and factual information concerning Mormonism.

I don’t think it’s cool to just find anything on the internet against Mormonism, mind you,
this is where serious research is needed, and from that we can determine whether or
not one needs to be concerned about a family member converting from Catholicism to
Mormonism.
 
codyfire said:
Good for him! Let him decide which religion is true – feel free to send him all the lies and hate on the internet about the mormon church, but in the end, he’ll pray about it and I would expect you to support his decision to follow Christ in the manner that pleases him.

What’s wrong with our culture? We all of a sudden freak out when a Christian turns to another Christian faith (but we say it’s not Christian because… well… because the internet told me so!).

Calm down, live your faith, and let him live his.
Click to expand...
The problem is mormons are not Christians in the traditional sense.

The mormon god was once a sinful man, the Christian God wasn’t, for starters.

The Christian God created everything, the mormon god organized existing matter. Big difference.

Mormons for many years did not want to be identified as “Christian”. That has only happened in the last 20 or so years, in order to gain acceptance. It doesn’t mean it is true however.
 
Vman358 said:
Hi,
My brother and I grew up in a house where our mom tried to raise us as practicing Catholics. By the time my brother was 20, he rejected organized religion, and surely Catholicism. He believes in God, but that’s about as far as he admits his belief. My now 23-year-old brother joined the Navy in May and his bunk mate in boot camp gave him the “Mormon Bible” and he has been reading it. This is a guy that hates to read and wants nothing to do with ‘nutjob Christians’ and their ‘nutjob religion’.

I sent him an RSV-2CE Bible, Scott Hahn & Curtis Mitch’s NT, and a CCC.

Any suggestions on what I should do?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Hello,

when I was in Navy bootcamp the LDS in our barracks got to spend the entire sunday in Church. Sleep was a valuable commodity in boot camp. I think he got some sleep while at church but I’m not sure.
With regards to whether he chooses to believe in the BOM. There is an automatic connection made by LDS missionaries that if the BOM is true then their church is God's special church and their leaders are God's special people. This isn't necessarily follow logically. If the bible is true does that mean that Baptists, Lutheran, or Catholic, are the one true church. There is nothing in the BOM which will naturally lead an individual to join the LDS church. I wouldn't worry about whether he chooses to believe in the historicity of the BOM but rather concentrate on making sure he realizes that the question of it's historicity has nothing to do with the LDS church.
 
superwimp said:
There is nothing in the BOM which will naturally lead an individual to join the LDS church. I wouldn’t worry about whether he chooses to believe in the historicity of the BOM but rather concentrate on making sure he realizes that the question of it’s historicity has nothing to do with the LDS church.
Click to expand...
Uh Oh…I don’t think so.
The Book of Mormon is the LDS’s fishing lure,
bait, the religious gateway drug that leads to
other messed up theology (“theological heroin”
as Shawn McCraney puts it).

“BoM, seems to read very Christian, must be Christian, ergo the LDS Church is Christian, Temple, D&C, PoGP, etc seem strange, but it must be Christian because the BoM seems very Christian…” yada yada yada yada…

Not saying that’s how it always turns out, as some people are more
logical than others, but generally, The Book of Mormon = “First Drag”.
 
Judas_Thaddeus said:
Uh Oh…I don’t think so.
The Book of Mormon is the LDS’s fishing lure,
bait, the religious gateway drug that leads to
other messed up theology (“theological heroin”
as Shawn McCraney puts it).

“BoM, seems to read very Christian, must be Christian, ergo the LDS Church is Christian, Temple, D&C, PoGP, etc seem strange, but it must be Christian because the BoM seems very Christian…” yada yada yada yada…

Not saying that’s how it always turns out, as some people are more
logical than others, but generally, The Book of Mormon = “First Drag”.
Click to expand...
Hello Judas,
I agree. It's the missionaries which make the connection between the BOM and LDS church. The BOM serves as a catalyst to cause an individual to begin praying. As a result of praying he receives some sort of religious experience. In his mind the events in the BOM actually happened and the LDS is the true church.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top