LDS Question - Why do all Mormons give that same Testimonial statement?

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For example, my family received a letter today from our daughter who just arrived in her mission field assignment, as a twenty-one-year-old in a visitor center in Missouri. Her letter says in part, “I’m so grateful that Heavenly Father knows me and knew exactly what I needed.” …“I love the gospel. It has brought me all my happiness, my true happiness, and I want to give others the chance to feel it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly incredible… I feel the Spirit throughout my entire body, telling me Heavenly Father loves them and He will take care of them…”

ParkerD - Let’s say your daughter, on the airplane to Missouri, met a young man. She tells you that Heavenly Father wants them to be together, and knows by the burning in her heart that this is right man for her. She wants to marry him right away.

Would you consent? Or would you ask her to wait until she gets to know him better?

(By the way, as you know, this is purely hypothetical and I pray none of our children ever do this to us!)

Obviously, the reason for the question is to highlight the fact that we can have burning feelings about love, religion, etc. but it does not mean we should act quickly on them.

We must wait and gather more information so that we can make informed decisions, not just emotional ones.

Can you really expect a person to become baptized into the LDS faith after a few meetings with the missionaries and with a burning in their heart?
 
Xavierlives said:
This happens every time I go to a Mormon service. I’ll have to go back and look at my calendar, but I am pretty sure I’ve visited more than just the 1st Sunday of the month…Well I am not saying everyone said the same thing word for word, but it was collectively about the same thing.
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My experience has been the same as yours Xavier, in that these testimonies happen not just on the 1st Sunday of the month when they are doing Fast and Testimony day. Rather I have seen them made at the end of pretty much every “sermon-like” talk that is done on any given Sunday in the various LDS wards that I have visited.

It’s the same basic gist even if the words are slightly varied from speaker to speaker…

While I do not know the origin of the practice, I can tell you that it is similar to many other cultural phenomenons. From a biological standpoint, there is distinction called co-ontogenic structural coupling which describes certain characteristics of all living organisms (not just humans). It’s a complicated thing to explain so I will boil it down to its most basic–>people and groups of people who hang out together become more and more like each other over time.

It is for this reason that upon meeting another Jewish person for the first time, I almost always have a certain sense of familiarity with that person, almost like I have met them before, almost like deja-vu. There is a Jewish poster here on CAF whom I’ve never interacted with before, but I’ve read some of her posts and she reminds me of members of my own extended family. This despite the fact that she lives on another continent…

So, as it is with Jews in my example above, it is also with Mormons. At least, that is how I explain the ubiquity of this practice as a cultural phenomenon, again, as far as possible doctrinal reasons for this, I do not know why the practice was instituted.
 
JMJ4 said:
ParkerD wrote:
For example, my family received a letter today from our daughter who just arrived in her mission field assignment, as a twenty-one-year-old in a visitor center in Missouri. Her letter says in part, “I’m so grateful that Heavenly Father knows me and knew exactly what I needed.” …“I love the gospel. It has brought me all my happiness, my true happiness, and I want to give others the chance to feel it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly incredible… I feel the Spirit throughout my entire body, telling me Heavenly Father loves them and He will take care of them…”

ParkerD - Let’s say your daughter, on the airplane to Missouri, met a young man. She tells you that Heavenly Father wants them to be together, and knows by the burning in her heart that this is right man for her. She wants to marry him right away.

Would you consent? Or would you ask her to wait until she gets to know him better?

(By the way, as you know, this is purely hypothetical and I pray none of our children ever do this to us!)

Obviously, the reason for the question is to highlight the fact that we can have burning feelings about love, religion, etc. but it does not mean we should act quickly on them.

We must wait and gather more information so that we can make informed decisions, not just emotional ones.

Can you really expect a person to become baptized into the LDS faith after a few meetings with the missionaries and with a burning in their heart?
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JMJ4,
Interesting question, since my daughter is writing to a missionary but has been unsure of the relationship even though he is sure. She knew the difference between the Holy Spirit guiding her toward serving a mission, and a feeling of love or infatuation. She is very glad she is where she is.

But absolutely, no one should join a church without having studied the doctrines, read the Bible (of course they should do that), lived the teachings to the extent of knowing that they are from God, including experiencing repentance, and feeling sincerely that they are doing God’s will. God can communicate His will, and does so, but it is in a way that does not detract from a person choosing their own course of action in life–if they choose to open the door, then Christ is indeed knocking and earnestly waiting to bless a life if they choose sincerely. (This is not exclusive to one religion.)
 
zaffiroborant said:
There was also counsel about the need for society to change in order to facilitate women being actively involved in all aspects of public life, you seemed to have missed that part, like The Boxer.
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No–just because I didn’t quote it doesn’t mean I didn’t agree with it. I agree that women should be “actively involved in all aspects of public life.” Totally.
 
ParkerD said:
No–just because I didn’t quote it doesn’t mean I didn’t agree with it. I agree that women should be “actively involved in all aspects of public life.” Totally.
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Why are women missionaries religated to welcome centers and men are sent to the sticks?
 
Xavierlives said:
Why are women missionaries religated to welcome centers and men are sent to the sticks?
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Xavierlives,
I have a daughter who served a mission in Halifax, Canada, and was not in a visitor center at all and had many wonderful teaching experiences. My daughter now in a visitor center in Missouri is doing just as important a teaching experience there as she does in the evening or the morning when she is away from the center visiting people in their homes. The sisters have a bit more maturity, and I as a parent feel like perhaps part of the reason for a woman to serve in a visitor center is that it’s less of a worry to mission presidents about the safety of the women, given the option to have young men serve there or women serve there.
 
Random: I watched a Mormon movie called “One Good Man” with one of my Mormon friends, and she let me borrow the DVD. In it, the main character (i.e. the “one good man”) is “called” to be the next bishop. He gives a short speech then says this:

“I’d like to bear you my testimony that I know the church is true, and that Jesus is the Christ, our Redeemer, and that through His great sacrifice and atonement each one of us can return and live with our Heavenly Father. May we all follow our Savior, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Random.
 
The testimony in that movie is an example of “milk before meat.”
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Is the movie one of the tools they use to convert people?
Do Mormons use the movie to help convert their non-Mormon friends?
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How convenient that the testimony in the movie is a very Christian sounding testimony instead of a very Mormon sounding testimony.
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No Salvation Without Joseph Smith
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mrm.org/no-salvation-without-joseph-smith

…Joseph Fielding Smith, Mormonism’s tenth president, went on record as saying that there is “no salvation without Joseph Smith.” (Doctrine of Salvation 1:189).

In his article entitled “Joseph Smith Among the Prophets” printed in the June 1994 issue of “Ensign” magazine, Mormon writer Robert L. Millet quoted second LDS Prophet Brigham Young, who, in 1859, stated, “From the day that the priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding up things of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are – I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent” (Journal of Discourses 7:238. See also Search These Commandments, 1984, pg. 133).
Moroni 10:5
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And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
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TheosisM said:
Random: I watched a Mormon movie called “One Good Man” with one of my Mormon friends, and she let me borrow the DVD. In it, the main character (i.e. the “one good man”) is “called” to be the next bishop. He gives a short speech then says this:

“I’d like to bear you my testimony that I know the church is true, and that Jesus is the Christ, our Redeemer, and that through His great sacrifice and atonement each one of us can return and live with our Heavenly Father. May we all follow our Savior, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Random.
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The Mormons have been making movies for a bit. I think they see a niche that is not being filled by Hollywood. Since there is a market for it, there are movie makers.

Napoleon Dynamite is done by Mormons and is the only mainstream thing that I can think of that has made it outside of Salt Lake City.

A pretty funny Mormon movie is The R.M. I’m sure it is funnier to Mormons.
 
Xavierlives said:
Why are women missionaries religated to welcome centers and men are sent to the sticks?
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Xavier - On several occasions, I have had women LDS missionaries approach me in the parking lot of the grocery store. They will ask if I need help loading my groceries into the car, I decline, ask about where they are from and how they are doing, and bid them “good day.”

I would prefer my daughter be sent to a welcome center!
 
Xavierlives said:
The Mormons have been making movies for a bit. I think they see a niche that is not being filled by Hollywood. Since there is a market for it, there are movie makers.

Napoleon Dynamite is done by Mormons and is the only mainstream thing that I can think of that has made it outside of Salt Lake City.

A pretty funny Mormon movie is The R.M. I’m sure it is funnier to Mormons.
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I think I watched Napoleon Dynamite twice. Never got it.
 
Xavierlives said:
This? “I believe that Joseph Smith is the true prophet of God, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

How does that offer a slant? I’ll have to go find my Bible notebook, and flip though the pages, but I am pretty sure this is a close representation of what I heard 3-4 times on one Sunday and then again when the missionaries visited. It might have been a slight variation as I do not have a decent shorthand notetaking ability yet.

But to me, a testimony is a personal one. Maybe I am thinking like a lawyer, but when someone gets on the stand, they aren’t expected to regurgitate something, they are expected to give their testimony. That’s what I do when the time calls for it.

EDIT: I found one note from my book that also seems to add the phrase “I bear testimony that these things are true.”
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I know I have come into this conversation late. Sorry bout that, but I was on a cruise to the Bahamas for a few days. Oops, did I say that out loud? hehehe

Xavier, if you look at this youtube video, at appoximately the 5:45 marker, you will see a missionary starting to say what you are talking about almost verbatum.

If you watch the whole thing, you will see that the missionaries are basically being shut down by the gentleman they are talking with, and this is their last resort.

Earlier on in the video, you will also hear the one missionary use a statement that we hear from alot of the mormon posters on here, and that is something like “are you telling me what we believe?” Look at time mark 4:35 for that one.

youtube.com/watch?v=uFzQheN1kLU&feature=related

These two phrases seem to be pretty common place to me.
 
Xavierlives said:
The Mormons have been making movies for a bit. I think they see a niche that is not being filled by Hollywood. Since there is a market for it, there are movie makers.

Napoleon Dynamite is done by Mormons and is the only mainstream thing that I can think of that has made it outside of Salt Lake City.

A pretty funny Mormon movie is The R.M. I’m sure it is funnier to Mormons.
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Napoleon Dynamite was hilarious - I never knew it was a Mormon movie. What is The R.M. about?

When Mormons fast, can they eat anything like Catholics can (2 small meals and no snacks) , or is it a complete fast? Just curious.
 
CHRISTINE77 said:
Napoleon Dynamite was hilarious - I never knew it was a Mormon movie. What is The R.M. about?

When Mormons fast, can they eat anything like Catholics can (2 small meals and no snacks) , or is it a complete fast? Just curious.
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I’m not LDS but I’m pretty sure that it is a complete fast for a couple of meals. Reminds me a little of what I grew up around on Yom Kippur.
 
CHRISTINE77 said:
Napoleon Dynamite was hilarious - I never knew it was a Mormon movie. What is The R.M. about?

When Mormons fast, can they eat anything like Catholics can (2 small meals and no snacks) , or is it a complete fast? Just curious.
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The Returned Missionary (The R.M.) as I recall is about a missionary who is, well, returning. Appartently it is supposed to be a big Hoopla, but this RM’s family gets the date wrong and he returns without a Hero’s Welcome. I am not Mormon and have never been Mormon, but there were places were I recognized “inside humor.” There were parts that I am sure went completely over my head, but I found it entertaining and I think I gave it a 6 out of 10.

There is also Baptists at Our Barbecue, which sounds funny, but I have never been able to put my hands on a copy (and I am no longer a member of a mail-me-a-movie club) so it is unlikely I will. I’ve also seen a couple of Missionary movies which I don’t think are produced by the church but are motivational type.

As for fasting, maybe Parker can address it, but there was something odd about the fast as I recall. I can’t remember what it is, but I want to say no food or drink (including water). As I understand the practice of fasting, most people accept water as an acceptable consumable.
 
Xavierlives said:
As for fasting, maybe Parker can address it, but there was something odd about the fast as I recall. I can’t remember what it is, but I want to say no food or drink (including water). As I understand the practice of fasting, most people accept water as an acceptable consumable.
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Just FYI – for Jews, on Yom Kippur, the fast is no food or water. I’ve done it before…it’s brutal!

You’ve piqued my curiosity re: your statement that you found something about the LDS fast being odd. Please let us know what it was when it becomes apparent.
 
sablouwho said:
Just FYI – for Jews, on Yom Kippur, the fast is no food or water. I’ve done it before…it’s brutal!

You’ve piqued my curiosity re: your statement that you found something about the LDS fast being odd. Please let us know what it was when it becomes apparent.
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I just read a little article on fasting. It says that Mormons fast for 2 meals and give the money they would have spent on the food for alms. Which is rather Orthodox of them, since Orthodox believe that fasting without giving alms is actually sinful.

Sounds like Yom Kippur is one of the harder fasts, from sunset the previous day to sunset on that day without food or water, can’t even brush your teeth!!

I’m glad I’m Catholic, even though it’s sort of hard, and we can’t eat meat, we still are allowed small meals and all the liquid we desire.😃
 
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