LDS to Catholic

[xpirategrrlx]

I was always told we believed what other Christian churches believed, only, we had the whole truth, as opposed to the other churches, who didn’t have a complete knowledge.

I should clarify. This is what I was told growing up. As I studied on my own, I realized this couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

[truthseeker32]

Community is Mormonism’s greatest strength. If they didn’t have their impressive communities and welfare programs, Mormonism would be a lot smaller. Few Mormons convert or remain in the LDS faith bacause of its beliefs.

There is actually an entire group of Mormons who call themselves “New Order Mormons” who, having lost their faith, stay solely for the community aspect.

 

[xNaomix]

I’m the opposite, I’ve converted to LDS after being a cradle catholic.

I think I was looking for a sense of belonging and community which I have found within the Mormon church. I love the bible studies and the teaching, This was something that really frustrated me with the Catholic Church, was the lack of community and opportunity for learning. I searched within the Catholic church, I’m in the UK, for opportunitys to do this but I couldn’t find any. I contacted my local priest 6 times about Baptizing my two youngest children, but he never got back to me.

So I looked into other denominations including Pentecostal, Baptist and Church of England. I attended a Pentecostal church for about a year, and found a variant community of people who wanted to live their faith 24/7, but for me a lot of what was being taught was wrong. We then met the missionaries and a lot of the teachings made a lot of sense. It was brilliant to really study the bible, and who could fail, to be impressed, with the clean living, well manned congregation.

Fast forward a year and I now have some lovely friends, as do my children, and I feel as if I belong somewhere finally. I have a calling in primary, which I enjoy. I love the women’s group, and I love the fact that a lot of Mormons have big family’s, I have 5 children, and that they see them as a blessing.(I have had quite a few negative comments about the size of my family from other Catholics!!) However…

and this is a big one, a lot of the stuff they teach does not sit right me. So I just feel confused a lot of the time. At the LDS church the people who I know, are amazing generous and have a real sense of family and community. However if something was to happen to one of my children it would be a Catholic priest I called for a blessing, which I think says it all really about which faith I truly believe. But within the catholic church I feel alone a lot of the time from other members, and I want to carry on studying the bible, but where could I do that if I went back to the church? Sometimes I am ready to walk away from all religion.

Sorry for my long ramble, I hope it made a little bit sense to someone, because it doesn’t to me. However I have found it therapeutic to write down how I’m feeling.

 

[Porknpie]

I would be speechless too! If that were true, then why is the LDS church necessary? Why don’t they all become Catholic then?

LoL. I wish I would have been smart and quick enough to have asked this…

 

[RebeccaJ]

I’m the opposite, I’ve converted to LDS after being a cradle catholic.

I think I was looking for a sense of belonging and community which I have found within the Mormon church. I love the bible studies and the teaching, This was something that really frustrated me with the Catholic Church, was the lack of community and opportunity for learning. I searched within the Catholic church, I’m in the UK, for opportunitys to do this but I couldn’t find any. I contacted my local priest 6 times about Baptizing my two youngest children, but he never got back to me.

So I looked into other denominations including Pentecostal, Baptist and Church of England. I attended a Pentecostal church for about a year, and found a variant community of people who wanted to live their faith 24/7, but for me a lot of what was being taught was wrong. We then met the missionaries and a lot of the teachings made a lot of sense. It was brilliant to really study the bible, and who could fail, to be impressed, with the clean living, well manned congregation.

Fast forward a year and I now have some lovely friends, as do my children, and I feel as if I belong somewhere finally. I have a calling in primary, which I enjoy. I love the women’s group, and I love the fact that a lot of Mormons have big family’s, I have 5 children, and that they see them as a blessing.(I have had quite a few negative comments about the size of my family from other Catholics!!) However…

and this is a big one, a lot of the stuff they teach does not sit right me. So I just feel confused a lot of the time. At the LDS church the people who I know, are amazing generous and have a real sense of family and community. However if something was to happen to one of my children it would be a Catholic priest I called for a blessing, which I think says it all really about which faith I truly believe. But within the catholic church I feel alone a lot of the time from other members, and I want to carry on studying the bible, but where could I do that if I went back to the church? Sometimes I am ready to walk away from all religion.

Sorry for my long ramble, I hope it made a little bit sense to someone, because it doesn’t to me. However I have found it therapeutic to write down how I’m feeling.

I get it. Was raised LDS and all of my family are Mormon. I could never believe a lot of what I was taught. Leaving the Mormon community was a relief, because I didn’t believe, but at the same time I had, and still have at times, strong feelings of exclusion. I’ve just never been able to pay the personal price, that is required in order to remain in a Mormon community.

Your children, I assume, are being raised Mormon. They aren’t going to look to the Catholic Church, for anything.

 

[thecolorsblend]

From what I was taught when I was Mormon, there are three kingdoms: Celestial, Telesrtial, and Terrestrial, which all correspond to the glory of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Righteous Mormons who have had all the ordinances go to the Celestial. People that accepted Christ but weren’t “valiant” in their testimony go to Telestrial. Terrestrial is for the “wicked”.

“Outer darkness” they teach is reserved for “Apostates”…aka people like me that “heard the Gospel (their gospel) , accepted it and then rejected it”. Outer darkness is similar to hell.

Within the Celestial realm, there also are three levels there: you only make it to the highest and can attain “godhood” if you are sealed to a worthy spouse…and you will only be with your spouse and family forever if your spouse/family honors the same covenants.

There’s speculation that Smith got the ideas of the Kingdoms , and the Book of Mormon, from two other books published before the Book of Mormon, namely “View of the Hebrews” by Ethan Smith and “The Wonders of Nature and Providence Displayed” , found here: 20truths.info/mormon/plagiarism.html

This was very insightful. Thanks! There’s a lot of misunderstanding about basically anything LDS and stuff like this is very helpful. I was aware that they had a pretty unique view of the afterlife but I never knew the details.

There was a point back in my high school years ago when the majority of my social life revolved around Mormons… primarily because I was dating a Mormon at the time (she was a convert; her religion is ultimately why we broke up). She never really articulated the LDS beliefs very well. Keep in mind that she was a teenage convert though.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

I’m the opposite, I’ve converted to LDS after being a cradle catholic.

I think I was looking for a sense of belonging and community which I have found within the Mormon church. I love the bible studies and the teaching, This was something that really frustrated me with the Catholic Church, was the lack of community and opportunity for learning. I searched within the Catholic church, I’m in the UK, for opportunitys to do this but I couldn’t find any. I contacted my local priest 6 times about Baptizing my two youngest children, but he never got back to me.

So I looked into other denominations including Pentecostal, Baptist and Church of England. I attended a Pentecostal church for about a year, and found a variant community of people who wanted to live their faith 24/7, but for me a lot of what was being taught was wrong. We then met the missionaries and a lot of the teachings made a lot of sense. It was brilliant to really study the bible, and who could fail, to be impressed, with the clean living, well manned congregation.

Fast forward a year and I now have some lovely friends, as do my children, and I feel as if I belong somewhere finally. I have a calling in primary, which I enjoy. I love the women’s group, and I love the fact that a lot of Mormons have big family’s, I have 5 children, and that they see them as a blessing.(I have had quite a few negative comments about the size of my family from other Catholics!!) However…

and this is a big one, a lot of the stuff they teach does not sit right me. So I just feel confused a lot of the time. At the LDS church the people who I know, are amazing generous and have a real sense of family and community. However if something was to happen to one of my children it would be a Catholic priest I called for a blessing, which I think says it all really about which faith I truly believe. But within the catholic church I feel alone a lot of the time from other members, and I want to carry on studying the bible, but where could I do that if I went back to the church? Sometimes I am ready to walk away from all religion.

Sorry for my long ramble, I hope it made a little bit sense to someone, because it doesn’t to me. However I have found it therapeutic to write down how I’m feeling.

It looks to me that you’re craving more a sense of community and study rather than to leave the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps it might be better to search for a parish that has those things instead of pursuing a different religion? Your should belong to a faith because you believe its teachings are true, not because they have a nice sense of community.

 

[veilofveronica]

Interesting this…

I work with a LDS who recently told me that “we believe the same things”.

I haven’t had the opportunity to carry the conversation further.

Quite frankly… I was a bit speechless.

As I’ve told my family in the past: “one thing about people is that you can never be surprised by what they will say.”

(sometimes this applies to me… and I ask myself “did I really say that?”)

I’ve heard that too. That was part of the “hook” that got me into LDS…that it wasn’t that different. It is. LDS do not believe in the Real Presence, the Communion of Saints, or the Virgin Mary’s perpetual virginity,God as perpetual (They believe He was once a man, and that we, too, can become as He is.), original sin, infant baptism, etc to name just a few. They also do not believe in the same Creed or in the Trinity.

The New Testament is the same, but they believe Jesus Christ is our elder “spirit brother”. There also is a Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible which is unfinished as he was killed before it was finished…and that certainly changes a few things about the Bible as we know it.

Saying “we have a lot in common” is a way to get you to investigate more. While I believe their family values and beliefs about morality are similar and many of the people are wonderful…and it’s important to find common ground in all faiths so we can respect one another, the belief system is totally different than Catholicism. It’s a tactic to try to convert you.

 

[veilofveronica]

I’m the opposite, I’ve converted to LDS after being a cradle catholic.

I think I was looking for a sense of belonging and community which I have found within the Mormon church.
.

I went through a very similar path…Catholic to LDS, now back to LDS. What impressed me was the close knit community and nice people I found that in LDS as well, and it made it tough to leave. But you have to look at what you REALLY believe in and look beyond the community aspect…any church can have a great community, but people are fallible and will disappoint. Communities can crumble. The truth cannot.

I know the Catholic church can seem large and impersonal by comparison, but we’ve got the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and to me that was what brought me back. I found that after I left the Mormons, so many of the restrictive teachings and burnout i was feeling from trying to be a 4-star Mormon (callings, volunteering, 3 hour church, etc) would have left me not wanting to believe anything had I not had a good foundation in the Catholic church. Some parishes do have solid communities and help, and you can always keep your friends.

Prayers you find your way.