Mormons came to my door today

[ckonrad]

Today I had my first door knocking Mormon experience. A few years ago, while I was in college, two girls talked with me as I was walking back to campus at night; but tonight was the first time that Mormons actually knocked at my door. When I opened the door, I was a bit confused; I thought maybe the two young men were friends of my housemates (who were not home)

They started talking to me, asking me if I’ve heard of this special sort of gospel. I said no, but when they mentioned the Church of Latter Day Saints, I knew who they were.

So, they asked me if I had any questions. Not being very familiar, but knowing something about Mormonism, I said no; but I asked if perhaps I could have a Book of Mormon. They gave me one, not reluctantly I don’t think, but I think they wanted to talk with me some more. It was a rather interesting conversation. We were very polite to each other, even shaking hands. They said they would come back in a week to see how I am doing. I’m wondering what I should say to them when they come back–if I should spend time studying Mormonism during the week. I don’t really want to slam the door on their face, even if I don’t believe what Mormonism teaches.

What do you think?

I will tell you why i am not a Mormon. In Mormonism they believe that God began his existence as a human being like me and you before he became the almighty God. In catholicism, we believe that God is eternal and has always existed. So the god they worship in Mormonism simply cannot be the eternal almighty creator because if God began as a person then who created him and the world he lived in and his parents etc? Its a perspective that just leads to some very polytheistic perspectives. I certainly believe that Jesus was God become flesh, but in Mormonism they believe God began as flesh which is not something i can believe and i hope you dont believe it either.

 

[holdencaulfield]

I’m very surprised by the great number of responses. I’d like to respond to each one, but unfortunately I do not have the time tonight to do so. Just a few things I thought I’d point out: 1) I’m a guy not a gal; 2) I’m Eastern Orthodox not Roman Catholic.

I’m quite an unemotional sort of person.

The one guy seemed afraid of me. Maybe he saw an angel behind my back or something.

Basically the same thing, lol.

 

[holdencaulfield]

I will tell you why i am not a Mormon. In Mormonism they believe that God began his existence as a human being like me and you before he became the almighty God. In catholicism, we believe that God is eternal and has always existed. So the god they worship in Mormonism simply cannot be the eternal almighty creator because if God began as a person then who created him and the world he lived in and his parents etc? Its a perspective that just leads to some very polytheistic perspectives. I certainly believe that Jesus was God become flesh, but in Mormonism they believe God began as flesh which is not something i can believe and i hope you dont believe it either.

Yes they are one of the few neo-pagan religions that actually have a few followers. Stay away from polytheism. It is evil.

 

[holdencaulfield]

Oh, I dunno, I read them. No one has told me not to, and if they did, I would wonder what they were trying to hide.

And whyme, some of the best anti-Catholic info can be found at your mormon apologetics website. They work pretty hard at “proving” a “great apostasy” FAIR, now Maxwell Institute, also has some choice anti-Catholic weirdness.

You still haven’t told me how lds4u.com is antimormon.

That’s because Mormonism is anti-Mormon. The cult contradicts itself so many times and history is against it that they more you learn about Mormonism, the more you know how it is a lie.

 

[Filius99993]

That’s because Mormonism is anti-Mormon. The cult contradicts itself so many times and history is against it that they more you learn about Mormonism, the more you know how it is a lie.

Soooo true.

BTW your user name is awesome.

 

[holdencaulfield]

BTW your user name is awesome.

Thank You. I like it as well.

 

[mjf001]

StevenErickson;3276957]Thanks for your response.

Your welcome.

I think it is unfortunate to apply broad stereotypes to any group of people. Stereotypes are rarely acurate as a whole. I certainly will not dispute with you on your own experiences though. I have no reason to doubt your experience and they are yours. I can say that all LDS do not have a victim mentality though. I am quite familiar with them too

I’m only talking of my experiences here, nothing more.

I am not exactly sure what you mean when you say pro-LDS sites. I can only assume you mean ones either sponsored by the LDS church or run by members of the LDS church.

Fair, Farms, or any other site which defend Mormon doctrine.

I don’t expect that you would agree with these sites. But that really is not my point. Whether you agree with them or not they are the ones that are stating what the church actually believes. You can call it heresy, crazy, completely void of all fact and truth – whatever; however, it is what the LDS church believes.

As has been pointed out many times. LDS apologists frequently leave out embarrasing parts of their doctrine or flat out deny them. So are they really telling you exactly what they believe. I think, quite frequently, the tactics are deceptive.

I am going to base my understanding on the Catholic church based on what the Catholic church actually states is their doctrine. Not some other anti-Catholic church site. I am quite certain that priests are not mesmorizing people to stay in a known false religion… or are they…

Ask me or another poster on these boards or a Catholic friend, ask a Priest, ask a Deacon, check out Catholic Answers, or buy a copy of the catechism. It’s easy to find out what Catholics believe.

I would argue it’s not so easy to find out what LDS believe, because even when confronted by text that clearly state unique LDS doctrines you may get several different answers, depending on who you talk to.

As a side note: you mentioned that members of the LDS church refer to these sites as anti-mormon – as I pointed out the Catholic church labels these same types of sites anti-Catholic, perhaps Catholics have a victim mentality too.

As others have already mentioned. These sites frequently quote LDS sources on unique LDS doctrines. These sites are frequently telling the truth. That’s besides the point. Quite often, I discovered things on these boards I already knew. The only new information for me, at the time, were the issues regarding Joseph Smith’s questionable character, which I verified through other sources, though I wasn’t really trying at that point. I had already reached my own conclusions on the veracity of the LDS faith at that point in time. It was simply another point on an already tallied score sheet.

If you believe otherwise then I am sure you will let me know and we can close or conversation.

I’m sure you will draw your own conclusions, I hope my thoughts have been inciteful, at least.

Thanks again.

You’re welcome and thank you, as well.

Michael

 

[Veronica7978]

Because it’s not just about learning Mormonism, but also about sharing Catholicism. If a Catholic is comfortable enough to share the faith, this is a perfect opportunity for some young men who really need it.

Perfect comment!

 

[why_me]

And whyme, some of the best anti-Catholic info can be found at your mormon apologetics website. They work pretty hard at “proving” a “great apostasy” FAIR, now Maxwell Institute, also has some choice anti-Catholic weirdness.

The great apostacy would also included the protestant sects. Much was happening at that time in history when one turns back the clock several centuries. The actions of many christian sects left much to be desired. I would consider that an apostacy.

Why don’t you point out some anti-catholic weirdness on those sites. I would also like to see them.

 

[why_me]

That is because so much anti-Catholic material out there, including the site the Steve linked to, is full of information that is easily refuted using the Catechism and other Church documents.

Maybe yes but then again maybe no. All such sites have a partial truth to them and that is the problem. I don’t think that the bible mentions the word ‘pope’ as an example.

 

[why_me]

Oh, I dunno, I read them. No one has told me not to, and if they did, I would wonder what they were trying to hide.

And whyme, some of the best anti-Catholic info can be found at your mormon apologetics website. They work pretty hard at “proving” a “great apostasy” FAIR, now Maxwell Institute, also has some choice anti-Catholic weirdness.

You still haven’t told me how lds4u.com is antimormon.

From your site:

The LDS Church teaches that heavenly father loves us in the same way that a good earthly father loves his children. God cries when we suffer. He beams with pride when we are good. Taking this concept of a literal heavenly father further, they believe that we should obey God, just as a good child will obey his father.

I find it interesting how much manipulation is implied in this one seemingly innocuous principle:

The carrot: if you obey God and you’ll be happy and successful.

The stick: if you disobey you’ll suffer.

The guilt: Jesus was brutally tortured and killed so you could enjoy this carrot; the least you could do is show your love and appreciation by being obedient.

Next point?

 

[mjf001]

From your site:

The LDS Church teaches that heavenly father loves us in the same way that a good earthly father loves his children. God cries when we suffer. He beams with pride when we are good. Taking this concept of a literal heavenly father further, they believe that we should obey God, just as a good child will obey his father.

I find it interesting how much manipulation is implied in this one seemingly innocuous principle:

The carrot: if you obey God and you’ll be happy and successful.

The stick: if you disobey you’ll suffer.

The guilt: Jesus was brutally tortured and killed so you could enjoy this carrot; the least you could do is show your love and appreciation by being obedient.

Next point?

And yet, the crucifiction means little without the resurrection and the resurrection is impossible without his divinity. Christians know that the ultimate evil brought about the ultimate good. Christ is resurrected and we are saved through God’s grace. That is the good news. I see no manipulation there,… …if you look at the whole picture.

 

[why_me]

And of course on the section of the site that gives advice to missionaries:

Remember that quitting is an option. If your earnest efforts at missionary work great you with the constant companionship of hypocrites and depression rather than with the companionship of the Spirit, do you have the moral right to quit you mission? That is for you to decide of course, but I believe the answer is an unequivocal yes. If honest introspection leads you to the conclusion that being on a mission isn’t where you are supposed to be, then you should do the brave thing: assert your free agency and go home.

This comment comes after some real sweet talking in lds language about missions and missionary work. It all sounded good until the psychobabble found above. Plant the thought and see what happens kind of gimmick.

 

[why_me]

And yet, the crucifiction means little without the resurrection and the resurrection is impossible without his divinity. Christians know that the ultimate evil brought about the ultimate good. Christ is resurrected and we are saved through God’s grace. That is the good news. I see no manipulation there,… …if you look at the whole picture.

It is found within the word ‘manipulation’ from the quotation that I found.

 

[ibkc]

Maybe yes but then again maybe no. All such sites have a partial truth to them and that is the problem. I don’t think that the bible mentions the word ‘pope’ as an example.

:whacky: A claim that is true, but about 100% irrelevant to anything, since sola scriptura is a false doctrine. Is that the best you can do?

 

[PaulDupre]

Maybe yes but then again maybe no. All such sites have a partial truth to them and that is the problem. I don’t think that the bible mentions the word ‘pope’ as an example.

It doesn’t mention “The First Presidency” either.

Besides, the word “pope” is an affectionate nickname that means “papa”. The pope’s real title is The Bishop of Rome.

Paul

 

[why_me]

It doesn’t mention “The First Presidency” either.

Besides, the word “pope” is an affectionate nickname that means “papa”. The pope’s real title is The Bishop of Rome.

Paul

You will get no argument from me. I like the pope. I think that he is a great guy and I enjoy reading the vatican newspaper in English and the words of the pope that that paper contains.

But I was pointing out a point that could be mentioned as partial truth.

 

[why_me]

I will also write that the OP who started this thread sounds like no whimp when it comes to mormon missionaries. Her comment to me shows that she is a seasoned poster here and firmly in the catholic camp. And so, her OP was probably to entice people to comment about the mormons in an unfavorable way. But I could be wrong on this and if so, I apologize to her.

 

[Madaglan]

Originally Posted by why me:

I will also write that the OP who started this thread sounds like no whimp when it comes to mormon missionaries.

I’m not sure what exactly you mean by this. The two male missionaries that came to my door last week were the first ones to ever come to my door. In college, about five years back, I randomly ran into two female Mormon missionaries on the sidewalk as I was walking back to campus from town. At the time, they asked me if I went to a church. I said yes. After I said this they gave me a kind of postcard with a picture of a mormon temple on one side and an lds URL on the back. They were very friendly and didn’t follow me around or anything.

Her comment to me shows that she is a seasoned poster here and firmly in the catholic camp.

I’ve been posting here for quite a while, long before even the crash. I believe I started posting here somewhere around 2003-2004.

I’m not sure if you saw my early post in this thread, but I’m not a she but a he. I used to be Roman Catholic; I became Orthodox Christian a month ago. Still, when it comes to many issues, I agree with Roman Catholics.

And so, her OP was probably to entice people to comment about the mormons in an unfavorable way. But I could be wrong on this and if so, I apologize to her.

I think I was a little excited actually. It seems that most people are rather annoyed when religious people knock at their door. I’ve always been the opposite. I’ve wanted Mormons to come to my door, but it’s never happened to me. My interest in Christianity was first sparked when Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door. I was probably about 12. They gave me a book and told me they would come back a week later to ask me about it. I read the book all week. Much of it confused me, but I liked the general message, and the pictures were very uplifting, too. They came back a week later, but I was really shy and didn’t want to talk about the book. I still kept the book for several years. I don’t know where it is now.