my mormon friend...

[PattyPryor]

won’t talk to me unless I talk to the bishop of thier church. I don’t understand why I can’t be friends with him even if I’m Catholic.

Everything I say he has an answer for

I don’t know what to do I’m going to go on my knees and pray for him. I don’t have a lot of friends to start with so this is real hard

:tissues: :crying:

 

[BlestOne]

I don’t mean to sound mean, but this person probably never was your friend to begin with. Many Mormons befriend people with the express purpose of converting them. This is not true friendship, nor is it true concern for your soul and salvation. It is a numbers game for some… how many can we bring to Mormonism.

My suggestion is to tell this “friend” that you aren’t interested in talking with his bishop. If he is as I suspect just trying to gain converts… he will move on. If not, you may have found a friend.

 

[Allweather]

I agree with BlestOne, unless this person has been a friend of yours for many years. If only a recently acquired “friend” then most likely this person is “friendshipping” and you’re just a port of call.

BTW this is typical among fundamentalist types as well. I’ve run across many like this, some on this forum. They appear and strike up a conversation on the side, and express how much they care about you, want to help you get rid of that ol’ debil Catholicism! Once it becomes clear to them that you are not going to swallow the hook, they will disappear and go looking for the next fish.

One term for this tactic among evangelicals is “friendship evangelization.” Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Jesus. I don’t find these types of friendships any less shallow than the ones Mormons develop, for the same purposes. If you’ve got anything in common upon which to base a real friendship, then it won’t have that much to do with your respective religions. And it doesn’t appear likely that you’ve got religion in common, unless you convert to Mormonism, or your friend converts to Catholicism. The fact that he/she is plying you to interview the bishop is a sign that you’re the one being cultivated.

 

[pnachazel]

I am sorry to hear that. I grew up around a lot of mormons and still keep in touch with many, and they do not try to convert me. They know that I was born and raised Catholic and they respect the fact that I will always be Catholic. It does lead to interesting debates at times. I hope and pray that this friend of yours values your friendship like you appear to value their’s.