Patience wih LDS/Mormon Friends

[Try2BeHumble]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new member on this forum but I have viewed forum posts many times specifically the non-Catholic section. I have wanted to post for a long time and I finally decided to after reading the post Friend Became A Mormon. A few years ago my friend Amanda became Mormon while at college. We met in high school and talked about Jesus she never really asked must about my faith, but she always respected it. While in college she met an LDS group that came to give a talk at her school, long story short the guy that helped her become Mormon is now her boyfriend. I have to admit in the beginning she never told me she was becoming Mormon until her baptism and I tried to convince her not to but she was stubborn and did it anyway. Even though I was hurt I do have to say is that through our conversations I do belief that she sincerely accepted Christ as her Savior and received the Holy Spirit.

It has been five years now and I have tried to not be so forceful about the differences in our beliefs. God has really allowed our friendship to heal and she has actually done two bible studies with me which I never thought would happen! I guess I wanted to write this post to allow people to realize that you have to be patience in trying to help Mormons or anyone who doesn’t understand your beliefs. Sometimes it is hard to choose which differences to discuss and my devotional today talked about “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20: 15). Sometimes we are not meant to say anything but just act in love and understanding. We might be the person who introduces Jesus to someone, someone else may continue to help that person and God takes care of the whole situation if it his will. The important thing is to love, respect and find common ground. We must understand our faith before we try to debate with others.

I have to say that for all the LDS/Mormons it must be very difficult for you to discern and possible even consider changing your faith. I want to say that it is okay to discern in fact it allows you to examine why you believe what you believe. I will be praying for you as you go through your discernment.

Thanks for reading my story and may God bless us all.

 

[horselvr]

I have a Morman friend and honestly, she is the only non-Catholic friend that I have that is very respectful of my Catholicism. She never tries to convert me or says anything rude about my faith. I have a lot of friends from different religions, non-denoms and dthe like that have been quite rude through the years but Nicole never has and I in return respect her beliefs.

 

[Robertanthony]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new member on this forum but I have viewed forum posts many times specifically the non-Catholic section. I have wanted to post for a long time and I finally decided to after reading the post Friend Became A Mormon. A few years ago my friend Amanda became Mormon while at college. We met in high school and talked about Jesus she never really asked must about my faith, but she always respected it. While in college she met an LDS group that came to give a talk at her school, long story short the guy that helped her become Mormon is now her boyfriend. I have to admit in the beginning she never told me she was becoming Mormon until her baptism and I tried to convince her not to but she was stubborn and did it anyway. Even though I was hurt I do have to say is that through our conversations I do belief that she sincerely accepted Christ as her Savior and received the Holy Spirit.

It has been five years now and I have tried to not be so forceful about the differences in our beliefs. God has really allowed our friendship to heal and she has actually done two bible studies with me which I never thought would happen! I guess I wanted to write this post to allow people to realize that you have to be patience in trying to help Mormons or anyone who doesn’t understand your beliefs. Sometimes it is hard to choose which differences to discuss and my devotional today talked about “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20: 15). Sometimes we are not meant to say anything but just act in love and understanding. We might be the person who introduces Jesus to someone, someone else may continue to help that person and God takes care of the whole situation if it his will. The important thing is to love, respect and find common ground. We must understand our faith before we try to debate with others.

I have to say that for all the LDS/Mormons it must be very difficult for you to discern and possible even consider changing your faith. I want to say that it is okay to discern in fact it allows you to examine why you believe what you believe. I will be praying for you as you go through your discernment.

Thanks for reading my story and may God bless us all.

I realize you haven’t been formally greeted, so a warm welcome to you, Try2BeHumble. This place is wonderful, lots of good, inspirational people. It has helped me greatly in my numerous, not yet resolved struggles and issues. May your time here be enjoyable and fruitful. God bless.

 

[Try2BeHumble]

Hi Robertanthony,

Thank you so much for the welcome! I really like how this site allows you to meet up with fellow Catholics and discuss so many different topics.

Blessings,
Try2BeHumble

 

[NeuroTypical]

I want to say that it is okay to discern in fact it allows you to examine why you believe what you believe.

Excellent advice. I give it often.

I’ve encountered hundreds of conversion stories, from people moving in different directions. LDS to Catholic, Catholic to LDS, Believer to athiest, you name it. A common theme many of their stories was a period of personal growth that caused them to reexamine their roots in light of a new perspective or new information. It fascinated me, as I was going through such a period, to encounter someone experiencing the same growth, heading in the exact opposite direction.

But yes, it’s important to know what you believe, and why you believe it. If you have that foundation, you’re firm in your faith. Without it, you’re a house built on sand in front of the approaching flood.

 

[TexanKnight]

Excellent advice. I give it often.

I’ve encountered hundreds of conversion stories, from people moving in different directions. LDS to Catholic, Catholic to LDS, Believer to athiest, you name it. A common theme many of their stories was a period of personal growth that caused them to reexamine their roots in light of a new perspective or new information. It fascinated me, as I was going through such a period, to encounter someone experiencing the same growth, heading in the exact opposite direction.

But yes, it’s important to know what you believe, and why you believe it. If you have that foundation, you’re firm in your faith. Without it, you’re a house built on sand in front of the approaching flood.

Now, please respond to other thread…

 

[steido01]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new member on this forum but I have viewed forum posts many times specifically the non-Catholic section.

Welcome to CAF.

If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is your religion?

 

[iepuras]

Hi Try2BeHumble,

Welcome to CAF. I have learned a lot here. Some of us who participate in the Mormon threads are actually former Mormons, many of whom have found our way home to the Catholic Church. (Well, I’m still making my way and planning on getting there next year). Many of our families are still Mormon, and we love them very much. We desparately wish our families would see what we see and leave the LDS church. Many of us were treated horribly and shunned by Mormon friends and family when we left. We know the truth about the LDS church and share that truth, even though it may seem harsh.

I’m glad that the lines of communication are still open and your friendship is healing. Hopefully, in some small way, you can help her out of Mormonism. Sometimes you just have to be a loving friend who is willing to listen.

 

[NeuroTypical]

I have tried to not be so forceful about the differences in our beliefs. God has really allowed our friendship to heal and she has actually done two bible studies with me which I never thought would happen! I guess I wanted to write this post to allow people to realize that you have to be patience in trying to help Mormons or anyone who doesn’t understand your beliefs. Sometimes it is hard to choose which differences to discuss and my devotional today talked about “The battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20: 15). Sometimes we are not meant to say anything but just act in love and understanding.

I’ve actually been thinking a lot about stuff like this. I came across this quote from Abraham Lincoln:

When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and a true maxim, that a ‘drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.’ So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great highroad to his reason, and which, when once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing his judgment of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause really be a just one. On the contrary, assume to dictate to his judgment, or to command his action, or to mark him as one to be shunned and despised, and he will retreat within himself, close all the avenues to his head and his heart; and though your cause be naked truth itself, transformed to the heaviest lance, harder than steel, and sharper than steel can be made, and though you throw it with more than Herculean force and precision, you shall be no more be able to pierce him, than to penetrate the hard shell of a tortoise with a rye straw.

Such is man, and so must he be understood by those who would lead him, even to his own best interest.

It’s true. I have to fight really hard with myself to remain civil and loving with some folks critical of my church. It’s hard to not stick on a shell after you get called a coward, dishonorable, ignorant, or mentally ill by someone trying to tell me about my faith.

 

[TexanKnight]

I’ve actually been thinking a lot about stuff like this. I came across this quote from Abraham Lincoln:
It’s true. I have to fight really hard with myself to remain civil and loving with some folks critical of my church. It’s hard to not stick on a shell after you get called a coward, dishonorable, ignorant, or mentally ill by someone trying to tell me about my faith.

I have not seen anything like that…though I have seen Mormons try to play victim here.

And no one has tried to tell you about your faith. All we do is tell the truth about your “church”

 

[RebeccaJ]

I’ve actually been thinking a lot about stuff like this. I came across this quote from Abraham Lincoln:
It’s true. I have to fight really hard with myself to remain civil and loving with some folks critical of my church. It’s hard to not stick on a shell after you get called a coward, dishonorable, ignorant, or mentally ill by someone trying to tell me about my faith.

Saint Augustine, in a homily on the First Letter of John, describes very beautifully the intimate relationship between prayer and hope. He defines prayer as an exercise of desire. Man was created for greatness—for God himself; he was created to be filled by God. But his heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined. It must be stretched. “By delaying [his gift], God strengthens our desire; through desire he enlarges our soul and by expanding it he increases its capacity [for receiving him]”. Augustine refers to Saint Paul, who speaks of himself as straining forward to the things that are to come (cf. Phil 3:13). He then uses a very beautiful image to describe this process of enlargement and preparation of the human heart. “**Suppose that God wishes to fill you with honey [a symbol of God’s tenderness and goodness]; but if you are full of vinegar, where will you put the honey?” The vessel, that is your heart, must first be enlarged and then cleansed, freed from the vinegar and its taste. This requires hard work and is painful, but in this way alone do we become suited to that for which we are destined[26]. **Even if Augustine speaks directly only of our capacity for God, it is nevertheless clear that through this effort by which we are freed from vinegar and the taste of vinegar, not only are we made free for God, but we also become open to others. It is only by becoming children of God, that we can be with our common Father. To pray is not to step outside history and withdraw to our own private corner of happiness. When we pray properly we undergo a process of inner purification which opens us up to God and thus to our fellow human beings as well.

(Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI, 33)

 

[zaffiroborant]

I’ve actually been thinking a lot about stuff like this. I came across this quote from Abraham Lincoln:
It’s true. I have to fight really hard with myself to remain civil and loving with some folks critical of my church. It’s hard to not stick on a shell after you get called a coward, dishonorable, ignorant, or mentally ill by someone trying to tell me about my faith.

Could you put some quotes showing these please. I ask because I don’t remember anything that I interpreted that way. I’m sure that your interpretation of what has been posted is not mine, it is one of the main problems of on-line communications like these. Blunt and terse=sarcastic, light hearted teasing/joking=mocking, tired and reading, it’s all negative. It gets all a mess when we don’t have face to face interaction, when we only have the typed words (and some are better or worse at both) to parse the intent of the one behind the words.

 

[Try2BeHumble]

A common theme many of their stories was a period of personal growth that caused them to reexamine their roots in light of a new perspective or new information. But yes, it’s important to know what you believe, and why you believe it. If you have that foundation, you’re firm in your faith. Without it, you’re a house built on sand in front of the approaching flood.

I completely agree with you about knowing your own faith. Also, I have noticed that specifically with LDS many change their opinions after doing their own research.

Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Try2BeHumble]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. I tried to look under the FAQ’s to learn how to reply to each individual post but I only saw directions for replying to the whole thread. If someone could give me directions on how to do that it would be great

steido01 - I am a practicing Catholic (Roman Catholic) and have been all my life all 23 years of it that is.

iepuras- Good for you that you are making your way to the Catholic faith. I know that for Mormons it is hard and for many other religions it is hard to understand. I try and think of it as if someone came to me and started to tell me that Catholicism was wrong or that parts of it were not quite right that would be hard for me to take in. That is why I emphasized patience and you are right about just listening. That is what has helped our relationship the most just listening and it allows her to open up more.

NeuroTypical- I am sorry if people have made you feel that way. I think sometimes people get so emotional about their faith that they forget about being kind or they really want you to understand where they are coming from. Even if we don’t agree we still need to be respectful of other people’s faith.

RebeccaJ- Love the quote about vinegar and honey! Saint Augustine has some great stuff thank you for sharing.

zaffiroborant- I completely agree about how online communication can be misread sometimes.

 

[Robertanthony]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. I tried to look under the FAQ’s to learn how to reply to each individual post but I only saw directions for replying to the whole thread. If someone could give me directions on how to do that it would be great

Hi,
just press “quote”. If you want to quote more than one post in your own post, you press the thingy next to the “quote” button, then you press the “quote” button in the last post thta you want quoted.

 

[twopekinguys]

I have to fight really hard with myself to remain civil and loving with some folks critical of my church. It’s hard to not stick on a shell after you get called a coward, dishonorable, ignorant, or mentally ill by someone trying to tell me about my faith.

This is the second time you have made a comment about someone calling you mentally ill.

Please provide the reference, or withdraw it. The moderators removed your earlier comment where you made this assertion. It could happen again, and more.

 

[Try2BeHumble]

Hi,
just press “quote”. If you want to quote more than one post in your own post, you press the thingy next to the “quote” button, then you press the “quote” button in the last post thta you want quoted.

Thanks Robert for your help