Studying your way out of Mormonism

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I ran across this while on another website, and found it quite interesting.

This gentleman was an lds bishop, and ended up studying his way out of the mormon church.

He really gave some great insight how it all worked for him.

Any thoughts?

youtube.com/watch?v=g00VjgTQLuo
 
twopekinguys said:
I ran across this while on another website, and found it quite interesting.

This gentleman was an lds bishop, and ended up studying his way out of the mormon church.

He really gave some great insight how it all worked for him.

Any thoughts?

youtube.com/watch?v=g00VjgTQLuo
Click to expand...
I’ve met several women who were born & raised as Ladder Day Saints who have read their way out.

One was just 12 yrs old when she read all of the oldest LDS books in her family’s library & when she contemplated the God they were worshipping she realized that their God was too small. She had read something like “Man is what God once was” and meditating on that was all it took to make her turn away from the faith of her family heritage. At such a young age she realized that the true God had to be much larger than that. She left LDS based on LDS literature alone, near reading anything written by non-LDS or previous-LDS sources.

These women I’ve met have become either: Roman Catholic, Maranite Catholic or Greek Orthodox, a religion very close to the Catholic Church in its theology.
 
If a mormon whants the truth it will find it extremely easy.
Mormon doctrine can’t resist outside a mormon contest.
Their theology is extremely free.
Generally mormons don’t convert to Christianity because they feel well in their congregation.
Mormonisms restaured a decadent culture that’s it. The importance of family value and so on.
For a Christian, values are values but don’t theology, they are or can be a consequence of it.

Mormonisms is for people who wants to live a better material life, human relations, considering sacrifices small things like drinking coffee or tea and paying the dime in favour of feeling well toward their god.
Actually with their action they create a credit their god HAS to pay to their favour.
They completely don’t understand the relantioship and dylogue Jesus had with the phariseans.

In my point of view in all Christian denominations there is a scale of being closer to the original message and tradition. From 1 to 10.
I consider Mormons directly out of this scale.

Thank you for your link is interesting!😉
 
twopekinguys said:
Any thoughts?
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Thanks for the link…🙂

As I was listening to the link, I was thinking how my LDS wife (we’re civilly divorced) would approach this so here’s my thoughts.

Whether you’re a member of the LDS or RC churches, you tend to trust your leadership since both churches believe they have apostolic roots. Most laypersons, who are serious about their faith, wouldn’t take the approach that they could study their way out of the faith. My wife would take information of this nature and talk to her bishop to get clarification which is the bishop’s job in nurturing his flock. I’m quite convinced that my wife would remain in the LDS faith since her bishop would be able to sway her otherwise. If you’re already an LDS bishop as in the link, you’re suppose to already be strong enough so you can help others in your flock to overcome their doubt. Obviously, this bishop feels he can’t perform this function any more which is understandable.

In my Legion of Mary meeting last week, the subject we were discussing was about Patrician meetings where the purpose is to strenghthen the Catholic faithful on various topics. I pointed out that the most important person at a meeting of this nature is a Spiritual Director. What happens at a meeting of this nature is that a lot of ideas (right and wrong) get tossed out there for discussion by the faithful. If you don’t have a Spiritual Director present to refocus the discussion, it’s easy for the faithful to develop the wrong idea and literally walk away from the church.

Both churches believe they have the proper priesthood authority which is an essential belief for both. Seeing a LDS bishop study his way out of the church is not too surprising. I’ve read stories of Mission Presidents and other higher ups study their way out of their LDS beliefs. This does not necessarily equate to the lay members of their church doing the same and ‘study their way out of Mormonism’ IMHO.
 
=twopekinguys;8429116]I ran across this while on another website, and found it quite interesting.
Click to expand...
This gentleman was an lds bishop, and ended up studying his way out of the mormon church.
Click to expand...
He really gave some great insight how it all worked for him.
Click to expand...
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
youtube.com/watch?v=g00VjgTQLuo
Click to expand...
AND HERE IS WHY EVERYONE INTHE LDS MOVEMENT SHOULD DESIRE TO DO SO👍

The ONlY THING LDS and Christianity have in common is some terminiolgy. Even this is usurped to promote a set of beliefs that cannot be termed Christian as they deny the Godhead, the reality of a Christian God in understanding and even consider jesus "a brother to Lucifer [yes satan himself].

It is very cleaverly done and one actually needs to know what the Bible REALLY says and means to escape their well rehersed presenations.

They tell a good story; but it will not get anyone to heaven [of which they also have there own version].

Anyone who desires more infor contact me and I’ll get it to you. I have spent MANY hours in researching what is is they really believe and teach.

MOST mean well but have brought into a carefully crafted false “religion.”:o

God Bless,
Pat
 
The issue of the Godhead was so perplexing for Mormons that the First Presidency had to come out with a letter to explain it. The letter is included here:

schoolofabraham.com/fatherandson.htm

If you can actually get through this letter without becoming completely confused you will have some understanding of the cartwheels Mormons have to go through to justify all of the contradictions their scriptures create regarding their Godhead.
 
I didn’t study my way out of Mormonism, but I knew it was sterile.
 
Marie5890 said:
I didn’t study my way out of Mormonism, but I knew it was sterile.
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Some of us had to study our way out because we actually enjoyed being Latter-day Saints. I would have gladly stayed if not confronted with the conflicts in their teachings.
 
Studying your way out is more likely now, with the internet. Information that was once only found by stumbling onto it in a bookstore or conversation, is easily available to anyone.

I left before the internet came about. I thought my way, in the sense that, there were teachings that made no sense to me, as a child and teen. It was later, when I was in my 20’s, that I ordered a book from a catalog about Joseph Smith. It was written by a non-Mormon historian. It covered his arrest for “glass looking”, the failed bank in Ohio…certainly not something I ever learned in Mormon Sunday school!

Back then, the Mormon church had control over what people would or could learn about its early history. Now, they don’t. Everything is available and easily found with an internet search engine.
 
RebeccaJ said:
Studying your way out is more likely now, with the internet. Information that was once only found by stumbling onto it in a bookstore or conversation, is easily available to anyone.
Click to expand...
I agree, and think people of many denominations are talking themselves out of their faith. I think it hits the RCC just as hard as the LDS,
 
I actually felt sorry for the guy.

To be 60+, and finding all of these things he couldn’t reconcile had to be very difficult. Especially considering the number of positions he held, and the amount of members he influenced while in those positions probably did a real number on him.
 
Tony888 said:
I agree, and think people of many denominations are talking themselves out of their faith. I think it hits the RCC just as hard as the LDS,
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As someone who is heavily involved with bringing people into the Church, I would have to disagree.

The ones I see leaving the RCC, are the ones who don’t study, or are trying to mold the Church’s teachings into what they think they should be.

Too many people are busy looking for a church that conforms to what that person thinks, instead of submitting to what scripture actually teaches.
 
christianley said:
Some of us had to study our way out because we actually enjoyed being Latter-day Saints. I would have gladly stayed if not confronted with the conflicts in their teachings.
Click to expand...
I have great memories of being LDS too. I just knew as time went by that is was sterile and I no longer believed in it’s core and foundational doctrines.

The studying came later though. 🙂
 
RebeccaJ said:
Studying your way out is more likely now, with the internet. Information that was once only found by stumbling onto it in a bookstore or conversation, is easily available to anyone.

I left before the internet came about. I thought my way, in the sense that, there were teachings that made no sense to me, as a child and teen. It was later, when I was in my 20’s, that I ordered a book from a catalog about Joseph Smith. It was written by a non-Mormon historian. It covered his arrest for “glass looking”, the failed bank in Ohio…certainly not something I ever learned in Mormon Sunday school!

Back then, the Mormon church had control over what people would or could learn about its early history. Now, they don’t. Everything is available and easily found with an internet search engine.
Click to expand...
Good point. For me the way out began around 1990. The internet was around, but nothing like now.
 
Tony888 said:
I agree, and think people of many denominations are talking themselves out of their faith. I think it hits the RCC just as hard as the LDS,
Click to expand...
There are many people who are indifferent to religion. They aren’t talking themselves out of faith, they just don’t care. Period. There are many people who want and need God in their lives. To reduce the experience of those who leave your religion to “talking out of”, is just you, behaving as Mormons do towards those who leave. It is implying that people are not serious about the desire to follow God.

For myself, it wasn’t about talking myself out of leaving, it was about being honest with myself about what I did and didn’t believe. I don’t believe in your god and have not since I was very young. Not knowing anything else, and not trusting what religions had to teach in general, I left, for atheism.
 
Stephen168 said:
The study of Mormon history draws them out of the Mormon Church while the study of Christian history is draws people into the Catholic Church.
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Thanks for the link, I truly enjoyed it 😃

I was a clueless Catholic when I married my LDS wife and went through the LDS missionary lessons. I essentially told my wife that I needed to figure out what I was leaving before I could give any serious consideration about being a Mormon. Even though I was always raised as a Catholic, I’m technically a 6th generation Mormon on my Father’s side but my father converted shortly after marrying my mother. I told my wife that I only had a 2nd grade education about my faith and she thought it was more like a kindergarten level. I’m sure, in her opinion, the truth would win out and I would convert.

As one who wanted to get in good graces with the CC, I attempted to go to confession but was stopped in mid-stride by the priest that he couldn’t hear my confession and gave me a blessing. I later figured out that it was due to my marital situation as to why I couldn’t receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. RCIA wouldn’t start for another 6 weeks but I wanted to do something in the mean time. They had this prayer hour I could sign up for so I did even though I didn’t know what Adoration was. That started my journey and I fell in love with my faith when the talk got around to John 6. Through a lot of faith and prayer, I eventually got my marriage blessed in the church. I went from a clueless Catholic to one that was on fire. Needless to say, this wasn’t quite what my wife hoped for.

In trying to better understand my wife, I spent two years to try to understand the best answers to LDS history so that I could explain it. While my wife was impressed with my ability to explain the difficult parts of LDS history, she was annoyed that I wasn’t converting. I decided to be just as critical in regards to RCC history, what happened was that I became a stronger Christian in the RCC than I was before.

So my story also confirms that the more I studied Mormon history, the quicker I ran from it even though I believed I had the best answers while I embraced my Catholicism the more I studied its history. Go figure…😃
 
blueadept said:
Thanks for the link, I truly enjoyed it 😃

I was a clueless Catholic when I married my LDS wife and went through the LDS missionary lessons. I essentially told my wife that I needed to figure out what I was leaving before I could give any serious consideration about being a Mormon. Even though I was always raised as a Catholic, I’m technically a 6th generation Mormon on my Father’s side but my father converted shortly after marrying my mother. I told my wife that I only had a 2nd grade education about my faith and she thought it was more like a kindergarten level. I’m sure, in her opinion, the truth would win out and I would convert.

As one who wanted to get in good graces with the CC, I attempted to go to confession but was stopped in mid-stride by the priest that he couldn’t hear my confession and gave me a blessing. I later figured out that it was due to my marital situation as to why I couldn’t receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. RCIA wouldn’t start for another 6 weeks but I wanted to do something in the mean time. They had this prayer hour I could sign up for so I did even though I didn’t know what Adoration was. That started my journey and I fell in love with my faith when the talk got around to John 6. Through a lot of faith and prayer, I eventually got my marriage blessed in the church. I went from a clueless Catholic to one that was on fire. Needless to say, this wasn’t quite what my wife hoped for.

In trying to better understand my wife, I spent two years to try to understand the best answers to LDS history so that I could explain it. While my wife was impressed with my ability to explain the difficult parts of LDS history, she was annoyed that I wasn’t converting. I decided to be just as critical in regards to RCC history, what happened was that I became a stronger Christian in the RCC than I was before.

So my story also confirms that the more I studied Mormon history, the quicker I ran from it even though I believed I had the best answers while I embraced my Catholicism the more I studied its history. Go figure…😃
Click to expand...
Thanks for your story. I see some parallels with mine. Just replace wife in your story with high school friends in mine. I am a cradle Catholic raised in a marginal Catholic home. So marginal we stopped going to church when I was 11 years old. When I was 12 a Mormon friend invited me to go to Boy Scouts with him at his church. At Boy Scouts I met more Mormons from my school. When all the Mormons started going to seminary they would come to school and tell me all the crazy things Catholic believed. Of course it didn’t happen every day but enough that it inspired me study my faith. That is when I realized the anti-catholic culture of Mormonism. I am grateful that they caused me to get excited about being Catholic and at the age of 15, I started going to mass by myself. It is the study of history that makes me wonder how any Christian could be anything but Catholic. Also I knew that I should marry a Catholic, which I did. So far so good.
 
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