what i like about Mormons

[ParkerD]

Truthfully, I would much rather have a Mormon for a friend than some Catholics and Protestants. I enjoy the dialoguing, even though it sometimes ends up as an arguement. I want to know the intimate secrets about the LDS. I, in turn, will tell the workings of Catholicism to the best of my knowledge.

I know that I have acted brashly and without feeling on some of these threads. I deeply, sincerely and ashamedly apologize to all that I have done so. I truly am trying to control myself.

I enjoy and love talking to Diana, Parker, and Zerinus. I know all is well if they all forgive me for my actions. I put my tail between my legs and hold my ears down and look at them with a sad face with my hat in my hands.

Shalom Aleichem

JAVL,
Thanks. I sense the sincerity of your comment, and appreciate its sensitivity and upbeat candor. May God give you good health for many years to come.

 

[zerinus]

I like several things about Mormons. As a whole they seem to be an honest and industrious people who made the desert in Utah bloom. They are excellent family people - well, most of them (always exceptions, of course). They are devoted to their faith, young men giving two years to mission work. Many of their values are firm and good.

 However, I must add that while I can respect Mormons I do have serious difficulties with their faith. The *Book of Mormon*and other Mormon scriptures are suspect and worse. The polygamy of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are blights on Mormon history. Women still are treated in a subordinate fashion. Up until the 1970s Mormon theology taught that Blacks were inferior, condemned by God for past sins. I don't believe they changed this teaching, except that suddenly the curse of God was lifted - timed conveniently, by the way. Mormons baptize the dead, including many of my Catholic, Congregationalisrt, Baptist and Methodist ancestors, which I find arrogant and offensive. And we could go on.

 In response to a poster above, **zerinus**, Protestants I know do not hate Catholicism. That is a libel and slander. A few Protestants may, just like some Catholics here in CAF certainly appear to hate Protestantism. Most Protestants I know may disagree with Catholicism but work hand in glove with Catholics on local soup kitchens and other worthy projects. Mainline churches often unite with Catholic churches during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Or, on Good Friday, even. Etc. Why is there this insistence on CAF that Protestants hate Catholicism? It seems like a form of projection to me. Is the reverse closer to the truth?

  Let's not forget. however, that according to Joseph Smith, God the Father accompanied by God the Son came to him as a teenager. When he asked which of the Christian denominations was the right one, God replied that they were all abominations! Now, can this pass as tolerance or what? (I hope I have rendered this Smith episode correctly. It's been a long time since I read Mormon writings.)

  Having said all this, God bless people of every creed, color and country, and may religion become a bridge and not a barrier.

By Protestants I meant hard line activists, or those who take their religion seriously, especially those in the Evangelical camp. Certainly those who follow Luther and his immediate followers hate Catholicism. Luther and other early Reformers certainly did; and any modern day Protestants who wanted to remain faithful to their traditional origins would have to.

 

[Javl]

JAVL,
Thanks. I sense the sincerity of your comment, and appreciate its sensitivity and upbeat candor. May God give you good health for many years to come.

Thank you my friend. I still hope to see you in the afterlife and continue our friendship ( even though we debate and argue down here ). Shalom haMeshiach, Chevar.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[Roy5]

Let’s get this straight. Protestants in general do not hate Catholicism! They disagree with Catholicism, just as Mormons do, but this can be far removed from hate. I may disagree with my father or mother on religion but that certainly could not be viewed as hate.

There are several reasons why Protestant antipathy has declined over the years. (1) The election of JFK convinced many that a Catholic president would not be subservient to the Pope. (2) Vatican II led to a new ecumenism that has persisted, though not as strong as it was initially. (3) The Catholic Church has abandoned its old demand for special privilege and has finally publicly endorsed separation of church and state. (4) Most American Catholics now insist on thinking for themselves and are no longer jump when the church says jump.

There is, frankly, a bias against Mormonism among many evangelical Christians. They are inclined to see it as a cult. Ditto for traditional Catholics. That has been one of Romney’s obstacles, and it is used against Glenn Beck, raised a Catholic, a convert to Mormonism.

I have many theological and historical problems with Mormonism, starting with what I view as considerable mythology in the Book of Mormon. But that has little to do with my respect for Mormons as people.

 

[Roy5]

Oh, two other reasons for the decline in anti-Catholicism in the USA. As the melting pot proceeds, most of us now have relatives - in-laws and such - who are members of a different faith, and this has helped break down prejudice and the walls that once divided ujs. In addition, the parochial school system is not nearly as strong as it was, nuns are fewer and fewer, which has led to much less of a ghetto-mentality among Catholics today.

 

[zerinus]

Let’s get this straight. Protestants in general do not hate Catholicism! They disagree with Catholicism, just as Mormons do, but this can be far removed from hate. I may disagree with my father or mother on religion but that certainly could not be viewed as hate.

There are several reasons why Protestant antipathy has declined over the years. (1) The election of JFK convinced many that a Catholic president would not be subservient to the Pope. (2) Vatican II led to a new ecumenism that has persisted, though not as strong as it was initially. (3) The Catholic Church has abandoned its old demand for special privilege and has finally publicly endorsed separation of church and state. (4) Most American Catholics now insist on thinking for themselves and are no longer jump when the church says jump.

There is, frankly, a bias against Mormonism among many evangelical Christians. They are inclined to see it as a cult. Ditto for traditional Catholics. That has been one of Romney’s obstacles, and it is used against Glenn Beck, raised a Catholic, a convert to Mormonism.

I have many theological and historical problems with Mormonism, starting with what I view as considerable mythology in the Book of Mormon. But that has little to do with my respect for Mormons as people.

Oh, two other reasons for the decline in anti-Catholicism in the USA. As the melting pot proceeds, most of us now have relatives - in-laws and such - who are members of a different faith, and this has helped break down prejudice and the walls that once divided ujs. In addition, the parochial school system is not nearly as strong as it was, nuns are fewer and fewer, which has led to much less of a ghetto-mentality among Catholics today.

You seem to think that you are talking to a bunch of uninformed Catholics. You are wrong about that. People who post here become informed very quickly. A quick visit to CARM will inform anyone that Evangelicals have as much hatred towards Catholicism as they do towards Mormonism.

 

[benidict]

You seem to think that you are talking to a bunch of uninformed Catholics. You are wrong about that. People who post here become informed very quickly. A quick visit to CARM will inform anyone that Evangelicals have as much hatred towards Catholicism as they do towards Mormonism.

which is probably why i feel more of a kinship to Mormons more so than my protestant friends. but i digress. hopefully you do get a chance to study the whole Catechism of the Catholic Church Z. i myself hope to get a chance to study the Mormons D+C. what little i have read of it, i really cannot disagree. Peace to you and yours.

 

[benidict]

Let’s get this straight. Protestants in general do not hate Catholicism! They disagree with Catholicism, just as Mormons do, but this can be far removed from hate. I may disagree with my father or mother on religion but that certainly could not be viewed as hate.

There are several reasons why Protestant antipathy has declined over the years. (1) The election of JFK convinced many that a Catholic president would not be subservient to the Pope. (2) Vatican II led to a new ecumenism that has persisted, though not as strong as it was initially. (3) The Catholic Church has abandoned its old demand for special privilege and has finally publicly endorsed separation of church and state. (4) Most American Catholics now insist on thinking for themselves and are no longer jump when the church says jump.

There is, frankly, a bias against Mormonism among many evangelical Christians. They are inclined to see it as a cult. Ditto for traditional Catholics. That has been one of Romney’s obstacles, and it is used against Glenn Beck, raised a Catholic, a convert to Mormonism.

I have many theological and historical problems with Mormonism, starting with what I view as considerable mythology in the Book of Mormon. But that has little to do with my respect for Mormons as people.

hi Roy. i would have to agree with you. but even though they may not hate Catholicism, they do for the most part mis-understand it. that is due in part to Catholics not properly sharing what we believe. and also with some protestants close mindedness to anything Catholic. i am the only Catholic in my family. the rest are all protestant. let me tell ya, october 31 is very interesting in my house Peace

 

[benidict]

one thing i really like about Mormons is how Catholics an Mormons have worked together in defending marriage between a man and a woman. i can think of many other areas we can work together. pro-life issues for example. i would love to walk the line with my Mormon friends anytime in support of this and other issues. Peace to all of us.

 

[benidict]

Truthfully, I would much rather have a Mormon for a friend than some Catholics and Protestants. I enjoy the dialoguing, even though it sometimes ends up as an arguement. I want to know the intimate secrets about the LDS. I, in turn, will tell the workings of Catholicism to the best of my knowledge.

I know that I have acted brashly and without feeling on some of these threads. I deeply, sincerely and ashamedly apologize to all that I have done so. I truly am trying to control myself.

I enjoy and love talking to Diana, Parker, and Zerinus. I know all is well if they all forgive me for my actions. I put my tail between my legs and hold my ears down and look at them with a sad face with my hat in my hands.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

:grouphug:

 

[LongJourney]

Mormon communities, women getting together to put up food for the bishop’s storehouse and their own kitchens. It is a good idea to have extra food stored away for emergencies, and gardening, not having to rely on the grocery store for everything. All ought to practice those ideas. Those who practice semi-vegetarianism, doing the whole WoW, without being obsessed about the “hot drinks” thing (whatever that means) command my respect.

 

[KathleenGee]

Zerinius,

Glad you are open to learning about our faith. Yes, the catechism you have is the one we use. I have the hardbound because it is alot easier to read. There has been an addendum … more teachings in our way of relating to homosexuals, but I haven’t picked it up yet.

There is so much there…read the first part of how Catholics relate to Sacred Scripture, how we see every word as part of the whole…not so much taking certain parts out…everything is connected to each other.

 

[KathleenGee]

Like Benedict, I see much more practical application of marriage and community within the Mormon community, as well as its penchant for taking good care of one’s physical being.

I pray for real communion with the Mormons some day. They relate to God in faith as a community like Catholics and Jews, as well as having a certain purity of faith.

God bless the Mormon people!

 

[Roy5]

Mormonism, as I understand it, is nearly as different from traditional Christianity as is Islam. Both have a new and essential prophet (Muhammad and Joseph Smith), both have a new scripture (Koran and Book of Mormon), and both have very different doctrines, such as - in the case of Mormons - Baptism of the Dead, nature of man and of God, the world to come, etc.

 Catholicism and Protestantism have their differences, of course, but the gulf is not nearly as wide as between Catholicism/Protestantism and Mormonism.

 The area in which Catholics and Mormons agree involves gay marriage, abortion, etc. However, evangelical Protestants tend to agree with Catholics and Mormons on such issues, too. Liberal Protestants are divided. Some accept gay marriage and abortion under special circumstances. 

  It would seem that some CAF Catholics are so bitter toward Protestantism that they feel more kinship with Mormons than Protestants. Is that true, or is that opinion (as expressed here) not typical of Catholics? Perhaps it comes from 500 years of tension between Protestantism and Catholicism?

  As far as I'm concerned, we're all God's children. Moreover, we're all severely limited in our understanding by our finite minds as we confront this magnificent, mammoth, mysterious and miraculous creation which God has given us.

 

[LongJourney]

It would seem that some CAF Catholics are so bitter toward Protestantism that they feel more kinship with Mormons than Protestants. Is that true, or is that opinion (as expressed here) not typical of Catholics?

No, that is not true. You need to understand that this thread was begun, and continues to be, a counter to some extremely acerbic and hostile debate between Mormons and Catholics. Check out the other LDS-related threads to get the whole picture.

 

[JHow]

I want to take the oppportunity to say that I admire the Mormons for their support of Scouting (BSA: Boy Scouts / Cub Scouts), an organization that I also strongly support.

As a group, they put a lot of volunteer effort, time and resources into making Scouting run here in my neck of the woods. Bravo!

 

[Javl]

Dianaid and Zerinus:

Have you read my post # 78?. I am anxious for your reply. Please do so. Thanks.

PAX DOMINI

Shalom Aleichem

 

[JHow]

You seem to think that you are talking to a bunch of uninformed Catholics. You are wrong about that. People who post here become informed very quickly. A quick visit to CARM will inform anyone that Evangelicals have as much hatred towards Catholicism as they do towards Mormonism.

Well, I had never heard of CARM. I think you may be attaching more importance to the web-based world than it deserves, zerinus.

Now that you have drawn them to my attention, CARM smacks a lot of the work of a single hero. More autodidact than venomous, in my view.

I did like the complete lack of irony found under the “Sample of non-biblical teachings” found in the grid below:

carm.org/comparison-grid

“If isn’t taught here, I don’t believe it”.

 

[zerinus]

Well, I had never heard of CARM. I think you may be attaching more importance to the web-based world than it deserves, zerinus.

Now that you have drawn them to my attention, CARM smacks a lot of the work of a single hero. More autodidact than venomous, in my view.

CARM is one among many.

 

[dianaiad]

Mormonism, as I understand it, is nearly as different from traditional Christianity as is Islam. Both have a new and essential prophet (Muhammad and Joseph Smith), both have a new scripture (Koran and Book of Mormon), and both have very different doctrines, such as - in the case of Mormons - Baptism of the Dead, nature of man and of God, the world to come, etc.

 Catholicism and Protestantism have their differences, of course, but the gulf is not nearly as wide as between Catholicism/Protestantism and Mormonism.

 The area in which Catholics and Mormons agree involves gay marriage, abortion, etc. However, evangelical Protestants tend to agree with Catholics and Mormons on such issues, too. Liberal Protestants are divided. Some accept gay marriage and abortion under special circumstances. 

  It would seem that some CAF Catholics are so bitter toward Protestantism that they feel more kinship with Mormons than Protestants. Is that true, or is that opinion (as expressed here) not typical of Catholics? Perhaps it comes from 500 years of tension between Protestantism and Catholicism?

  As far as I'm concerned, we're all God's children. Moreover, we're all severely limited in our understanding by our finite minds as we confront this magnificent, mammoth, mysterious and miraculous creation which God has given us.

So.

Your idea of an appropriate post in 'What I like about Mormons" is a detailed declaration that there isn’t anything to like about Mormons?

Actually, not bad; this thread has gone quite awhile without someone pulling the “Mormons aren’t Christians” thing.