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I just want to start by saying I’m not in any way trying to insult anyone but I have some questions. I am not LDS. I was born into a Methodist home & until I was about 10 that is the church we attended. Then when we moved to a new state we started going to a huge southern Baptist church. We were there almost every time the doors were open. Choir, dad was in the orchestra, and my sister & I did almost every church activity. It seemed great until Dad left mom for another woman, moved across the country and we saw him maybe a handful of times after that. The church ‘family’ that we had always done so many things with basically dropped us flat. We continued to go but some of the kids said they couldn’t hang around us any more, or there was always an excuse or a ‘forgotten’ invite to things. Finally we begged to not go & I think mom was glad and was only staying because she thought it was good for us. There were so many hypocrites there in so many ways. I was burnt out. Later when I got married we tried church again but if for any reason we missed a Sunday they showed up at the house questioning us. It also seemed more of a fashion show and hubby hated it. So ANYWAY, I have attended churches from time to time but just never seem to feel like it’s the right one or place for us. I teach my children about God. We do Bible studies & devotions at home and have many Christian friends. I would also say we are Christians. We have all been baptized as well BUT I don’t see in the Bible where it says you HAVE to be baptized to go to heaven. (but that’s another story)
So in the past few months my daughter and I have decided to give church another try. (My husband and son don’t care that we go but have not attended) We have went to Nazarene, Baptist, and one that’s just a Christian church where everyone is welcome.
About 2 months ago two missionaries showed up at my front door .They heard that I was curious about the lds faith through a woman I was at a dinner with. At first I was irritated when they came over & wanted to just shoe them away but they looked really nice & hot so I was polite. (I have been doing research on Mormons for a while now) Anyhow they told me some things and gave me a book of Mormon. They came back yesterday and I’ve really been thinking now.
My dilemma: I have always been told that you believe in God & the kjv version of the Bible. Period.
I have also been told that the Mormons are a cult. They believe things that come from a false prophet and we shouldn’t even give them an ounce of time.
Even though this is what I’ve been taught, I do my own research and I don’t just believe a preacher because he says it is so. I look it up and decide for myself.
Some of the things these girls said seemed to make sense. They say the book of Mormon kind of completes the puzzle that the other religions lack.
I have been praying about it and I feel like maybe we should go. She says that they have all sorts of activities for us to do and my daughter is 14 and is a really good girl & I think it would maybe be good for her to make some friends with good values. I wouldn’t mind that myself either. However I don’t feel our souls are worth some socialization. -Also we live in the ‘Bible belt’ so no one would be upset with me if we didn’t go to lds church probably the opposite and they would think I’ve lost my mind.
::shifty: So…should we try it out or will I be getting myself into something that I shouldn’t?
My other question is I’ve read many of the posts and several of them say they don’t fully believe in everything that the lds teaches them. If you don’t believe in it why do you still go?
Welcome, serene. You have found an interesting group here – not the typical Mormon group in a lot of ways. 🙂 First, here is a link to another post from someone who was looking at the LDS Church and wanted input from us. It might be good for you to see what people said in that thread:
“Hello Everyone”( http://forum.staylds.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4132 Your question at the end of the post is a good one, and the answers you will get here will vary quite radically. I’m on one end of the spectrum, since I am fully active, believing (albeit in my own way), faithful, dedicated, etc. I teach Sunday School in my ward and have held most local leadership positions in my life – except Bishop, for which I thank God.
Personally, I absolutely LOVE Mormon theology and what I call “pure Mormonism”. I love the expansive nature of Mormon grace, although we only recently have started embracing it as a church in the way I see it within our theology. I love the idea that God can speak to and work through each and every one of us, including great but flawed prophets. I love the concepts in our Articles of Faith that talk about worshiping according to the dictates of our own conscience and that God will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
My favorite aspect of Mormon theology is that we have Heavenly Parents (Father and Mother) and that we are their children in a literal way – although I don’t see even that in the same way as most members. I love the idea,
which I believe is central to the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the heart of the Good News), that we can be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ – that we are not separated by an unbridgeable gap but can become like our Heavenly Parents. I might not believe the same as lots of my fellow congregants, and some aspects of our culture frustrate me, but, at the most basic level, I really do believe in the concept of a Restoration of very important, enlightening, empowering things and that the heavens were opened, in some way – even, again, as I don’t believe that the LDS Church is anywhere close to perfect. I have studied just about every religious theology and philosophy that exists, and there is nothing out there that resonates with me like Mormon theology does.
Finally, if you are interested in seeing a broader range of Mormon thought online, I would make sure to check out mormon.org, the “I’m a Mormon” videos and other, more traditional group sites – like By Common Consent, Times & Seasons, Real Intent, and more. This site alone will not give you the breadth of exposure you need to make a truly informed choice – and, at the most basic level, I really do believe you need to do whatever you feel God is directing you to do, with your eyes wide open to the joys and challenges that will present.
Honestly, I hope your path leads you into the LDS Church – but I will support whatever decision you make that is according to the dictates of your own conscience.
There is much good to be found in the LDS Church. I would encourage you to investigate it and see if it might be a good fit. I know it was especially a blessing to me during my teenage years to have a support system of friends who had high values. Welcome, my friend. I agree with many things that Ray said and we share many of the same responsibilities in our church. He might believe a little more than me at the present, but I still have a lot of hope. I go because I like church and I have many true friends at church. I also go because I love the concept of a god and the teachings of Jesus and I think the church does a fair job in helping me understand those things. I go because it gives me the opportunity to serve others and at times to be served. I go because I think even with my lack of belief in some things that I can be an example of someone still trying even though I doubt. I go because some times I really feel spiritual there (but not as often as I wish). I go now because my wife wants me to and I love her. I would encourage you to check it out but really look into it before joining. Make sure it works for you and don’t be afraid to ask any questions you need to know.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Hi, serene – I hope you feel welcome here! And I hope you’ll be comfortable sharing your experience with us. I’ve been so fortunate to rub virtual shoulders with the people here. I’d be very interested in how the teachings of our church strike someone encountering it for the first time as an adult with a family. Best wishes to you and your family.
Your final question is really a good question. It struck a chord. I embrace Mormonism because I appreciate the ‘big picture’ – the eternal nature of ‘me.’ Where I come from, why I’m here, who God and Jesus Christ is.
The church teaches that we are ‘the only true church’ – some people assume that means all others are wrong. I don’t. I simply think it means it’s the true way for some people.
I stay because I enjoy the Book of Mormon (whether its origins are ancient or 19th C).
I stay because it’s my community.
serene wrote:If you don’t believe in it why do you still go?
There are shades of belief. Everyone is growing in their knowledge of the gospel — no matter what church they are in. I believe much f what people preach in the LDS Church, but like most people, my faith is changing and growing on many other issue — particularly those on those issues where it’s not clear if it’s the gospel of Jesus Christ or policy/culture or something someone just made up.
You mentioned that you don’t just believe something because a preacher says it — you look it up.
I supposed I’m on that plan although looking it up is only the first part of the process. I don’t believe you can look it up all the time though. Five people reading the same scripture can leave with different meanings. So, I think a better way of saying it is that although I don’t believe everything at church, I consider the scriptures and most importantly MY OWN FEELINGS AND PERCEPTIONS about what I’m being told or reading — and make up my own mind.
The result is that I sit in church thinking things like I do in meetings at work. At work I disagree with 50% of what people say, their priorities, and how they go about getting results. But I can’t be open and honest about everything or I lose my job. Same at church, I sit in meetings disagreeing with 1/2 of what they say, but I don’t say anything because my family buys into it, it provides stability for my children, and I think I would disagree with 1/2 of what people say in another church too.
Serene, A few thoughts. First, there are some great things about Mormon theology and worldview that help life make sense: that we lived as spirits and are co-eternal with God who didn’t create us like products but provided a plan for us to grow and develop our potential, the view of the fall (Adam and Eve) as a positive event and a choice, and the idea of personal revelation vs just relying on leaders. As with all churches, sometimes culture gets mixed in with actual doctrine, and we talk about that pretty freely here. Plus, everyone in every religion and culture doesn’t accept all beliefs equally. As to the cult charge, there are two root causes for that: 1) there are some zealots in every religion that behave like sheeple – again, not what you’ll find here, but do they exist? Absolutely! and 2) competing religions take swipes at other churches, and since Mormonism is a newer faith and not protestant, we get called that by those who are dismissive of us or don’t want people to convert. Since your background was both Lutheran and Baptist, I thought you might appreciate this post I did that includes snippets of my mother’s conversion story:
http://bycommonconsent.com/2013/06/02/the-testimony-puzzle/ Thank you all so much for your replies. I will continue to pray & study about this. I hope you all have a wonderful day!
hawkgrrrl wrote:Since your background was both Lutheran and Baptist, I thought you might appreciate this post I did that includes snippets of my mother’s conversion story:
http://bycommonconsent.com/2013/06/02/the-testimony-puzzle/ Thank you. This is very familiar.
serene, I wanted to put up an “introduction” post, but I don’t think I could say it any better than you did. I think I am just slightly farther along the path than you are.
By all means, go to a meeting: You’ll find the people you meet aren’t freaky weird cult crazy people (most of them, anyway), but they’re people you work with, or see at the store, or even live next door to. And, if your experience is anything like mine, you’ll look forward all week to going back. Just be prepared to spend a few hours, and not want to leave when it’s over. I’ve been to service for many denominations, and the LDS service is significantly different from any of them. And that’s a good thing.
Don’t worry about what other people think about the church. What’s important is what YOU think of the church. Personally, I’m kind of a contrarian, and the more people tell me I shouldn’t, the more I dig my heels in. I’ve already found myself defending the doctrine of a church I’m not yet a member of!
Spend time with the people: unlike pretty much any other church I’ve ever attended, the people in the ward I’ve been attending really seem to like each other and enjoy each other’s company, even when chruch is over. I’m sure there are bad apples in the bunch, but I have yet to find one, and I refuse to spend my time searching. I even found a fellow Metalhead! I was afraid I’d be the only one in the bunch who likes Ozzy!
http://www.fairlds.org/http://www.fairlds.org/” class=”bbcode_url”> I hope you find what you’re looking for!
I’m very grateful this site has attracted some people that aren’t members of the church to the church. I never thought this site would be used to share the Gospel with people that aren’t members. I guess the Lord really does work in mysterious ways. serene, Ultimately the decision for which church to attend/join is not about the church, it is about you. If you are looking for a church, then by all means give the LDS Church a whirl. If you find it to be pleasing to your spiritual senses, then great… if not, then that’s fine, too.
I am an atheist, so from where I stand, I find no ‘truth’ in any church… and I find it that way equally among all churches. I stay in the LDS Church because it is the best church I know. It is uplifting, positive, and filled with really good people. There are people that bug me. There are cultural things that annoy. But, for me at least, those things seem to be more in the minority. I was attending church a few weeks ago, and it struck me how just before the meeting started, there was so much in the way of genuine smiles and lovely conversation.
Whether you find fulfillment in the church or no, I’d simply like to express my gratitude for you taking in those missionaries and giving them courteous welcome. You probably don’t know this, but they are not paid for what they do. Quite the opposite, they are either paying their own way, if they still have any money left, or they are being supported by family, friends or neighbors back home.
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