#lds questions

[marian-devotee]

You're really harsh when talking about the LDS faith and I don't understand why. You were just one of us how can you turn your backs on us so quickly and so maliciously?

I don't have any malice toward members of the church, nor toward church leadership.

I do view the church beliefs, and I guess the church itself in a way, as being evil, because they 1) pull people away from Christianity and 2) deceive people into believing that they are Christian.

I'm honest and firm, and when that honesty and firmness disagrees with you on something very fundamental to who you believe you are, that comes across as malicious. Me saying you are not a Christian, when you believe that you are, does feel just plain mean. It used to really hurt me when people said that because I love Jesus. And I lived a Christian life of obedience and sacrifice! How dare someone who only goes to church on Easter and Christmas, if that, and only so that their grandma doesn't lecture them, tell me, someone who gives their time, talent, and resources to the building of God's kingdom joyfully and obediently every single day, that I'm not a Christian.

But I wasn't, and neither are you. Because being non-Trinitarian makes the Mormon faith not Christian. And yes, there are other important things that make the church not compatible with Christianity, but at the core, that's the biggest issue.

But you can become a Christian! You can come home! And it's really hard, and painful, and sad to leave the church because there's so much good in it - but it's also joyful, and transformative, and powerful to actually understand God and His church.

It's not a personal criticism to say that you aren't a Christian. It is honest and loving, because I want you to become a Christian, and I want you to see the truth. You were deceived, I was deceived, my parents were deceived, their parents were deceived, and so on. The root of the evil is a false prophet who was a con-man and a pervert. I know that you love God, and God loves you, and He wants you to see who He really is, and not this distorted false view that the church teaches.

I do admit that refusing to say LDS and instead saying Mormon can come off as disrespectful. The church has asked people many times now for years and years to say LDS and not Mormon. However, I will not be doing that now or ever, because it is a tool to make the church more mainstream, and thus gain more members and blur the line between what is Christian and what isn't. I get that it might be disrespectful, but I'd rather disrespect a false religion than God.

I have nothing but love for the people who surrounded me and loved me and ministered to me and were charitable and kind to me and formed me into the Christian that I am today. And that love is what drives me to have really hard conversations with Mormons, like you!

[bookofnevermormon]

Why lead with “families are forever?”

I’ve visited temples and church history sites in several states, and I find it interesting that the missionaries almost always circle back around to the “families are forever” concept, no matter what they’re talking about. As an example: at the St. George temple, I mentioned that I love how “music and dancing” are literally written into the curriculum for young people. The sister missionary replied with something to the extent of, “they’re great ways to celebrate and share joy, especially with your family, and in our church we believe that you can be with your family for all eternity!” Which...sure! That’s cool! But also...duh?

Here’s the thing: every church believes that families are forever. I can’t think of a single religious tradition that has the concept of an afterlife, but doesn’t believe you can be with your loved ones in that afterlife. That’s half the reason you want to go to heaven, really - to be reunited with those you’ve lost Yet every missionary seems to bring it up as a uniquely LDS thing. 

I’d love some thoughts/insights on this, especially from people who have served a mission!

[marian-devotee]

Hey, I just read your conversion story and it’s really powerful! Have you prayed the rosary for Mary’s intercession since then? And what about the Mormon faith ultimately drove you away while you studied it?

I pray the rosary every day, mostly for intercession for my family 🩷🩷🩷

The LDS faith prides itself on being "the fullness of the truth". The Book of Mormon has to be infallible, prophets have to be speaking from divine revelation, the temple ordinances have to be from God, Joseph Smith has to have been a prophet of God, or it all falls apart. Once I realized they were wrong about Mary, it led to wondering what else? The main things that shattered the illusion for me were:

The inconsistencies between the Bible and the BoM, especially upon learning how well translated the Bible actually is

The lack of historic support for the Great Apostasy (essentially the Catholic church losing its authority and Christianity being without God's power on the earth)

The real story of the translation of the BoM

Joseph Smith being a pedophile!!!!! 🤢

Early LDS church history

Early LDS church prophets' writings on "deep doctrine"

Learning what's actually done in the temple (and its connection to Freemason ceremonies 😬😬😬). I'm dumbfounded that anyone goes through the temple and doesn't immediately leave the church, and I now understand why my brother didn't want to talk about it after he went through.

Realizing that the Bible doesn't support changing doctrine and logically working through that, especially in regards to: polygamy, black skin being a sign of being cursed, old temple practices, and "deep doctrine" which really should be called "stuff the church doesn't want you to know, but can't technically walk back!"

Mary ❤️❤️❤️❤️

And most importantly: the Trinity, and the true identity of Jesus Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Ghost, which is the thing I feel most upset about. The church insists that "the Godhead" is basically the same thing as the Trinity and it's just semantics, but it's not. Minimizing the importance of the Trinity is a slap in the face to God, and it's heresy that makes Mormonism incompatible with Christianity.

[bookofnevermormon]

Come, Follow Me Down The Rabbit Hole

I love learning about Mormon history, and I’m digging into the teachings of the LDS church. I started by reading the Book of Mormon (more on that later), but I thought I could get a good entry-level picture of what you learn in church by going through the Come Follow Me curriculum. I got an awesome 2017 study guide from the Redheaded Hostess, and off I went. 

I’ll be making each question I asked along the way into a separate post, and I hope - no matter who you are or where you fit into the faith spectrum (yes, even you way over there) - that you’ll share your thoughts.

[bookofnevermormon]

What’s “eternal increase?”

In President Boyd K. Packer’s talk, The Witness, he says that, “The promise of eternal increase will not be denied any faithful individual who makes and keeps sacred covenants.” What does that mean? 

And what does that mean for me, specifically? I’m a lady who has zero interest in marrying or having children. Does increase mean having spirit babies? Because...pass.

(Come Follow Me, YW, January)

[bookofnevermormon]

Why do we need an “advocate” to Heavenly Father?

In his talk, “The Witness,” Elder Packer describes Jesus Christ as, “our Advocate with the Father.” What exactly does that mean? Why do we need Christ to advocate on our behalf to our Father that loves us?

(Come Follow Me, January)

[bookofnevermormon]

Hello!

I’m fascinated with all the LDS faith, and I’ve been reading. And reading. And reading some more. To be clear: I’m not an investigator. I’m not interested in joining (and I can talk about why, if anyone cares).

Needless to say, I have a number of questions. I’m going to be posting them here, and I look forward to hearing from all across the LDS spectrum. Faithful Mormons, Jack Mormons, Ex-Mormons, Post-Mormons, Community of Christ, Remnant members, Fundamentalist friends I haven’t met yet. Bless me with your perspective.

[atestimonyaday]

i have a question that's aimed at tumblrstake in general but i want to keep it anonymous so i'm asking you. i recently went through the temple and i did not have a good experience. it wasn't because of the ritualistic elements (my escort told me that it's not really much more than rituals they do in the catholic church) but it just felt wrong. i don't know if i was unprepared or what but the whole time i was there, i couldn't shake the feeling that i shouldn't be there. i had 2 experiences that

… i think were confirmation that i should be there but it still felt really wrong afterward. maybe i was just overwhelmed but i don’t think most people end up crying afterward (unless it’s happy crying). i feel better than i did immediately after but i still feel weird about it and i don’t know what to do. i really thought it was supposed to be my next step but i know it shouldn’t have felt that way. any advice would be lovely x

——————-

I am actually so happy that you reached out about this! First and foremost, I want to tell you that you are not the only one who has felt this way after going through the temple for their own endowments! I have heard from several of my friends that their first experience with the temple was not the glowing, tears-of-joy type experience that it is often romanticized to be. For me, I was actually a little underwhelmed because I’d braced myself for it being a really freaky, ritualistic thing and it turned out to be way milder than I anticipated, so I guess everyone has something. Some members have concerns about how the ordinances differ for men and women, some don’t like the presentation aspect, some don’t like the ritualistic elements, as you mentioned. I came away with a question about why the creation account in the temple differed from the accounts I was used to (and studied at BYU) in the scriptures. 

Secondly, I just want to remind you that Satan LOVES to discourage us from making spiritual progress, and will do literally everything he can to prevent us from moving forward. If you answered every question in the temple recommend interview honestly, then I truly believe that the feeling that you “shouldn’t be there” wasn’t from Heavenly Father. Maybe it is your mind/spirit holding on to some past transgression instead of accepting that the Atonement is able to fully cleanse you through repentance. Or maybe it is just Satan, knowing your spiritual capacity and scared of what you might accomplish, trying to scare you away from this “next step.” 

As far as advice, there are three things I would recommend: 

1. Go back to the temple as soon as you are able. Perform the ordinances again, as proxy for a relative or someone else who has passed, but think about the promises and blessings as they relate to you personally. I found that doing the ordinances again helped me understand and feel more comfortable with them, since I wasn’t so focused on keeping up or trying not to make any mistakes. If possible, take a friend with you whom you trust enough to share your concerns with. Talk about your concerns in the celestial room, or outside of it, before changing back into your street clothes. If you don’t have someone you can take with you that you trust, bring a journal with you. Although you can’t take anything extra like that with you as you do the ordinances, I would often sit in the foyer area of the temple (just in my church clothes, since it’s an open area) and write in my journal before going back “into the world.” 

2. Reread your patriarchal blessing, and pray for confirmation about the covenants you made in the temple. Your patriarchal blessing may help you understand why you felt the way you did in the temple. Is there something big in your future that Satan is afraid of (whether that’s a mission, a family, church service, etc.)? Is there something else you can do to come closer to Heavenly Father and feel more comfortable in His presence? I believe that prayer and personal revelation will be able to provide some enlightenment. 

3. If the first two don’t help resolve the issue, I would consult with your parents and/or your bishop for additional guidance. They know you and your situation better than we do and may be able to provide more specific recommendations. Their stewardship is more limited, but you are a part of it which means they are entitled to some amount of revelation on your behalf and that can be very helpful. If you don’t feel you can go to your parents or your bishop, maybe you can pray for help to build that relationship.

Best of luck and feel free to message again if you have more questions!