Mormon Misconceptions (prayer, Holy Ghost, Papacy, eternity)

[Miborn]

[quote=annibelle;2514411]There is nothing wrong with sharing your faith with others. Everyone does it. Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah's Witness.
I don't know of any Catholics or Baptists that are going around door to door telling people they are in the wrong church.

Lds believe all should have the right to worship as they please.
See that is not the belief otherwise people would not have a problem with them! They feel it is their duty to save as many as they can and get them baptized!

If someone is interested in the lds gospel and they ask the missionaries to explain what's the difference between the lds doctrine and others or what makes the lds doctrine different, of course it makes sense to give an answer.
That is fine to ask for explanation!
What is not fine is to show up at someone's home uninvited and proceed to tell them they are in the wrong church. Not be able to answer certain questions but to answer with just pray about it and you will get the answer.

If you are Catholic and someone wants to know your views on religion of Catholics, by all means you should share it, but to say Muslims are evil or something is not fair. Agree.


Also, if you don't want a home teacher then why don't you tell them that. In our ward, we have families on do not call lists if that's what they ask for. You don't get a visit anymore if you tell the bishop that you don't want them. What's hard about that?
They had been unsuccessful for 8 yrs to convert me at our other house.
We had just moved to Eagle and within a week they were calling wanting us to come to church.
Hear the missionaries. Meet home teachers. and everyone else. I told them no to all of it and I will not be updating our info with them either but thank you for calling.
Well, a time went by and guess what the missionaries showed up, home teacher which was a neighbor started his preaching to us, got more calls to update info I finally had to get not nice on the phone and demand that they do as we wish and he told me that it was his job to collect the info and I told him sorry to bad not happening and finally hung up.

[annibelle]

Momtofour: I'm asking because it's my understanding that the most recent Church Handbook of Instruction has different instructions on this than the previous handbook, and I'm curious whether you talked to your leader before or after the alleged change.[/quote]

Responding to the part about you asking because it's your understanding...why do you need to understand anything more about the church, if you left? That baffles me. People usually try to get an understanding about a faith before joining or during their membership, not after leaving. You said once, that you try to keep informed for friends and others. Well, why not, since you're not lds anymore and don't belief in it's doctrine, let others who have questions seek and ask for themselves. It's strange that (not you but the idea) you feel it's normal for a person like you, to be some sort of middle-man for those seeking to understand the lds faith. It's is a problem and not normal because if you left the faith and absolutely disagree with the teachings, then how can you be able accurately teach what we believe and accurately relay to someone else? Can you not see with your last comments concerning why someone was exed out of the church how easily wrong your teachings or information about the church can end up being? Yes, I know you encouraged the person asking the question to ask other, but not until you put your own spin on it, and you were wrong.

[annibelle]

[quote=Miborn;2519921]

Originally Posted by annibelle

There is nothing wrong with sharing your faith with others. Everyone does it. Baptists, Catholics, Jehovah's Witness.
I don't know of any Catholics or Baptists that are going around door to door telling people they are in the wrong church.

Lds believe all should have the right to worship as they please.
See that is not the belief otherwise people would not have a problem with them! They feel it is their duty to save as many as they can and get them baptized!

If someone is interested in the lds gospel and they ask the missionaries to explain what's the difference between the lds doctrine and others or what makes the lds doctrine different, of course it makes sense to give an answer.
That is fine to ask for explanation!
What is not fine is to show up at someone's home uninvited and proceed to tell them they are in the wrong church. Not be able to answer certain questions but to answer with just pray about it and you will get the answer.

If you are Catholic and someone wants to know your views on religion of Catholics, by all means you should share it, but to say Muslims are evil or something is not fair. Agree.


Also, if you don't want a home teacher then why don't you tell them that. In our ward, we have families on do not call lists if that's what they ask for. You don't get a visit anymore if you tell the bishop that you don't want them. What's hard about that?
They had been unsuccessful for 8 yrs to convert me at our other house.
We had just moved to Eagle and within a week they were calling wanting us to come to church.
Hear the missionaries. Meet home teachers. and everyone else. I told them no to all of it and I will not be updating our info with them either but thank you for calling.
Well, a time went by and guess what the missionaries showed up, home teacher which was a neighbor started his preaching to us, got more calls to update info I finally had to get not nice on the phone and demand that they do as we wish and he told me that it was his job to collect the info and I told him sorry to bad not happening and finally hung up.

If that's been happening to you, it's bad. It sounds like your message needs to go to the bishop. Since he is the leader of the ward, he is also the top contact person, so to speak, when he has a meeting with the other leaders he could make sure everyone knows, not just one person here and there. Not to insult you but, Did you used to be a member? That would explain why they keep coming. Then you could just have your name taken off the rolls.

I usually introduce myself to neighbors, let them know what church I go to and then leave it up to them if they have questions. It's like saying, this is who I am, you know where to find me. And that's it for me. I only talk and share when I'm asked.

[annibelle]

Someone said earlier that this board isn't about bashing mormons. Well, to me if you look at most of the comments, the board seems to be get together about relaying every negative mormon experience they've had and then telling mormons what we believe instead of actually listening to what we actually believe. Each time, lds have tried to explain what we believe, in spite of folks negative experiences it seems like some, not all, would rather hold on to the negative experience. That, of course, is your choice. I also have had very negative experiences with people of all faiths. As a matter of fact, Im having some negative experiences right now on boards like this, but even in spite of that, It would be ignorant, small minded and unChristlike of me to think that all ___________ (you fill in the blank) from whatever church are this one way or that one way. Don't you think?

[MomtoFour]

SergeantL, I think I understand what our confusion was earlier. You are saying that as a member who resigned my membership, my record still exists in a database in Salt Lake somewhere and should I ever decide to rejoin the Mormon church, that original record would be reactivated. Did I understand correctly? It sounds like my blessed-in-the-Mormon-church-but-not-baptized kids will not have church records anymore though. True?

You might be able to help me with a question I have. We are considering moving back to Utah. I know from my past experience as a ward missionary while living in Utah that some Utah bishops consider everyone who lives within the ward boundaries to be part of the ward, whether they are Mormon or not. Should I get one of those bishops and he asks Salt Lake if they have records for me, what would Salt Lake's response be? Would my inactivated record get sent? Or would they say they didn't have a record for me? Do you have any experience with a situation like that?

[urbanlemur]

Someone said earlier that this board isn't about bashing mormons. Well, to me if you look at most of the comments, the board seems to be get together about relaying every negative mormon experience they've had and then telling mormons what we believe instead of actually listening to what we actually believe.

To be somewhat fair here, mainstream christians get bashed for their beliefs too. As a matter of fact, before I joined the mormon church, I was told by a number of LDS people, including two bishops, that all religions have some truth to them, just not all of it. They said that the only way to find ALL of the truth was to join the mormon church. Imagine my surprise to find that all those years I was supposedly lacking in my faith. Yikes!!

Now that I am not a member any longer, some of my friends, who still belong to the church and live in the SLC area (where I used to live), chide and ridicule me for leaving in the first place. I just shake it off and say that we are free to believe what we want to but that I am not going to let our doctrinal issues come between our friendship. Who knows, one day it may but I'm hoping it doesn't.

I believe that "bashing" people is not an effective method of ministry and/or evangelizing. While we defend that which we believe, we very well may alienate some but we should at least try to discuss things in a civil manner. Anyway, I think I have spent all of my two cents worth for the time being. Anybody got any change?

[annibelle]

Originally Posted by urbanlemur

To be somewhat fair here, mainstream christians get bashed for their beliefs too. As a matter of fact, before I joined the mormon church, I was told by a number of LDS people, including two bishops, that all religions have some truth to them, just not all of it. They said that the only way to find ALL of the truth was to join the mormon church. Imagine my surprise to find that all those years I was supposedly lacking in my faith. Yikes!!

Now that I am not a member any longer, some of my friends, who still belong to the church and live in the SLC area (where I used to live), chide and ridicule me for leaving in the first place. I just shake it off and say that we are free to believe what we want to but that I am not going to let our doctrinal issues come between our friendship. Who knows, one day it may but I'm hoping it doesn't.

I believe that "bashing" people is not an effective method of ministry and/or evangelizing. While we defend that which we believe, we very well may alienate some but we should at least try to discuss things in a civil manner. Anyway, I think I have spent all of my two cents worth for the time being. Anybody got any change?

You're right. I was taught that other churches have some of the truth. I came to my own conclusions that the lds church has the whole truth for me. That's why I joined. But I respect the fact that others don't have my testimony. I hope that folks can do what you've said, respectfully disagree. Still, it's hard, very hard to maintain that level patience after awhile. I'm willing to try. I also agree that all mormons are not robots who don't have differing opinions. Just look at how differently we respond on the board. Serg and cool are a lot more patient with the negative. I'm not.

[annibelle]

[quote=annibelle;2520145]

Originally Posted by Miborn

If that's been happening to you, it's bad. It sounds like your message needs to go to the bishop. Since he is the leader of the ward, he is also the top contact person, so to speak, when he has a meeting with the other leaders he could make sure everyone knows, not just one person here and there. Not to insult you but, Did you used to be a member? That would explain why they keep coming. Then you could just have your name taken off the rolls.

I usually introduce myself to neighbors, let them know what church I go to and then leave it up to them if they have questions. It's like saying, this is who I am, you know where to find me. And that's it for me. I only talk and share when I'm asked.

I hope that you can accept what I've said about how I share my faith. Can't actually help you with every other situation you've had with other mormons.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by dojilynn

So, if I am understanding you correctly, I think you're saying that he would have had to request that his name be removed from the church membership for this to have happened. They wouldn't have just automatically excommunicated him for the sole purpose of him being baptised in another church? Is that right?

In this case I have related, yes, he would have had to ask for his name to be removed. I don't know whether Adventists baptize, and I don't know whether he ever submitted to baptism. In any event, the Bishop knew full well the member was attending another faith and never batted and eye.

Next, I have no first hand experience with a member being baptized into another faith. I suppose such an act could be called apostacy, and I know members, who have been excommunicated for such an offense, but somehow I don't think a Bishop or Stake President would call a disciplinary council for someone joining another faith.

The kind of apostacy where a member is usually excommunicated involves high profile doctrinal disagreements. I can't remember her name, but one such example was a sister member with a PhD, who argued women should hold the Priesthood. It became a very public issue and she was excommunicated for apostacy. She was actually interviewed at length in the recent Mormon documentary of last year. Funny thing, she says she believes the Church is true but prefers excommunication rather than submitting to a single doctrinal issue with which she disagrees.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by MomtoFour

SergeantL, I think I understand what our confusion was earlier. You are saying that as a member who resigned my membership, my record still exists in a database in Salt Lake somewhere and should I ever decide to rejoin the Mormon church, that original record would be reactivated.

Yep.

Originally Posted by MomtoFour

Did I understand correctly? It sounds like my blessed-in-the-Mormon-church-but-not-baptized kids will not have church records anymore though. True?

If you didn't ask for your children's names to be removed when you asked for your own name removal, their names are probably still on the roles. Name removal only applies to the person requesting the action. If you want your children's names removed, just write another letter.

Originally Posted by MomtoFour

You might be able to help me with a question I have. We are considering moving back to Utah. I know from my past experience as a ward missionary while living in Utah that some Utah bishops consider everyone who lives within the ward boundaries to be part of the ward, whether they are Mormon or not. Should I get one of those bishops and he asks Salt Lake if they have records for me, what would Salt Lake's response be? Would my inactivated record get sent? Or would they say they didn't have a record for me? Do you have any experience with a situation like that?

First, to obtain a record from Salt Lake requires either the record number or the full name and date of birth of the member. I don't suppose you will be supplying either, so there is no chance of your record ending up in the ward roster. Next, even if the Bishop obtained the information, Salt Lake would report no record found. Salt Lake must have written authorization from you to release the information.