I'm a Mormon

[ACRAthens]

Thanks for expressing what you believe. I've never doubted that mormons were 'Christians'....I just didn't know exactly what/how they believe. Most Christians are not gonna agree on everything anyway. There are folks that give mormons a bad name, just like there are baptists that give other baptists or Christians a bad name.

You are welcome here and I'd be interested in learning more about what you believe in. That's what most of us are here for anyway is to learn about each other.

Thanks for the nice welcome. Growing up in the South, I'm used to answering questions and welcome it. So ask away and if I can answer I will, if I don't know I'll tell you so.

 

[ACRAthens]

First off...welcome to the forum

I can say many of those things for being an evangelical Christian growing up where I did.

Wow. I didn't expect that. How were you treated?

That being said, I do not believe you worship the same Jesus I worship.

And I'm perfectly okay with that! As it seems you are with me.

You and other Mormons are good people. I've worked with Mormons in the past and have played sports with them and even had them as friends in school. Again, I say welcome to the fray. We don't all get along, but at the end of the day, I think most of us would welcome each other at the campfire and enjoy a beverage of each one's choice, looking at each other as peers...as fellow hunters....as friends...with our own views of spirituality that we all know to be Biblical and 100% correct.

Thanks for the welcome. The bevy of my choice is always Coke Classic!

 

[ACRAthens]

I believe that mormons are sincere people who believe what they have been taught. I also believe some of those beliefs are sincerely wrong, but I am not going to call anyone names, jump up and down or go crazy on you because you are a mormon. I don't believe you worship the same Lord and Savior I do, and I have some very specific reasons why I believe that. If you ask, I would be happy to share my thoughts, but I am not going to shove it down anyone's throat. I have some very close friends who are mormon, and I know them as decent people who want to do good things and they treat people well.

Yes, we're both in the same boat about our opposing views of Christ. And at the heart of it, that does make us different somewhat. However, I completely agree - as it seems you do - to live and let live when no harm is being done.

I voted for Mitt and was happy to do it, because the other choice was unthinkable. To tell the whole truth, if Mitt had been running against another conservative, and the only difference was their religion, I would vote for the one whose belief system was closest to mine.

And I wouldn't blame you! Assuming all things equal in candidates, I expect everyone would do the same.

 

[ACRAthens]

Can you except me as a Christian just as deserving of heaven as you are?

Absolutely.

 

[rjcruiser]

Wow. I didn't expect that. How were you treated?

Really? Showing up a little late or right on time to ball games on Sunday because of church...not dating girls cause they were not of the same faith....

But I didn't grow up in the South...so, maybe that is why.

 

[ACRAthens]

Is that how you typically refer to yourself? More often, I see "LDS" used when referring to themselves and their church.

It's actually pretty confusing when looked at. I use both LDS and Mormon interchangeably. A number of years ago (maybe 10?) the Church PR department asked for us to not call ourselves "Mormons" because it was a nickname given to us by others, and instead to refer to ourselves as "LDS."

However, I think that re-branding effort didn't go over too well because about 3-4 years ago the Church came out with another branding campaign saying "I'm a Mormon." It seemed no matter how hard they tried, people just didn't get "LDS."

So no easy answer for you. I think you'll find LDS/Mormon people in different camps but no one stressing about it too much. Usually I say I attend the "Mormon Church" and leave it at that.

 

[David Parker]

sweet. Glad to know you

 

[ACRAthens]

Welcome to the forum. Grow some thick skin and stick around to share your faith.

I could be wrong, but I definitely think I have thick skin! I guess the point of my initial post was to say that even though we may all disagree on doctrines, it doesn't really reflect on whether we can be good neighbors/citizens etc. that have the same hopes for our families and America.

I would like the LDS vs Mormon name cleared up to. My mom called the LDS Church the Mormon Church and the Mormon she was talking too quickly corrected her.

See the post I just sent Avatar. I think it's pretty confusing whether to call us LDS or Mormon. Honestly, I think some Mormons might be offended by being called that, though I have no idea why? Its just a nickname, nothing else.

People have a fear of the unknown like ya'lls Holy undergarments and temple rituals. We have foot washings and speak in tongues, do ya'll do that?

Yes, I think that is the root issue to all of this, really. I just feel that we should only fear the unknown if we see that the people are not putting forth "good fruits."

As far as foot washings, no, we don't currently do that as a practice. However I don't think there is any doctrine against it. I just think its not a practice. One of my friends in another church participates in washings from time to time and it seems like a beautiful gesture of love, loyalty and friendship.

As far as speaking in tongues, it doesn't really happen extemporaneously in the modern LDS church anymore (as far as my experience goes!). One can read old histories of the early LDS church and speaking in tongues and foot washings happened all the time. I think now we interpret "speaking in tongues" more as being the ability among missionaries to quickly learn languages well enough to preach to other non-English speaking peoples. It is curious, though, that our early church had a much different view/practice in this regard and that we don't practice the same now. Don't have an answer for that, though.

How do ya'll feel about Free-will?

As in a person has the complete free choice to choose right from wrong and that their life is not "predetermined" by fate or God or some other source? Yes, Mormons believe that we all have free-will and it is one of our greatest gifts from God second to life itself.

If you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father, I might see you in Heaven as I don't believe in OSAS & blessed assurance that most Christians do.

What is OSAS?

 

[ACRAthens]

I think the major difference about Jesus is most Christians believe God got Mary pregnant by using the "Holy Spirit whereas Mormons got he got her pregnant himself. The technicality is a big one but it doesn't change who Jesus is. Unless there is something else i'm missing.

It's not doctrine among Mormons that God the Father came down and impregnated Mary Himself. It's only speculation by early prophets of our church that was never canonized.

We actually have no formal belief on how it happened, just that it happened and we're grateful Jesus was born!

 

[ACRAthens]

Do all Mormons get baptized like this?
"Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

We do. That's what the baptizer says, first calling the person by their full name.

 

[ACRAthens]

Really? Showing up a little late or right on time to ball games on Sunday because of church...not dating girls cause they were not of the same faith....

But I didn't grow up in the South...so, maybe that is why.

Yeah, I think if you grew up here you'd find that was all pretty common amongst almost all denominations here. You'd probably have fit right in.

 

[Miguel Cervantes]

Welcome aboard, we need more LDS believers in here.

 

[Artfuldodger]

ACRAthens, thanks for your responses, OSAS is "once saved, always saved" meaning you can't lose your salvation once you are saved. You can leave the Church for awhile but God will call you back before you die.

 

[hawglips]

Good to see another Mormon in here!

Are you a convert, or born into the church?

 

[Mako22]

You don't believe in the same Christ that I believe in as mine is the biblical Christ not the one that the peeping stone expert dreamed up. I didn't let anyone "force" me into voting for a Mormon as I didn't vote for the flip flopping yankee liberal Mitt Romney to begin with. I put a write in candidate in for President instead.

 

[Miguel Cervantes]

You don't believe in the same Christ that I believe in as mine is the biblical Christ not the one that the peeping stone expert dreamed up. I didn't let anyone "force" me into voting for a Mormon as I didn't vote for the flip flopping yankee liberal Mitt Romney to begin with. I put a write in candidate in for President instead.

Really?

http://mormon.org/jesus-christ/

 

[Artfuldodger]

You don't believe in the same Christ that I believe in as mine is the biblical Christ not the one that the peeping stone expert dreamed up. I didn't let anyone "force" me into voting for a Mormon as I didn't vote for the flip flopping yankee liberal Mitt Romney to begin with. I put a write in candidate in for President instead.

Could you explain the difference in the Jesus that Mormons believe in that is different from the Jesus you believe in.

 

[centerpin fan]

Well, this one has turned south.

 

[ALLBEEF]

You don't believe in the same Christ that I believe in as mine is the biblical Christ not the one that the peeping stone expert dreamed up. I didn't let anyone "force" me into voting for a Mormon as I didn't vote for the flip flopping yankee liberal Mitt Romney to begin with. I put a write in candidate in for President instead.

You sound like a bright one......

 

[ALLBEEF]

Well, this one has turned south.

We're use to it