Corvus

Nikki, I know I haven't posted here for quite some time, but I wanted to tell you how much of a difference the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has made in my life. I'm not a member of the Church, but just trying to live the things I've read has made such a difference. I've read the Quran and it is a beautiful, inspired work. If you add the Book of Mormon on top of that, I think that you will have a truly inspired life ahead of you. Best of luck in your journey. :)

Update: I've learned about the word of wisdom. So far, I'm not doing so good vs. it. In fact, I'm very much drunk typing this out. I told the missionary sisters that I wouldn't drink this way, but I did anyways. I feel really bad. Plus, I told them that I would be attending sunday service. I didn't do either. I know I'm being bad, but I can't just help myself. I know my wife completely disapproves of all of it as well. I want to move into the the true community of Christ, but it seems like everything is against me. I could use your prayers to strengthen me.

Finrock, It's the little things that have started to turn around for me that are leading me down this path. Ever since I got up the courage to contact the missionaries, I've been happier. They told me that it's one of the side effects of getting closer to the Holy Ghost. I just wish I didn't have to take a two week break. Gone on a business trip, but I've got my Book of Mormon to keep me company.

Hi Lisa! I'm in the same boat you are in right now. I've just started taking lessons from the missionaries myself. Tuesday was the first time I ever set foot in an LDS chapel. I can't explain it, but I'm feeling something good about all of this. I hope you find what you're looking for, here and with the church.

Update: I had my first meeting with the missionaries yesterday. Sister MacKenzie and Sister Carter were very nice. It was strange (to me) to pray so much. I'm not really in the habit of doing it. They asked me to try and pray at least once a day until the next meeting, so I'm doing that. I also got a copy of the Book of Mormon, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'm hoping I can read the passages they recommended by our next meeting, which is tomorrow. They asked me if I was ready to commit to baptism, which I said no to, but I also told them I was more than willing to keep learning to make sure it was right for me, which made them very happy. I got to go inside an LDS building for the first time ever. I had a good feeling for the rest of the day and I'm feeling good today. :)

The forty days of Lent is supposed to represent Jesus' fasting in the desert. The ash part is just a marking for Catholics as a sign of penance and remembrance of His suffering there. They take the palm fronds from last year's Palm Sunday celebration and burn them to make the ashes they use in the Ash Wednesday mass. Since Jesus fasted for forty days, Catholics are supposed to give up something they like for forty days as well.

Well, when you look at it, not many people define themselves as evil. Even people like Stalin and Hitler thought they were doing the best things for themselves and their people. Now, objectively, yes, that was evil. I personally feel that a lot of people are just trying to make the best of their lives. Now whether they trying from a self-centered point of view, or the view of someone who takes the long view....that's up for debate. I think that very few people are evil and see themselves as such though.

I understand what you've said here completely. I've studied history, and I know that the Catholic Church co-opted a lot of pagan rituals and symbols in the process of converting the pagans. I can understand how that would lead to an apostasy. But, on the other hand, I do think that the Catholic faith has much more right than the protestant (and evangelical) offshoots took from it. In fact, I think that the fact that I grew up in the Catholic faith has prepared me for this adventure I seem to be taking soon. A few weeks ago, I ordered "Catholic Roots, Mormon Harvest" by Eric Shuster from Amazon. Written from the perspective as a devout Catholic who converted to the LDS faith, it has helped me to understand how the Catholic faith can be...well....95% right, but how that extra 5% can make all the difference. I love my Catholic upbringing, I really do. It has made me the person I am today, even though I fell away a long time ago. I just feel, that maybe, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can take me closer to the Divine. Looking forward to telling you all how the meeting goes, James

Update: I talked to the missionaries! Well, online at mormon.org, anyways. They took my phone number and will be calling me on Tuesday to get the ball started. I'm excited! Wish me luck.

Thanks for sharing that with me, anatess. What would you say was the most difficult part about stopping being a Catholic and starting being a Saint?

How do members of the Church keep holy the Sabbath? I remember, as a Catholic, that keeping Sunday holy just meant going to mass. At least, as a little kid, it seemed that way anyways. Just curious, as I'm working so much between my actual job and school, I think I could usea a mandatory "down" day.

Just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for their support. After spending so long away from any sort of community, I'd almost forgotten there are nice people out there. Juggling a lot of things in life (somewhat unexpectedly) at the moment: school, business, family. I've been reading some books written from the perspective of a Catholic that converted, and that's helping out a bit. I think I might get a little more proactive with the missionaries once everything settles down.

Some friends and I drove from Colorado Springs, CO to South Jordan, UT just to go to In and Out. I'd never been and I have to say, it was well worth it. I got to see Temple Square too. Then we went back and ate at In and Out again. Then we drove down 15 to 70 and back home through three different blizzards. Fun times. I think the next time we try something like that, we'll do it in the summer.

Honestly, I don't ever remember taking a psych evaluation my entire time in the service. Maybe I didn't exhibit any of the signs that might have indicated I needed one. Guess I'm good at hiding it.

Depending on what MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) he gets, he may need a security clearance. At that point, the government WILL be talking to you. The investigator will ask you a lot of questions. You'll have the opportunity to voice your concerns if that happens. Just be honest (and try not to sound vindictive). You'd be amazed at what going through boot camp can do to someone though. Before I joined, I was a 21 year old alcoholic, shiftless, college drop-out. Now I'm a 30-something, slightly less alcoholic, gainfully employed husband and college student.

Update: Still no contact from the missionaries. I work nights, so I know that contacting me is not easy. I'm thinking about going to Sacrament meeting at the closest ward on Sunday to see what I can see. I really wish I had opened my heart and my door to those missionaries that last Sunday. Pray for me and my wife, Corvus (known as James)

Jayanna, I'm not sure if I get the BYU channel. I hardly ever watch TV anymore. It feels as though all my old favorites have betrayed me. I've tried to chat with the missionaries on mormon.org but, since I work nights, every time I have a chance to get on, they're off. Oh well, I'll see what I can do with what I have. If you have anything to share about your investigative period, I'd love to hear it. In public or private message. I'm dying to learn.

I've done some very bad things in my life too, when it comes to sex. Really, judging is not up to us. God and Christ will judge us according to what we have done. I can't help but feel that, in the long run, whom we choose to love will matter less, as opposed to if we have chosen to love at all. Thank you, all for having this discussion. I feel, deep inside, that it has made me a better person for having it.

Yorkie, If you don't mind, might I ask what faith background you're coming from?

Yorkie, The way I look at it, is why wouldn't God want us to know what He knows? To become as he is? If He is ultimate goodness and ultimate right, why wouldn't he want us to be as He is? As a former Catholic, I was taught that God is (and Christ is an example) that everything we should strive to be. I really don't see any conflict in wanting be as God is. Will being as God is make us gods? Who knows? But trying to be as He is can't be something we should avoid. I hope this helped. I'm still learning about...well, all of this really.

Well, regardless of what we think or believe, we can all agree that the "sinner" is not to be shunned. Unlike what the evangelicals believe, right? Right?

I hear you. Sometimes, I think that God is struggling along just like we are.

You know, if you had said that to me about five weeks ago, I would have agreed wholeheartedly. But after that one prayer that I sent out into the void last week, and the (what I perceive to be) miraculous response to it, I've started to wonder. I don't know where I'll end up. I've got a agnostic/atheist wife that may disown me when she finds out I've been seriously considering joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My whole family is deeply (and I mean DEEPLY) Catholic. Even trying to contact the missionaries has put me on really unstable ground. But in spite of all that, I still put in a message to them. I want to learn more. As someone who is admittedly agnostic, I say to you don't give up hope Soulsearcher. :) For the longest time, I thought that I could never believe the tripe that the masses believe. Yet here I am. Something is happening for me. Regardless of whatever you think, do, or believe....if there is a God, He loves you. I'm starting to know that now. And it's making an incredible difference in my life, even in this short period of time where I've actually begun to accept it.

I like that we're on the same ground, Soulsearcher. :) Long before studying the LDS faith, I swore, much like Thomas Jefferson that Reason (yes, with a capital R) would be my guide. I cannot abide oppression. I think that if we, and others like us, started a movement to implement our ideas, we could succeed. Again, I can't stress enough, out of all the sins that we are committing, loving another human being (of the "wrong" gender) can't be very high on God's list. I really hope he has mercy on us all.

I had this discussion with a co-worker a while back. We had both watched the documentary "Prop 8" on Netflix. I told him that I could understand where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was coming from. If marriage between the same genders was made legal, then legally, a same-sex couple could sue to get a church to marry them. Now, my own (and many others') solution is to un-couple the institution of marriage from the tax code. I lived in Germany for 3 years while in the Army. There, you can get married in a church all you want, but unless you go to the city hall and fill out paperwork for a civil union, you're not "married" in the eyes of the state. I think the same system here would solve a lot of our problems. No church would have to marry a couple they deemed unworthy and no couple, regardless of composition would be deemed unworthy in the eyes of the state. It's just such a tragedy that so many people won't let their misconceptions go. I can't believe that a loving God would insert something so divisive into the thinking of His children.