ZanKing

Thank you for the warm welcome, everyone. I'm definitely curious about LDS beliefs, and intend to visit the local LDS church (or... I guess they're called wards?) soon. I can't be certain that I'll end up there in the end, but I feel obligated to at least give it a chance. Tesuji, that's interesting. That's a perspective I've never really heard before, though it does remind me of some of the beliefs that come through in ancient Christian (gnostic and hermetic) texts.

Hello, my name is Alexander. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I grew up Christian, going from church to church but never finding one that fit. When I was 17 I abandoned Christianity entirely and investigated several religions, eventually becoming Baha'i. In the past year I have abandoned all religion, but now feel that I am being drawn back to Christ, though I'm not sure why. Most of the traditional Christian beliefs here in the Bible Belt are things I just can't accept. I cannot accept Original Sin, because I believe it requires accepting a literal interpretation of Genesis (which I find preposterous). I can't accept "sola scriptura", because I don't believe the Bible or any other holy book to be infallible. They've been around too long, and ancient copies of the Bible do not match up with the current versions. I feel that if there is Truth in the Bible, or in any other holy book, it is necessary that God, if he exists (which I am honestly not 100% sure about), would make it plain to you. That is, I think the real use of a holy book is for God to speak to you through it, to use it as a voice. I can't understand why I would need a savior, because I don't really feel like the way I live my life is wrong. And, again, if the need for a savior is based on Original Sin... Well, I just can't accept that doctrine. So, why exactly am I here, on a LDS forum? Because I want to understand. I keep feeling pulled back to Christ, despite all these disagreements with Christian beliefs, and I keep feeling pulled to the LDS church (even though I feel my lifestyle would be more acceptable to a more liberal church, like the Episcopal). I want to know why. And I'm hoping that by communicating with people here, maybe, just maybe, things can be made clear. I promise you that I will be respectful while I'm here, though if I disagree with someone I will make it clear that I do. Not because I want to start arguments, but because if I explain my disagreement maybe they can show me a fault in my thinking. I hope that I'll learn something while here, and maybe even be able to contribute to the conversations constructively.