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Greetings, Friends! My name is Geoffrey Miller, Obl OSB Cam. I'm a catechist, cantor, and subdiaconate candidate at Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. I'm also a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate, hence the funny letters after my name. As a twenty-five-year-old graduate student at Texas State University-San Marcos, I live the evangelical counsel of poverty by force of circumstance, not by choice. When not consuming ramen noodles or writing papers, I enjoy learning about theology, especially as it pertains to living out an authentic Catholic spirituality in the modern world. I blog at: Austin CNM | Author Archives Pomeranian Catholic Anyway, I noticed another thread had been started in which Mormons could ask a Catholic questions, so I figured, why not two threads? I'm an Eastern Catholic (Maronite), so my perspective may be slightly different. I also have formal experience in comparative religion, so hopefully, that will provide me with some unique insights to address your questions. Moreover, as a professional mathematics educator, I have learned to explain very difficult and confusing concepts in a straightforward and understandable manner. Please, ask away! Sincerely in Christ, Geoffrey

My mind can't grasp this concept, and maybe man will never know. Heavenly Father's intentions are more often than not: very unclear. How is it that people can have such strong burning testimonies of other churches? How can people feel the Holy Ghost in ways that convince them that their church is true (they experience some of the same feelings that Mormons do when we encounter the HG)? How do Buddhists and Hindus have experiences of enlightenment or visions or surety of truth, like Mormons do? How do prophets of other religions, like the Pope, stand up and say that they are the leader of the Church and have divine confirmation that they are truly the prophet? How could the Quran (a book that is truly elegantly written and possesses many mutual principles of Mormonism, and many non-mormon principles haha) by written purely by one person, Muhammad, despite the fact that he claims it was written by Allah (God) and he was just the scribe? I have read accounts where people have had a "burning in the bosom" that the LDS faith is false and that the RLDS faith is true. I read accounts of someone "knowing" to join the Jehovah Witnesses once they began reading a pamphlet. Are all of these people just liars and phonies? Are they purely misguided by their carnal flaws or by Satan? Does HF purposefully allow them to be deceived into false religions by actually allowing them to encounter certain feelings, experiences, visions, etc.? What is going on???