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Religion

Found 10 results

  1. Greetings! Investigator here..
  2. As someone who has been investigating the church for just over a year and a half, I've found it very hard to find out anything outside of Doctrine and Scripture about what it's truly like to become a member, not so much the being a member after baptism etc. I'm lucky enough to have a friend who is a life long member and has answered every question I've had. Ive found it really difficult to connect with all the missionaries as it's a very foreign concept to me to be "put with" people I don't know but who are assigned to be my friends. I also have difficulty because even though I'm a girl, I've never had many girl friends, I've always got along better with boys and find it really hard to connect with the sisters or any girls in general, so much so that I felt anxious every time I saw them in a Church and had an anxious breakdown when I had a lesson alone with them as it felt like I was cornered and being pushed towards baptism that I definitely wasn't ready for, I was holding back tears the entire meeting. It really made me feel like I didn't want to go any further and felt it pushed my confidence down. If I hadn't had my friend, I would never have gone back. I know for certain that if I'd been on my own and looking in to joining the Church, I wouldn't have even got as far as the front door if I'd been left to be led there and guided by missionaries. I'm always amazed how people have gone on the journey this route as its so alien to me. It would be really useful to have some resources from new converts or current investigators as to how they are coping with everything. My biggest hang up is baptism, I just don't know how I'm ever going to reach it. I'm absolutely terrified at the thought of the ceremony, having people look at me, being a focus, it fills me with dread but I so want the gift of the Holy Spirit I would gain from it
  3. Hi, I'm reading the Book of Mormon right now. I've never been religious at all, my family was not religious and the idea of reading or studying religion seemed, until very recently, extremely dull and boring. Although a friend of mine became a Christian a few years ago and tried to get me to go to church with him ( a pentecostal church) I found it as dull and boring as I expected. So, I KNEW religion was not for me. And that was fine with me. Then, about three years ago I moved house and whilst unpacking I found a copy of the Book of Mormon in an drawer in the kitchen, obviously left by the former residents. I paid it little attention BUT... I didn't get rid of it. Not sure why but I simply kept it in that drawer. Anyway, about 6 months ago I was approached by two missionaries while I was in town. They were very polite and friendly but I explained that I wasn't religious and wasn't interested. I wasn't rude but I didn't want to listen. I saw them again in town about a fortnight later and suddenly had the urge to go over and chat to them. But I've no idea why. Its strange. What would I talk about? AND WHY? I'm NOT religious. Well, I kept on thinking about it and then about 6 weeks ago I took out the Book of Mormon and started to read. And so for the past six weeks I've been reading it. No idea why. And I mean, I'm reading it every day. And I'm loving reading it. I've just finished the second book of Nephi. I can't believe I've actually stuck at it. So I, who isn't religious am feeling all sorts of emotions. It even feels strange telling this story. Slightly confused but also excited. This is all so new to me, religion in general. I haven't spoken to anyone about this, its been a very private experience but I've been reading about peoples experiences in the church and would like to know has anyone else been in this situation. Bearing in mind, this really has come out of nowhere for me. All I did was come across the book and talk to two missionaries for about 5 minutes. Sound crazy? I know very little as yet about the church but I'm still going to read the Book of Mormon.
  4. Good afternoon everyone, I'm so grateful for the information shared on this site. I'm a newer convert, and am getting ready to get my endowment and get sealed to my wife. However, I have had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for many years, and have already made covenants with God. My temple prep classes did not at all talk about what covenants are made in the temple, and I am concerned that one or more of the covenants made in the temple endowment ceremony may conflict with or attempt to alter terms of covenants that I already have made with God. I am perhaps over-thinking this, but I'm concerned that if I go to the temple endowment ceremony, and find out during the ceremony that there is a covenant that I cannot make, which will ultimately mean that I cannot receive my endowment, and that it will cripple my relationship with my wife (who was raised LDS and has not known any culture or community outside of the LDS church). Church leadership seems to agree that I should just "go through the endowment ceremony and find out" and not be concerned with this issue at all. Ultimately my question is this - am I absolutely required to make/agree to every single covenant that is part of the temple endowment ceremony, or does that remain between God and me? If leadership cannot answer that question, does it matter if I do or don't agree to every single covenant made during the ceremony? Thank you all in advance for your insights.
  5. Good morning. About ten years ago I was visited by a group of three missionaries for the first time while at college. Since then I’ve moved but have been thinking about, and studying, the Book of Mormon. I’m currently not a Mormon, but am looking for a safe place to think through and share my honest thoughts/questions ( as there really isn’t a strong LDS presence where I live (rural Midwest USA)). I hope this can be that place. A question that has haunted me is how one can determine genuine sincerity and intent ( i.e. Moroni 10:4). It’s been ten years and no confirmation. For some reason though i think about the LDS worldview often. What’s going on? Obviously others can’t judge the nature of an internal state that I myself have. In prayer I’ve not been told I’m insincere by God when I ask. I don’t feel or believe myself to be insincere. But I know that the heart is “desperately wicked” as well. What is a man to do? If only it was easier to know. Tele
  6. I began investigating in the middle of may this year. I was living at university near the end of my first year, and just walked into church one sunday. I started meeting the missionaries, reading the Book of Mormon and returned to church the following week. Except on my second visit I was crying the entirety through sacrament due to my mum telling me the night before about how she couldn’t support me joining such a bigoted and sexist church. I’ve continued to meet missionaries while living at home, but haven’t been able to go back to church. I worry I’m wasting the missionaries time as even though I have strong positive feelings about tge church and have received promptings to ask about going, my mum and sister refuse to support me. They only know the church from the musical and some anti things which claim the church is a cult. They believe Joseph Smith was a fraud who just wanted multiple wives and people’s income, and they refuse to listen to anything saying otherwise. I have a couple of ny own doubts, I worry about the time commitments the church may ask or about how tithing money is used but I want to go to church. Most of the time, I want to be baptised. Right now I can’t do either of those things and I don’t know what to do.
  7. I’m open for advice. My only previous church experience is a Lutheran Preschool and two years at a Pentecostal Church from 18-20. I didn’t feel like the Church was the right fit for me but it was near my house and I did have a desire to learn about the basis of Christianity even if I didn’t agree completely with the teachings. Being in a household that did not ever attend church I had to figure out where to turn myself. Side note: my parents still held us kids to high Christian values though.. Anyways I’m 24 into a full time career and working on my doctorate.. married.. things are great but I do feel I need something more, more Godly influence and literature in my life. I was doing some personal investing and searching for what makes most sense to me and came across information pertaining to the lds religion. At first I ignored the feeling bc as simple as it seems I love coffee so I said this won’t be for me. It came back to play in my mind once again so I decided to address things as they come coffee can be modified when I’m ready. i haven’t been to a service bc I’m nervous about the pace for potential converts. At the Pentecostal Church I felt rushed. I need refreshed but am familiar with old and New Testament.. I’ve started the BoM but was wondering about the other lds associated books. Are they held to the same level? What order are they read in? any other knowledge, wisdom, advice you wanna share?
  8. Hello, Well I'm investigating the church for the second time as I was excommunicated a few years ago. I say investigating but I'm beyond that...I know its what I want in my life. Since then I have met an amazing non member woman who knows nothing of the church and has a distaste for organized religion. A few days ago when I told her that we had to make some changes in our relationship which included no more intimacy. Being the amazing woman that she is she has not only agreed but offered her support as I make changes in my life. Although she has made it absolutely clear that she has no interest in the church I'm wondering what i can do to make this easier on her. We live together, have had a sexual relationship for 2 years, and are discussing marriage quite soon. I am quite reserved about this and up until a few days ago hadn't even discussed it with her even though in secret it has been on my mind for about the past year. Completely out of no where I found myself in church last Sunday for the first time in 3 years and that night exhibited unknown strength in telling her the changes I wanted in my life...in ours. I guess I felt that it was now or never and that i wanted the church in my life...even if it meant losing her. Having dropped this bomb on her she is taking it amazingly well but i just want to help her as much as possible! She even agreed that stopping all intimacy would improve our relationship and she expressed her desire that she had wanted to stop 6 months before our being married. We had always joked about what the other would do if they were"cut off" but it was always laughed off and never touched on. Unbeknownst to the other...we were actually testing the waters to see what the other thought! Well I've gone on long enough...any advice, comments, suggestions?
  9. I have been meeting with the sister missionaries for 3 weeks. There has been a lot of pressure put on me to set a baptism date, they set one for me TEN days from now. I agree with everything that they teach me in the lessons but some of the mormon beliefs that we have not talked about are making me uneasy (the word of wisdom, the family proclamation) I have prayed very hard about the book of Mormon and I feel nothing when I pray about it. I am still unsure if I believe that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I have told the sisters this but they told me it is just Satan trying to hurt me and that I should go through with my baptism. I am so confused?! Should I be stern and tell the sisters I need to wait longer? I am a sophomore in college, if that matters.
  10. <point of reference – see my post in the Introduce Yourself section: http://www.lds.net/forums/introduce-yourself/16708-new-guy.html> So, after my wife and her daughter laughed themselves to tears at breakfast today about “the magic Mormon underwear”, I did get some decent conversation in with her (wife) this morning. We have agreed that she will not poke fun at my spiritual journey if I do the same to her. Fair enough – progress! She has even been asking me about LDS beliefs, and seems to be in agreement with some of what I have learned regarding our existence before we got “here”, strong belief in family, education, and preparedness. I’m really not sure where she stands with Jesus Christ – she has some pretty whacked out ideas about something called The Course in Miracles if anyone is familiar with that. But, I digress. Where do I start? I’ve read through most of the Book of Mormon, I already have a pretty strong background in the Holy Bible from my days as a Baptist. I’m about ½ way through Jesus the Christ. I picked up a copy of Mormonism for Dummies today (20% off at Borders). I don’t think the Mrs would be ready for the nice young men in ties with nametags to start coming by though, she’d probably flip again. I have located the local meetinghouse – should I just show up one Sunday? I almost did today but between my cold feet, the little progress I made with my wife this morning, and my bike in pieces in the garage, I made enough excuses to blow it off. I know y’all are pretty formal. I don’t have a suit except for the one I keep for funerals and court , I don’t think it fits anymore anyway. Would a shirt, tie, and sweater-vest be OK? What kind of reception will a guy in a beard and middle-of-the-back pony tail get? I have resigned myself to showing up in my pickup instead of the Harley One of my coworkers says I get away with some of the stuff I do, because “you’re the big scary guy” Man, I’m nervous – should I just stay here in my den and keep reading and praying? Am I doing this all wrong? I don't know of any LDS folks nearby, I know one guy from college that I think I can track down. What to do? Thanks for letting me dump all my hang-ups on ya......