Other religions

[Newcomer4831]

I'm not advocating my religion, but I'm wondering how many people made a similar journey as I have. I have actually listened and visited many people of differing beliefs from Yoga to LDS. If I had the money, who knows, I may have been a scientologist. However I found something that suited me, it wasn't something I was raised with, something that I wasn't just fascinated with, or something anybody in my area knew anything about. In fact my library only had 4 books on Buddhism. I'm just wondering what events led people to where they are right now.

[Guest tomk]

I think this is a great question!

For me, I was born into the LDS Faith, baptized at age 8. So nothing "led" me to this religion. I just grew up in it and never questioned my faith.

About four or five years ago (I am 39) I began to come back to Church after a long period of inactivity. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was questioning my faith, and seeking to REALLY KNOW if it was true.

For me, that has made all the difference. Everyone must make this journey. Particulars may differ from person to person, but the core journey is the same. It is a journey of discovering, for yourself, the Truth, and then following it from moment to moment. I call that Truth the Light of Christ. It lights every man that comes into this world. All that is required to follow it is to be still and listen. Obedience strengthens our hearing.

I look at other religions, and even my own religion, as "means to an end". I believe my religion to be true. But if I do not become converted, it matters very little. Just membership in a religion gaurantees nothing. It is living what you believe.

I am not here to convince you, or anyone, that my beliefs are true. If asked to do that, I probably could not provide enough evidence, no matter how much proof I gave or how eloquent my oratory. Only God can give you the witness. I have had that witness. For others who claim they have the same witness about THEIR religion -- I do not know what to say. Let them worship as they want, for that is what God does. He does not interfere. And it may be that He desires us to be in another religion for a while. Almost any religious belief is GOOD and BRINGS LIGHT. One way or another we will all be brought to know the TRUTH and have a chance to accept it or deny it. But it will be our choice.

Tom

Edited March 25, 2009 by tomk
typos

[hordak]

I'm not advocating my religion, but I'm wondering how many people made a similar journey as I have. I have actually listened and visited many people of differing beliefs from Yoga to LDS. If I had the money, who knows, I may have been a scientologist. However I found something that suited me, it wasn't something I was raised with, something that I wasn't just fascinated with, or something anybody in my area knew anything about. In fact my library only had 4 books on Buddhism. I'm just wondering what events led people to where they are right now.

That is awesome. When i was a kid i was told to take a BoM to a friend who was not part of "the true church". When talking with him he was telling my how i was a member of a "false church". It was this assignment that made me realize i was LDS for the same reason he was catholic and our other buddy was Protestant. We were simply following the faith of our fathers. This caused me to question my faith and I have come to the conclusion that God wouldn't expect everyone to be the same religion anymore then I would expect the exact same things from my kids when they are completely different people. I think it is much better to find a faith through true diligence then to just accept what you are handed.

[Just_A_Guy]

My experience is very much like Hordak's.

When the opportunity presents itself I'll try to learn what I can from people of other faiths; and I've examined the arguments for and against Mormonism in some detail. But I've never engaged in some kind of systematic quest to deeply examine other religions the way Newcomer seems to have done. To be frank, I've never personally felt the need.

[Newcomer4831]

But what rational made you guys pick the faiths you are in. Was it just feeling alone? Or did you have conditions? I know I did. One of my conditions was that it had to fit in the name of science. There is a reason the religions you guys belong to do not claim that the moon was made of cheese or that clouds were made of cotton candy. Those nice things but I'm guessing you guys wouldn't belong to the "Church of Candy Land" if it existed for that very reason. I had other conditions as well such as, it would have to be non-violent and such.

[Maxel]

A very brief account of my initial conversion can be found here.

When a man is looking for a lost piece of money, he does not continue to look when it is found. In the same way, a man does not continue to look for 'The Truth' in other places once he has found it in one place. I believe I have found the truth.

I have read up and enjoy learning (a little) about other religions: I am currently reading a great book about world religions from an LDS perspective. I like it because it differentiates between what other religions believe about themselves, and how LDS theology interacts with other religious theology.

[Faded]

I'm not advocating my religion, but I'm wondering how many people made a similar journey as I have. I have actually listened and visited many people of differing beliefs from Yoga to LDS. If I had the money, who knows, I may have been a scientologist. However I found something that suited me, it wasn't something I was raised with, something that I wasn't just fascinated with, or something anybody in my area knew anything about. In fact my library only had 4 books on Buddhism. I'm just wondering what events led people to where they are right now.

You could read through my story on my page for a longer run-through.

I was born into this Church, but I was also raised to never take anything as true unless I knew firsthand from God that it was true. So after many instances of personal prayer to God and spiritual confirmation that it is true and that it is where I need to be, it's second nature to me. I know what I am, through and through, head to toe.

I'm very analytical so I do love how everything falls into place logically, but that is not my core reason for being LDS. Just a few examples of the beautiful logic:

1.) God is our Father, every human being to ever live was and is his child. He is the literal father of our spirits.

2.) Gender is eternally significant and relevant.

3.) God spoke in the past and he speaks now. His words to day are just as important as his words from thousands of years ago.

4.) God our Father is all-powerful, all-knowing, and his power touches everything. He wants us, His children to grow up to be what he is.

[Newcomer4831]

A very brief account of my initial conversion can be found here.

When a man is looking for a lost piece of money, he does not continue to look when it is found. In the same way, a man does not continue to look for 'The Truth' in other places once he has found it in one place. I believe I have found the truth.

I have read up and enjoy learning (a little) about other religions: I am currently reading a great book about world religions from an LDS perspective. I like it because it differentiates between what other religions believe about themselves, and how LDS theology interacts with other religious theology.

I like your analogy, but I have one I've been using. The truth is like a good grape among rotten grapes. And sometimes you can just spot bad grapes, sometimes it takes a bite to figure it out. However in the end, you need lots of grapes to fill your stomach.

So I'm noticing that most people are just born into LDS rather than "discovering it." [What I mean by discover, is that you had no idea what LDS was, then you decided to investigate; almost what I'm doing now]

Edited March 26, 2009 by Newcomer4831

[Maxel]

I like your analogy, but I have one I've been using. The truth is like a good grape among rotten grapes. And sometimes you can just spot bad grapes, sometimes it takes a bit to figure it out. However in the end, you need lots of grapes to fill your stomach.

True- but, we have to make sure we're equating the same things in our analogies. While we do need many grapes to fill our stomach, we can equate different religions as different grape vines from which to pick grapes. We have to carefully search and see which produces the best grapes. Once we have found the best vine, moving on to test other vines is counterproductive. If someone hasn't found the best vine yet, however, continuing to test all the grapes is the best action.

So I'm noticing that most people are just born into LDS rather than "discovering it." [What I mean by discover, is that you had no idea what LDS was, then you decided to investigate; almost what I'm doing now]

I wouldn't say I was 'just' born into the LDS faith. I have investigated its claims extensively, and while searching for the truth I judged it against other religions and philosophies that I knew. My current position is the result of years of prayerful searching.

[Guest Godless]

I was born and raised in the LDS church. I got a semi-natural sense of curiosity about other religions from my mother (she minored in Eastern religions in college). After deciding that that LDS church wasn't for me, I started researching other religions and decided that none of them made any sense to me. I still have an insatiable curiosity about them though, and I'm constantly trying to learn more. I guess you could say I'm a nerd wannabe when it comes to religion.

Edited March 26, 2009 by Godless

[deseretgov]

I too was born in the LDS faith. I've researched other religions but never really with the intent of finding a replacement for my current religion. I'm not one of those that believe you have to try different things to determine if they are right for you or not. I don't have to try out homosexuality to know that I'm not homosexual. I don't have to drink poison to know that it is poisonous.

The means I used to determine that the church is true for me is to test aspects of it. I've had very strong experiences with fasting and other aspects of the church. I've never had a period of inactivity or major doubt. Maybe that's good maybe it's bad, but so far for me it's been good.

I believe the church is true, but I don't believe that it is the perfect church for everyone. I think that God will bring people to churches that are best for the progression of that person.

[Churchmouse]

Well, first of all, I started out as a kid:):):). A kid that had no religious training at all. I was sent to a certain Protestant church a few times. Didn't care for that. Went to a church once as a teen because we were told it was a good place to meet girls. That didn't take either.

By the time I was 17 and in the Marine Corps. I decided God was just a crutch weak people needed to get through life. I didn't believe anyone named Jesus Christ ever existed.

When I married my wife she was a practicing Catholic. After living with her for a few years I began to feel I wasn't sure if there was a God or not.

One evening I was sitting in my in-laws living room while my wife and they were at Mass. I picked up the Readers Digest. Inside there was a several page pullout ad from The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. Don't know why, but for some reason I began to read it. As I read I came to the realization that what I was reading was true. Even though I wasn't living the things I was reading about. By the time I finished reading there were tears running down my cheeks. I called the local missionaries (Didn't realize it was the Mormon Church) and asked if they could spare the time to tell me more about the Church. Didn't know how stupid that question was at the time. Three weeks later a was baptized.

My wife wrote to a Catholic priest and asked how she could convince me to join her church and leave mine. He sent information for her to leave around the house. After reading it, he said, I would see the truth. I didn't read it. She did. A year later she was baptized.

I'll be a member for 30 years in May. My wife for 29 years in August. I am thankful to My Father in Heaven that I didn't leave this Earth without the true Gospel.

I guess that makes me a Reader's Digest Saint.:)

Edited March 26, 2009 by Churchmouse

[Ceebooboo]

I'm not advocating my religion, but I'm wondering how many people made a similar journey as I have. I have actually listened and visited many people of differing beliefs from Yoga to LDS. If I had the money, who knows, I may have been a scientologist. However I found something that suited me, it wasn't something I was raised with, something that I wasn't just fascinated with, or something anybody in my area knew anything about. In fact my library only had 4 books on Buddhism. I'm just wondering what events led people to where they are right now.

Hi Newcomer,

Great thread !!!!:)

The short version as to not completly bore anyone. :)

I was a COMPLETE and TOTAL mess in my early 20's to early 30's. ( A REAL BAD path indeed, full of pain, anger, frustration, and most of all a sense of SELF gratification.

I began to look into things in my life ( my journey as they say ) and ended up looking into " is there really a God " and all sorts of religions ( Mega Churches, denominations, and all the rest). After a few years of searching every angle I could find I was COMPLETLY convinced that Jesus Christ was indeed who he claimed he was, our savior, loves us all, and that his Church is the very Church he left us with 2,000 years ago ( The Catholic Church ). Furthermore, I found in my journey that many people look to find what " they " like most in deciding where they call home but it is my humble opinion that we do not get to choose that as it has already been chosen for us.

It is also interesting to note that I used to be one of those who thought that the Catholic mass was a " boring " " robotic " " non biblical " thing. I was completly wrong!!! The Catholic mass ( CENTERED around the celebration of the Eucharist) is not only SPOT ON with Scripture but it is also the celebration and thanks we offer to our Lord when we partake in the real presence of the last supper.

Great thread, look forward to reading other peoples journeys that have brought them a little closer to the Lord of Lords!!!!:)

Peace,

Ceebooboo

[bodhigirlsmiles]

I'm not advocating my religion, but I'm wondering how many people made a similar journey as I have. I have actually listened and visited many people of differing beliefs from Yoga to LDS. If I had the money, who knows, I may have been a scientologist. However I found something that suited me, it wasn't something I was raised with, something that I wasn't just fascinated with, or something anybody in my area knew anything about. In fact my library only had 4 books on Buddhism. I'm just wondering what events led people to where they are right now.

another buddhist?? this can't be! i musn't have competition....

....wait, let's see....newcomer hasn't always been buddhist....this makes me clearly the winner. whew!!

[Newcomer4831]

another buddhist?? this can't be! i musn't have competition....

....wait, let's see....newcomer hasn't always been buddhist....this makes me clearly the winner. whew!!

Very UnBuddhist like...just joking.

[bodhigirlsmiles]

Very UnBuddhist like...just joking.

i know, right?!

following that middle path....

:)

Edited March 27, 2009 by bodhigirlsmiles

[Newcomer4831]

You wouldn't happen be from Sri Lanka would you?

[bodhigirlsmiles]

You wouldn't happen be from Sri Lanka would you?

i am not from sri lanka, why do you ask?

my mother is from india and my father is from tibet....

[SMG]

I was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am BIC and was baptized at age 8. I've had a great many periods of inactivity in my life. For a big part of my life, I just followed what my mother did. It has only been within the past 2 or 3 years that I've gotten an sure sense of that I am in the church I need to be in. That is because I didn't think to ask to learn for myself, but instead "lived on borrowed light" for so long. To be honest, I'm just now converting, despite being baptized so long ago!

I sometimes think that people who converted are stronger than people like me who were born into the church. I'm just speaking for myself, please don't be offended.

[bytor2112]

I was never a religious person. I went through a period in my late 20's when I rejected the whole notion of God. I was baptized in the LDS church as a teen....my best friend was a member and I joined the church...but not really. Prior to that I had been baptized a Southern Baptist...about age 12?? Before that I attended an Assembly of God church. So, I have been all over the board religiously and I have always been intrigued by the Catholic church

I became an active member of the LDS church in March of 2005. Believe me when I tell you ....I didn't want to. My kids wanted to go to church....I had no interest, zero, and frankly no real belief.....and I loved coffee and other things that were really bad for me. A neighbor stopped by our home to welcome us to the neighborhood.....of course we had been living there for a year, but as it turned out he was on a mission from the church. The church never forgets you.......I like to say now that the Lord never forgets you. There were other well intentioned members that tried to make contact over the years....but no thanks. Anyways, a week later, some missionaries showed up at my door and wanted to teach our children. My kids were very excited and so I relented and said ok. We scheduled an appointment for them to come back. I started researching the LDS church on the internet and I was stunned by what I found. How could I have been so dumb as a teen? Look at all this information about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon can't possibly be true. I was really torn, I didn't want my kids to get sucked in, but I would be polite and hear them out and again my best friend and his family were LDS and just awesome people, so could it really be that bad?

We began meeting with the missionaries and something happened. Something that I can only describe and continue describe as Holy and sacred. The Holy Spirit filled my home and as a family we were converted. The gospel changed my life in ways to numerous to explain....I am a miracle of the grace of Jesus Christ.

The witness of the Spirit as we call it or when people say they know the church is true is something that is undeniable. As a member, I have this experience, usually daily, it is literally the Holy Spirit of God communing with my Spirit. It is quite literally being in the presence of God. If it were not for this continuing experience that is Holy and sacred, I would not be LDS. It is the reason most are members of the church. It is why I not only believe in God and his beloved Son, but know that they exist. I don't know why some never receive a witness, maybe it's not there time. Only Heavenly Father knows. I do know we are his children, he loves us and will deal fairly with us.....he is perfect and his love for us is perfect......his work and his glory is to " bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man". Very cool. (repost)

[Newcomer4831]

i am not from sri lanka, why do you ask?

my mother is from india and my father is from tibet....

Your complexion and plus you said you were born a Buddhist.

[Madriglace]

When I was young I wanted to go to catechism (sp) with the neighbor kids and mom told my dad it was time find his kids a church but not to bother her. Dad worked with a guy who needed to learn Spanish so they sort of swapped info. I grew up in the church and sort of skated along most of my life. After being inactive for nearly 14 years I got back to church but was still skating ... I knew it was true but wasn't really doing anything about it. One Sunday sitting in Sacrement meeting we sang "I Stand All Amazed". I had sung it a million times but this time I could not finish ... the words hit my like a ton of bricks ... I finally got it. It was beyond the still small voice. I suddenly knew what the atonement was about and that it was about me. What a feeling.

[Guest moronikid264]

rastafarian looks pretty good. any thoughts?

[TootsieBlue]

As i grew up my Dad and I went to a few churches, enjoying the feel of lots of people all worshiping the Lord was great for me. My Dad had been brought up a catholic but never followed the faith, my Mother has never believed in anything having lost her Mother at a young age I think she just resigned herself to believing that life was unfair and therefor there could be a God.

I continued to read the bible throughout my teens, knowing that God existed and that Jesus Christ is our Saviour but never really feeling a pull to go to church. I checked out most religions and had a top five of what I prefered, Budhism was in the top 5 by the way.

When I was 18 my big sister met some missionaries from LDS, she met them 'randomly' twice and decided on the second meeting that she would listen to what they had to say. Both me and my sister's lifestyles were far away from where they should be for following the LDS faith but we listened with interest although my Mum wouldn't let the missionaries in the house and we had to have our first few discussions in our local park.

My sister and I were baptised together, my parents didn't attend but our other sister came to support us. Both my sister and I became inactive soon after being baptised. Although having felt the Holy Spirit and recieving an answer to my prayer that the Book of Mormon was true, I found it difficult to change my lifestyle.

3 years later, I was working and living away from home when I met an interesting man, I knew from the moment I met him that there was something special about us meeting. He was going through a divorce. He found a tape cassette on my office desk that was called "together forever" a tape my Dad had had for years and kept around for some reason. He said that he was from that church. Eventually I understood that this was the Church that I also knew to be true. He was also an inactive member at this time. He'd served a mission in Italy and had gotten married on his return, unfortunately the marriage didn't work out and he had felt uncomfortable attending the same ward as his ex and her family. He was the only member of his family having joined at the age of 16.

So we became an item, we got engaged and moved back to my home town and then he told me that we should go to church and face the music and sort our lives out before we marry. Which we did, now we have been married for 10 years and we have 6 wonderful children.

I believe that I am in the Church that I should be in, that Heavenly Father wants me to go to church and wants me to take my children. I have a logical testimony in that it all makes sense and it all hinges on that first witness I had to the answer to my heartfelt prayer "is the Book of Mormon true?"

Yes it is!

[Guest missingsomething]

Newbie-

My parents did not go to church but my mom was raised catholic so I learned some of their recital prayers. I did this until my mom and dad seperated and we moved. I made friends with a family that was RLDS... and there was an older lady who would let me watch Sat. Morning cartoons if I went to church with her... LDS. I eventually joined RLDS church and went there. Then they closed due to lack of funding, and I went searching for something that made sense. Went with friends to youth activities, walked into a few on Sunday, and then I called for the Book of Mormon (BOM). It took me awhile to get all the answers I needed. Sometimes new things come up and I must once again set down and pray about how I feel. I feel content that I am in the right place. But even so, I have attracted people of diff. religions. I have dated a catholic, baptist, 7th day adv, hindu, buddist, and LDS men. I dont know why I never really attracted LDS people lol.... most of my friends are from other religions.