Greetings from a non-Mormon in TN

[caspianrex]

Greetings everyone! I have sort of introduced myself on my first blog post, which has already received several comments.

As indicated in the title line of this post, I am not Mormon. I was raised Lutheran, but currently serve as Director of Music at a small Methodist church in West Nashville. I am a full-time dad: my wife has a good full-time job, so I stay with our daughter, while she works. I am also a paid singer with the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and work part-time at Macy's. So, even though I don't have a single full-time job, my part-time jobs add up.

Why am I interested in an LDS website, specifically this one? Well, first of all, I have long had a deep interest in learning more about several faith traditions that are different from my own, including Roman Catholicism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphianism, several branches of the Armstrong movement, and Scientology. Although I have not followed any of the paths I mention above, I am interested in the social and spiritual forces that lead people to follow a particular religious path. As far as this LDS.net goes, I am very impressed with the quality of the website, and the amount of information here. (For that matter the official Mormon site at LDS.org is put together pretty well, too.)

Although I don't fancy myself an expert on the LDS faith in any sense, I am not coming from a position of complete ignorance. I have read about half of the Book of Mormon, skimmed through the Doctrines and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. I am very well read in the Bible, and I have both the Joseph Smith Translation and the official LDS King James Bible in my collection. I have a variety of printings of the Book of Mormon, a concordance to the Book of Mormon, and several books about past Mormon presidents and prophets, published by the LDS. I have talked to Mormon missionaries on a couple different occasions, once online and once in person. For the most part, those discussions were pleasant, but not particularly informative (by which I mean all the material presented consisted of material I had already read for myself. In both cases, we agreed to disagree.

To wrap up, I am looking forward to engaging in dialogue with Mormons or non-Mormons on this excellent site. I am not seeking to convert to the LDS faith. To those who would exhort me, according to Moroni 10:4, to pray about the truth of the Book of Mormon, I assure you I have done so, and thus far have not found that to be the case. If any non-Mormons Christians are reading this, and hoping to unite with me in some proselytizing, I am not interested in that, either. I will attempt to be as honest as possible about where Mormon theology and orthodox Christian theology part ways, in my view; but I also believe that mainstream Christians can learn a lot from our Mormon friends. I close with blessings for all, in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

[pam]

Welcome to the site.

[Maya]

Welcome caspianlaw. Sometimes the answers make us digg ponder and wait. Enjoy your discusition.

[Dr T]

Welcome to you sir. :)

[spamlds]

I used to see introductions like that on the S.P.A.M. site when yet another wolf in sheep's clothing entered the "flock." It was always a disarming prelude to attacks on the true Church. After seeing several dozen of these folks approach an Internet forum using this same technique, seeking "dialogue," it's now a red flag.

Sincere people who want to know about the Church come in through the "front door." They talk to LDS friends and missionaries. The ones who lurk on Internet forums and newsgroups using anonymous screen names are usually trouble. The way to learn about the Church is very simple. Like a friend of mine once said, it's like looking for socks in the sock drawer. Open the drawer and there they are. Having a "dialogue" with the sock drawer isn't part of the process.

Like Spiderman, I feel my "spidey senses" tingling--

[Soulsearcher]

I used to see introductions like that on the S.P.A.M. site when yet another wolf in sheep's clothing entered the "flock." It was always a disarming prelude to attacks on the true Church. After seeing several dozen of these folks approach an Internet forum using this same technique, seeking "dialogue," it's now a red flag.

Sincere people who want to know about the Church come in through the "front door." They talk to LDS friends and missionaries. The ones who lurk on Internet forums and newsgroups using anonymous screen names are usually trouble. The way to learn about the Church is very simple. Like a friend of mine once said, it's like looking for socks in the sock drawer. Open the drawer and there they are. Having a "dialogue" with the sock drawer isn't part of the process.

Like Spiderman, I feel my "spidey senses" tingling--

Odd, when i joined the site 5 years ago i said something very similar in my introduction. While i understand the caution i find it disheartening that it's the first action of people to treat a new comer as a threat rather than embrace them as a brother or sister. You may get burned by many, but i find it leaves a lasting impression on the good people and some of the bad ones if you show a lil more christ like openness vs open suspicion and tongue in cheek comments, but oh well not like we want open dialogue with people outside the faith

[caspianrex]

Spamlds-

I assure you, I have no intention of attempting to proselytize Mormons. As I mentioned in my original post, I have had a couple discussions with Mormon missionaries, and have always been very welcoming to missionaries who asked to talk to me. I really don't think I have been "lurking" on this site. I've posted a blog, and was forthcoming about my appreciation of Mormon hospitality, as well as my theological differences with the LDS faith. My interest in the LDS church is academic, as I have pointed out. That, and I am interested in discussions about life, faith, etc. with actual Mormons. As I don't know any Mormons in the Nashville area personally, this website seemed like a good forum to do that. My only chat in the chat room here, incidentally, was not even about theology per se, but about gun control and the low literary quality of the Left Behind novels. Still, I imagine trust has to be earned, so you can continue to be wary of me until we've had the chance to get to know each other. Blessings...

[caspianrex]

A brief postscript to my reply to Spamlds:

You indicated that you were distrustful of those who use "anonymous screen names" (even though I'm guessing spamlds is not your given name). For the record, my name is Cory Howell, and I live in Nashville, TN. I'm not sure if my profile here contains my real name, but I'll see if there's any way to post it there, too.

[Just_A_Guy]

Welcome, Caspianrex.

[Guest]

Hiya Cory! Welcome! Hope you have a fun time engaging us in discussion. We have a moderator here - PrisonChaplain - who is not LDS. He's a pastor from the Assemblies of God. We have several members from other faiths as well. If I may mention Soninme who is a Roman Catholic, Dr. T (not sure if he's also Catholic), and several others. We have an LDS in the eyes of the Jewish faith forum in here as well. I think we also have a few resident atheists in here. So, you should be able to get a well-rounded opinion on things that come from all sides. Well, hopefully. :-D

[prisonchaplain]

When I came here five years ago about all that I had read about LDS were evangelical critiques of the type deemed "anti" but most members. However, when I came here it was out of sincere curiosity. I asked some questions, read posts, gradually got my barings, and started some threads. Today I have a more christlike understanding of myself and the host church of this site.

[NeuroTypical]

Welcome to the site. My spidey senses aren't tingling. You're not LDS, not gonna be LDS any time soon, and looking for discussions. Seems pretty upfront to me. Just keep in mind that we're all about explaining what we believe and why - we're not too big on arguing it. If you want to prove we're wrong, you need to seek out other forums that allow debate.

But if you're here to understand us a bit more, I'm pretty sure we can accomodate you.

My only chat in the chat room here, incidentally, was not even about theology per se, but about gun control and the low literary quality of the Left Behind novels.

Sweet! I find a greater number of LDS folks have pro-gun sentiments than you'd find in most other demographics besides the military. But you can sure find plenty of no-gun sentiments here too. Regardless of what side of the fence you are on, I look forward to discussing things.

As for Left Behind, I'm a conniseur of end-times / book of revelation / apocalypse stories. I've only watched the movie, but found it passable and enjoyable. I could appreciate the story of the pastor who found his flock taken up, and there he was with his heart in the wrong place. Good stuff.

To those who would exhort me, according to Moroni 10:4, to pray about the truth of the Book of Mormon, I assure you I have done so, and thus far have not found that to be the case.

One clarification, the content of Moroni 10:4 is often ignored, by both mormons and non-mormons alike. The Book of mormon does not say "pray about it and God will answer." Here's the scripture:

"Moroni 10:4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."

This promise is that God will manifest the truth of the BoM, via the Holy Ghost, after you:

- Recieve these things (A higher bar than just reading, IMO)

- ask God (not anyone else)

- in the name of Christ (difficult for someone to do who is in a state of unrepentant sin)

- if these things are not true (praying to know the truth of the book)

- with a sincere heart (where you give room for the possibility that the book is true)

- with real intent (because you actually want an answer, not because you want no answer so you can go tell everyone you prayed and didn't hear anything)

- having faith in Christ

A much higher bar than merely praying. Anyway, I really can suggest following Moroni 10:4 fully as a way to learn of a surety that the BoM is what it claims to be. I did it back in 1996. Now I'm a moderator of an LDS forum if you can believe it.

Anyway, welcome.

LM

Edited September 20, 2010 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[caspianrex]

Thanks, Loudmouth, for your comments. Especially, I thank you for your illuminating exposition of Moroni 10:4. That does give me a bit of a different perspective on the passage than I had before.

Also, nice quote from Fiddler on the Roof in your signature area...great role, Tevye. I'd like to do that part some day...

[Moksha]

Cory, my view is that it takes a wide variety of ingredients to make a good stew. Welcome.

[Therauh]

Welcome

[Jamie123]

Greetings everyone! I have sort of introduced myself on my first blog post, which has already received several comments.

As indicated in the title line of this post, I am not Mormon. I was raised Lutheran, but currently serve as Director of Music at a small Methodist church in West Nashville. I am a full-time dad: my wife has a good full-time job, so I stay with our daughter, while she works. I am also a paid singer with the Nashville Symphony Chorus, and work part-time at Macy's. So, even though I don't have a single full-time job, my part-time jobs add up.

Why am I interested in an LDS website, specifically this one? Well, first of all, I have long had a deep interest in learning more about several faith traditions that are different from my own, including Roman Catholicism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphianism, several branches of the Armstrong movement, and Scientology. Although I have not followed any of the paths I mention above, I am interested in the social and spiritual forces that lead people to follow a particular religious path. As far as this LDS.net goes, I am very impressed with the quality of the website, and the amount of information here. (For that matter the official Mormon site at LDS.org is put together pretty well, too.)

Although I don't fancy myself an expert on the LDS faith in any sense, I am not coming from a position of complete ignorance. I have read about half of the Book of Mormon, skimmed through the Doctrines and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. I am very well read in the Bible, and I have both the Joseph Smith Translation and the official LDS King James Bible in my collection. I have a variety of printings of the Book of Mormon, a concordance to the Book of Mormon, and several books about past Mormon presidents and prophets, published by the LDS. I have talked to Mormon missionaries on a couple different occasions, once online and once in person. For the most part, those discussions were pleasant, but not particularly informative (by which I mean all the material presented consisted of material I had already read for myself. In both cases, we agreed to disagree.

To wrap up, I am looking forward to engaging in dialogue with Mormons or non-Mormons on this excellent site. I am not seeking to convert to the LDS faith. To those who would exhort me, according to Moroni 10:4, to pray about the truth of the Book of Mormon, I assure you I have done so, and thus far have not found that to be the case. If any non-Mormons Christians are reading this, and hoping to unite with me in some proselytizing, I am not interested in that, either. I will attempt to be as honest as possible about where Mormon theology and orthodox Christian theology part ways, in my view; but I also believe that mainstream Christians can learn a lot from our Mormon friends. I close with blessings for all, in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Welcome from a fellow non-Mormon :)

I used to see introductions like that on the S.P.A.M. site when yet another wolf in sheep's clothing entered the "flock." It was always a disarming prelude to attacks on the true Church. After seeing several dozen of these folks approach an Internet forum using this same technique, seeking "dialogue," it's now a red flag.

Sincere people who want to know about the Church come in through the "front door." They talk to LDS friends and missionaries. The ones who lurk on Internet forums and newsgroups using anonymous screen names are usually trouble. The way to learn about the Church is very simple. Like a friend of mine once said, it's like looking for socks in the sock drawer. Open the drawer and there they are. Having a "dialogue" with the sock drawer isn't part of the process.

Like Spiderman, I feel my "spidey senses" tingling--

Loud raspberry

I don't wish to be disrespectful (especially as I'm a guest here myself!) but is that any way to welcome anyone? Also you're a fine one to talk about "anonymous screen names": Is "spamlds" really printed on your birth certificate?

I always understood one of the main purposes of this site (and indeed the More Good Foundation) was to encourage just this sort of inter-faith "dialogue". Why otherwise would there be a specific forum entitled "Learn About the Mormon Church"? I can see you'd rather this were a kind of members-only talking shop where non-members were dismissed with a simple: "Talk to the missionaries!" It's precisely because it isn't that I (and I suspect quite a few other non-Mormons) come here.

Might I suggest that until caspianrex actually starts causing trouble on this forum you keep whatever your "spidey senses" are telling you to yourself?

P.S. I unfortunately didn't finish reading the thread before replying. I now see that Moksha, LM, anatess and PrisonChaplain already made some of these points. Sorry guys.

Edited September 24, 2010 by Jamie123
Added PS after reading rest of thread. Also tried to make it a bit less impolite.

[LDSVALLEY]

Welcome it takes all kinds and all opinions make things clearer for all.

[jayanna]

Welcome, Caspianrex!

[skippy740]

Welcome!

I served my mission in Tennessee (although it was Eastern TN in Knoxville and even into Virginia).

Enjoy the site!

[Roseslipper]

hello and welcome

[Revelationstoo]

Welcome Cory,

I hope you engage and enjoy discussions here. I will assume you join this site to gain an honest understanding regarding our faith.

Would you mind sharing some of the questions you have regarding the LDS faith? What topics do you find of particular interest? So go ahead and feel free to ask. We may not have all the answers, but will do our best to give an accurate response.

Best regards,

RT

[caspianrex]

Wow, I didn't remember even joining this forum (almost 4 years ago)!  I think I fully intended to check in from time to time, but I don't know what happened.  Looking at the dates of my earlier posts, it was only a few months before my wife became pregnant with our second daughter, who's now 2 1/2 years old!  So perhaps my disappearance after that time was due to all the business of becoming a father of two...

 

Anyways, I still read the Book of Mormon from time to time.  Recently, I discovered that the entire text of the B of M is posted on Poetry Genius, which enables people to create their own commentary.  Some of you may want to check it out.  I've only done one annotation myself, and it hearkens back to an earlier part of this very conversation on the forum about Moroni 10:4-5.  I tried to be fair in my annotation of the verse, but the notes could greatly benefit from some actual LDS perspective.

 

Great to be back!  Peace.