Questions about Mormonism

[jgower1234]

Hello all,

I am here looking for someone who might be willing to share some of what the Mormon church means to you and what it has meant to your life.

I am a returning college student (twenty years late) and I have a research paper I am writing about the Mormon religion. My assignment was to write about a religion other than one that I belong to . . . and I tried frequently to get a hold of a gentleman I know who is Mormon, but was unable to set up a time to "officially" interview him. (He's a busy guy with two jobs, a big family, and a long commute).

In any case, I was hoping that someone here would agree to answer just a few questions for me regarding the LDS. My intention, of course, is to write an unbiased paper which seeks only to inform. I have the utmost respect for other religious traditions, the Mormon church included. I have plenty of sources from which I can gather information, of course, but I am required to "interview" someone who belongs to the religion in question.

If anyone would be willing to help, please let me know . . . and thank you ever so much in advance.

John.

[daplautz]

I would totally love to answer some questions about how my Church has impacted my life.

[jgower1234]

Thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate you taking time for this. In order to take as little of your time as possible, I'll simply put my questions to you here and let you answer them in your own time. I don't want to be an irritant!

There are three questions I am required to ask:

What are the important holidays and traditions of Mormonism? (I know, this may seem a silly question to ask you as the information is readily available . . . but I'm required to ask it).

How has Mormonism shaped or impacted your life? (Don't feel compelled to go into too much detail. This is kind of a huge question and I am wondering if the professor couldn't have been more succinct. Anyway, don't feel like you have to go take too much time or go into too much detail.)

What are the challenges, if any, of practicing your faith? (Again, this may be a broad question that could prompt the writing of volumes . . . be as brief as you wish.)

Now . . . these are some questions I have come up with that I am wondering. Again, be as succinct as you like and feel free not to answer anything you don't want to. Of course, you're free to ask me whatever you wish as well.

How have others reacted when they've discovered you are Mormon? When people discover I'm a religious person they automatically come up with all kinds of assumptions and these invariably color the way they act and what they say around me. How do people react when they discover your faith?

How long have you been a Mormon? I've been a Christian (non-denominational protestant) since New Years 1990.

What about your faith do you find the most agreeable or appealing?

What about your faith is the most difficult or challenging?

What, in your own words, would you say are the basic or primary doctrines/beliefs of Mormonism?

What are some of the common misconceptions you've found that others have about your faith?

Is proselytizing (active witnessing to bring in converts) a part of the Mormon religion? Why or why not, do you think?

Just typing out these questions makes me all the more aware of how much time and effort I'm asking of you. Again, any response you'd like to make would be appreciated. I thank you, again, for taking time out of your day/night to help me.

[daplautz]

Here you go: (NOTE: Some of these questions have answers that take more than a few lines... but that is how it has to be.)

What are the important holidays and traditions of Mormonism? (I know, this may seem a silly question to ask you as the information is readily available . . . but I'm required to ask it).

We celebrate the usual Christian holidays (Christmas, for the birth of Christ and Easter, for the resurrection of Christ) as well as national holidays and birthdays. There is one specific holiday called "Pioneer Day" celebrated on July 24 of each year, which acknowledges the first entry of Mormons into Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It is sort of a 'you either care or you don't' holiday because, personally, I acknowledge it, but I don't really make a big deal about it. But many other members of the church have a greater passion for it than I do.

How has Mormonism shaped or impacted your life? (Don't feel compelled to go into too much detail. This is kind of a huge question and I am wondering if the professor couldn't have been more succinct. Anyway, don't feel like you have to go take too much time or go into too much detail.)

If I went into great detail, this would take forever, so I won't. There is a great emphasis on finding out for yourself in this religion. How do we find out for ourselves? By praying. We are given council to develop an understanding of what we believe using the Holy Ghost, who gives us revelation of truth. Upon Baptism, the Holy Ghost becomes a constant companion to guide and direct us. By keeping and developing that relationship with the Holy Ghost, I have also developed relationships with Christ and my Heavenly Father. My life would be completely different without these relationships, and as long as I follow God's commandments, I see the blessings in my life all the time and I only have a desire to continue doing good.

What are the challenges, if any, of practicing your faith? (Again, this may be a broad question that could prompt the writing of volumes . . . be as brief as you wish.)

There really aren't challenges that I face that are related to practicing my religion or abiding by the laws or commandments. Since I believe that abiding to my religion is what God wants me to do, I feel no challenge or personal resistance (except when the adversary tries to pry into my life, but that can be countered with faithful prayer).

How have others reacted when they've discovered you are Mormon? When people discover I'm a religious person they automatically come up with all kinds of assumptions and these invariably color the way they act and what they say around me. How do people react when they discover your faith?

There are three basic reactions:

1) "You're a Mormon? What's that?" And then I explain my beliefs and we're totally cool.

2) "You're a Mormon? That's cool." Because either the person knows some of my beliefs, and is totally cool. Or Because, they've heard some distorted versions of my beliefs and they think it's totally weird, but don't want to get into anything, but we're still cool.

3) "You're a Mormon? How many girlfriends do you have?" (Or any other wrongful stereotype) and then I explain why what they just said was based on something false that they've heard, and then we're totally cool. Any of these ways end in myself and the other party being totally cool with each other.

How long have you been a Mormon? I've been a Christian (non-denominational protestant) since New Years 1990.

I am 18 years old. I was born in a family that was LDS and raised in the church. I was baptized when I was eight years old, so technically I have been a member since August of 2000. By August of this year... that'll be eleven years.

What about your faith do you find the most agreeable or appealing?

Please don't take this answer as something snobby. I have a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church on earth and therefore is the only church that contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The thing that I find most appealing is that it is completely true. Once again, I am not trying to be big-headed and I am certainly not trying to force my beliefs on to you.

What about your faith is the most difficult or challenging?

I don't usually find anything difficult about my religion challenging, but comprehension of doctrine can be difficult at times. This can be solved with prayer, though. Also, sometimes it has been difficult in the past to remember that God is real and He loves me. Sometimes the adversary gets to me and I begin to question my faith, but once again, it can be solved by prayer.

What, in your own words, would you say are the basic or primary doctrines/beliefs of Mormonism?

It is funny that you say "your own words," because the Articles of Faith (which, if you don't know is a part of The Pearl of Great Price, a book that has been canonized by our faith after being translated/inspired/written by our first prophet, Joseph Smith) put it simpler than I ever could - We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

What are some of the common misconceptions you've found that others have about your faith?

... Where to begin... Let's start of with things that are completely false:

1) Mormons practice polygamy

2) Mormons practice incest

3) Mormons believe in blood sacrifice for sin

4) Mormons worship Joseph Smith

5) Mormons reject the teachings of the Holy Bible

6) Mormons replace the Bible with the Book of Mormon

And also things that are distorted truths (things that take teachings and skew them to make them sound really bad or weird) While reading these, remember that they are written to sound like awful things and have been conjured up by anti-Mormons to attack our faith:

1) Mormons believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers - More on that here

2) Mormons believe that God had sex with Mary to conceive Jesus - More on that here

3) Mormons wear magic underwear - More on that here

Is proselytizing (active witnessing to bring in converts) a part of the Mormon religion? Why or why not, do you think?

The goal of the primitive church of Jesus Christ was to convert and baptize all nations (Matt. 28:19) and the same goal stands today for His restored Church. It is a gigantic part of our religion. In fact, every able and worthy young man is counselled to serve a mission when he is 19 years of age, and also every able, worthy, and willing young woman when she is 21 years of ago. The entire mission lasts two years (18 months for women) and the majority of the time is spent tracting, which is going door to door to share our faith. Currently there are over 53,000 missionaries that span over the entire world. But proselyting doesn't start or end with the one mission. We are encouraged to be missionaries throughout our entire lives, even though we don't carry the title. I am currently preparing to leave on a mission now, in fact, but I make sure to try to be a good missionary even though I don't have the name tag yet.

Sorry about how long this is, but some of these answers can't be on the surface. It was great answering these questions, though, I really enjoyed it... so thanks!

Edited April 22, 2011 by daplautz

[daplautz]

Also, I still learn new things every day. I'm extremely confident that everything I have said is completely true, but if someone else comes in this thread and corrects me, then they are probably right.

[jgower1234]

What a wonderful response! Thank you! I have made some comments to what you've written, but because I wanted them to be "in context," I've pasted what you've said that I've responded to . . . so there's repetition here . . . .

My original question:

How has Mormonism shaped or impacted your life? (Don't feel compelled to go into too much detail. This is kind of a huge question and I am wondering if the professor couldn't have been more succinct. Anyway, don't feel like you have to go take too much time or go into too much detail.)

Your answer:

If I went into great detail, this would take forever, so I won't. There is a great emphasis on finding out for yourself in this religion. How do we find out for ourselves? By praying. We are given council to develop an understanding of what we believe using the Holy Ghost, who gives us revelation of truth. Upon Baptism, the Holy Ghost becomes a constant companion to guide and direct us. By keeping and developing that relationship with the Holy Ghost, I have also developed relationships with Christ and my Heavenly Father. My life would be completely different without these relationships, and as long as I follow God's commandments, I see the blessings in my life all the time and I only have a desire to continue doing good.

My response:

As time goes on, I have found that making disciplines part of your everyday life makes keeping to the “straight and narrow” easier and makes seeing God’s work in your life more obvious. I am so sure of God’s work in my life it isn’t even a question, ever. No matter what happens, I know and have faith in God that is beyond reason. It’s like knowing gravity exists—but even more so! It’s wonderful that your faith is as deep as it appears to be at such a young age . . . of course, and I don’t mean to be condescending, it’s much easier to have a strong faith in the “passion of youth.” Sometimes it can be exceedingly difficult when the “cynicism of old age” threatens! As you say, prayer is of the utmost important and I applaud your words.My original question:

What are the challenges, if any, of practicing your faith? (Again, this may be a broad question that could prompt the writing of volumes . . . be as brief as you wish.)

Your answer:

There really aren't challenges that I face that are related to practicing my religion or abiding by the laws or commandments. Since I believe that abiding to my religion is what God wants me to do, I feel no challenge or personal resistance (except when the adversary tries to pry into my life, but that can be countered with faithful prayer).

My response:

The adversary is cunning and relentless . . . but sometimes I think we are our own worst enemies. I’ve little doubt that Satan laughs at how we do ourselves in sometimes. As you said, prayer is, once again, of primary importance . . . and scripture. Jesus was adept with both weapons and by his grace and power, we will be too. Also, fellowship seems to me to be of great importance. The Mormon church is famed, thankfully in a good way, for its attention to fellowship and a close-knit community. Even its detractors usually agree that this is primary among the reasons many people join the LDS. When other religions are fragmenting and keeping members at arm’s length, those of the LDS are “joining hands.”

My original question:

What about your faith do you find the most agreeable or appealing?

Your answer:

Please don't take this answer as something snobby. I have a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church on earth and therefore is the only church that contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The thing that I find most appealing is that it is completely true. Once again, I am not trying to be big-headed and I am certainly not trying to force my beliefs on to you.

My response:

I don’t take your answer to this as “big-headed” at all. If we didn’t believe our faith was the right one, we wouldn’t believe it! I know some people claim to believe all religions lead to the same place (or that all religions lead to the same god or truth), but even these people believe that their inclusive belief is, itself, the right one! I respect someone’s right to believe the grass is purple, even if I know better. And I’m not going to point out what I believe is the “error of their ways.” I think the grass is green (though here in Kentucky, it is sometimes said to be “bluegrass”). I would only add one word of caution. Be wary of “blindly” putting your faith in anything other than the actual word of God. The more “organized” a religion, the more possibility there is of skewed teaching and/or interpretation. Whatever is said, whatever is taught, hold it up to the light of the scriptures and take it under God’s advisement. It may be that one day, you’ll have to question something you’re taught. If you never have cause to question what you’re taught, either you’ve been blessed with the perfect teachers or you’re not looking closely enough at the teaching. This is a messed up world we live in. We need to be vigilant and prayerful.

My original question:

What about your faith is the most difficult or challenging?

Your answer:

I don't usually find anything difficult about my religion challenging, but comprehension of doctrine can be difficult at times. This can be solved with prayer, though. Also, sometimes it has been difficult in the past to remember that God is real and He loves me. Sometimes the adversary gets to me and I begin to question my faith, but once again, it can be solved by prayer.

My response:

Questioning is great. Ask, seek, knock. God will answer (whether we like the answer of the wait for the answer or not!). As I said before, in my case, I’m my worst enemy. Being otherfocused is a great way to get away from me and focus on others and God.

My original question:

What, in your own words, would you say are the basic or primary doctrines/beliefs of Mormonism?

Your answer:

It is funny that you say "your own words," because the Articles of Faith (which, if you don't know is a part of The Pearl of Great Price, a book that has been canonized by our faith after being translated/inspired/written by our first prophet, Joseph Smith) put it simpler than I ever could - We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

My response:

Do you think there’s anything within The Pearl of Great Price that isn’t covered in some way in the rest of the Bible? I understand there’s additional teaching and history (I’ve read some into it). However, are there any concepts that aren’t, in some way, already covered in the Bible? Maybe I should put it another way . . . . In Biblical times (which is an extremely inaccurate way of saying, “during the time Jesus bodily walked the earth”) someone might have only had a portion, perhaps one letter and one gospel and/or the oral teachings passed on by the disciples or their disciples . . . and this was enough. God’s grace was enough that though the early Christians lacked the Bible as we know it in all its fullness, there was enough to put their faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. Now, of course, we have a huge amount of the Inspired Word of God and you, among the Mormons, have what you believe is an additional inspired work. Does The Pearl of Great Price contain new revelations that add to the existing Bible or revelations that change the interpretation of the existing Bible or teaching that is required before salvation can be received?

My original question:

Is proselytizing (active witnessing to bring in converts) a part of the Mormon religion? Why or why not, do you think?

Your answer:

The goal of the primitive church of Jesus Christ was to convert and baptize all nations (Matt. 28:19) and the same goal stands today for His restored Church. It is a gigantic part of our religion. In fact, every able and worthy young man is counselled to serve a mission when he is 19 years of age, and also every able, worthy, and willing young woman when she is 21 years of ago. The entire mission lasts two years (18 months for women) and the majority of the time is spent tracting, which is going door to door to share our faith. Currently there are over 53,000 missionaries that span over the entire world. But proselyting doesn't start or end with the one mission. We are encouraged to be missionaries throughout our entire lives, even though we don't carry the title. I am currently preparing to leave on a mission now, in fact, but I make sure to try to be a good missionary even though I don't have the name tag yet.

My response:

I think that if Christians of the major denominations took living and sharing their faith half as seriously as the Mormons, there would be far less religious ignorance in the world! It is perfectly clear that we’re not only called to be ready to speak of our faith in Christ, but that we’re called to spread the gospel to everyone! The “great commission” was given by Jesus himself! The most powerful witness, of course, is how we live our own lives . . . and then we’re to seek to share with others out of (at the very least) obedience to his will. One of the things I am impressed with here, with what you’ve written, is your attempt to remain humble despite your great conviction. Humility is often at odds with conviction. I hope you continue to cultivate both wisdom and humility in equal measure.

Thank you again for your wonderful, insightful, and detailed answers. In the limited space and time you’ve had to work with, you’ve done a wonderful job. Thank you again. It’s been a blessing reading and “discussing” these things with you. If I might ask one final thing . . . might I have your first name so that, in my paper, I may refer to you by it? If not, that’s okay. Thanks again and may God’s grace be with you.

[applepansy]

Do you want others to respond?

[daplautz]

Responses to responses.

How has Mormonism shaped or impacted your life? (Don't feel compelled to go into too much detail. This is kind of a huge question and I am wondering if the professor couldn't have been more succinct. Anyway, don't feel like you have to go take too much time or go into too much detail.)

My response to your response:

I agree with everything you say! By the sound of your words, your testimony of the reality and perfection of God seems amazing!

What are the challenges, if any, of practicing your faith? (Again, this may be a broad question that could prompt the writing of volumes . . . be as brief as you wish.)

My response to your response:

I agree with your saying that scripture should supplement prayer (and it works both ways; prayer should also supplement scripture study). I completely agree that diligent scripture study is of the utmost importance.

What about your faith do you find the most agreeable or appealing?

My response to your response:

I understand that faith in scripture is a top priority and it is up there with faith in Jesus Christ. But you must understand, with the claim that my religion makes of being true, there are other things that I have to put my faith in besides scripture. Not to overshadow my faith in the Word of God, but to accompany and fortify it. For example, while my father was interested in learning about the LDS church at 21 years old (he was married to my mother, a member of the church), he wanted to develop a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Being raised Catholic, he didn't have too much trouble accepting that Mormons embraced the Holy Bible, but the Book of Mormon was a different story. After having a testimony of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, he still felt reluctant to get baptized. Why? Because he had to have a separate personal witness from the Holy Ghost that Joseph Smith was a prophet. He had to pray constantly to get this witness. It came not long afterward and he then felt that baptism into this religion was what he wanted and what the Lord wanted. I had to do the same thing, but the story for my desire to know whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet wasn't as struggling as his. We also as members of this church need to have a testimony that our current prophet is indeed what we claim him to be. I have to know that our current prophet is a prophet just like Moses was a prophet, just like Abraham was a prophet, just like Isaiah, Daniel or Malachi. This is of importance to me, too. Once again, these do not overshadow my faith in scripture, but accompany and make it stronger. I don't think I completely understand what you mean by 'the more "organized" a religion the more possibility there is of skewed teaching and/or interpretation.'

What about your faith do you find the most agreeable or appealing?

My response to your response:

The Pearl of Great Price is considered scripture by Mormons and contains the books: Moses, Abraham, Joseph Smith History, Joseph Smith - Matthew, and the Articles of Faith. Moses, Abraham, and JS-M are purely to clarify things that have been lost over time. They are not to replace the Bible, but to clarify it. Joseph Smith History was written by our first prophet and accounts the "First Vision" (which is what Mormons call his visitation by Heavenly Father and the Savior), then goes on to tell other parts of Joseph's life such as the visitation of the angel Moroni, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of lost priesthood keys. The Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith and basically compress most of our beliefs into thirteen verses. All of these book are considered to be inspired by people who are LDS, and we are encouraged to read and understand it after we have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of the Gospel. I don't think that it takes away or replaces the Bible, but some other faiths believe that it does. It is purely up to the individual to find out for himself or herself.

I think that it is refreshing to remember that although there are differences in our religions, we still share a conviction that Jesus is the Savior, God is our Father, and they love us with a perfect love. It took me a great deal of time to come to the realization that my Heavenly Father loves me, but I hold on to that belief with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. I'm still up for answering any of your questions or clarifying anything that I may have been unclear about. My name is Daniel, by the way. Have fun continuing your paper!

[pam]

Ummm..this is an intro only forum.

[daplautz]

Ummm..this is an intro only forum.

... Whoops... Sorry, I'm new at this.:)