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New investigators + order of books

KY93
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KY93

KY93

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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?

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estradling75

estradling75

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Welcome @KY93

The Book of Mormon is the starting place for all Investigators.  It is foundational to everything else the LDS church teaches.  If you find the Book of Mormon to be what it claims to be then the church's teachings about prophets and a restoration of God's church all become easier to accept and understand.  If you find the Book of Mormon not to be what is claims then all the rest of the LDS church fails.

As for pacing the LDS church is big on the the Lord teaching "Line upon Line."  When the Lord teaches you that something is correct then you need to act on it.  Even if you do not understand everything or anything else. So that can make the process feel a bit rushed, but you and only you can tell when the Lord has taught you something so.. You and only you decide when thing are going to happen.  Feel free to say No or Stop or slow down if that is what you need and feel too rushed.

As for books and resources anything found here is good https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng (Look under the Scriptures and Study tab)  The options for after the Book of Mormon will depend on what you want to learn/study.

 

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Grunt

Grunt

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4 hours ago, KY93 said:

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?

I think this post was made for me.   Disclaimer:  I’m not LDS.  

First, go to church.  They love visitors.  Stay for the whole thing.  Meet the missionaries.  Ask questions.   The pace will seem fast.  You may seem rushed.  However, Mormons take “no” very easily.  It’s your life, your pace.  Don’t hinder your own investigation, but set your own pace. 

Download the LDS library app if you can.  I listened to the Book of Mormon then used the app to read it and cross reference it with other scripture. It helped me immensely.  

You can get involved with the church without being a member.  I attend service projects and the like.  Sometimes they forget I’m not LDS. I suggest you get involved.  LDS isn’t just a religion on Sunday, it’s a life towards God.   

I have a thread here about my journey. 

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KY93

KY93

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46 minutes ago, Grunt said:

You can get involved with the church without being a member.  I attend service projects and the like.  Sometimes they forget I’m not LDS. I suggest you get involved.  LDS isn’t just a religion on Sunday, it’s a life towards God.   

I have a thread here about my journey. 

Glad to know when I make the leap out of my comfort zone and try service I’ll be welcome to join projects etc before making any commitments. I do not resent my past church but there was a handful of things I didn’t agree with from what was taught and what was actually written. I felt there was discrepancies which is why I’m extra careful this time.

I’m excited by the thought of having a home church to become involved with, especially once I have children I’d like to give them the spiritual foundation I lacked.

ill have to locate your thread I’m sure it’ll answer the questions I have along the way (:

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KY93

KY93

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1 hour ago, estradling75 said:

The Book of Mormon is the starting place for all Investigators.  It is foundational to everything else the LDS church teaches. 

I’ve actually downloaded the app and have began reading it in the early morning before bed (night shifter) for about a week now. I actually got half way through once before but then I felt in my head it would be a lot of responsibility to stop coffee, learn additional material, actually go to service and be the new person.. mostly self centered reasons. This time I’m reading with more clarity on what I’ll gain not quite what I’ll lose or need to change.

 

thank you for your kind advice.

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zil

zil

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9 minutes ago, KY93 said:

ill have to locate your thread

https://mormonhub.com/forums/topic/62363-missionaries/

3 minutes ago, KY93 said:

but then I felt in my head it would be a lot of responsibility to stop [some personal habit], learn additional material, actually go to service and be the new person.. mostly self centered reasons. This time I’m reading with more clarity on what I’ll gain not quite what I’ll lose or need to change.

Believe it or not, this is the same thing life-long members feel. :) It's a growing / learning process that lasts your whole life, not a destination - a lifestyle of constant self-improvement.

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estradling75

estradling75

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1 minute ago, KY93 said:

I’ve actually downloaded the app and have began reading it in the early morning before bed (night shifter) for about a week now. I actually got half way through once before but then I felt in my head it would be a lot of responsibility to stop coffee, learn additional material, actually go to service and be the new person.. mostly self centered reasons. This time I’m reading with more clarity on what I’ll gain not quite what I’ll lose or need to change.

 

thank you for your kind advice.

This is totally understandable.  Ultimately the goal is Christ's command to be perfect like him and his Father.  That is a big deal, and all of us are works in progress toward that goal.  Not everyone struggles with the same thing, but we all struggle with something (usually multiple somethings).

So while it is good to study and learn what you are getting into... the feeling of struggling to do what we should, never really goes away... just changes focus from time to time.

 

 

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person0

person0

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@KY93,

Other's have already given great advice.  I would also encourage you, as you read the Book of Mormon, to pay close attentions to the things it teaches about Christ, and to the words that are attributed to him.  In focusing on this, it will help you recognize whether or not the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true.

Unrelated:  Is the KY for Kentucky, or your initials? And the 93 is the year of your birth, I presume?  Just curious.

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Jane_Doe

Jane_Doe

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6 hours ago, KY93 said:

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?

Hi @KY93 and welcome to the forums, and (more importantly) welcome to checking out the Church!

The pace of learning about the LDS church is whatever you want it to be.   As @Grunt said, sometime us LDS folks (especially missionaries) can get a little over excited and forget you got to walk before you run.  But you're in the driver's seat and we do take "pause"  or "slow down" very nicely.  You are in the driver's seat.  We LDS are also HUGE on the "learn line upon line" concept, so no, we're not going to dump a bunch of material on you and say "pop quiz at 8 AM tomorrow!".  In fact, there are no pop quizzes in the LDS faith ever.  

As to reading to material:  You're welcome to read as much material as you want (or don't want).  Awesome job getting through as much of the Book of Mormon as you have!  That is definitely the book of scripture to start with (you're obviously familiar with the Bible already).  The most important books in the LDS faith are our 4 books of scripture: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.  The 4 are all held at the same level of importance (cause they are all scripture), but some are better to read first and "hit the bullseye" more concisely.  Hence, why we focus on reading the Book of Mormon first and wait on the rest right now.

One the book which might be of use to your right now is our Sunday School manual for new members (https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-principles?lang=eng).  Obviously a manual and not scripture, but it's really useful for explaining basic LDS doctrines.  As with all LDS materials you can read/listen/whatever for free.

 

As far as going to LDS services: again, there's no pop quizzes.  But there are screaming babies ;) .  LDS believe that worship time is family time, so everyone is together for our main service, including the screaming babies.  It's super casual, you're always welcome to join.  You're not required to recite anything or make any statement of faith to join in LDS activities (cause we don't recite anything at anytime :P ).  If you'd like to partake in the Lord's Supper with us, you're welcome to, or if you want to pass you're welcome to do that too.  

The main service is an hour long, with different members of the congregation giving mini-sermons on various subjects (like ~4 mini-sermons in 45 minutes).  We don't have a professional pastor to get up and lecture everyone else: rather we all teach each other and we're all learning to better follow Christ, line upon line.   In fact, if you come one the 1st Sunday of the month, it's open mic, so you're hear a bunch of folks just get up and talk about their testimony of Christ.  

If you want to stay after the main service, there's Sunday School classes for everyone, including classes specifically for people just checking out the church.  Again, everything is up to you: you're the one in the driver's seat.

Edited by Jane_Doe
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Jane_Doe

Jane_Doe

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6 minutes ago, SilentOne said:

But you might feel uncomfortable showing up in jeans.

Oh clothes!!  Forgot to talk about that *doh!*

LDS folks do typically dress up for services (skirt for the ladies, button-down shirt for the guys).   It's a way of showing respect for God.  Now that being said, you can literally show up wearing whatever and no single LDS person is going to care.  I have literally picked out the filthiest outfit I own and (skipping long series of events) ended up attending church in it.  Not a single person said anything. 

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KY93

KY93

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14 hours ago, person0 said:

Is the KY for Kentucky, or your initials? And the 93 is the year of your birth, I presume?  Just curious.

Yes. Initials and I was birthed in summer of 93 (:

but thank you for the advice the app I’m using allows me to journal so maybe that will help too.

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mordorbund

mordorbund

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9 hours ago, person0 said:

I was actually hoping the KY was for Kentucky.  :lol:  It seems everyone in the forum is so far away from where I live!  That would at least be somewhat close!

@JudoMinja moved to Kentucky and we haven't heard from her since. (at least, I think it was JudoMinja)

Edited by mordorbund
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Guest MormonGator

Guest MormonGator

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10 hours ago, person0 said:

I was actually hoping the KY was for Kentucky.  :lol:  It seems everyone in the forum is so far away from where I live!  That would at least be somewhat close!

He's lying. Dude is actually my new neighbor and throws some wild parties. Cops have come to his place every weekend. 

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james12

james12

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KY93, There is a little book about our beliefs I have always liked it's called Our Search For Happiness. It was written by Elder Ballard, one of the apostles. It covers our beliefs in a very conversational tone and has a good spirit about it. It does not replace the Book of Mormon but if your in the mood for a little lighter reading and want to understand how we think a little better, this is the book.

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Grunt

Grunt

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On 10/15/2017 at 8:30 AM, james12 said:

KY93, There is a little book about our beliefs I have always liked it's called Our Search For Happiness. It was written by Elder Ballard, one of the apostles. It covers our beliefs in a very conversational tone and has a good spirit about it. It does not replace the Book of Mormon but if your in the mood for a little lighter reading and want to understand how we think a little better, this is the book.

Is this online or on LDS Library?  

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