Just the good things

[Blossom76]

As most of you know I've been a serious investigator of the LDS faith.  While I have decided its not for me, I feel its important to point out all the good and beautiful things I learnt, and think everyone could learn from the LDS way of life.

Family Night - Having a dedicated night once a week for your family to be together is a great practice, one I certainly will be keeping.

Spiritual Connection - I really connect to and feel the spirit every time I pray now.  Coming from a catholic background that has very ritualistic prayers I never learnt how to really connect my heart to God, I will forever be grateful to the LDS church for teaching me how to do that, its the best feeling ever.

To be open to new ideas - Studying another faith really opens your eyes to another viewpoint, nothing makes you understand how crazy some of the things are in your own faith like looking at the crazy and unexplainable in another's.

Take your health seriously - this is such a great message of the LDS church, you only get one body, if you ruin it you'll have no where to live.  Taking care of yourself really is a spiritual thing.

I know there are heaps of other things I can't think of right now.  I'd love to hear from others.

[CV75]

1 hour ago, Blossom76 said:

As most of you know I've been a serious investigator of the LDS faith.  While I have decided its not for me, I feel its important to point out all the good and beautiful things I learnt, and think everyone could learn from the LDS way of life.

Family Night - Having a dedicated night once a week for your family to be together is a great practice, one I certainly will be keeping.

Spiritual Connection - I really connect to and feel the spirit every time I pray now.  Coming from a catholic background that has very ritualistic prayers I never learnt how to really connect my heart to God, I will forever be grateful to the LDS church for teaching me how to do that, its the best feeling ever.

To be open to new ideas - Studying another faith really opens your eyes to another viewpoint, nothing makes you understand how crazy some of the things are in your own faith like looking at the crazy and unexplainable in another's.

Take your health seriously - this is such a great message of the LDS church, you only get one body, if you ruin it you'll have no where to live.  Taking care of yourself really is a spiritual thing.

I know there are heaps of other things I can't think of right now.  I'd love to hear from others.

That those who have decided it is not for them are ever loved and welcome.

[Jane_Doe]

What an awesome thread!

- Stress on you are child of God, completely independent on anything you do.  He is your Father.  

- The importance of talking to God yourself

- Scientific-like approach to testing and experimenting on/with faith.

[bytebear]

I hope you will forever cherish and study the Book of Mormon as well.

[anatess2]

The Articles of Faith are awesome in my opinion.  These are especially of note to non-members:

11.  We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12.  We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13.  We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul — "We believe all things, we hope all things," we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praise worthy, we seek after these things.

 

[Jane_Doe]

24 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

11.  We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

#11 is a big happy point about the LDS faith for me-- just having the importance of other people's faiths & respecting that being SO important that it's literally included as part of the Articles of Faith.  

[lostinwater]

14 hours ago, Blossom76 said:

I know there are heaps of other things I can't think of right now.  I'd love to hear from others.

A good thread @Blossom76 .  

Having attended several other worship services, i've grown to appreciate more the comparative reverence/calmness of the mormon meetings.  That's not to say there is anything wrong with the others.  There's a very beautiful kind of exuberant happiness in them, but i will never quite get used to drums and electric guitars in a church.  Even when there are lot of kids in the sacrament service - it's not even remotely close.  i very much appreciate this in the mormon services.

i hope you'll check in here frequently - whether in the mormon church or no.  i have nothing but respect for the way in which you pursue meaning/truth in your life.  And let me know if you ever find something that ticks all the boxes - i'm searching too.  

[seashmore]

An emphasis on continuous learning and self-improvement.

 

[wenglund]

I like the ultimate objective of the restored gospel--i.e. to bring us to Christ and enable us to become like him, which is echoed in the Fourfold Mission of the Church.

Pretty much everything about the church is directed towards that end. And, aside from asking God, it is the single most important, if not the only measurement by which the church ought to be judged--does the church enable, or rather best enable us to become like Christ?

If it does, and if one desires that end, then this is the Church for you. Otherwise, to each their own.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[mordorbund]

Since this thread started with a bit of holy envy, I'll share mine. I have tremendous respect for the reverence shown by, and taught to children of, Catholics respecting the sacrament of the Lord's supper.

[anatess2]

1 hour ago, mordorbund said:

Since this thread started with a bit of holy envy, I'll share mine. I have tremendous respect for the reverence shown by, and taught to children of, Catholics respecting the sacrament of the Lord's supper.

What I miss most from the Catholic Church is that grand majesty of the traditions.  Like the simple act of genuflecting when crossing the altar.  As a new convert to LDS, the ward and stake buildings and even the sacrament meetings seem more casual in comparison.  But then I entered the temple and... whoa.

[Grunt]

2 hours ago, anatess2 said:

What I miss most from the Catholic Church is that grand majesty of the traditions.  Like the simple act of genuflecting when crossing the altar.  As a new convert to LDS, the ward and stake buildings and even the sacrament meetings seem more casual in comparison.  But then I entered the temple and... whoa.

I never missed that.  It always seemed so "staged" to me.  I enjoy the loud family atmosphere of the Church, the quiet reverence during Sacrament, and the differing lessons from the membership.

[anatess2]

12 minutes ago, Grunt said:

I never missed that.  It always seemed so "staged" to me.  I enjoy the loud family atmosphere of the Church, the quiet reverence during Sacrament, and the differing lessons from the membership.

Yes, it is "staged".  That's what I loved about it.  It's the same feeling I get looking at my grandma and even my mother preparing to go out in public, especially for Sunday mass.  My grandma took special care of her physical appearance - every strand of hair in its proper place, every dress thoughtfully selected for the occasion... same with my mother - the beauty-woman comes to our house every Saturday to work on my mother's nails and trim her hair if needed.  My mother selects her Sunday outfit the day before so her purse and her shoes matches her nail color.  My grandma and my mother walk with such grace and elegance and it all just hits me as a sort of reverence for their womanhood.  I miss that.  I've been such a tomboy and has always chased after this grand career that now that I'm a mother of 2, I somehow never found the time to treat my physical self with the kind of reverence my grandmother and mother did before me.  My sister does it - she spends a lot of effort putting herself together especially as she's a nurse and meets people who are at their low points in life everyday.  But even my sister waxes nostalgic for the time when nurses and midwives (my mother) wore those white dresses and their hair coiffed neatly into nursing caps.

I'm not really sure if I'm explaining myself properly.

[Grunt]

1 minute ago, anatess2 said:

Yes, it is "staged".  That's what I loved about it.  It's the same feeling I get looking at my grandma and even my mother preparing to go out in public, especially for Sunday mass.  My grandma took special care of her physical appearance - every strand of hair in its proper place, every dress thoughtfully selected for the occasion... same with my mother - the beauty-woman comes to our house every Saturday to work on my mother's nails and trim her hair if needed.  My mother selects her Sunday outfit the day before so her purse and her shoes matches her nail color.  My grandma and my mother walk with such grace and elegance and it all just hits me as a sort of reverence for their womanhood.  I miss that.  I've been such a tomboy and has always chased after this grand career that now that I'm a mother of 2, I somehow never found the time to treat my physical self with the kind of reverence my grandmother and mother did before me.  My sister does it - she spends a lot of effort putting herself together especially as she's a nurse and meets people who are at their low points in life everyday.  But even my sister waxes nostalgic for the time when nurses and midwives (my mother) wore those white dresses and their hair coiffed neatly into nursing caps.

I'm not really sure if I'm explaining myself properly.

You are.  I guess we just view it differently.  I can certainly see why you would like them.

[wenglund]

One of the things I appreciate most about other Christian faiths is their penchant for record-keeping in the distant past. (births, christenings, marriage, death, etc.) It has been a great help to our genealogical and family history research. 

I am also deeply grateful for the extensive charitable services they provide.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

Edited March 21, 2018 by wenglund

[anatess2]

1 minute ago, Grunt said:

You are.  I guess we just view it differently.  I can certainly see why you would like them.

I think it comes down to what you grew up with.  Maybe.  Like, I grew up with the sound of church bells and everytime I hear church bells it just instantly puts a reverent feel to the moment.  

Oh, and the sermons - it has that reverence to it.  Well, the priest has a doctorate on what he's talking about so it's no comparison to LDS speakers.  But, I sometimes get irritated when speakers make jokes on sacrament meeting talks.  But that's my problem, not the speakers. 

 

[Vort]

7 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

But, I sometimes get irritated when speakers make jokes on sacrament meeting talks.

The price of having our sermons delivered by lay members is that some will treat it as open mike night at the comedy club. But I find this not all that common. The bonus is that our ward members get some practice at public speaking and perhaps can speak with a little more confidence when addressing matters of religion and faith.

[lostinwater]

7 minutes ago, anatess2 said:

Yes, it is "staged".  That's what I loved about it.  It's the same feeling I get looking at my grandma and even my mother preparing to go out in public, especially for Sunday mass.  My grandma took special care of her physical appearance - every strand of hair in its proper place, every dress thoughtfully selected for the occasion... same with my mother - the beauty-woman comes to our house every Saturday to work on my mother's nails and trim her hair if needed.  My mother selects her Sunday outfit the day before so her purse and her shoes matches her nail color.  My grandma and my mother walk with such grace and elegance and it all just hits me as a sort of reverence for their womanhood.  I miss that.  I've been such a tomboy and has always chased after this grand career that now that I'm a mother of 2, I somehow never found the time to treat my physical self with the kind of reverence my grandmother and mother did before me.  My sister does it - she spends a lot of effort putting herself together especially as she's a nurse and meets people who are at their low points in life everyday.  But even my sister waxes nostalgic for the time when nurses and midwives (my mother) wore those white dresses and their hair coiffed neatly into nursing caps.

I'm not really sure if I'm explaining myself properly.

2

That's a beautiful explanation.

i remember attending a service once - the feeling i had.  It was....profound.  

[Grunt]

1 hour ago, Vort said:

The price of having our sermons delivered by lay members is that some will treat it as open mike night at the comedy club. But I find this not all that common. The bonus is that our ward members get some practice at public speaking and perhaps can speak with a little more confidence when addressing matters of religion and faith.

You guys would hate me on open mic night, then.

[Sunday21]

@Blossom76. Loved having you here! If you ever want to vent or just let us know how you are doing, we are here! All the best!

[anatess2]

13 hours ago, Grunt said:

You guys would hate me on open mic night, then.

Do you open with... "Hi, for those who don't know me, my name is Grunt..."?

[Grunt]

2 hours ago, anatess2 said:

Do you open with... "Hi, for those who don't know me, my name is Grunt..."?

I open with “I’m warning you now, I talk a lot, I sometimes have bad language, and my wife says I’m not as funny as I think I am”

[classylady]

What I appreciate most about the LDS faith is the knowledge I have gained about life after death.  I know all of us experience death of loved ones at some point in our lives, and the death of my daughter in a car accident when she was 19 years old was devastating to me.  It’s been almost 15 years now and I still profoundly miss her.  I can’t imagine losing a loved one and not knowing if you will ever see them again.  It brings me such peace and joy to know I will again be able to embrace her in my arms and tell her how much I missed her and love her.

My father died when I was only six years old.  I’m also looking forward to seeing him again, along with my mother who passed away last year.  This is what it’s truly all about—our relationships with our loved ones and living good and honorable lives.

[askandanswer]

One of the things I like the most about my faith is my belief that,. through inspiration and personal revelation, I can come to know virtually anything if I put in the apporpriate effort and exercise faith and humilty. My patience sometimes falls a little short when people sometimes suggest that there are things that can't be known. 

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

The greater knowledge and testimony that I have of Jesus Christ because of the restored gospel.