Why should I be a Mormon?

[lostinwater]

3 hours ago, 2ndRateMind said:

 Hmmm. If you asked me why I am a Christian, I would say simply that I have a far better quality of life loving God, His World, and His children, then ever I did as a self-centred atheist. I am merely looking for this kind of summary justification from you, for your denomination.

Best wishes, 2RM.

@2ndRateMind

i largely share your sentiments.  i left the Mormon Church because i found Something - not because i lost something.   And i think maybe those who stay in the church find what i have found outside of it, inside of it.  

That said, i'm not sure you'll ever find someone who can provide intellectual justifications like what you're asking for.  At least not ones that make sense to anyone other than the person providing them, in the moment they are uttering them.

i'd say generally, it because they get something out of it.  They get a sense of hope, purpose, meaning, and community.  It will take an army of social scientists dozens of times smarter than me to explain all the reasons different people get those from different denominations.  Probably a lot to do with who we are and the things we've experienced.  

i don't think religion is something you can persuade a person of - at least not most adult people existing outside the most restrictive cults.  It's like trying to persuade someone to fall in love with you.  You might have a lot of good reasons, but it's not an intellectual endeavor.  

And for the record, i think you're a delightful person.  In a religious denomination or not, i am sure you touch a lot of people for good.

[jerome1232]

It's kind of been said but it's not that we'd prefer everyone to be Mormon.
We simply aren't one christian denomination among the 2k+ other christian denominations out there.
We simply aren't one choice of many on God's path.

We are Christ's church. We are the only place on this earth that contains all of the saving principles needed to get you back to your father. We are the only place on this earth where priesthood authority exists.

That's why you should be Mormon. All other christian denominations have the truth in part, and most of them do their best to teach God's word as best as they can see it. But here, in Christ's church, this is the only place you'll find a prophet holding God's priesthood receiving revelation for God's church. As it's been mentioned, the first place to start would be the scriptures, in particular the Book of Mormon, and prayer and fasting.

Edited May 14, 2018 by jerome1232

[Lost Boy]

The simplest answer is the only way is for the spirit to testify to you of its truthfulness. Invite the missionaries over and talk with them. They aren't going to bite.. They can answer many of your questions.  But if you really want to to know, pray about and study the book of Mormon.  It is how I got a testimony. 

[person0]

7 hours ago, 2ndRateMind said:

Persuade me I am wrong to be uncommitted to any specific denomination, and yours in particular.

My initial thought in response to your post was, 'If you require someone to convince you, you aren't doing it right in the first place'.  I still think that's a true statement, but I will ask a couple of (hopefully) thought provoking questions anyway.

To which denomination do you believe Peter and the other original 12 Apostles belonged?  If you had lived as a Christian in their day, would you not have belonged to that denomination? If there is a denominational equivalent today of the original Church, should you not want to associate with said denomination?

If for some reason you feel you do not and cannot believe that there is a denominational equivalent to the original Church, then you should just keep doing what your doing because, aside from social benefits, there would be no reason to align with a particular denomination.  However, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints claims to be the denominational equivalent of the original Church established by the Lord and promoted by His original Apostles.  If we are what we claim to be, is there a reason you would not want to know it?  Philosophically speaking, if there is such thing as a true religion and a true denomination, are you not interested in knowing what it is?

Is it justifiable to remain uncommitted to any denomination if you haven't first 'proven' to yourself that there is none to which you ought to commit?

[2ndRateMind]

 

Quote

 

Hmmm. If you asked me why I am a Christian, I would say simply that I have a far better quality of life loving God, His World, and His children, then ever I did as a self-centred atheist.

I'm not sure if you see the irony here.  The irony is that you are still a self-centered atheist.  You only care about how things benefit you right here, right now. 

 

No, I don't see any irony. To love, wholly, completely and utterly, is far from self-centred. And materially, it certainly does not benefit me right here, right now. It is, however, one of the pleasant paradoxes of the Christian faith that by giving all, you gain all. As Jesus discovered, when He gave up His life in the here and now, for all of us, and gained eternity in Heaven, for Himself and all of us.

Best wishes, 2RM.

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[2ndRateMind]

Hmmm. To summarise a sub-theme of the thread thus far:

Me: Why should I be a Mormon?

Reply: Read the Book of Mormon.

Me: Why should I read the Book of Mormon? (given my current reading list is sufficient for the next 5 years, or so.)

Best wishes, 2RM.

Edited May 14, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[anatess2]

11 minutes ago, 2ndRateMind said:

No, I don't see any irony. To love, wholly, completely and utterly, is far from self-centred. And materially, it certainly does not benefit me right here, right now. It is, however, one of the pleasant paradoxes of the Christian faith that by giving all, you gain all. As Jesus discovered, when He gave up His life in the here and now, for us, and gained eternity in Heaven, for Himself and all of us.

Best wishes, 2RM.

 

Define what you mean by Love.

[2ndRateMind]

 

1 hour ago, anatess2 said:

Define what you mean by Love.

I think love is transcendent and ineffable, and quite outside the realm of ordinary definition. But those who know it, know they know it, and by that knowledge, (of a state part joy, part agony, wholly ecstasy) know God.

Quote

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.*

Sometimes, in one of my more analytic philosophical moods, I toy with the idea that the extent of sacrifice one is prepared to make, is proportionate to the extent of love one harbours.

Best wishes, 2RM

*1 John 4: 7-8 KJV

Edited May 14, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[anatess2]

2 hours ago, 2ndRateMind said:

 

I think love is transcendent and ineffable, and quite outside the realm of ordinary definition. But those who know it, know they know it, and by that knowledge, (of a state part joy, part agony, wholly ecstasy) know God.

Sometimes, in one of my more analytic philosophical moods, I toy with the idea that the extent of sacrifice one is prepared to make, is proportionate to the extent of love one harbours.

Best wishes, 2RM

*1 John 4: 7-8 KJV

Okay, that's a good definition.  But allow me to put a more practical substance to the idea.

Love is that all-encompassing desire to bring someone with you to Joy.  What is Joy?  Joy is that which is the goal of Christ's example.  He lived and taught principles for us to follow so that we may have true joy.

Therefore, Love is that all-encompassing desire to bring someone with us closer to Christ.  So when somebody says - I love you that's why I want to keep you safe at all times so I forbid you to talk to people or step outside of the house... is that love?  Well, that's not what Christ taught as a path leading to joy, so no, that's not love.  A husband and wife is fighting - the husband says, "I love you but you don't love me", the wife says, "I love you but you don't love me".  Who is right?  Well, Christ is the one who is right, so whoever is closer in following Christ's example is the one who is right.  Do you see what I'm saying?  

The Mormon Church is that one and only true Church that has ALL of the truths that has so far been revealed to man pertaining Christ.  Therefore, when you say "I want to love wholly, completely, and utterly" - that can be best accomplished through learning the truths of the gospel of Christ as taught in the Mormon Church.  Do you believe me?  No?  That's fine.  No man can make you believe this.  Such revelation (that the Mormon Church is the church that has all the truths pertaining Christ) can only be revealed to you by God through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.   You're not going to hell or anything.  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.  We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to ALL men, not just fellow Mormons; 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 praiseworthy, even as they are taught by other organizations, we seek after these things.  After all, when an Atheist says Be Kind, it doesn't make it false just because an Atheist says it.  

Edited May 14, 2018 by anatess2

[2ndRateMind]

2 hours ago, anatess2 said:

The Mormon Church is that one and only true Church that has ALL of the truths that has so far been revealed to man pertaining Christ.  

Thank you, Anatess2, for your reply. But I am still not entirely sure what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actually brings to the communion, that is not already present in the Gospels. In other words, what makes you different? And what makes that difference good, and right, and true?

Best wishes, 2RM.

Edited May 14, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[Jane_Doe]

5 minutes ago, 2ndRateMind said:

Thank you, Anatess2, for your reply. But I am still not entirely sure what the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints actually brings to the communion, that is not already present in the Gospels. In other words, what makes you different? And what makes that difference good, and right, and true?

Best wishes, 2RM.

Unadulterated Truth, more Truth, modern revelation, and God's priesthood. 

And all of the associated benefits from those things.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Jane_Doe

[Fether]

26 minutes ago, 2ndRateMind said:

Thank you, Anatess2, for your reply. But I am still not entirely sure what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actually brings to the communion, that is not already present in the Gospels. In other words, what makes you different? And what makes that difference good, and right, and true?

Best wishes, 2RM.

Modern day prophets that speak with God and reveal his will in an ever changing world (ie the word of wisdom was very forward thinking and today is still not seen by many as beneficial). 

Greater understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ 

Complete understanding of the purpose of life

greater understanding of what will be done in the afterlife

No contradictions in teaching

Clear answer to the “problem of evil” conundrum most Christians can’t answer

Clear answer to “why do bad things happen to good people

[person0]

1 hour ago, 2ndRateMind said:

And what makes that difference good, and right, and true?

Not sure if you read my previous post, but anyway, the only thing that makes our Church true is the ratification by Christ Himself.  At it's most conclusive point, that is the only thing that would make any Church true or false, the validation or lack thereof by Christ.

So far, it sounds to me like you are trying to make a decision rather than seek an answer.  What methodology do you intend to use to seek Christ's validation of your plan to abstain from any denomination?  How will you recognize His answer?  Alternatively, do you have a methodology to determine Christs ratification, or lack thereof for the various denominations?

[anatess2]

1 hour ago, 2ndRateMind said:

Thank you, Anatess2, for your reply. But I am still not entirely sure what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actually brings to the communion, that is not already present in the Gospels. In other words, what makes you different? And what makes that difference good, and right, and true?

Best wishes, 2RM.

I can write an entire book on MY answer to these questions.  I grew up devout Catholic, therefore, I went through a pretty intensive and soul-wrenching journey to the path I'm on now.  I don't think it is even possible, nor is it beneficial, to go through every single phase of my discovery as I believe everybody has their own journey. 

In any case, what led me to that fork on the road in my particular journey is the revelation that Families are Eternal and that Marriage is Eternal.  This is not taught anywhere else in Christendom even as many people instinctively know this is true.  My grandmother, for example, did not get re-married after her husband died in WWII.  I asked her why she didn't remarry and she answered, "What am I gonna say to your grandfather when we meet again?  That he's not my husband anymore because I have another husband now?  That, I cannot do."  So, even as a devout Catholic 'til the day she died, she believed wholeheartedy that her marriage to my grandfather did not end at his death.  My father passed away 5 years ago.  My uncle, another devout Catholic, gave the Eulogy and wrote a poem to the effect that he believes my father was the first one of their siblings to be taken because he has always been the one to plan and organize everything for the family.  His son passed away a couple years later and a few hours before he died, he told his father that my dad visited him and told him he'll be with him on his journey.  They did not cease to be a family just because they died.  It's a common belief in the Philippines where over 80% of the population are practicing Roman Catholics that our loved ones are going to meet us in death and we will be together again.  This is not something that is taught by the Catholic magisterium.  Roman Catholics, like most other Christians, believe that marriage ends in death and that family relationships are for mortal purposes only.  The LDS Church is the only church I know of that teaches as Christ taught that Marriage and Family are Eternal principles even as many people instinctively know this to be true.  This teaching alone gives a whole new meaning and purpose to the Marital Covenant and the Family and the Love that binds them.

Edited May 14, 2018 by anatess2

[2ndRateMind]

14 hours ago, Lost Boy said:

 Invite the missionaries over and talk with them. They aren't going to bite.. They can answer many of your questions...

I may well do this, in due course, when I am ready. I like discussions! But, for the moment, I only have two chairs in my flat, and it seems I might need more than that.

Best wishes, 2RM.

[anatess2]

1 minute ago, 2ndRateMind said:

I may well do this, in due course, when I am ready. I like discussions! But, for the moment, I only have two chairs in my flat, and it seems I might need more than that.

Best wishes, 2RM.

You can chat with them online at mormon.org.  There's a link on the bottom that says "Chat with Representatives".  Give it a go.

 

[Lost Boy]

44 minutes ago, 2ndRateMind said:

I may well do this, in due course, when I am ready. I like discussions! But, for the moment, I only have two chairs in my flat, and it seems I might need more than that.

Best wishes, 2RM.

They could meet you anywhere. The local church has a lot of class rooms and the missionaries often meet people there.  Some people have messy houses and would rather not have people come in and see their situation. 

[Connie]

If you're interested in more of a philosophical treatment of LDS beliefs, I would recommend reading The God Who Weeps by Terryl Givens. That is... I would, if I didn't understand that your reading list is sufficient for the next 5 years or so.

[MaryJehanne]

21 hours ago, 2ndRateMind said:

So, in another thread, now taken down by the moderators, I gave two reasons why I should not be a Mormon.

Reason #1. I like diversity. I like differences of opinion. It seems to me it saves us from 'group think', the phenomenon where no one notices a mistake, because everyone is making the same mistake.

Reason #2. Even within the Christian tradition, I am sure all Anglicans would prefer we were all Anglican, all Catholics that we were all Catholic, all Jehovah's witnesses that we were all Jehovah's witnesses, all Quakers that we were all Quaker, etc. How to choose among them all? So, for the moment, until persuaded otherwise, I am quite content to remain a simple Christian, who loves God, and His world, and His children, without partiality, bias or favourites.

So, I know many of you to be familiar with, and trained in, evangelical (missionary) techniques and arguments. Now is your chance. Persuade me I am wrong to be uncommitted to any specific denomination, and yours in particular.

Best wishes, 2RM.

I’m not LDS, but I can offer you some advice!

From my Catholic background, there are some things that everyone believes so as to be faithful to the magisterium, such as the doctrines of three persons in one God and Mary being conceived immaculately. But even secular society does this! Most people, for instance, believe the earth is round and that fire is a chemical reaction. This isn’t foolish, but rather logical and efficient. If we had to prove everything out on our own, creating and running our own experiments to determine Earth's roundness and fire's nature, we’d spend a lifetime discerning only a very few truths. We rely on the collected branches of knowledge (sciences, which in this definition would include theology and philosophy) to provide us with accumulated, vetted knowledge. Groupthink is a danger, though, when this trust is placed in an unreliable source. The key is to make sure to discern the trustworthiness and authority of the source of the body of knowledge (such as a religion) before accepting it. You trust astronomy because you trust astronomers and their methods; you presumably don’t trust astrology because astrologists and their methods aren’t reliable, logical sources of truth.

(Groupthink, conforming to the group's consensus, is a problem of relying on a group of individual people instead of truth. It involves overestimating the group, close-mindedness, and pressure for uniformity. It becomes a problem especially when the group is unreliable, which, with fallible humans, is pretty much always! Really, groupthink seems to come from a human desire to fit in and be accepted. If you're believing something because you've determined it's true, however, that's not groupthink, such as believing in things like biology and chemistry. Even in religions, where people follow a body of truth that is (and naturally only one is!) objectively true, individual people can still teach just plain wrongs ideas. Conforming to these because they're in vogue in a particular community or time and not questioning them because of that would be nearer psychology's concept of groupthink, but just believing in a branch of accumulated truth is not!)

On the smaller level, however, again from an experience of Catholicism, there are areas that haven’t been definitively defined as true that Catholics can reasonably have differences of opinion on, such as the age of the world and whether prayers for things in the past can be heard. This doesn’t mean there’s not an objectively true answer for these things; it just means we don’t know for sure, so everyone can form their own opinions in these areas, different from other Catholics.

 

Religion is the same idea: an organized branch of knowledge about the supernatural, ultimate construction of life. The problem then lies in picking which branch is the true one, just as you accept astronomy and toss out astrology. You've narrowed it down to Christianity, which is good, but now there are multiple branches that believe in Christ! Just like it's preferable to choose between Buddhism, Judaism, Jehovah Witnesses, Hinduism, and Christianity (etc.), it's preferable to now determine which branch has the fullest form of Christianity. And, beyond the fact that it's always preferable to know as much truth as you're able, rather than just a partial truth or a truth mixed with untruth, if I love God, which I'm sure you do as well, I'd want to know Him as He really is and know Him better, just as I would any one I love.

Another reason you should seek a specific denomination (Although, similar to what some members have been saying about the LDS Church, Catholics wouldn't consider Catholicism a denomination! We'd consider the Catholic Church the orthodox Christianity, with other Christian denominations as belonging to the One, Catholic Church through baptism, but only acknowledging part of the truth.) over another is that God has set up advantages in His Church to bring a soul closer to Him. It is possible to be saved (through the Church) without ever knowingly being a member, but it is much easier to do it by participating in the fullness of the graces the Church has to offer on earth. This includes not only gaining a new branch of knowledge (rather then spending a lifetime learning only a few objective truths about reality), but also because of the consolations and help He’s able to give you on your path towards holiness in everyday life and the defenses He can give you against evils, such as those of the world and demons, that are trying to cause you to lose your soul and separate you from Him. In short, God loves you and He established the Church for you on earth, so that He can care for you and lead you to Him. He can't do that as effectively for a soul if she remains on the sidelines.

 

Towards the "how" question, I'd suggest approaching your discernment like you would most any other body of truth! Of course, measure your findings against reality (If someone tells you the sky is green when it's clearly blue, don't believe them and all that! Don't abandon logic; God's given your intellect to you and intends you to use it!), but first figure out which authority is reliable and then prove which branch can demonstrates it truly comes from the authority it claims, investigate it by finding orthodox resources.

You've already determined the authority you trust is Christ, so now the next step would be to find which branch claiming to originate from Him really does. I know that may seem to be an insurmountable task, but it's certainly possible to do, and there are resources for those investigating! For instance, if I was scrutinizing Eastern Orthodoxy, I could trace the turning point to the Great Schism, a few decades into the 11th century, and investigate key differences, which in this case is really one, the rejection of the authority of the Pope (Eastern Orthodoxy isn't heretical, it's only schismatic, which means it believes the same doctrines as Catholicism, but has broken from the Church by rejecting the Pope's authority). For Lutheranism and other Protestant denominations, I might trace the turning point back to figures like Luther or Zwingli. Are they reliable authorities? Are they changing or rejecting anything that comes from the reliable authority, Christ? A key foundation when setting out on your investigation would be reading the Early Church Fathers to familiarize yourself with what orthodox Christianity looked like before the splinters arose, so that you're able to recognize it in the modern day.

 

I'm so sorry I wrote you a book there. I hope that helped a little at least! Please let me know if you want me to give you the cliffnotes notes version and I can distill it for you!

 

[2ndRateMind]

16 hours ago, Lost Boy said:

They could meet you anywhere. The local church has a lot of class rooms and the missionaries often meet people there.  Some people have messy houses and would rather not have people come in and see their situation. 

Ha Ha! My flat is about as messy as you can imagine a flat to be! Partly because I am trying to get 3 businesses off the ground, and partly because it is just small, and even a small amount of disorder makes it seem untidy. And one of these nascent startups is a craft project, and gets about as messy as you can imagine, and the other two are not so messy, but require a certain amount of storage space, which I just do not have. Anyway, I have nothing to hide, and I am quite content for people to take me as they find me, or not, as they prefer. And I would prefer to be among my books and references, for a meeting on this topic.

Best wishes, 2RM.

Edited May 15, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[2ndRateMind]

8 hours ago, MaryJehanne said:

I’m not LDS, but I can offer you some advice!...

...I'm so sorry I wrote you a book there. I hope that helped a little at least! 

Thanks, MaryJehanne, for that. There is quite a lot there to take on board, but while I read, mark, learn and inwardly digest, I just wanted for you to know I am not ignoring you, and am grateful for all your efforts on my behalf.

Best wishes, 2RM.

Edited May 15, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[Sunday21]

https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/know-this-that-every-soul-is-free?lang=eng&_r=1

@2ndRateMind

[2ndRateMind]

21 hours ago, person0 said:

Not sure if you read my previous post,

Of course I have. I really am genuinely interested in the replies I get to the questions I ask. Otherwise, I would be no better than a troll.

Quote

So far, it sounds to me like you are trying to make a decision rather than seek an answer.  What methodology do you intend to use to seek Christ's validation of your plan to abstain from any denomination?  How will you recognize His answer?  Alternatively, do you have a methodology to determine Christs ratification, or lack thereof for the various denominations?

I do not 'plan' to remain aloft from all denominations and their inter-denominational debates. That just seems to be what God has in mind for me for the moment, and where I am spiritually most comfortable. And, I have no methodology decided at present, to choose among them all, other than this: that it may just be that we gain our knowledge and our social and scientific progress not by deciding what is true, but by discarding what is false. When we eliminated the impossible, then what remains, however improbable, might just be the truth. In their different fields, the philosopher Sir Karl Popper, and the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, thought so, anyway, and unless you can provide me a better strategy, that will probably be the one I opt for.

Best wishes, 2RM.

Edited May 15, 2018 by 2ndRateMind

[Fether]

2 hours ago, 2ndRateMind said:

Of course I have. I really am genuinely interested in the replies I get to the questions I ask. Otherwise, I would be no better than a troll.

I do not 'plan' to remain aloft from all denominations and their inter-denominational debates. That just seems to be what God has in mind for me for the moment, and where I am spiritually most comfortable. And, I have no methodology decided at present, to choose among them all, other than this: that it may just be that we gain our knowledge and our social and scientific progress not by deciding what is true, but by discarding what is false. When we eliminated the impossible, then what remains, however improbable, might just be the truth. In their different fields, the philosopher Sir Karl Popper, and the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, thought so, anyway, and unless you can provide me a better strategy, that will probably be the one I opt for.

Best wishes, 2RM.

So here are some things to consider:

1) Problem of Evil, if God is so good, why do bad things happen? Is he not really good? Is he not powerful enough to stop evil? Is he not smart enough to stop evil? Does he not have enough time to stop the evil?

Mormon Answer: The purpose of this life is to learn and grow and to one day be like God. In order to do that God allows us to face evil and to learn to choose good over evil. We are not meant to merely worship God, but to one day be as he is. This is directly contrary to every Protestant and Christian belief, as they claim the fall of Adam was not suppose to happen And we were meant to exist in a sinless paradise for ever just worshiping God. I have yet to find a Protestant or Catholic answer that satiafies the “problem of evil” and doesn’t contradict other Christian beliefs.

2) What is the state of the dead that never received the message of Christ?

Mormon Answer: Us Mormons, from the beginning, understood that there is a time between death and resurrection in which one may be taught the gospel by other spirits that have passed on as well (1 Peter 3-4, Alma 40). Along with this we perform baptisms for the dead to allow all men past and present the opportunity to become members of Christ’s Church. The LDS church is the only church that practices this. The only other way around damning all of man kind to Hell is to say that we don’t really need to be baptized (which is contrary to John 3:5), or that we don’t really need to be Christian, just be good.

 

3) John 21:25 says “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” So why is there only one book of scripture? Did God only speak to those in Jerusalem?

Mormon Answer:  God spoke to all of his children, hence why we have the Book of Mormon, which is the record of the ancient Americans. God also spoke to others, but we do. It currently have their records, yet we believe that some day we will. Christians often point to Jude 1:3 where in some translation it says the gospel was given “once for all” which they translate to mean that we don’t need any more scripture.

 

4) Where are the prophets? Through all scripture there have been prophets, and Amos 3:7 says “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

Mormon answer: Prophets are essential to Christ’s true church. Christ taught in doctrine and it was consistent through his whole church. even in the Old Testament, Joshua was commanded by God to “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left”. There are not 1,000 different truths, there is one. And there is only one Prophet of God. 

Today their are countless denominations, all claiming to either have authority via just faith, or that one does not need authority. Also they run their church under organizations that did not exist in the Bible.

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God’s only true church upon the earth. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Fether

[person0]

1 hour ago, 2ndRateMind said:

And, I have no methodology decided at present, to choose among them all

How familiar are you with the Bible?  Is there any methodology within the scriptures that you are aware of and accept?

1 hour ago, 2ndRateMind said:

When we eliminated the impossible, then what remains, however improbable, might just be the truth.

I like this statement in regard to the scientific method.  It is very helpful.  The issue with this approach to religion is that most of religion is impossible, so one must start with a very large subset of givens in order to proceed.  Then, the subset of givens will vary from person to person as they view things in their own paradigm.

For example, here are some of the givens under which I operate:

• God exists
• God is good
• God created man in His own image
• God loves all of His children
• God never changes
• God speaks to/instructs the entire world through prophets
• God speaks to/instructs individuals through the Holy Spirit
• God answers prayers
• Jesus Christ established an organized religion, therefore, if there is a true religion, it must be an organized religion
• Jesus Christ only established one religion, multiple denominations did not exist during his lifetime
  • There is either 1 or 0 true religions in existence today (having the correct doctrines, practices, and authority from God and/or Christ)
• Jesus Christ chose His own leaders for His Church

There are others, but that is enough to convey that I personally would start with these assumptions in my analysis of any Christian religion.  I would have another list of assumptions during a conversation with someone who is already a member of my Church (i.e. that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God), than with someone who is not when discussing and analyzing doctrines and principles.

Your founding assumptions will greatly affect the outcome of your search.  What are your assumptions?  Do you agree with those I listed?  Why/Why not?