Can someone explain Mormon to me?

[sirtimo]

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I would specifically like to hear from presently devoted Mormons and former mormons.

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Dude, you are posting on a gambling forum.

Not sure what your point is to list out the doctrines and history of the church and it's founder. You could do the same with every other major religion to pick a fight or snark on their "goofy" beliefs.

[blackize]

Very informative link. I never really studied much of the Book of Mormon outside of what was read to us by missionaries. In my experience the strangest of those doctrines are not discussed or even widely known of. I'll tell you a little about what Mormon church services and life were like for me.

Mormon church services were held Sundays and done in 2-3 parts. First is the actual service which consists of singing of hymns, partaking of the sacrament, discussion of contemporary moral issues, and testimonials where people from the congregation could get up and express what circumstances led to them realizing that the Mormon way was the right way or some other spiritual movement they had felt. After the main service the congregation splits by gender and age.

I only have experience with the young men's group so I cannot speculate on what goes on in the other groups. The young men's groups were broken down with people 11-14 in one group and 14-18 in another. Groups were led by Elders or missionaries from the congregations. Typically we discussed issues of morals, the different levels of the Celestial Kingdom and what the requirements for each are, and did Q&A about church policy, church doctrine, or scripture.

Mormon communities are very close knit. The missionaries, both male and female, try to visit each member once a week or so. Missionaries are typically accompanied on visits by some of the more active men and women in the community. Any time someone in the community needs something, the rest of the congregation knows about it and takes care of the need to the best of their ability.

Monday nights are family home evenings. The church encourages families to get together on Monday nights and read scripture, play games, or just talk together. Many times families will host large gatherings where there are lots of games played, scripture read, and varying levels of discussion.

I quit the church because I couldn't reconcile the historical inaccuracies with the very literal interpretation that the church takes of the Book of Mormon. Later I would begin to doubt all religion as they were corrupt constructs of man and considered myself more a spiritual person than a religious person. Today I consider myself to be agnostic.

[TheDudeAbides]

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thank you for the reply. I got most of the information here and some other google searches.

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You don't say?

[esad]

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I got most of the information here and some other google searches. All the authors sources are cited at the bottom of the link.

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So you went to an anti-Mormon website to find out what Mormons believe. Isn't that like going to an anti-gambling website to learn about playing poker?

If you are really interested in a religon's current beliefs then maybe try their website? Just a thought.

[blackize]

The website he linked to is clearly anti Mormon, but did include direct quotes from scripture and church prophets. I don't believe that the intended meaning was twisted too far in most cases outside the stuff about becoming gods and god residing on a planet far far away.

[Duke]

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What is there to explain? Pretty much every religion's dogma looks ridiculous to anyone who isn't a member of that religion.

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You didn't have to say "pretty much."

[jws43yale]

Read the book "Under the Banner of Heaven". Great read and brings about interesting idea of Mormon Fundamentalism and the polygamy issue.

I think Mormons have many positive characteristic. They are kind, hard working and very faithful people. I think they are misguided, but the average Mormon makes the average Christian looks like a heathen. Then again I am probably seriously misguided as a Christian as well.

[blackize]

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I think Mormons have many positive characteristic. They are kind, hard working and very faithful people. I think they are misguided, but the average Mormon makes the average Christian looks like a heathen.

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Agreed. I forgot to mention this in my earlier post and really wanted to.

I think Mormons are some of the best people on earth. They are generous, hard working, and very kind. They'll give you the shirt off their backs. The have very strong family values and a very strong sense of community. Both are things I think are lacking in today's world. The sense of community is especially nice considering I've seen nothing like it at any church I've been to before or since.

[recondite7]

Why do mormons have so many children? Is it just a tradition or does the church urge it's members to produce a lot of mormon offspring?

Also there is no way the religious right will elect mitt romney president of the united states. Baptists etc. look down on mormons for the most part.

[7ontheline]

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Why do mormons have so many children? Is it just a tradition or does the church urge it's members to produce a lot of mormon offspring?


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A Mormon I worked with told me it was a responsibility to "Be fruitful and multiply," so I assume they feel that they are supposed to have a lot of kids.