Can someone explain Mormon to me?

[ChoicestHops]

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Good grief, there is some horrendous information in this thread.

I'm a Mormon and a returned missionary. While I have NO interest in debating doctrine with anyone (it never does any good in these kinds of forums), I am happy to answer cultural or lifestyle questions. Again, don't bother trying to get me to debate you on historical and doctrinal issues. I don't have the time and I'm never going to intellectually convince you of anything. Stuff is weird in religion, guys -- ask any Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jew, etc.. We all have our "reeaaallllyy?" doctrines.

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Im not trying to attack you directly, but since you are the only Mormon that I know of that has responded in this thread.. does it not sound absurd that Joseph Smith translated your scriptures by putting his head in a hat with seer plates in it?

I had a Mormon missionary come up to me once on campus. She was real friendly and told her I wasnt interested, but I really wanted to ask her how she could believe the Missouri deal and all the proven unscientific theories that old doctrine had.

[ChoicestHops]

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Since you're so interested in answering questions, can you please tell me which 10% of what I said above was true, and which 90% was "horsecrap?" I don't have any interest in your attempts at conversion either, nor do I have any intention of changing your mind about anything. I just don't take it well when someone says most of what I said is a lie without even differentiating which is which. That's a cop out...

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It is a cop out because most of what you said IS true. It's in doctrine. Maybe not taught today but it's there. You can say all religion has some crazy stuff to it or whatever, but goggle and you will see it's not entirely true. First few sites for Scientology are just like Mormonism. What I mean by this is sites showing what they really believe in with sources and proof. You dont see this with Catholicism or Baptists, for example.

[MidGe]

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You dont see this with Catholicism or Baptists, for example.

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LOL... Come again? Tell me about virgin birth, creation stories, resurrection and all the other lies that catholics and baptists believe in!

Personally I think another planet being is much more likely than a benevolent god... Ah well, they are all wrong, mormons included!

[ChoicestHops]

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LOL... Come again? Tell me about virgin birth, creation stories, resurrection and all the other lies that catholics and baptists believe in!

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You completely missed the point. To my knowledge, every Christian religion believes in a virgin birth and resurrection. That's what makes them.. Christian. But with a religion like Mormonism or Scientology, within your top three goggle searches you have entire websites exposing their "true" doctrine and beliefs - the ones not generally talked about and the ones they dont want to discuss with you.

[SNOWBALL]

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TS,
Run away. Run away as fast as you can. Trust me, they don't want information.


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Judging from your performance in my "try to describe a society more evil" thread, YOU'RE the one that doesn't want information.

[threeonefour]

i am an "inactive" mormon. so while i am not into the church, i have 18 years of going every week (plus 4 years of seminary) under my belt. if you have questions you can pm me.

First, I would like to say that so much of religious writing (both inside and outside of Christianity) is figurative or at least highly dependent on the context in which it was written. like others have said, you obviously aren't going to get the story by going to an anti site.

i am pretty knowledgeable about the church but there are a couple of doctrine's listed in the OP that i am not familiar with including:


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God ("Heavenly Father") has at least one wife, our "Mother in Heaven," but she is so holy that we are not to discuss her nor pray to her.

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iirc the first part is common conjecture but has never been revealed as official doctrine. i have never seen reference to the "so holy" bit and i am guessing whatever source material this was taken from was not official or out of context.

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Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father by having sex with Mary, who was temporarily his wife.

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i don't really remember the answer to this one, but i think it is somewhat miswritten. Reasonably if Jesus was infact a human then he must have been created through means similar to biological ones. ie sperm + egg, 46 chromosomes, and all that jazz. so i *think* standard doctrine is that god the father provided the sperm in some manner, but i don't think i have ever read a source that states that God stuck his penis in her rather than just making her pregnant by virtue of his omnipotence.


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Christ will not return to earth in any year that has seen a rainbow.


[/ QUOTE ] this one i have absolutely never heard of, unlike all the others. nothing else to say about that really.

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Mormons should avoid traveling on water, since Satan rules the waters.

[/ QUOTE ] this one is true but i'd just like to say that it doesn't mean that mormons are not supposed to go boating or swimming (though it does mean that for missionaries with few exceptions).


in the past doctrines part, the adam god doctrine and the blood atonement i have also never heard of. i guess it not that unusual to be unfamiliar with old doctrine though, i am sure 95% of catholics have little understanding of their churches past policies.


pretty much everything else i have heard of and could speak to the meaning and implications of the doctrines at least somewhat. so let me know if you have any questions.

[threeonefour]

just read the life as a mormon bit. this part of the OP is pretty inaccurate. grossly at times.

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You will be advised not to associate with "apostates," that is, former Mormons.

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this *might* be true for individuals who are actively trying to bring down the chruch, the types that make anti-mormon literature/movies but i honestly have never heard it. but for anyone else, this is definitely laugh out loud ridiculous. excommunicated and innactive people are to be actively sought out by the mormon community and anyone who has spent 5 minutes in an LDS church would realize that outsiders are to be brought in and made welcome, not shunned.

[Follow]

How about baptism for the dead?

Did Elohim come from a planet near Kolob? If so, doesn't it stand to reason that he had a father?

Did Elohim have sex with Mary to produce Jesus? Here is a link explaining it from a Mormon point of view from the Journal of Discourses by Brigham Young (and Brigham Often).
http://journalofdiscourses.org/Vol_04/refJDvol4-42.html

What is the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom? (Hint: Elohim reached it)

Why are there dinosaur bones on Earth?

Is Joseph Smith a prophet?

Is Joseph Smith going to be at the pedestal to judge me when I die? Equal to Elohim and Jesus?

What color are the most pure spirits from heaven (skin color)?

What happens to black people and native americans when you baptise them and actually get all of their sin cleaned?

What happens when a baby under the age of 8 dies before he can atone for his sins or earn his way into the higher (or highest levels) of heaven?

I can go on for days, let me know when you're tired of questions.

Here is a nice cartoon to explain a whole LOT to people who haven't had much (or any) contact with this church in the past.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0d1HbItOo




Follow [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[threeonefour]

-Follow,

one at a time please. i am not really interested in writing a book.


anyway, as for the baptism for the dead stuff. its not really that weird. Mormons, like many Christians, believe you have to be baptized to go to heaven (or the higher orders of heaven for the case of mormons). however, many people die without even having the opportunity to be baptized. the solution is that these people are baptized, by proxy, and they then have the ability to accept or reject the baptism in the afterlife.

its really no more unusual than having a proxy take on the sins of the world so that they may go to heaven. of course, to a hardcore atheist who was never a theist, all Christian dogma looks pretty strange.


also, Joseph smith was a prophet and no he will not be sitting in judgment, though he will probably be aware/present of whatever happens as will everyone else in heaven. at least it is my understanding that everything "written in the book of life" will be made public. which was always disconcerting to me personally, i really value my privacy.

[threeonefour]

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What happens when a baby under the age of 8 dies before he can atone for his sins or earn his way into the higher (or highest levels) of heaven?


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these are automatic celestial kingdom candidates (the highest kingdom). the standard mormon belief is that these individuals have already proven themselves worthy of the celestial kingdom in the pre-earth life and thus just had to come to earth to get a body. since they never had a chance to sin, they have no idea for baptism (i am pretty sure). anyway, the long and the short of it is that when people die young they are righteous souls and will be going to heaven. which as many can imagine, is really comforting for the families involved.