What do you think of the Mormon church?

Question

I was raised Catholic but was baptized Mormon when my husband joined it. I really loved their basic teachings and loved how family oriented they were. However, I just couldn't get used to the temple and paying tithing. Haven't been back there since my divorce but would really like to go back. Anyone else had a similar experience?

Answer 1

General Conference is this weekend. If you want to go, I'm sure no one would notice that you hadn't been in a while because they would just think you were from another ward. It's at 10 and 2 Mountain time.

As you can probably tell, I love the church.
Tithing can be hard, but shouldn't stop you from attending. As for the temple, know that some things have changed fairly recently. But you shouldn't feel pressured to attend the temple, although you may be encouraged occasionally.

If you would like to come back, but feel a little apprehensive about it, talk to your visiting teachers and see if you can sit with them. You might also want to attend just one meeting instead of all three. There are lots of ways to come back.

I was inactive for 6 years, for no good reason other than I was living with my parents who where/are totally against the church and I didn't want to cause any more contention than there was. I came back through a series of things, among them my visiting teachers.

Answer 2

Here is my thoughts on tithing:

Tithing is also a form of obedience. Paying tithing is quite hard, especially when money is tight.
When I pay tithing I receive many blessing both spiritual and temporal. When my husband and I first got married we were quite poor. Due to certain events we were homeless, I was pregnant, my husband couldn't work and I was working part-time at a store called Dollarama. The LDS church found us a nice place to live with an LDS family. They also paid our rent (from other peoples tithe) and they also gave us food from the bishops storehouse where my husband and I volunteered (as a way to pay back the church) I always payed tithing, even when my work cut my hours down to 5 hours a week (I don't think they liked the fact that I was pregnant) The church then helped us get back on our feet, now we are financially secure and have a healthy happy baby (thanks to all the food we got!) If faithful members hadn't payed tithing I do not know where we would be right now. When I pay tithing I think of people that the LDS church helps (not just members, they help others too) and I am extremely grateful.
Also Mormons do not pay church leaders. All church leaders
(unless retired or whatever) have another job that pays, they do not get paid by our tithing. If we didn't pay tithing who would pay to have the lights on in our church buildings? We can;t just rely on rich people. Everyone needs to contribute. Heavenly Father gave me my family, I couldn't ask for any more even if I have to eat off the floor.
I think you should do what feel right in your heart regarding going back to church.

Answer 3

A lot of people have problems paying tithing. And it really is a leap of faith.

But there are such amazing promises associated with it. I can tell you that I know that my family has been blessed because we have faithfully paid our tithing. My husband and I have struggled financially ever since we were first married. Our family has been burdened by student loans and other debt. And our income is always much, much smaller than our outgo...rent and utilites take up the majority of our salaries. But we have faithfully paid our tithing. We have put this in front of everything else. And in doing so, our needs are always somehow met. It isn't some great, huge heavenly manifestation. But it has worked. I know that this is the reason. I know that our trust in the Lord has been rewarded.

Go back, just to Relief Society for a few weeks. See how you feel. Pray to know if it is not true. And you will know if it's true.

Answer 4

I have been a member my whole life, for a short time I was pretty inactive but I always knew the gospel was true. I was married to my husband for 5 years before we finally were both ready to receive our temple endowment and be sealed as husband and wife for time and all eternity...what a wonderful blessing! I also have a very strong testimony of tithing, my bishop once told me that is one aspect of the gospel inwhich we can be perfect in this life. I know that paying my tithing has "saved" me a time or two, but most of all, I know I am being obedient to the Lord.
Please know you are always welcome at church, you can always come back. Sometimes it's good to get "re-aquainted" with the gospel by having the missionaries come and speak with you, even though you are already a member. We all can use a refresher now and then! Speak with your bishop, attend your church meetings, most importantly - pray to your Heavenly Father. He wants to hear from you daily and whenever you need to speak he will listen and he will answer.

Answer 5

I agree with the 'Tithing can be hard'. Like many have said, it can be hard, but so many benefits have come from tithing. It's a way to give part of yourself to help benefit others, and you never know when it may come back to help you.
The Temple can be hard to get to, I haven't gone in almost 3 years because of small children, but that does not make me a bad person or member of the church. I try to go when I can and love it when I do.
As for coming back, I went inactive during college because I got so tired of all the fake people trying to get hitched and the Returned Missionaries that thought they were gods. It can be hard and at times and I would go and just judge everyone there thinking they were judging me. I then realized that I needed to be there for myself.
As you can tell from a lot of peoples reaction, there is a lot of misunderstanding with the church... I don't blame people for hating the church, it's their opinion. I had problems with the Catholic church ( I grew up in a strong Catholic Community where a lot of things are influenced by the church there.) So I can empathize with non members in Utah who get frustrated with the church there.
Don't let thinking because you "sinned" you can't be there... some people may try to make you feel guilty, but just realize that we all have our vices and closeted (or not so closeted) battles.
In my opinion, it all comes down to being a good person, and how you have treated others and what you are doing to help uplift those around you. I finally found a ward with so many fun people and I finally feel apart of a ward family (which is what they are suppost to be like). Like someone said earlier, it can be hard to attend all 3 meetings... "step by step"=0). I know this sounds cheezy, but pray for guidance.
If you need support, just let us know, sometimes it's nice to know others feel or are going thru similar experiences.

Answer 6

I have fallen away and went back. It was hard to return but it was worth it. Dont be afraid just jump back in the people will help you in every step and bear any burden.

Your testimony will be 50% stronger.

Paying tithing is hard but it is the ultimate show of faith and trust in the lord. It always comes back 10 fold.

I was raised Catholic and ended up falling away from the church because of the sins like ,drinking, porno and all other things that go along with imorality. It was hard to try and change but when I fell away I saw how the atonement worked in me and made me bitter to sin.

I hope this helps.

Answer 7

If you can't get used to the Temple, there is a VERY good reason for that. Don't get me wrong; the Mormon church teaches some very good principles that help people get to know Christ. The same is true in most Christian Churches.

The difference is that the other Christian Churches haven't added secret rituals and unchristian doctrines to these good principles. To give you an idea:

Joseph Smith started practicing "spiritual polygamy" (where he took 'spiritual wives' to 'glorify God' by sharing intimacy with His prophet) in 1839, and the general membership didn't know about it. When the Nauvoo Expositor was finally printed 30 days before Joseph's death and people found out, he printed Section 132, saying he had received it over 12 years earlier, saying that God sanctified the practice.

Before 1990, temple members had to swear death penalties upon themselves if they ever told anyone about the endowment:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-S_Qq2yQ2Cs

When the film above was released, the Church closed all temples "for maintenance" for two weeks, and when they reopened, the endowment had severely changed. Compare the pre-1990 and post-1990 endowment:

http://lds-mormon.com/compare2.shtml

I would suggest attending a Christian Church for a few months, and pray to the Lord for Him to guide you. Jesus Christ never even once suggested that secret ceremonies be part of His worship. The temple ceremonies are almost identical to Masonic rituals, which is where Joseph Smith got them. About 2 years before his death, Joseph Smith skipped through several ranks of freemasonry to become a Master Mason, where he received the "Mason Endowment". Here is a comparison between the Masonic rituals and the LDS temple. You can draw your own conclusions:

http://lds-mormon.com/masonry.shtml

Answer 8

Some Mormon beliefs seem crazy to me (like when we die we become gods and get our own planets). A few seem more reasonable -- given a belief in God (like the members of the trinity being three different beings working together, rather than three manifestations of the same being).

The bottom line is that their beliefs aren't a whole lot crazier than Catholic beliefs, and probably less crazy than most protestant beliefs.

Because of the introduction of a new book, the LDS is an orthodox religion (rather than a protestant religion derived from others). I have the same problem with them that I have with other orthodox religions (Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Muslim Fundamentalists, Orthodox Jews). That is, I can't be a member of an orthodox religion, because they do not treat women as equals. But I can't be a member of a non-orthodox religion, because they are all heretics.

Answer 9

My experience is quite the same, but hope it can help.

I married an agnostic gal and then moved back to Utah because of work. Because my wife doesn't believe as I do I attend church on my own (my relationship w/ my wife is thankfully good because we respect each other). Because I married a non-Mormon my wife always asked if I was treated differently and I at first was cautious of how I would be treated (plus I always just sit in the back and mind my own business).

Everyone is very accepting and understanding. I still often sit by myself and have few friends (because everyone at my church is very old), but the social part of church is just a fraction of why we go. I go because I believe it. I studied hundreds of religions, went, discussed them with their members, adn came to a decision based on my logical interpretation and prayers. Church is a time for me to reflect upon my faith and my relationship with Christ, and to learn. Life is about finding happiness and progression. If you really want to return, and you believe it, then don't worry about what anyone may say, but what you want to gain. Honestly, it isn't always easy for me to go to church, because there are other things to do, but after I go I am so grateful I did. Good luck.

Answer 10

My husband was raised Mormon. I spent a couple years looking into what the Mormons believed. My husband and I decided that the Book of Mormon contradicts the bible and so was not indeed the truth. But, all in all most Mormons I know are very nice people and they do encourage very admirable values.