I'm just curious--
I know several people who have tried out the Mormons' challenge to study their book and then pray about it. The result was that most of these people realized the book was not true (with the exception of one of my neighbors, who says he discovered it WAS true).
So why are people receiving conflicting revelations?
2007-05-26 09:01:21 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I read the Book of Mormon word-for-word and cover-to-cover. Then I earnestly prayed for a sign, any sign of God's existence. Nothing happened.
My best friend did the same and had a subjective religious experience. He converted to LDS, married a Mormon girl, and had three children.
As to "conflicting revelations" -- I was seeking (as always) some sign of God's existence in objective reality and received nothing. My friend was seeking subjective experience as proof of God's "reality" and got what he was looking for. Personally, I have never been able to accept subjective religious experience as proof of God's presence in objective physical reality.
2007-05-26 09:36:54 · answer #1 · answered by Diogenes 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My experience was a little different. When I was in my teens, I and my family became involved with the Mormon church. The other members of my family received confirmation that the BoM was true. When I prayed, I received...nothing. There was no perceivable change in my mental or emotional state, no confirmation or disconfirmation.
I am an atheist now (although I was not one at the time), and I have come to the conclusion that "revelations" of this sort (and as an atheist, I would extend that to all mystical experiences) are internally-generated psychological states that merely mirror what one already believes. If one believes at some level that the BoM (or whatever) is true, then one receives a "revelation" confirming that belief. If one believes that the BoM is false, a "revelation" showing that the BoM is false occurs. If one does not possess either belief (or if one does not believe that revelations of this sort can occur - but it is unlikely in that case that one would pray for a revelation), nothing happens.
2007-05-26 10:11:56 · answer #2 · answered by abba-dingo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People are complicated beings, but not necessarily smart. Look at how many people are superstitious, carry a lucky rabbit's foot, and really really believe a book, because it simply exists, is "True".
Mormons push the idea that god speaks to you quietly, and will 'fill you bosom' with joy. I've had it happen to me several times, the last time is when I saw Ellen Richards for the first time in 30 years. It's a real feeling, tied to emotions, but it is seriously an unsubstantial method of making intelligent decisions.
If you can actually get thru the book, you'll note that the characters are all two-dimensional, god changes skin pigmentation often, punishes the wicked, rewards the faithful, then kills everyone off at the end. - both ends.
It claims to be the record of an ancient civilization in the Americas, and that the Indians are actually related to the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel, a common thought in the 18-19 century.
You can 'assign' the book sacredness, believe in it's authenticity, know in your heart that it was translated by the power of god, but that doesn't change what it actually "is" - a poorly written fantasy with copious bible plagiarism.
2007-05-27 04:03:12 · answer #3 · answered by Dances with Poultry 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I read it and prayed and thought it was true, also at the time I was 16 and didn't knwo myself or my spiritual sense. I havd never even heard of the Book of Mormon, but I liked the church and the people were nice, so I prayed and the missionaries said I would just knwo and feel at peace be happy about joining the church. I felt happy abotu joining the church, don't really remember what else I felt/happened. Now that I am more aware of who I am and my spiritual beliefs, I do not find the Book of Mormon to testify to me that it is true.
I followed all the commandments, read the Book of Mormon, D+C, and the Bible everyday for 6 months, prayed everyday, as well as with my husband, went to church, enjoyed my calling, did my visiting home teaching, had family home evening, went to the temple, ect ect ect
Every Sunday at fast and testimony meeting when someone would testify that Joseph smith was a prophet it would bother me, then I started thinking about it and trying to learn more about him, and I felt weird about him. I went up to give my testimony and I couldnt say that I knew JoSmo was a prophet, I just couldn't.
2007-05-26 13:59:43 · answer #4 · answered by divinity2408 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The burning feeling can be deceptive, anyone can imagine the burning in the bossom, when I asked the mormon God on advise for which amn to marry, I always got the burning feeling for all the men, so I knew it was a deception, they all couldn't be the one. I read the Book of Mormon three times, but never knew about a Rhema, were god can teach you out of his word, and how satan can blind the eyes of the unsaved, so I was just blinded/deceived. I still found my way out of the church without the anti-mormon websites tho, PTL.
2007-05-27 03:51:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't think of I particularly prayed with regards to the e book of Mormon ever. I kinda did this entire "is the Church actual" prayer. I felt it grow to be on the time. i did not get a "No" this is not. yet now now and back when I pray approximately it i think its not. My finished "pray-dar" might desire to be fairly off. this is unhappy reason I omit the very fact. Like somebody else stated i attempted praying approximately different issues and gut comparable responses, so i began out to ask your self with regards to the "burning interior the bosom" based on the church. there have been some psychological hangups I had with different doctrine. That i think like i've got come closer to getting the respond "its not actual" when I prayed than the "finished church." Like i've got not got plenty self assurance polygamy grow to be ever perfect...
2016-10-08 04:15:23 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I really like free2be's answer and daisykristina's answers. I also question the people who say "yeah, I read the BoM and nothing happened..." What were you expecting to happen? Very seldom does an angel appear in your room and write in Reformed Egyptian on your wall. I think that daisy said it really well when she said "do you WANT to live it?" I think that most people who want to believe it's false have an alterior motive for believing it's false. It's sort of an inconvenient truth, eh? (Apologies to Al Gore...okay, not so much!)
2007-05-26 14:35:19 · answer #7 · answered by Fotomama 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave upon the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
That's where conflicting revelations come from.
I've met people who lied about really reading it... and without sincerely praying about it...
What they called "studying it" was reading most of it along with anti Mormon lies and half truths. And not really feeling they needed to pray, or just giving a quick pray not really wanting to know if the book is false.
2007-05-26 09:09:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 3⤋
Hmm almost 13 million people worldwide think it is true because they studied and prayed to god with a heart ready to hear an answer.
Most of you are stuck in your old prejuidiced and bigoted ways of bashing people.
Very Unchristian like.
2007-05-26 09:26:33 · answer #9 · answered by Brother G 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Look at almost all the answers this far... most said they're was no reason to read it, they already know it's false.
This is your answer... people who "find" that it's not true... really don't put the effort in to find out if it is true or not.
Free2b gave a great answer.
2007-05-26 09:22:56 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 0⤋