Calling All Mormons!!!?

Question

My mom is Mormon, dad is Methodist...I was raised Brethern, left and have been checking out the Catholic church......I know, messed up, but stay with me!

For the past 3 or 4 years missionaries have been visiting off and on...I've been to the DC temple(the visitors center) I've been to a youth conference, and firesides. I always have a good time when I'm with mormons....I'm happy.

But I'm having trouble accepting the books. I've prayed, and I feel like I should join, but there is somethign holding me back.

I want to know, what was it like when you realized the LDS church is the right church...and don't say stuff like "a burning sensation in my soul." I want to know what you read, or what you prayed to God, or thought about when you went "AHA! the LDS is the right church!"

Thanks for the answers so far. I have looked at other resources as well.

The church in my town only has about 30 members(I'm guessing) only a few families. They have invited me to event after event, even though I've told them I didn't want to be mormon. They keep comming to my house for my mom, to try to get her active again.

I haven't talked to anyone in my town about joining the church except for my friend cortney, and she doesn't preach about the church and how it's the true church, she just tells me if it's what I think is true, that I should join...the whole choose the right thing lol.

I am not afraid of God, and I know of the commitment...lol I wanted to be Catholic for 2 years, I ate, slept, and breathed the church...but now that they're changing their beliefs like no one goes to hell...it's like, if you can change eternal damnation, what else did you change?

I am confused when I'm with the missionaries. Of course I'm only 18 so I'm confused about alot of things. But I love listening to them read the scriptures, watching the movies, etc.that they bring...but then when I pray about it, I get an uneasy feeling and I start thinking(for some reason) "Get behind me satan"... I think, what if this seems so good because it is the work of the devil?

then I get into the whole stressfulness of "God, please give me some kind of sign that this church is what you created, and not man" thing, then I wait for an answer, but I don't get it...

Turthfully, I would rather just end it all so I can find out what comes after this, because it just gets so stressful sometimes....

Answer 1

Dear Brian8907,

First let me tell you that there is nothing messed up about forming your own personal convicitions.

i am a Christian and although i have many nice mormon friends who are very fun people-- wrong theology can lead to wrong eternity.

i think Mormons raise good families and have good morals, but i have major issues with the Book of Mormon and other Scriptures (pearl of great price, etc.) that the Mormon church embraces.

Your headline: Calling All Mormons says a lot that you are bending towards being a Mormon (because of some social pressure seemingly), but this doesn't ressolve your reservations. i'd encourage you to examine those reservations - and there is a reason that Mormonism is considered a cult which contradicts many of the teachings of God's word- the Bible. Off course other Mormons will tell you not to trust Christians or they are just this or that- but i'm just asking you to examine the evidence for yourself.

i can tell you many reasons why i believe Mormonism is a cult - but i don't want to start argument after argument- feel free to email me or i advise you to at least go to a Christian bookstore and read some books and make a decision for yourself. Maybe God is wanting to teach you the truth about Mormonism and use you to reach your friends who are Mormons for him.

i suggest books by the following authors: Norman Geisler, Alan Gomes, or Rob Bowen.

Kindly,

Nickster

Answer 2

I'll just share my testimony with you:

I know the church is true because of the feelings I have when I am reading the scriptures, praying or being at church. Many could argue that these feelings are really of Satan, but I can tell you they're not. I have felt Satan in my life many times before, and it's a completley different feeling, one that makes me fell weak, helpless and lonely. Don't let those "held back" feelings hold you back.

When I have doubted things about the church, i've always known that i need to pray about it. I never really recieve and answer throught the spirit right away, but that's where faith comes in. You need to pray for the spirit to recieve it Bryan. Don't let Satan make you think it's untrue.

I've been a member my whole life, but i don't just believe it because it because i was raised in it. I know with all my heart that i am a member of the right church and it's SO hard to tell you why. Now you mentioned you had trouble accepting the books, and i will tell you that this is because of Satan. I really don't want you to think i'm crazy, talking so much about Satan, but think about this. If you have so many doubtful feelings about the church, maybe it's really satan, because he knows that if you join the church, you'll e heading on the right path. Satan doesn't want you to, so he makes you fell bad, or get bad feelings when you think about joining the church.

Here's what i want you to do. Go to a quiet and calm place in your house, kneel down by the bed, fold yours arms, bow your head and close your eyes. Then ask heavenly father if the LDS church is the right church to join. The spirit might not come to you right away, but just have faith. Remember this: everyone feels the spirit in different ways, not just burning bosom thing. Please try this, and i promise you will recieve an answer if you continue to have faith in the lord.

Don't let satan or anti mormons tell you that you are wrong for thinking about joining the church. Find out for yourself dude, and let me tell you that I KNOW this church is true. I know the scriptures are true because I have felt the spirit so strongly while reading them, and with both the bible and the book of mormon.

Please pray about it....and I would love it if you would email me how things went for you!

Answer 3

Feeling the spirit can be different for different people. I never felt that "burning" but my husband has. For me it has always been a peaceful calm that I can't deny. However, sometimes it's chills. All I know is that I KNOW the LDS Church is the only true Church.

I have been a member all my life. I went to Primary and everything. I didn't have a testimony until I was about 18. It was almost like I had kept questioning things and asking if I had a testimony. I then just realized that I knew what I had been taught is true.

Answer 4

The lord teaches truth through the spirit.

When you think you might be feeling the spirit, you'll feel good, happy, love, joy.

For me, I can identify when I'm feeling it by what I WANT to do. When I feel excited to read the scriptures, serve others, be a better person, etc, I'm often feeling the spirit.

It's never a "burning in my bosom", but soft, peaceful, and subtle.

Just because you know it's true and right, doesn't mean that everything about it will be easy. It doesn't mean that you won't have fears, doubts, or be scared. However, you'll know that it's true, and move forward courageously.

Satan will try to derail you. Expect strange things to come up, be thrown at you,etc. This is the normal "near convert" thing to happen. He'll work on you hard at a critical time like this.

Answer 5

I'm trying really hard not to say that it was a burning sensation in my soul that made me realize that the LDS Church is the right church, but honestly, when you get right down to it, that's what did it for me. But I hope you'll give me the opportunity to explain what brought about that burning sensation.

I had gone camping with my Scout troop (I was 15 at the time; the reason I remember it is because I was Teacher's Quorum president in my ward at the time) to summer camp, and it had been raining. It's something that, as you might imagine, was rather frustrating for all of us (hey, who wants to go camping and have it rain?). After a couple of days of rain, my tent partner and I decided to pray. Now, it might seem trivial to some to pray for rain to stop so you could have a fun time at Boy Scout summer camp, but it seemed like the logical thing to do. So we prayed - and then that burning in the bossum came, and not only did I know that the rain would stop, but I KNEW the LDS Church was true (that was my "AHA!" moment). I've felt that burning 3 times since then (time #4 being when I was with the full-time missionaries visiting a couple of investigators - a woman and her 9 year old daughter - and it was the gospel discussion where the missionaries invite the investigators to accept Moroni's challenge to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true or not; the feeling was incredible, and the other 6 people in the room at the time all felt it and commented on it, so I know it wasn't just my imagination).

I'm a lifelong member of the LDS Church (and my family has been for generations on both sides). I doubt I could be as happy as I am now if I wasn't a member (in fact, I don't even want to contemplate where I might be now or what I might be doing if it was not for the LDS Church). For me, there is no doubt. The LDS Church is true. Yes, things aren't perfect, as is any other organization made up of mortals (we all make mistakes, even me!), but that doesn't make it any less true.

Answer 6

Hi, I'm not Mormon, but I feel very strongly that what is holding you back is the Holy Spirit to keep you from making an eternal mistake that could cost you your soul. I know this is strong language, but it is so true. Read the Christian Bible, the gospels especially. Jesus is the ONLY Way, the Truth and The Life. You can only get to God thru His Son, Jesus Christ who died for you so that you could live forever in eternity with Him. If you do not accept Jesus and His free gift of atonement for your sins, then you must pay the penalty on your own, which is spiritual death. You will not end up in heaven, as sin cannot enter heaven and you will end up in the lake of eternal fire. Jesus is Truth and God's Holy Word is Truth. It doesn't matter what your parents, friends, etc beliefs are---you will be judged by Jesus and either go immediately to heaven or hell. Did you follow Jesus or not? Read His Word and continue to pray for Truth. Pray to God thru Jesus as His Word tells us to. God bless you.

Answer 7

Remember the source whenever you get an answer. Ex-Mormons and anti-Mormons will tell you why they feel Mormonism is a fraud. Current Mormons will tell you why Mormonism is right and why you should join.

I am seventh generation LdS so I grew up singing "Jesus want me for a sunbeam" and "I hope they call me on a mission". At my schools, Mormons were always the largest minority. Graduating from Seminary meant a partial scholarship to my college. I walked the walk since that was the thing to do.

My turning point occured near the end of my senior year in high school. I knew that on my 19th birthday it was anticipated that I would turn in my mission papers. I knew I liked the Church but I wasn't ready to leave home and friends for two years preaching something I didn't know for myself.

Over the course of that school year and the summer I read the Book of Mormon twice (in addition to the New Testament which was the topic of seminary that year) , praying every night for some kind of confirmation it was right. Finally an audible voice told me that I had always known it is true. Peace came with that answer - no burning in the bosum.

Answer 8

I too have troubles accepting the extra books. It has to do with the fact that they contradict the Bible. The Mormons won't agree with that, but it is true. Having fun times at the visitors centre etc. doesn't compensate for what is holding you back.
I realized the Mormon church was the wrong one when I saw that there were so many errors in the statement of faith and so many doctrinal problems with the Book of Mormon. It was clear that it could not be the Word of God. I had an AHA moment sitting in a hotel room with the Bible and BOM open and comparing what they said.
That "something holding you back" is the still small voice of the Holy Ghost urging you not to do it.

Answer 9

ex-mormon, as a mormon in the radical mormon UT, they have a safety net to make sure you don't fall away and I had the burning in the bossom, and the testimony, I don't believe the burning can keep a person a member, I did not feel a connection to God, nor were the mormons in my ward very nice to me. When I became a christian, thats when I stopped being suicidal and could see some light at the end of the tunnel and actually had some friends.
Being a Goddess did nothing for my self esteem, ti was getting saved, that helped my depression, so to me, your faith has to give you life, if the mormon church does not give you life and only strife, like it did me, then it is not the right place were God wants you, it may not be the way to get to heaven either. The mormon religion was psychopymactically killing me with all the medical problems I was having, being a christian, i am now gettign some healing from all my medical problems.
Find a religion that gives you life and not death.

Answer 10

What about the books can you not accept? A good scripture to think about is in the New Testament "by their fruits ye shall know them" I think it is in Matthew 7. What is bad about the mormons? Do they walk the walk or just talk the talk? Is their anything about the organization that isn't wholesome? It seems to me that everything about the church is designed to bring people closer to God. Why don't you trust God. If the Holy Spirit has confirmed that the church is where you need to be, then it isn't necessary for you to have all of the answers today. They will all come. Slowly and surely you will learn. Line upon line, precept upon precept.

Think about how you feel when you are with the missionaries or in a meeting. Is it a good feeling or a bad, confused feeling.

Maybe you are more afraid of the commitment. Being Mormon isn't a Sunday thing, it is a lifestyle.

The Church is true.

Answer 11

Basically it made since. Truth is plain and easy to hear once heard. Religion is like a puzzel and the LDS church had all the pieces to it. When you really study up on it, you start to say to yourself, "wow, this is amazing, it all makes perfect since". When you know truth you feel it, and you also know when something is not true. Perhaps you are waiting for a divine confirmation. You are most likely not going to get it. The confirmation you will get is a feeling of truth!