Why don't Mormon missionaries say this when they come to the door?

Question

"My name is Elder Smith. I'd like to talk to you about special underwear and secret handshakes that you need to do to have eternal life in the very best heaven. I'd also like to tell you about how we can baptize and marry your dead Aunt Sally."

Wouldn't it show more honesty and integrity to tell people what you believe right off instead of slowly introducing the weird doctrines AFTER you have gotten people to join? If your doctrines are true and beneficial, what do you have to lose by not stating them up front?

I grew up Mormon. So I know all about it. Praise God we have been delivered from it!

Answer 1

Ever notice they never use scripture to backup what they say?

They think they can work to heaven, the Bible says:
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

They don't believe that God created all things, just some.

They believe they are Gods.

The Bible doesn't teach that they are Gods, it teaches that they are adopted as sons of God.

I can adopt a Dog and it can be part of my family, that doesn't make it Human.

Dogs have dogs, cats have cats, mice have mice, Gods have? Well in our Bible God's don't have:

Jesus is God, the God.

Isa 43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
Isa 43:11 I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.


No Go shall be formed after me he says.

We shall be baptized in the name of "The Father, The Son, and Holy Spirit" which is God.

Answer 2

If I knew everything about what the Mormon church believes (from LDS doctrine and resources) before I was baptized, I never would have been baptized.
The doctrines you gave are just a few examples of how Joseph Smith perverted the real gospel of Jesus Christ. I think if people knew all that the church believes they would run away. They would see how it blatantly goes against the Bible and makes Jesus out to be a liar.
One thing I love about Christianity is there is no surprises. I don't have to worry about learning something new, that my new church believes in a year from now .With the Mormon church there is always something new you're hearing or learning about, that the church believes.
BTW- You are saved by excepting Jesus as your Savior not baptism.

Answer 3

I have heard people claim it is okay to be nasty to missionaries because of the Savior's reaction to the money changers in the temple in Jerusalem. I don't agree, but have heard it. I am with you. Whenever missionaries of any faith come to my door, I treat them the way I would hope others are treating our Elders. Had some hari chrishna come to my door in Florida. That was a very interesting discussion.

Answer 4

I have a difficult time thinking that in the limited time any Mormon Missionary gets there is time to expound the entirety of the teachings of the Mormon Church. I think it interesting that you are attacking a faith for some of their teachings that you apparently know little to nothing about. I would imagine that there is a small window of opportunity to get someone to allow you into their homes to share your beliefs with them.

Do you know anything about the "special underwear" or any of the things you attributed to the Mormon faith or did you simply take ideas based on some Anti-Mormon website and such? I think that you should look at why the Mormons believe what they believe and learn from it before you openly bash it on YA.

It would seem to me that those special doctrines are as such that if someone isn't legitimately interested in their faith, they don't want to "cast their pearls before swine". Have you ever really researched the Mormon faith and the Temple Ceremonies?

I find the teaching that the family can be together forever as taught by the Mormon Church to be a beautiful teaching. The idea that I can be with my wife and children for all eternity is amazing and wonderufl to envision.

I suggest that before you speak of things you know nothing about you utilize the brain that God gave you and study it out in your mind. You are obviously an intelligent person, yet persecuting a faith for some beliefs which you seem to be less educated on doesn't support how smart I believe you really are.

You speak of honesty and integrity, yet some of the most honest people and those with the hightest integrity have been Mormon's. Can you say honestly that you understand the teachings of the Mormon faith well enough to say such things? If I read some books or articles about how terrible islam is, does that make it so? I know nothing of Islam, and so I chose not to speak as if I do.

I think a terrible thing is to look for faults in things, rather than look for truths and uplifting ideas and such in all things. Find some good things about the Mormon faith to match the bad ideologies you have and see if that doesn't change your views a little bit.

God Bless

Answer 5

Well, you might have grown up Mormon, but almost everything you mentioned in your quote was either not true, or an intentional distortion of LDS beliefs meant to riddicule them. Please don't give people the wrong ideas. It sounds like you are upset because you think LDS missionaries don't tell people everything (although as others have said, it would get confusing to feed it to people all at once) but you have done the same thing yourself. You've only mentioned things as they appear on the surface, providing no reasoning behind them. You knew the way you worded your question that you'd generate responses of those who would want to make fun of LDS. They are "temple garmets", not magic underwear. There are no secret handshakes. The remark about marrying and baptizing, as I said, is only a small portion of those beliefs.

I just find it ironic that you are angry because you think missionaries don't tell the whole story about LDS beliefs when you didn't even tell the whole story yourself. Come on...it's not necessary to try and give people the wrong idea about things, is it?

Answer 6

Here's a simple answer to a simple question. Thanks for going easy on us this time, Imasis. The same reason that Calculus isn't taught in the 6th grade (at least for most people) We have to learn line upon line, precept upon precept. Or what kid is going to read and understand Shakespear if he can't get past See Spot Run?

Nice point UAdan06. If missionaries used the quote provided by imasis, there would still be a lot left out, which imasis is totally against.

Notice that everyone that has given you what you asked for, "Why don't Mormons say this..." has gotten 1 thumbs down. If you don't like what we say, why ask the question?

Answer 7

You stumble over the trivialities and miss the primary importance of what must be taught. The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and how it came to be, and that living prophets of God are back with us today.

Too many people such as you and others concentrate on the curiosities of the Gospel rather than focusing on the real intent of it; that Jesus Christ lives and is the head of our Church and it is through Him that man may be saved and exalted if only we obey all His commandments.

No, it wouldn't show more honesty and integrity to bring out all the sundry curiosities that matter little if one is convinced of the truthfulness of this Gospel brought forth again through the inspiration of a prophet of God.

Those that stumble and falter over the curiosities are those that deny the faith and persecute the saints at every whim. You and others have bought into this fallacy of doctrine and show your antagonism to the world by this very question you have posed.

I pray that one day you will freely accept the truth that is within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Until then you will continue to falter, fall, and digress in unbelief. Remember these words.

Answer 8

Main doctrines like polytheism should be introduced up front. Mormons baptize the dead but I don't think that they marry them.

Answer 9

The prophet Isaiah taught that we should be fed things (teachings, doctrine, etc) in a small understandable manner, that we take things a step at a time. That we first take small bites, then progress as we grow and develop.

See Isaiah 28:13
But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and not fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

Answer 10

Mormonism is the true religion of a man... where men are God's and women stay eternally pregnant...WTF...I am so out on that one..

AWESOME question however... I think if they would quit waking me up so early on a saturday morning, I might talk to them about their special underware though... It would keep me from answering the door naked when they knock..