I grew up Mormon.......?

Question

I haven't been to church in a long time, and I don't know if I agree with all the mormon beliefs, But I want to raise my girls to love a fear god, and go to church But I don't know anything about the different religions?


Serious Answers please.

Answer 1

Well, I didn't grow up Mormon, but I am one now. The biggest reason why I am one was to have a strong Christian belief in which to raise my kids; 14, 11, 5. My husband and I are both active members. Is your husband LDS? If not, then I can see why you might be struggling.

The most important thing that you need to do is pray. Here is a little story that I was told while I was visiting teaching a sister. This is in her own words:


"I stopped going to church. I don't know why really. We attended this other church for a while. I remember sitting in their Sunday school class on several occasions. The teacher would be teaching something and in my head I would think, "That isn't right. I know better." Finally one Sunday I told my husband that we needed to go back to the LDS church. Because my spirit knew what we were doing wasn't right. So we went to the local chapel and attended sacrament meeting. Even though we didn't know anyone that day, I felt at peace. It took me awhile to feel comfortable, but I sure glad that we are back!"

So, my answer to your question...you will find a better church in which kids in today's world. Get your scriptures out and pray, Father will let you know what to do.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Do you mean you want to know more about different religions as in Judaism and Hinduism as well as Christianity, or you want to know more about different denominations within a religion (like Baptists, Methodists, etc.)?

If you want to learn more about different denominations, ask your friends who attend those churches. You can also do research on the Internet--a lot of denominations have their own websites where they list their beliefs.

Personally, I'd ask friends first. I attend a Missionary Baptist church, and we emphasize the love of Jesus over the fear of God (though we don't ignore that.) And we don't "demand" attendance. What's the point if you have to force people to worship? But if you went to a Southern Baptist website and just read off a list of their beliefs, you might not realize that; you might get the idea that yes, Baptists are fire-and-brimstone Bible-thumpers. See what I mean? Every church is different, even if they're in the same denomination. It really doesn't matter what denomination a church is anyway, as long as it follows God and teaches His Word.

If you're looking for a good church, look around your community and see which one is involved in service projects, the community, and has a lot of activities for children/youth/seniors/etc. going on. If a church is doing God's work and following His will, it generally shows.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

First you need to establish what you believe. You are the example to your daughters, and it is no good making them go to church if they can see that you are half-hearted about it yourself. Plus it is far easier to raise your family in a religion if it is actually your own religion.

Start where you left off. Return to the LDS church, and with your family re-take the missionary discussion and establish whether or not you do agree with all the beliefs. Pray about it, of course.

If not, then look into other churches in your area. Many may offer a way for you to find out about their beliefs. Perhaps do an Alpha course, or invite the Jehovah's Witnesses to study with you, or take whatever each church offers by way of teaching you about its beliefs.

Speak to members of those groups - especially if they are parents themselves - to see what is offered for children, and what is offered for adults. You will have to go along with your children, so you need to feel comfortable yourself and to know that you are benefitting too, either spiritually or socially, or, hopefully, both.

Why do you want your girls to love and fear God and go to church? Is it because this will keep them safest from the bad influences of the world - drugs, alcohol, unwanted pregnancy, etc. Moral values don't have to come from a religious basis, you could show them by other means that their choices can have bad consequences.

Finally, as you try out various churches, be sure to ask your daughters what they like about each one and how they feel. I am LDS and my daughters love Nursery/Primary/Young Women (I've one in each!) but we visited a Salvation Army church recently and my eldest really didn't like what they offered for teenagers.

Good luck! And well done for wanting the best for your children.

Answer 4

One thing I feel I must say to you: You "don't know" if you agree with "all the mormon beliefs."... Well, simply put, they are all correct or they are all false. You cannot believe some and not others. Truth is truth, the gospel is not a pick and choose thing. Just think about that... is either 100% true or not.
I suggest you ask your Heavenly Father what is correct... if you are truly wanting your kids to know the Lord, the gospel is THE #1 best way.
Good luck to you.

Answer 5

You don't know about mormon beliefs....It sounds like it's time to get on your knees and do some praying.

Read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. God will let you know if the things your parents taught you were nutty and crazy or true.....however it sounds like they may not have taught you very well.

Answer 6

That's obviously now not real universally. I served my challenge in Italy. Virtually every person is baptized earlier than they are able to attend institution as a catholic. Within my challenge (that's now closed) we baptized approximately eighty humans a yr. With approximately 20 million catholics having youngsters they might have baptized 1000's of hundreds of thousands a yr. While I just like the outcome of your statistics it obviously is not real international.

Answer 7

Have you tried a non-denominational church? Most of them lean towards a denomination, but don't embrace every aspect of that denomination. I would encourage you to find a non-denom church that is very Bible based and Truth oriented -- somewhere that welcomes you in without yelling at you and where you feel the presence of God. It is worth searching for and praying for. I'll be praying for you too. Email me if you need more help.

Answer 8

I'll just tell you to follow your heart. I am LDS and will stay LDS the rest of my life, as I've discovered it is the way closest to what I believe God wants me to go. I've taken comparative Religion classes, and there are some good books out there that show the strengths of each.
If you have any direct questions you'd like answered about LDS doctrine, feel free to email me, and I'll do my best to find the answers you ask for.
In the meantime, here are some websites you can try:
http://www.lds.org
http://www.religioustolerance.org/var_rel.htm
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/

Answer 9

There are a number of books which discuss and compare religions. I used Religions of Man by Smith when I was young. In your case, you probably want a book that does more of a job comparing various parts of Christianity (Protestant sects) and less on other religions (Buddhism, etc.) You might check with a college librarian for good books as college students are often exploring if you think your town librarian might gossip or focus on her religion.

Answer 10

Well, I don't think anyone should be raised to fear God. If kids find something fearful, they are less likely to enjoy it. Try out a few churches and see which one you like best. Go to a couple of services. You can usually tell if you like/don't like them after a couple of services. Good luck.