If you want to know about a church shouldn't you go to them and ask?

Question

In my 25 years as a Latter-Day saint I have heard people say all kinds of crazy things that they have read about my church. Every thing from space ships to animal sacrifice none of it true and yet they believe it. Maybe they should go to the source.

Answer 1

I wrote a paper in my Freshman year of college back in 1969-70 that essentially said the same thing. I did a sociology report on a book called The Mormons written by a Catholic sociologist. It was trying to explain our faith objectively without including the element of faith and spiritual responses to prayer. The result was a gross distortion of the Church and what makes it tick. If you remove faith from religion, you don't have religion any more. The spirit is the essence of religion and faith and that cannot be adequately explained with sociological objectivity. My conclusion was exactly the same as yours, if you want to learn about Mormons, go to the Mormons, not a Catholic sociologist.
You cannot learn about politics by going to a mathmatician or learn chemistry by going to an English professor. You have to go to the source.

Answer 2

I am a convert to the church (age 22), and I too at one time believed all the anti-Mormon slander that I heard from non-Mormons. At age 18, I ended up dating an LDS man for about 3 months who was getting ready to go on a mission. I basically, in a friendly way, hammered him with questions about his religion trying to show him how ludicrous his beliefs are. He of course was steadfast in his beliefs and he politely tolerated my friendly badgering. We even wrote each other while he was on his mission to Japan. During our friendship, there wasn't anything he said that stirred me or so I thought.
I then developed another friendship with a Latter-Day-Saint man about three years later. I did the same thing to him as far as hurling those typical anti-Mormon propaganda questions at him. Every question I asked he answered with expert delivery which always prompted another question, then another, and another. Before I knew it I had a testimony and have been an active Latter-Day-Saint ever since.

My point is, is that it's alright if people believe crazy and false things about the church because those same people are eventually going to ask a Latter-Day-Saint acquaintance sooner or later about their church and that gives you and me an opportunity to tell them the truth. I have had many opportunities to show people just what we believe and more often than not they end up convinced that they have been misinformed. A small number of these people have ended up joining the church. I believe the reason the others didn't go any further was lifestyle. They didn't want to give up their alcohol, keeping the Sabbath Day holy, committing to church every Sunday, etc. But, they at least felt satisfied with my answers.

The best thing we Latter-Day-Saints can do is get a sense of humor about it all, be prepared to give direct straight answers and be the best example we can be.

If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.

Answer 3

No. I want to know the bible. I read it. I want to live holy. I do it. I am not interested in a group of people who do things that are not based on the bible, whether they be Latter Day Saints, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Jehovah Witnesses, Holiness, Fundamentalists, or any other ist or ic. (II Peter 3:17) teaches us to beware of being led away by the error of the wicked, as to fall from our own stedfastness. I know the life I live, I do not know what any pastor, pope, preacher, rabbi, brother does behind his closed door, so why would I follow someone or some group that could lead me astray. And lest you say, how could a person be led astray, I would lead you to( I Corinthians 10:12). Take heed. God has made a way for me to bear temptation by standing firm and alone. We all have things that tempt us, some of a spiritual nature, some of a carnal nature, but God will give you a way to escape, if you want it. For years I would visit churches, because I have a heart for the church, and I would fall into the desire to fellowship, and I would begin to take on the views of the church and lose sight of what God had taught me. So, the answer for me is no. Never again.

Answer 4

People love dirty laundry and many are inclined to believe the worst. A lot of churches won't tell it like it is too. I know the LDS church is not like that, but people going to other churches hear a lot of bad things, especially about the LDS religion. I went to a community church before that loved to point out what was wrong with every other church. So much so, that I never really knew what that church believed. I've found that people like believing stupid things about "controversial" religions. It's like watching Jerry Springer.
PS. I've been to Baptist churches as well. They were the most judgmental un-Christlike people of any of the churches I've been to (I've been to lots). They love to tell you what you're doing wrong and what everyone else is doing wrong, instead of following Christ's example. I felt the need to add this after reading the earlier baptist's post. I can also see that the majority of people who have answered have not really researched it properly, thus proving your point.

Answer 5

I agree with you - it is important to research things properly - and that means starting at the source - so for example people wanting to find out what we LDS believe should speak to members, missionaries or check out the official websites - and if they still have questions research them further. I mean if you were writing an assignment for uni you wouldn't start with the people who were against whatever it was you were writing about (althoug you might go to them eventually to get a balanced view) so in life shouldn't you use the same approach because life is so much more important than assignments and so should be approached properly. -

Answer 6

Been there, done that.
Studied also reliable sources.
As with many groups, there are slanders and misinformations accepted as truth, but sometimes the truth is "crazy," as you wrote.
I do agree, it is best to go right to the source to find out what they have to say. But, not stopping there, it should also be compared to facts that are known. In this case, it would be compared to accepted/recognized Christian doctrine from the Bible.

Answer 7

Yeah, I would agree, or at least read in depth and talk to people who are active in that church.
To answerer William, with all respect, where did you get the idea we deny the deity of Jesus Christ? We absolutely believe He is the Son of God and Savior of the world, and as such, has the same divine power and Priesthood that God has. We believe Jesus Christ created this world under the direction of God the Father. If that is not proof of Jesus Christ's divinity and power, what were you looking for?

Answer 8

All you have to do is look at some of the other answers and your point has just been proven. What i hate the most is when -like some on here have done-they say you just don't know what you believe. Interesting that those who don't follow that religion think they know so much more about it then those who do.

Answer 9

You mean wiki isn't the best source? Ok then, what about you tube? That's where the Ed Decker's video is....I KNOW that's what the Mormons believe.

*tongue firmly in cheek*

Drives me crazy too but what can we do? We should just try to clear up misconceptions where we can and allow those who wish to be willfully ignorant to remain so.

Answer 10

Definitely because all Church's are made up of individuals no to congregations will be the same because you have conservatives and liberals.