Could you guys redpill me on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? I keep feeling drawn to the church because of their conservative values and their generally polite and down to Earth demeanor. I've been reading up on some of their beliefs and, while they don't all make sense to me, I can justify some of them to myself. In short, there's quite a bit about the Mormons that I find appealing. I'm thinking about reading the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants to get a better understanding of what they believe.
If anyone here is currently or formerly LDS, could you give me a rundown on what the LDS church is about?
Watch this. youtu.be/n3BqLZ8UoZk They think everyone can become Gods if you're a Mormon and that Elohim lives on a planet called Kolob
Henry Turner
The Eastern Orthodox believe in a somewhat similar concept called Theosis While that can't be proved, there are so many potentially habitable planets out there that it's entirely possible. The ancient alien theory postulates that what we call gods are actually super advanced aliens that came to Earth when we were still living in caves and hunting and gathering to survive and kickstarted our evolution into the intelligent beings we are today. Who knows, really?
Lincoln Edwards
Galatians 1:8 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed"
Basically they believe the book of mormon which would qualify as 'another gospel' other than the bible. For that reason alone is enough to reject mormonism.
Sebastian Edwards
polytheists, sadly. Not Christian
Nolan Hall
No. Theosis is union with God, our right end, eg John 3 30. Mormons think you can become a god.
Landon Davis
Sure, but if Christ came to save all of humanity, then how does it make sense for him only to have come and spread his message to one group of people in one place? There are a bunch of other lost gospels that weren't included in the Bible that have been discovered in the past fifty odd years. Some of them, it doesn't even make sense why they weren't included, except they didn't fit Constantine's narrative and political views.
Besides, the letters of Paul aren't part of the gospel, either. Paul wasn't one of the twelve disciples and never met Jesus while he was alive. He frequently got into heated doctrinal debates with the apostles.
Anthony Johnson
OP, I was drawn to the Mormon church just like you for a long time. I yearned for a wife, decent people to socialize with, a respite from this messed up world. First of all, you need to understand they aren't Christian despite their insistence that they are. Or perhaps they can claim the label Christian while we true believers call ourselves people of The Way. At the end of the day, it's just a label. Mormons have more in common with Islam than they do with Christianity, if you do your research. In some sense, Mormonism is a cross-breed between Islam and Scientology, with some Freemasonry mixed in.
The Book of Mormon isn't the core book of Mormonism despite its name, the core tenants grew out of tradition, and their other subsequent books. Also their claim that the Book of Mormon is simply another testament of Jesus Christ is invalid, because there was no expectation of another testament after the New Testament (NT) in the first place. If you think about it, the entire point of the Old Testament (OT) is the expectation of the NT, of the Messiah who is Jesus Christ. There is no expectation of another testament after the NT. The NT explicitly seals itself off in the Book of Revelation.
Lastly, at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself and figure out: What is Truth?
Except it's not similar at all. Orthodox believe that the intended form of humanity has the image and likeness of God in unity with him. However God-like != God
Mormons literally believe Mormon rituals and the Mormon lifestyle will make you a God. Your own God. They believe it's an endless cycle of Mormons becoming gods and populating new worlds.
Kevin Foster
He literally sent people to the ends of the Earth to preach it.
Andrew Garcia
But Mormons don't include the other gospels in their canon and accept Pauline epistles.
Joseph Howard
Look up L.A. Marzulli, Tom Horn, Russ Dizdar. Also look into Days of Noah and what really happened back then. This ancient alien stuff is luring people straight into the Great Deception.
Ian Hall
Why would God need a planet?
Isaiah Hall
...
Liam Johnson
Many of the teachings of the Catholic Church are based in capital-t Tradition rather than scripture, too. If we're going solely by that, then maybe the Protestant message is closest to what Christ intended. In what regard? Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet of God, and that Muhammad was the last and greatest prophet (and I'll concede on that point), but Islam also teaches that only God is God, and no other being has any relation to Him. It also teaches that the tenets and practices of Islam will get you into Paradise, not that they can ascend you to godhood or anything like that. What teachings are similar between them?
Justin Martin
If God doesn't exist inside reality, then where does he exist, and how can you prove it?
Aaron Gray
I could've sworn I hit reply on that comment. Sorry.
Lucas Hernandez
I mean, some of those are genuine questions that cause people to develop seeds of doubt. You shouldn't just brush them off like that.
Logan Reed
God is spirit (4:24). He became incarnate and revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. This is His creation, which He sustains.
Reread the Areopagus speech:
Acts 17:22-31 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Sermon on Mars Hill 22 So Paul stood in the midst of the [a]Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and [b]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge [c]the world in righteousness [d]through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men [e]by raising Him from the dead.”
Grayson Hughes
I wasn't speaking out against Tradition per se, just saying reading the Book of Mormon won't teach you anything about Mormonism. Read up on Apostolic Tradition.
Mormonism is basically Islam for White people. Yes, they are very different in style, but don't you think it's pretty funny they were both founded by delusional people that were in the wilderness speaking to an "Angel of God." Both deny Jesus is the Christ. If you claim Mormonism is "The Truth," then why not Islam? Why pick Joseph Smith over Mohammed?
Eli Brooks
The entire field of theodicy studies this exact question. Rome put together a very good introduction here: newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm
Chase Carter
And does Mormonism provide definitive answers to all those questions? Does anybody on this God-forsaken planet have the answer to any of those questions?
Jose Moore
doh that's John 4:24
Grayson Richardson
I don't know. That's why I'm trying to learn.
Levi Jenkins
Thinking a bit more, you've got it backwards. God doesn't exist inside reality, reality exists inside God.
Adrian Cruz
That's Panentheism, not classical Theism. That concept doesn't exactly jive with mainstream notions of Christianity.
Bentley Powell
Christianity is not Pantheistic, it is Monotheistic. Mormonism on the other hand is Polytheistic in nature.
Christopher Ramirez
It worked, didn't it? Got to the whole world by the time and place of delivery. Second guessing a plan that succeeded seems a little silly.
James Powell
Joseph Smith was a freemason and added "another" testimony of Jesus Christ in the 1700s, the same time that secret societies were taking over American, around the same time, the fraternities stole the name of the Knights Templar.
Caleb Johnson
I said Panentheistic, not Pantheistic. Panentheism is the idea that the divine (not necessarily God in the Christian sense) encompasses the universe, and stands in contrast to Classical Theism, which espouses an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, imminent (essentially, that God manifests within the material world), transcendent (which means that God is independent of the material world), exists outside of time, and never changes. This is the traditional monotheistic concept of what God is.
On the other hand, I'm not entirely convinced that Christianity is monotheistic. You believe in three distinct entities with distinct thoughts and personalities. If I described to you a religion which worships three distinct entities which it calls God without telling you what religion it is, you'd probably assume that it's a polytheistic religion. In fact, I'm not entirely convinced that Judaism is monotheistic. The ancient Hebrew word typically used for God in the Bible is "Elohim," which means gods or deity. Note that I said "gods," not "god." The -im suffix at the end of "Elohim" typically denotes plural masculine nouns in Hebrew. And in English translations of the Bible like the KJV, in the very first chapter of Genesis, you see Elohim referring to itself as "we" and "us," implying multiple beings, not one. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, since it's a translation and not the original Hebrew.
Just a thought. I'm not a theologian, so feel free to rip it apart.
Hudson Reed
Woops, proofreading has failed me.
Noah Murphy
I'm not a theologian either, I just believe in Jesus Christ. Anyhow, it looks like you're fairly set on Mormonism since you've got all the talking points memorized and laid out. Good luck.
