Mormonism

Sandy - posted on 08/14/2012

Thanks for sharing Carla and responding to my post below to Anna Marie.

Anna Marie, who expressed concern for her Mormon friends indicated that her concern is that, ( in her personal estimation) their lives are devoid of the Holy Spirit, or "without the Holy Spirt' as she expressed this.. Although I did not ask her to expound more specifically in what sense she feels that their lives are "without the Holy Spirit", my personal interpretation of her statement was that she may feel that since she sees a dissimilarity between her beliefs and those of her Mormon friends that perhaps she feels that the Holy Spirit, (who instructs and imparts the truth) has not "authored" those Mormon beliefs and or teachings she views as contradictory and therefore incompatable with those of her own. Because I personally am not familiar with the teachings of Mormonism I did not attempt to address her concerns in the context of Mormon belief regarding the Holy Spirit. Rather, I was trying to offer a different perspective to her approach to Mormonism as indicated by her concern that in her view her friends as being " without the Holy Spirit" based on my own understanding of the Holy Spirit as not just an "entity' but as a teacher that imparts knowledge within us or fills us with His presence and inbibes our beliefs with truth. .Not being familiar enough with Mormon teaching I would not want to make assumptions and misrepresent Mormonism by conjecturing on whether.or not those of the Mormon faith believe in the Holy Spirit, believe that God imparts knowledge through the Holy Spirit, or believe that the teachings of Mormonism are inbibed with the Holy Spirit. Reiterating what I wrote in my post to Anna Marie, based on my personal accumulated beliefs as a Christian, I have concluded that ultimately God and only God can know whether or not someone is with or "without" the Holy Spirit both in the sense of loving the Holy Spirit and being inbibed with the Holy Spirit This is based on the belief that only God can know the heart of any man. Having said that, I do not believe anyone can make that determination themselves and therefore in my personal estimation one need not burden themselves with the assumption that Mormons as a group or their Mormon friends are 'without the Holy Spirit". I do know that Christ taught that we will "know them by their fruits". My interpretation of this is that we can know if a person is living in a Christlike way based on their actions and the good that they do and exibit toward their fellow man.. Anna Marie referred to her Mormon friends as "amazing" and I extract from that discription of them that perhaps she views them as being what most would refer to as very good people and therefore Christlike people. I may be drawing conclusions here about Anna Marie's view of her Mormon friends as being Christlike.but only she can address that. I can say that for me personally, if a person is a Christian , (I believe Mormons are Christians) and they exibit Christian behavior toward their fellow man then I would define their behavior as Christlike and therefore would not be likely to arrive at the conclusion that they are "without" the Holy Spirit, I would not simultaneously view a friend who I believed to be Christlike as being without the Holy Spirit because to do so would be a contradiction. To put it in the simpliest of terms, if I believed that my friends were good Christians then I would be both grateful and thankful for their presence in my live and the lives of others and would not sweat the small stuff, Please know that I am not judging nor critisizing Anna Marie, I am only talking about my personal approach to this topic. I hope that this might help to clarify what I was trying to express in my earlier post.

Angela - posted on 08/14/2012

Peggy, the Mormons don't have their own Bible, they use the KJV and another book called the Book of Mormon. They however feel that the Bible is the word of God only in as far as it is correctly translated! However one must assume that they believe MOST of it is correctly translated because the Book of Mormon contains a lot of stuff, word-for-word, identical to the King James Bible. Amazing how Joseph Smith, a not terribly-well educated young American living in the first half of the nineteenth century, used exactly the same words as the biblical scholars of 1611! This was regarded miraculous in the eyes of Mormons. Anyone else with a modicum of common sense would call it wholesale theft & plagiarism, LOL!!

Just about every paragraph in the Book of Mormon starts with the words "And it came to pass ..."

By the way, it's not just young men who go out in pairs as Mormon Missionaries, young women do as well!

But I would say that anyone, of any denomination, cult or sect who puts their trust in Jesus and Jesus only for their salvation is genuinely saved. That includes Mormons who understand and accept the message of salvation and indeed anyone else who does. Paying a tithe, avoiding drinking coffee and getting a "Temple recommend" won't save anyone though!

Carla - posted on 08/14/2012

Sandy, Paul, in Acts 19:2 asked the Corinthian people 'Have ye received the Holy Ghost SINCE ye believed?' (Read chapt 19, 2-6) It is true that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One, but they are also separate Entities. Jesus said in John 14:6, 'No one cometh unto the Father but by Me'. So, we have to have separate belief in each Entity in order to be one with the Father.

A book that beautifully illustrates the workings of God, the Father, Jesus, the Savior, and the Holy Spirit is 'The Shack' by Wm Young. God calls us, Jesus saves us, the Holy Spirit teaches us Truth and helps us clean out the crud in our hearts. Each Entity has separate duties, if you will, and each is to be worshiped for What and WHO they are. I have to admit that I was a little confused about this as well, and finding this book and reading it, over and over, helped me understand and love Them even more!

Let us pray for us all, that we will find Truth, more and more each day. Let us be so hungry for more of God that we search the Scriptures and find the Truths that are inside this Book, which is love letters written for our good. None of us is perfect, but as we strive for perfection, the Holy Spirits enables us to reach our goal. All He asks for is a loving, willing heart.

God bless, all!

Sandy - posted on 08/14/2012

This is in response to the post by Kim Snelgrove

Kim I think you are the one who deserves the kudos based on your response to Anna Maries post, (I hope I spelled your name right Anna). The intelligent and caring response you wrote speaks very highly of you as a Mormon. I am not a Mormon but it is people such as yourself who demonstrate to the world the goodness in people of many religions. It's really uplifting to read posts like yours that strive to unify people rather than divide them despite their individual differences. You show great leadership qualities and my guess is that you are well liked and respected among your Mormon friends.

Sandy - posted on 08/13/2012

I have my own faith which means a great deal to me, gives my life meaning and has given me strength and courage through the most difficult of times. I also acknowledge that other's have their own personal beliefs and religious beliefs and convictions and I respect their right to have beliefs that differ from mine. Your heart may be heavy because your beliefs are not shared by them, you feel certain about your beliefs and I assume your beliefs give you much comfort and solace. Given that it is understandable that you would want your friends to experience the same joy and peace that your faith brings to you. I see the ways in which my faith differs from people I have known and been friends with and have sometimes felt that because one or another of my beliefs which mean a lot to me and which I feel sure of is not shared by them that they are somehow lacking. It may or may not be true that your Mormon friends do not have the Holy Spirit in their lives but that is a question that only God can answer. I personally believe that only God knows the heart of each of us and only God knows who's lives the Holy Spirit is a part of. It is my belief based on my faith that the Holy Spirit is an inseperable part of God, that the Holy Spirit and God are one just as the Son is one with God. Based on these beliefs I personally find it difficult to believe that good people who love God do not share in the life of the Holy Spirit. We may or may not agree with every tenent of another's faith but I don't think that in and of itself disqualifies those of another faith from having the Holy Spirit in their lives. Though I am not well versed in all of the words of the bible and can not quote exactly the words of Jesus, I do think He said something to the effect that, "Ye shall know them by their fruits". Again, I may not be quoting Jesus exactly as He spoke but you probably know what I am trying to say, (I am assuming based on your reference to the Holy Spirit that you are a Christian). My guess is that different people interpret this differently but to me it means that one can recognize a person as being Christlike based on the way they live their lives and their deeds . You can extract from this whether or not you personally believe the Holy Spirit is a part of the lives of your Mormon friends. Ultimately only God knows the answer to this and it is only up to Him to make that determination. Regarding your question about how "I handle" Mormons, I can only say that my experience with them has been limited since I have only know two peoople who are Mormons. I never saw anything noticeably different about them but knew that they were very close to their fellow church members. Only you can decide whether you would feel comfortable allowing your children to attend their events. I do know that Mormons in general believe deeply in their faith and that their faith is a very active part of their lives and that all Mormon males are expected to share their faith with others and I have often seen them going door to door to do this. This is all I know about them based on what my Mormon friend told me years ago, (she was a neighbor of mine and our children were friends). Thanks for sharing.

Peggy - posted on 08/11/2012

We are not to add to or take away from The Bible (as it says in Revelation). Mormons have added to by having their own bible. This is against The Bible.

Julie - posted on 07/30/2012

Different beliefs are the way of the world we live in. If our children do not learn this early on, it can be a rude awaken when acceptance of others is crucial for them to integrate well with society.
Mormon's are everywhere. They have tons of money, and a lot of power. They are extremely hard working and honest people. They are focused and determined in a humble way, that is working. Case and point, our current Republican Presidential Candidate is a professed and proud member of the Mormon society.
The Mormon community greatly effects our Country. Therefore, our children should be educated on their beliefs and lifestyles as much as any other.
Education is the best way to prepare, and protect your children in the future. It is the key to knowledge, and knowledge is the key to success.
That is the approach I would take if my boys wanted to socialize with a group that had a different ideal than themselves. Along with, "Love thy neighbor as thy self." of course :P

Anne - posted on 07/25/2012

Thank you all for your posts on my question. I have been reading up and learning. One thing that I have learned is that if a cornerstone on a building is just 1/16th off, the whole building will collapse. I feel that the world stage is set for Jesus to come in our lifetime and our Mormon friends need to understand the web of lies that Satan has created for them. The Bible says he can appear as an angel of light and it will fool many. I am going to keep my Mormon friends close because there will come a day when they will desperately seek me out to know the truth....
Annemarie

Angela - posted on 07/24/2012

Kim, that was a great post! A carefully considered and mature response. Whilst I do not subscribe to your faith, I totally respect that it's meaningful for YOU. Friends of all faiths (and none) are valuable. It's entirely possible to decline from things that make you feel uncomfortable without losing friends. True friends aren't going to give you a hard time for making choices that may differ from theirs.

We often tread a tricky path on our walk with the Lord. The Bible advises that we avoid being unequally yoked with unbelievers. For many this means marriage of course, but a Church I used to attend also preached that it meant friends as well. Of course, if you're earning your daily bread in a secular workplace (as most of us are), you're going to be forming working relationships with people of different faiths and with people who have NO faith. Then there is the client group you're working with - for me it's vulnerable adults (disabled people). We have company procedures about respecting the religious beliefs of our clients, whilst at the same time we're NOT allowed to witness about our own. I took a few of my own clients to my Church - but only because they were interested and stated that they would like to go. Word got around and a few more were interested .... and asking to go! But my own preference was to get Sundays OFF work so I could just go there alone!!

Life can get SO complicated, can't it?

Kim - posted on 07/24/2012

I realize I am a little slow in responding to this; without getting into a doctrinal discussion, which has been pretty thoroughly explored in other comments - kudos to you ladies for keeping it civil, most people can't do that! - I would suggest if you want to learn more go to www.mormon.org.
In response to your original question, I see nothing wrong with social interactions with your LDS (or Mormon) friends. If you don't feel comfortable letting your children attend the church activities, just be honest with your friends about why; as a Mormon, I would greatly respect this from a friend. Keep the lines of communication open, this is the best way to keep respect and love for each other as friends. I know in my neighborhood we hold a lot of ward activities (a "ward" being our local organized group), but we also hold a lot of neighborhood activities and make a definite effort to make sure all know that they are welcome and included, whether they are active in our church or in another. I think the best thing would be to sit down with your Mormon friends and let them know your questions and concerns. Friendship is too precious a thing to lose over misunderstandings, and even though you may have different beliefs about religion, or go to different congregations, it is possible to be great friends - the Mormon church does not hold a monopoly on good people, nor do we discourage friendships outside our denomination. Good luck with your struggles, thanks for being brave enough to share on such a sensitive topic!!

Angela - posted on 07/22/2012

Marcia, forgive me, as this is semantics, but a "minister" by definition is anyone who ministers to you! So a Sunday School Teacher is a minister - a minister isn't just someone who holds the title of "Pastor" or "Priest" or "Vicar" etc ...

I take on board that you read the Bible for yourself anyway. That's good.

In an earlier post I gave scriptural examples which explain exactly why why Full Gospel born again Christians believe that salvation isn't earned by works or achieved by faith plus works. It's a gift from God through His grace by our faith in the sin-cleansing sacrifice of His son. No good works we could ever do would be good enough in themselves for God's own sinless perfection. Our good works (which are a great thing to have, by the way) are simply to serve as testimony and witness to others and to show our Lord we love Him. They don't buy our salvation, regardless of what ANY Christian Church may claim.

Most ladies on this Forum, I believe, would agree with this. We have blessed assurance of our Heavenly reward if we accept salvation as the gift it is intended to be. We could never earn or buy it.

Marcia - posted on 07/18/2012

I think for myself, and we don't have "ministers", we have a sunday school teacher who leads the discussion but does not say you will believe this or that. I have read the Bible on my own and all our scriptures on my own, it is encouraged in my church to do that. And to pray on our own to know what a passage means. God is His own interpreter. I love the scriptures. and I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Angela - posted on 07/16/2012

Elizabeth, thanks for your words of endorsement. I'm not an expert though! I first got saved nearly 30 years ago and someone at that Church back in 1982 said that getting a concordance was nearly as important as getting a Bible! I got my concordance and always found it very useful. Now, of course, we have the Internet so we can check stuff even faster online. I'd also done an exam in Scripture as a teenager at school a few years before I got saved, so I was in the habit of memorising certain chunks of the Bible.

Some of what I put in my post was my own opinion based on the way I interpret scripture for myself. I hope, if there are any inaccuracies, others will put me right on this.

But I feel strongly (based on scriptures relating to this) that salvation is about grace and faith and definitely not works. And I really feel that for most people with religious beliefs of any kind, they like to feel their own efforts "count" towards salvation - but this widely held view is wrong. Almost ALL other religions do require works!

Since God is not ruled by humankind's own reasonings or logic, the ways in which Christianity is different from other creeds, at least to me, makes it the Truth. It's genuine and authentic to me because it doesn't copy or duplicate the most popular theme for salvation amongst other world religions. We're never going to get saved on our own efforts. It was God's effort to reach us that brought about our salvation.

Good works, kindnesses, religious devotion and piety etc .... are all wonderful testimonies in the Christian life. But they don't effect salvation! Christians should carry out good works, because they know they're saved, not in order to get saved! We do our good works to say "thank you" rather than to say "please."

This is my opinion, based on how I've interpreted the Bible. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Elizabeth - posted on 07/15/2012

Angela,
That was very enlighting. Thanks for the infromation. You are very knowledgeable in the bible.
thanks for your help, and may God continue to use you to help his followers.

Angela - posted on 07/15/2012

Marcia, may I ask you a question? Many churches have Bible-reading programmes and their members over a course of time get through the whole Bible etc ... on their Church's schedule. Do you ever read your Bible alone? Or do you only read it on the basis of your Church's schedule, with the guidance and interpretation THEY like to give on it?

Do you ever, open your Bible and decide to choose for yourself which passage you might read? Do you ever look at ANY scripture without the guidance of Church literature or verbal comments from other people within your Church fellowship? Or, is your Bible reading restricted to the recommendations of your minister? Fellowship and communion is good, don't get me wrong but our Lord likes us also to think for ourselves and make discoveries in His book.

Marcia - posted on 07/14/2012

My church does teach the Bible, Old Testament year one, New Testament year two, Book of Mormon year three, Doctrine and Covenants year four, Old Testament year five etc. every 4 years we go through all the scriptures. And I have found him, and yes you are correct, everyone is permitted to worship as they see fit. Thanks

Linda - posted on 07/13/2012

Elizabeth, most mormons would call themselves Chrisitans--as Marcia does. However, there are MANY differences in beliefs. It is wise to know the difference--especially in light of the fact that it is possible we may soon have a Mormon president here in the USA. Here is a site I found which delineates some of the differences:
http://contenderministries.org/mormonism...

I haven't really explored the entire site, and I'm not familiar with this particular ministry, but they seem to concisely define the main differences. There are some other odd beliefs of the Mormon church not covered here--such as Satan is the brother of Jesus. However, from the list given, I think you can see the problems evangelical Christians have with the beliefs.

Marcia, neither I nor anyone else here wishes to offend you. However, we simply cannot accept that the beliefs of your church are in keeping with that of the Bible. You are certainly free to believe anything you choose, but I will pray that you spend some time reading the Bible and learning the truth directly from God. He promises in his Word that if you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Elizabeth - posted on 07/13/2012

Hi,
I am not sure what the mormon faith is all about. I am a Christian and believe that Jesus is the only way. That is what God says and I am glad that there is a WAY

Carla - posted on 07/13/2012

Wow, Angela, you go, girl!



James 2:14-26: 'What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.' Faith and works go hand-in-hand. In Christiandom, you can't have one without the other.



I love watching Abraham grow from a scared creature that couldn't trust God for a child, to a strong super-Christian, so to speak, that KNEW, even if God told him to sacrifice his precious son, that God would raise him back up or bring an alternate ending to this gut-wrenching scenario. Remember what he said to Isaac as they were walking up to the altar? 'My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering'. Abraham had faith--he didn't know how much until God showed him, through this situation. Abraham's works proved his faith.



There are many good people out in the world, and I associate with many of them. However, and this is a big however, I do NOT attend their churches, or allow my children (when they were little) to attend. Each of us believes a little differently, and each of us believes ours is the 'True' belief, otherwise why would we believe it? I have lived my life trying to find God. Sadly, it took me 50 years to find Him. I have read the Bible through many, many times, and feel like I have a handle on what we are to do and interact with other beliefs. God has said, over and over, don't allow others to come in and taint your beliefs. Protect them, cherish them, as a precious diamond. So our Mormon friends believe their way is the only way, but we believe ours is the only way. We believe the Bible is the entire Word of God and no other writings are needed. Mormons believe their prophet was given additional words, and they abide by them. We do, however, have another Helper, the Holy Spirit. And He said He would lead us into all Truth.



Until Jesus comes and gives us ALL Truth, we rely on the Bible and the Holy Spirit to guide us. Each person has to be fully persuaded in their own minds and hearts. Keep your friend, allow your love to shine through you. Keep a safe distance, from ALL beliefs that do not line up with yours. If you are following Jesus' Words and the teachings of the Holy Spirit through Paul, Peter, and James, you will find Truth.



God bless, all!

Angela - posted on 07/13/2012

When James states in James 2:17 that faith without works is vain, this is because although Christians know they're saved by grace through faith in Jesus, other non-believers will always judge us on our works. We should be seen to practise what we preach in order to show good witness to others. People cannot be converted to the truth on the basis of only observing faith from believers. They need to see that we LIVE Christianity as well as BELIEVING it. That what James 2:17 actually means.

Elsewhere in the Bible, it's very clear that salvation is freely given as a gift through God's grace and our faith in Jesus. Works aren't part of the formula for salvation, but ARE part of the formula for living the Christian life, bearing witness to others, winning converts.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
(nothing in THAT scripture about works!)

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
(very specific there that it's NOT works that bring about salvation)

Romans 3:20 "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
(a scripture that doesn't mention grace or faith - only that "deeds of the law" - works - aren't going to bring about justification!)

Galatians 2:16 "A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ."
(same message again but this time faith is mentioned as the justification factor!!)

Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
(again not works the "washing of regeneration" - which means Jesus' sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins - that's grace - and renewal of the Holy Ghost - the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit helps us with our faith - very clearly the same message again!)

There are several more scriptures which pretty much emphasise that salvation isn't "earned" by works.

It's fair to say there are also a few scriptures which outline the importance of works - but remember works aren't part of the salvation package.

If salvation depended upon works, nothing we did would ever be good enough for God's righteous perfection ....

Isaiah 64:6 "... all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

The relationship between faith and works is simple. We are saved by faith, not by works. But, once saved, we do good works because we are already saved.

The world has many different religions. They all have similarities. People believe in God or a deity (perhaps more than one god and/or goddess). They worship and pray to their perceived god(s) and, after death hope to spend eternity in Heaven/Paradise/Nirvana with their god(s) in their afterlife. Getting to this eternal afterlife and meeting their god(s) is their "salvation" and many look forward to it during their earthly lives. So how does a human get salvation?

Salvation by works is a popular theme in most of the world's religions. Christianity is different - it has been revealed to us in the Bible that even the most genuine, self-sacrificing, caring examples of good deeds, kindnesses, devotion to Christian duties etc ... aren't ever going to be good enough for a perfect, almighty God - because of our sin. Christ's sacrifice brings forgiveness for our sins and it's a totally free gift, all we have to do is acknowledge we're sinners, ask for the wonderful free gift and we're redeemed! Faith is what leads us to salvation and since we usually need help with developing that faith, the Holy Spirit is the one who helps us get it! The Holy Spirit is a great mover & shaker of human hearts!

Many people in general can't ever get their heads around this! They feel that religious beliefs are incomplete if the religion doesn't have a few rules about good deeds and works and how each believer should produce a metaphorical balance sheet with more good deeds on the "plus" side than sins on the "minus" side. Only Christianity differs! But unfortunately, many Christian-based cults, sects and denominations embrace the salvation by faith plus works philosophy.

Mormons are by no means the only Christianity-based religion that insist on a faith plus works package. Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Seventh Day Adventists and even Catholics are all insistent that salvation is by faith AND works. Catholics get around the matter of the scriptures saying differently by having the Pope whose authority on matters of doctrine is said to be infallible! The Pope is their final authority and NOT the Bible!!

Now I sincerely believe that Mormons (and the other religions named above - plus probably a few more) genuinely love Jesus, they believe in his second coming, they genuinely recognise the importance of the Holy Spirit, they are wonderful caring people who do good works in their own communities and further afield throughout the world. They have firm family values (a favourite theme with most world religions) and they try to live good lives. But without the "correct" message of salvation circulating amongst their members, they're not true Christians. It's as simple as that.

Marcia says they are NOT a cult. Let's look at the meaning of the word "cult":

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cult

1. a. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
b. The followers of such a religion or sect.
2. A system or community of religious worship and ritual.
3. The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.
4. A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.
5. a. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.
b. The object of such devotion.
6. An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

Originally, only the definition under "2" applied - hence anyone and everyone with religious beliefs could be classified as belonging to a "cult". However, it is mostly the definitions supplied under "1" (a & b) that are now meant when people speak of cults.

Another weblink which tries to describe the difference between denominations, sects and cults is to be found here:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/cults....

and that's as much as I can say about this topic, I think! Hope I've explained adequately!

Marcia - posted on 07/12/2012

This is my church you are talking about, let me add my two cents, we are NOT a cult, we do Believe in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. and for those who say we are a works based faith, I refer you to James 2:17, thus you need both faith & works. We do have the Holy Spirit, and not just some times but all the time. you are welcome to ask me any questions directly that way you can avoid uncomfortable confrontations with your friends, ask a stranger with whom you have nothing to lose.

Zandra - posted on 07/12/2012

I agree with Linda Nasman. Mormonism is also a Cult!! Please be careful. It is okay to be there friend but don't get sucked into their beliefs!

Angela - posted on 07/11/2012

Not many Mormons in the UK (compared to America, I mean).

Here you go:

http://community.sparknotes.com/2011/04/...

http://www.jokeindex.com/joke.asp?Joke=3...

Enjoy!

Linda - posted on 07/11/2012

Do NOT allow your children to attend events with the Mormon church. They are NOT Christians and do not believe Jesus is the only Son of God and the only way to heaven. They are usually very nice moral people because they feel that they need to be good to get into heaven--it is a works-based religion. If you have a lot of Mormon friends, I would educate yourself and your children about their beliefs. On the other hand, we do need to love them and be friends with them--we should be salt and light to the world Going to a birthday party at their house would probably be fine....but stay away from their church activities.

Christina - posted on 07/10/2012

Hi Anne,

I have had a few friends that are Mormon. Aside from asking a few questions about their beliefs I tend to keep from any religious topics. My first commandment from God is to LOVE, so that is what I do first. I find it difficult sometimes to be friends (other than acquaintanceship) with those that don't share the same Christian beliefs that I do, but we are to be the salt and the light of the earth.....I'm not hesitant with my faith, but outside of prompting from the Holy Spirit, I don't purposely make room for me to speak about my faith just to hear me speak.

Okay, (lol) to answer your questions, first I would say stay friends, but depending on how you feel about exposing yourself and your kids to other beliefs, be hesitant with anything that is a church activity. I have "friends" that are "spiritual" in their beliefs (don't believe in a GOD) and we can have some wonderful conversations, but I would not join them when they would go to "spiritual" activities; I don't need to plant "seeds" of other doctrines within my heart. Even though its awkward at first, it really is ok to not want to participate within another religions activities.