Posted by: rdl ®
10/19/2002, 13:50:04
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read the entire lds-mormon.com site or as much of it as you need to cure you of your urge to join.
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Posted by: lonedove ®
10/19/2002, 16:25:13
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Hi,
Do your friend and neighbor have PC's? When I was baptised in the LDS church, I was in my heart rededicating my life to Christ. Reading the Book of Mormon, so much is taken from the KJV bible. In another post I had said Never say Never or always say always.
So I know the Book of Mormon was inspired. However, I now don't feel ALL of it was translated from the Plates.Many LDS don't know ALL of the beliefs of the LDS church. As I questioned more and more, I noticed I wasn't as well accepted. Having been in many different places in the US, found many LDS who are more welcoming and caring. When the missonaries found me, and I told them of things I had found out, had proof, and newspaper articles, they were taken aback. I was told I am too inquisitive. So many things are hard to find on the net about the true beliefs of the LDS. Seeing what I have, reminded me of the movie "The Stepford Wives" If the people in the mormon faith know all of the beliefs and choose to belong, I respect that. It is irritating to me that I was misguided, and the LDS church was presented to me like it was, before being baptized there. And the fact I was told when telling of attending another church, having friends of other denominations, I was practically shunned. That is here..people of other LDS churches didn't appear to me to be that way. LDove
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Posted by: james ®
10/21/2002, 07:35:46
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I would ask something like this, "What is it that I find attractive about this religion?" If you can pinpoint what it is, or make list of things, see how many things you can find elsewhere. Mormons can be persuasive in making others feel like they have something that can't be found elsewhere. If you take a second look you can find out that you may already have access to these things. A few years ago the LDS church had this ad that sung "Your not alone" in a really, meloncholy tune. Some of my friends really found that upsetting as it seemed to be taking advantage of really depressed and lonely people. A social life can be found in any number of organizations, even non-religious ones...perhaps even taking a class in pottery could provide some contact with other people. Looking for Jesus? Or spirituality...certainly this one can be found elsewhere. Ceremony and pagentry...once again available elsewhere. Looking to connnect with the dead? A lot of people do geneology without any connection whatsoever to mormons. Some branches of Spiritualism make connections with the dead. Also some Asian religions highly revere their dead ancestors.
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Posted by: s billingham ®
10/21/2002, 13:19:40
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thanx to you for your replies.......it is amazing reading the things there are out there about the mormons that the missionaries don't tell you.It seems the ones i have encountered have been trying to say they are almost another main-stream christian group, or at least to infer it. If Joseph Smith was told that that all other churches are wrong, why is this so.......... know what I mean you only have to compare their real theological beliefs to know this is not true. I have now decided that there is no way i'm gonna get into the LDS. Thanx to all for the information made available tho this site and others. Suzie
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Posted by: lonedove ®
10/21/2002, 16:03:40
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Suzie,Glad the input has helped you. Many other sites have much valuable information. Am glad to see someone use their head, and investigating them before jumping into something.
Modified by lonedove at Wed, Oct 23, 2002, 12:05:12
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Posted by: Gunnar ®
10/21/2002, 20:04:03
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. . .is to simply continue being his or her friend. The mere fact that your friend has converted to another religion should not cause you to abandon the friendship. Respect and value your friend for the good qualities that motivated the friendship in the first place. It is not likely that they have disappeared. Some of them might even be enhanced by your friend's motivation to emulate and live the most noble of the ideals espoused by the newly accepted religion. Trying to dissuade your friend from the conversion will probably only cause enmity and resentment at this point. Active, true believing Mormons are, at worst, deluded. They are not evil, and are usually wonderfully caring and trustworthy neighbors and friends (if they are sincerely trying to live their religion, that is).Gunnar
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Posted by: james ®
10/25/2002, 06:19:54
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There is an annoying side to these deluded but sincere people. I tend to associate this quality with a particular personality type.http://www.geocities.com/ptypes/dependentpd.html Actually all personality disorders occur 'in a variety of contexts'. So it would be a leap to pair good mormons with the dependent personality disorder. It is also a leap to associate the disorder with religion, but there is a certain description which I tend to see a lot of in Mormons and many other highly religious people. High Neuroticism
Chronic negative affects, including anxiety, fearfulness, tension, irritability, anger, dejection, hopelessness, guilt, shame; difficulty in inhibiting impulses: for example, to eat, drink, or spend money; irrational beliefs: for example, unrealistic expectations, perfectionistic demands on self, unwarranted pessimism; unfounded somatic concerns; helplessness and dependence on others for emotional support and decision making.
Low Extraversion
Social isolation, interpersonal detachment, and lack of support networks; flattened affect; lack of joy and zest for life; reluctance to assert self or assume leadership roles, even when qualified; social inhibition and shyness.
Low Openness
Difficulty adapting to social or personal change; low tolerance or understanding of different points of view or lifestyles; emotional blandness and inability to understand and verbalize own feelings; alexythymia; constricted range of interests; insensitivity to art and beauty; excessive conformity to authority.
High Agreeableness
Gullibility: indiscriminate trust of others; excessive candor and generosity, to detriment of self-interest; inability to stand up to others and fight back; easily taken advantage of.
High Conscientiousness
Overachievement: workaholic absorption in job or cause to the exclusion of family, social, and personal interests; compulsiveness, including excessive cleanliness, tidiness, and attention to detail; rigid self-discipline and an inability to set tasks aside and relax; lack of spontaneity; overscrupulousness in moral behavior.
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Posted by: s billingham ®
10/21/2002, 22:07:27
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Just to let you all know, I spoke to my friend this morning about all i have discovered. She responded positively and although still curious and hasn't come to a full decision either way about what to do, it has given her much to at least think about.At least she now knows, whether she chooses to continue in it or not, they are not the 'Christian' group they have inferred themselves to be. Suzie
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