A Mormon chimes in

by John Corrill 91 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  HappyHeathen

  Double Edge,

  Let's refer back to the original question by the author:

  As an outsider, I always found the JW practice of avoiding blood transfusion and not celebrating holidays and birthdays to be a bit strange. What did/do you find strange about Mormon beliefs/practices?

  Most of this thread has been written in the context of this question. The author told us what he found strange about JW beliefs. Then he asked us what we found strange about LDS beliefs. We are merely answering question. The info I passed on was not obtained secondhand but directly from Mormons themselves! I was only relating what I was told, and I don't deny that some of it was misinformation. But to be honest, having a completely accurate understanding of Mormon beliefs would probably not change my opinion of my Mormon friends one iota! I still liked and respected them as people but emphatically disagree with a lot of what their religion teaches.

  And yes, you can infer from my screen name that I'm no longer a religious person. "Happy Heathen" was meant to be a light-hearted parody of the way dubs view anyone who is not JW as a "Heathen." I think I believe in God but not the one who is portrayed in the Bible, Koran, Talmud, or any other sacred writing.

  And, lastly, I am QUITE HAPPY, thank you very much, now that I've shed myself of a burdensome, psychologically destructive religion.

  Faith
• 

  ThiChi

  Reading all your posts, I have come to the conclusion we all truly have one thing in common, we can see cult-ish bull shit/smoke coming a mile away! It truly feels good to see intelligent persons identifying and analyzing beliefs to a reasonable conclusion! I am very proud of you all!
• 

  Wulfen

  I've never heard of it, but I'm not an authority.

  Mormon doctrine states that we incarnate only once on earth. Man's progression before earth life is all spiritual, and afterward all with a resurrected body.

  The authoritative source of Mormon doctrine is a collection of books called "Journal of Discourses," which contains the speeches and writings of Mormon prophets since Joseph Smith. A distillation of this source is the book "Mormon Doctrine," by apostle Bruce R. McConkie. In both the case of JofD and MD, the older editions are collector's items, because they still contain the strangest of doctrines - stuff that most of today's Mormons have never even heard of - which was later edited out. This is where I learned about the doctrine of Blacks not being valient in the pre-existence, and so doomed to live this life as descendants of Cain.

  To read what early Mormons taught and believed - and what fundamentalist Mormons, (read, polygamists) still teach and believe - check out this fundamentalist site:

  http://www.kingdomofzion.org

  Besides all the strange doctrine, the message board contains personals that say, "couple seeks sister wife," etc.

  I'll see if I can find some actual references and quotes on this Blacks/Cain/priesthood doctrine.

  Cheers,

  Wulfen
• 

  plmkrzy

  Thank You Wulfen, I'm always interested in learning and or digging into "The begining" of s## things such as religions and their early practices.

  Thanks for the Link and the info.
• 

  Wulfen

  These are actual quotes from Brigham Youngs speeches.

  Speaking about reincarnation, he said:

  "It has been, and is now, believed by numerous individuals, that the brute creation, by increase in knowledge and wisdom, change their physical or bodily organization, through numerous states of existence, so that the minutest insect, in the lapse of time, can take to itself the human form, and vice versa. This is one of the most inconsistent ideas that could be possibly entertained in the mind of man; it is called the

  transmigration of souls." - Journal of Discourses 1:92

  Speaking of the spirit leaving the body at death, he said:

  "Here, then, you see it passes from a mortal tenement, from the carcass, or flesh and bones, something similar, perhaps, to the butterfly being born from its coarser tenement;not that I wished to advocate anything like

  transmigration ; but as the butterfly sallies out of the cocoon, leaving it to be manufactured into fabrics, and free-and-easy she moves in another element, basking among the flowers of earth, so the spirit emerges from the body, to regale itself in a more congenial clime." - Journal of Discourses 8:26

  Personally, I think its quite hypocritical for Brigham to condemn people for believing in transmigration of souls reincarnation, or past lives when the Mormon concept of "eternal progression" of the spirit into a god is no more strange.

  Regarding Blacks, he said:

  "The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the

  flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same racethat they should be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree. How long is that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones of the residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favourable position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first ordinances of the Priesthood. They were the first that were cursed, and they will be the last from whom the curse will be removed. When the residue of the family of Adam come up and receive their blessings, then the curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will receive blessings in like proportion." - Journal of Discourses 7:290

  Cheers,

  Wulfen
• 

  plmkrzy

  He sounds a lot like the founder of the WT whom also spoke of anointed men having hanging foreheads or something like that. Can't remember all the exact details right now.LOL

  I wonder if they are by chance related
• 

  refiners fire

  The Watchtower thinks it has the organizational structure that God ordained for the Christian church, but i think the mormon idea of having a 1/ 3/ 12/ 70 structure is more convincing. Not sure where they get the "3" from though. But Jesus had 12 immediate followers, then a group of 70 disciples after that. Apparently this pyramid, (which the mormon elders recontructed for my benefit, using plastic cups which they then started pouring water into the top cup till it overflowed filling the rest,) this is the correct srtucture for holy spirit to flow though. I cerytainly recieved a "testimony" from God, when I saw those cups fill,that "these things are true". Lol.
• 

  refiners fire

  Hmmm. Theres no way you can make 1 cup fill 12 on a plastic cup pyramid. So I guess thats why the "3" level was needed. I dont think they did the "70" level either, just the 1/ 3/ 12. They ran out of cups. lol.
• 

  plmkrzy

  Ran out of cups.

  LMAO!

  Tha father the Son and the Holy Ghost (I think they refer to it as ghost, not sure.
• 

  refiners fire

  Plum. When I got baptized at the Mormon Church I had to wear a special white suit. Anyway, they didnt have one big enough to fit me. They tried real hard to get me into a 97 size but no go. They rang around feverishly, all over Melbourne, seeing if any other congregation had a bigger baptism suit. The entire congregation having to hang around while some poor sucker rushed it over there from miles away. The baptism happened at night, and the whole cell congregation I was associated with was there to watch. I guess they had to be. I never forget the looks of fatigue on all their faces. Those people were wore out with excessive duties. Poor buggers.