Any Mormons Here?

[PurpleChicken]

edited to remove myself from discussion

 

[speckledhen]

I agree that everyone is doing very well so far.

 

[texaschickmama]

Everyone is doing and being so good with such a sensitive subject. To me this is a very serious subject. You see, my entire family are Christians, mostly Baptists, my little sister converted to mormonism when she was old enough to be baptized in that church without my parents blessing. She had to be 18. Well, it just breaks my heart that my 2 nephews and 1 niece (so far) are being "brainwashed" with this toxic stuff. I'm not going to get this thread heated, I only wanted to say that my parents and I were not "allowed" at my sisters wedding. Doesn't that sound wrong to anyone? My sister is treated like a second rate citizen because she is a woman. It really chaps me to see their family unit and how they interact.

Please be polite to these missionaries, but in the same breath, do not under any circumstances listen or believe anything they say about religion. JMHO

 

[Rosalind]

LisaJean, I am jealous of you!

Last time I had Mormon missionaries knock on my door, they gave me copies of the Book of Mormon and some other piece of literature. I promised to read it, and they promised to come back the next week to discuss it. All very polite. I read the literature, highlighted and post-it noted all the bits that didn't match up with other Christian literature/bibles and which parts did match up with other mythologies and non-Christian religions, Googled the history of the LDS church, and waited eagerly on the evening they were supposed to come back and discuss the stuff with me. I am always entertained to have a debate with someone who comes knocking on my door for one.

Then they never showed! I was so disappointed.

I also enjoy the Jehovah's Witnesses who come round every Christmas to inform us that decorated trees and Santa Claus are really Pagan idolatry and have nothing to do with Jesus. They tend to know their bibles and ecclesiastic history reasonably well.

 

[rooster-red]

Since you did invite them, I would go ahead and let them come over.

A little sharing of religious veiwpoints can be a fun learning experience and doesn't hurt anything, and if you get uncomfortable with the discussion, there is nothing wrong with telling them that you are not inclined to discuss the issue, and change the subject.

At that time if they respect you they will not bring the subject up again.

If they do not respect your wishes in your home, tell them to leave. Don't tolerate someone trying to drill a hole in your head to pour in their religion.

On a side note:
I view all salesmen, missionaries and phone solicitors who show up at my door or call on me unsolicited as someone trying to make me do something thats not my idea, and repond as I feel appropriate. If whatever they are into sounds good to me, I will search them out.

 

[speckledhen]

You will find most times that the missionaries are only kids themselves and really don't know as much about their own church's doctrines and history as the people whose doors they knock on know about the LDS Church. They are only doing what they feel is their duty, misguided though they may be, and it does not hurt to show them common courtesy and compassion, just as if you should do anyone. However, if you do not have a working knowledge of where they're coming from and how their doctrine differs from accepted Christian doctrine, you will be at a disadvantage in having a satisfying conversation with them. If you feel you are unprepared to have this sort of discussion, then you are under no obligation to have one with them and certainly may decline.
Having lived in Utah more than once at different times over the past years, I have a perspective that many are not fortunate to have. There is way too much to discuss here on a chicken board, although most have been doing a fine job of being courteous and civil and I commend you for it.

 

[poppycat]

I agree with speckled hen... too much to post on a chicken board. Let's just say that I'm no longer visited by missionaries.

But I must say, if you are going to enter a conversation with LDS missionaries you really need to know their methods beforehand. Especially if you are without strong religious convictions.

 

[newchickowner]

There are many great things said on this thread and I'm grateful that it's been civil. I love to discuss religion most of the time. But when it gets out of hand it isn't fun anymore. I've had all kinds of representitives show up out of the blue at my house, or have run into them at places I've been. The only thing I may be able to add in this thread is to keep in mind that HUMANS are running these organizations and sometimes you're representitive isn't the best at communication and can come accross as pushy or overbearingly opinionated. However in all my experiences with these representatives, I've also talked to some that come accross kind, friendly, and leave me with more information that I didn't have and I like how it feels when the wheels in my head turn and I gain more knowledge of the world and cultures. Hopefully your experience leaves you feeling the same.

 

[eggzettera]

I was raised mormon, met some GREAT ones, met some real SO#'s. Just like any other religon.

This is what I take issue with....

Baptizing of the dead.

My mother did it do my grandparents - both were raised multi-generational Catholic (French not a big suprise). I feel this is the MOST disrepectful practice that the LDS church does. I could go on, but why.

If I started to tell you my experiences of Mormons it would get ugly fast. But it would also be due to PERSONAL experiences and not based on any objective reality.

My brother went to Korea on his mission, when he came back he was all fired up. We had one simple discussion and he still thanks me for bursting his bubble. All it came down to was how sure he was that its the "one & only true faith" I asked him if he would kill for it......& did he realize how many wars/deaths & atrocities are fought over, due to such a "theory". How it basically comes down to having RESPECT for other peoples belief systems.

We are all struggling down the road of personal enlightenment.

So if you invited them over due to a misconception & are regreting it, I would clear it up immediately, be polite but FIRM if you want them to stop.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Great job everyone keeping this civil, I hope it can remain this way.

For the record, I'm the owner of this site, a pretty normal person (Terrie may argue) and am a "Mormon" or member of the LDS church. I served a mission when I was 19 for two years in Massachusetts (from Revere and Dorchester all the way out to Pittsfield).

Missionaries volunteer, and also usually pay their own way, to spend 2 years (1.5 for women) to do full time service (no TV, no movies, no dating, etc.) to share a message with interested people who may want to learn more about what has brought these missionaries happiness. Missionaries are taught to be patient and polite and in general are (in my opinion) not as "pushy" as some may think. That being said, missionaries come from all over the world (I had one companion who came from Laos to be a missionary in the US), have very diverse backgrounds, and so there can occasionally be some missionaries that are more energetic about sharing their message than others (usually this is the new missionaries who are like a kid who just got done opening presents from Christmas and cant wait to tell all his friends).

On my mission I really didn't feel like I was trying to convert people to a church. I felt more like I was going to people who are spiritual brothers and sisters (all children of God) and finding out if they would like to know more about where they came from before they were born, why they are here on this earth, and where they are going.

For me, it was like telling people there was a really good ice cream shop in town that has super good ice cream. Some people may not like ice cream... some people may already have a favorite place to get ice cream... well, as missionaries we just really liking the ice cream at this one place and wanted to tell others about it. We do NOT want to force anyone to eat it or force them to even try it (flashback to brussel sprouts). We just look for people who may be curious and want to know more and sit down and talk.

As others have said, if you don't like ice cream, don't want to try other ice cream, then just politely tell them (as you would anybody else) that you appreciate they are doing something they believe is good and right, but you aren't really interested. On the other hand, if you are interested you can tell them you're interested in learning more about what their beliefs, purpose of life, eternal families, etc. but that, as you said here, "I'm not ready to convert." If at any point you feel like they are just there to convert you then politely say, thanks for your time, I feel I've got a good idea of what you came to share, have a great day."

As a missionary I enjoyed answering questions about the church and correcting misconceptions. I was also very happy to find people who felt lost or confused about why they were on the earth and I had the opportunity to share more information about the purpose for life. That said, many were not interested so I simply said, "Thank you for your time, have a great day."