How hard is it to believe when you know "the stuff"

Post by **_truth dancer** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:30 pm

Opps... one more thing,

I'm more comfortable living with a degree of ambiguity and even doubt...knowing that there is at least the possibility...even plausibility...that there is an important place/purpose in the world for the LDS church.

Would you say any other religion is possibly the one and only true churh of God?

Why or why not?

Would you be willing to dedicate your life to any other religion because it is possibly true?

Would you be willing to study other religions and texts for years and years, having faith they are indeed true, to see if they were true?

:-)

~dancer~

Post by **_harmony** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:48 pm

I'm more comfortable living with a degree of ambiguity and even doubt...knowing that there is at least the possibility...even plausibility...that there is an important place/purpose in the world for the LDS church.

Thanks for your thoughts,
MG

And that would be.... ? Spending $6 billion on a shopping mall?

Post by **_guy sajer** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:53 pm

harmony wrote:
I'm more comfortable living with a degree of ambiguity and even doubt...knowing that there is at least the possibility...even plausibility...that there is an important place/purpose in the world for the LDS church.

Thanks for your thoughts,
MG

An important place in the world for the LDS Church? Perhaps, for the .001% of humanity that gives a s*** about it.

Post by **_Jason Bourne** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:23 pm

MG: I think that one would have to look at each church that makes claims to being Christ's true church individually and sort out their "truth claims". Besides the Catholic church, what other Christian churches are claiming to be the church of Jesus Christ? Authority, saving ordinances, correct doctrine, correct teachings regarding godhead, etc.

Reformed low church theology does not see the need for one denomination. Rather, the Church is and invisible church made up of all those who believe in (the right) Jesus. But they certianly believe they have the truth and that LDS do not.

Also Islam, as far as I undertand it, which is not much, claims to be true though there are diverse branches in Islam as well.

_mentalgymnast · Post by **_mentalgymnast** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 7:48 am

hi guy and harmony. together you said:

And that would be.... ? Spending $6 billion on a shopping mall?

An important place in the world for the LDS Church? Perhaps, for the .001% of humanity that gives a s*** about it.

MG: Speaking words of wisdom.

Hey, thanks for the conversation!

Regards,
MG

Post by **_Quantumwave** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:35 pm

MENTALGYMNAST, you waffle on the most important point of all Bible-based religion: Is there, or is there not a God who intervenes in the affairs of humans?

TD stated:

My point is, does God intervene or not. If the answer is no, fine. If the answer is yes then there is a lot of explaining to do.

You answered:

MG: as I've tried to explain, it's not quite as black and white as I think you're making it out to be.

The hypothesis that there is a God who intervenes is totally black or white. Either there is or is not this intervening deity. This point transcends all others regarding Bible-based religions, and renders the BOM-validity discussions as totally insignificant.

Either you believe in an intervening deity, or you don't. It's as simple as that, but then you are admittedly a MENTALGYMNAST, so you can default to your cognitive-dissonance grounded, faith-based world-view and find comfort.

And that's OK with me.

_mentalgymnast · Post by **_mentalgymnast** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:49 pm

Hi TD. you said:

Would you say any other religion is possibly the one and only true church of God?

Why or why not?

MG: you're setting me up for a fall there TD. <g> The short answer is yes. Other religions and belief systems are also part of God's creations/kingdoms, so yes...they are part of God's plan for his creations and thus part of his "truth" which he disseminates out to mankind based on how well he knows them and what they're needs are and what they are capable of generally.

I think that the LDS church contains the truth and practices necessary for exaltation.

Would you be willing to dedicate your life to any other religion because it is possibly true?

MG: yes. If it was a good fit for me.

Would you be willing to study other religions and texts for years and years, having faith they are indeed true, to see if they were true?

MG: I don't know that I would need to. I'm already of the opinion/belief that many of the texts that are considered to be scripture are indeed just that. Given to a particular subset of God's creations/children that are capable/willing to live that particular code of conduct/ethics/spiritual belief system. The Koran, for example, is the word of God to the Islamic peoples. The Vedas, to the Hindus, and so on.

Regards,
MG

Post by **_truth dancer** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:01 am

Hi MG...

:-)

My point is that there are hundreds (thousands?) of religions that are possibly the one and only true one. The only reason (most likely) you have decided Mormonism is the one true one, is because it is the one of your culture, upbringing, heritege, or knowledge.

My guess is, if you were born in India, or Japan, or Bali, you would most likely not find Mormonism believable at all.

So, it comes down to the idea that God would chose a very, very tiny, group of people to have the real (full) truth but it is virtually indistinguishable from every other religion, (not in its specific claims but in its functioning and direction).

So, again, what is it about the LDS church that would give anyone a sense that Mormonism is the one and only true one when compared to the thouands of other religions of the world?

If aliens came to earth how could they tell the LDS church is the one and only true church of God?

The other thing is... Joseph Smith was very clear that other churches teach the philosophies of man mingled with scripture... would you say this is pretty accurate for the LDS church as well? You seem to suggest that there is a lot of opinion mixed in with a little intervention now and then? Am I understanding correctly?

:-)

~dancer~

Post by **_CE_Digger** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:40 am

His point is that most religions don't claim they are the one and only true one. He admits that God has different ways of dealing with different children. What more are you asking for?

And Joseph Smith talked crap about other Christian churches, but he also had his ecumenical moments. My favorite:

While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard; He views them as His offspring… He is a wise Lawgiver, and will judge all men, not according to the narrow, contracted notions of men, but ‘according to the deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil,’ or whether these deeds were done in England, America, Spain, Turkey, or India… We need not doubt the wisdom and intelligence of the Great Jehovah; He will award judgment or mercy to all nations according to their several desserts, their means of obtaining intelligence, the laws by which they are governed, the facilities afforded them of obtaining correct information, and His inscrutable designs in relation to the human family; and when the designs of God shall be made manifest, and the curtain of futurity be withdrawn, we shall all of us eventually have to confess that the Judge of all the earth has done right.

The Book of Mormon is also much more ecumenical than most give it credit for. Saying that God has many nations and they all have their scriptures from God and that anything that leads men to do good is from Christ.[/quote]

Post by **_CE_Digger** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 10:42 am

Oh and MG I think it's hard for me to believe when I think about problems with Mormonism.

Right now I just wonder if God's out there. I like Mormonism because of D&C 93 and the King Follett discourse.