Why are you not LDS?

[Bill the Cat]

For us Anti-'s...

What is the single biggest reason you are not LDS?

[Sparko]

cuz it's not true.

[Catholicity]

cause i thought God wanted me to be a Catholic...oh and I don't believe LDS doctrine is true

[Bill the Cat]

I meant specific doctrines...

[Sparko]

you too can be a god!

[Catholicity]

i don't want a 20 year old as a bishop

[Bill the Cat]

i don't want a 20 year old as a bishop

But Timothy was young...

[Catholicity]

But Timothy was young...

you know.....I don't care.

[pancreasman]

I went through a phase when I was young attending university where I became quite friendly with a Mormon missionary. I went to a 'family night' a couple of times and had fairly in depth discussions with a number of LDS. I even went so far as to read some of the Book of Mormon looking for the old 'burning in the breast' thingy. Nothing.

The more I found out, the less believable I found the beliefs. Now, I find the whole idea of judging the truth or falsehood of something based on an interior subjective feeling that could just as easily be psychosomatic or caused by bad pizza to be ludicrous.

I'm not a Christian but I recognize Christianity at least has a basis in historical and archeological facts. One certainly has to add faith to the mix but the faith does not contradict the facts. With Mormonism, the opposite seems to be true. Grand historical claims are made with AFAICT no archeological or historical basis agreed to by secular experts. It almost seems that Mormons believe what they believe despite the evidence. In fact, I suspect this is considered a virtue in the LDS.

I find the beliefs of Mormonism coarse and unsophisticated. So much seems to me to be based on how a 19th century American man with little education might imagine a fleshly, earthly kind of divinity. There seems to be little appreciation for the mysticism of orthodox Christianity and in particular my favourite hobby horse, apophatic theology. The mystery and otherness of the foundations of reality seem to be reduced to what I frankly think is nonsense about other planets and a particularly American desire to be 'special'.

I think Mormonism is currently schizophrenic in its view of larger Christendom. On the one hand, it desperately wants to be seen as a legitimate part of Christianity while on the other it has an unambiguous history of repudiating contemporary Christianity. This desperate quest for legitimacy makes advocates for the LDS perform the most acrobatic reinterpretations of past statements and doctrines.

This is not to say that Mormons cannot be sincere and good people. Regrettably, I find their particular theology and world view to be on a par with Scientology. Sorry guys.

[Jedidiah]

Mormon history and theology fails to match up with what can be seen in the real world.

[nrajeff]

i don't want a 20 year old as a bishop

But at least he'd probably be a heterosexual bishop....

[Hamster]

To answer the OP, because it isn't true. It strikes me as incredibly inauthentic (pancreasman took the words out of my mouth). It just doesn't seem "organically" grown from the first century

[jethrorlz]

To answer the original question as to why I do not believe in Mormonism is that historically it is based on deception. It is no different than any other religion offered in the world aside from Biblical Christianity. Just like every other religion out there, in Mormonism, it is about what you do to save your self. They do believe in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but not the way Christians do. Biblical Christianity says that there is nothing you can do to be saved (regarding the works that you do). It is about believing that Jesus Christ, was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit (not through sexual intercouse with God the Father), lived a sinless life, died for the sins of the world per will of the Father, rose from the dead in three days, and will come back again to judge the world. Christianity is the most unique religion in the entire world percisely because you can do nothing for you own salvation.

Even then it is not entirely about being saved from Hell and being saved into Heaven. It is also about seeing Jesus Christ in all his Glory next to God the Father and not becoming gods ourselves.

Joseph Smith claimed to have received a "new" revelation from an angel. In Galatians 1:6-9 Paul says "I am astonished that youa re so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace fo Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are tryingto pervert the gospel of Christ. Buet even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!"

In the context of this passage Paul is speaking to the Galatians warning them against those who might, in this case, add to the gospel message something "new." The gospel that Joseph Smith preached was a false gospel, one that was made up and one that was not a revelation from God.


Basically, I cannot believe in a religion that was founded on and practiced deception.

[Sparko]

so it sounds like my first answer "cuz it's not true" is the consensus here.

[mossrose]

But at least he'd probably be a heterosexual bishop....

I don't know, jeff. I see all those pairs of young mormon men out walking the streets and sometimes I wonder about them......