What should I say to the Mormons?

by bluecanary 53 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  Chalam

  Take care not to fall into another cult.

  Amen! These verses are for them

  1 Timothy 1:3-4 (New International Version)

  Warning Against False Teachers of the Law

  3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. They have devoted themselves to myths (Joseph Smith and the "gold plates") and endless genealogies (Mormons search for their family tree so they can "baptise the dead" and get them "saved", directly contrary to Hebrews 9:27). Also 1 Timothy 4:7

  2 Timothy 4:3-4 (New International Version)

  3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

  I also showed the last pair of Mormons who came to my door this verse

  Revelation 22:18 (New International Version)

  18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

  Joseph Smith added not only a few words but a whole book, "The Book Of Mormon" to the book of Revelation and the collection of prophetic book we call the Bible.

  All the best,

  Stephen
• 

  designs

  What's the difference between the goofiness and superstitions of the Mormons and the Fundamentalists.............. not much.
• 

  Heaven

  What should I say to the Mormons?

  "I'm NOT interested." as you close the door/walk away.
• 

  bluecanary

  Thanks for the responses guys. Lilith, I've seen that JW site; I didn't know there was a Mormon version. Unfortunately, it's from a Christian perspective, which I am not. It doesn't matter to me whether or not Mormons follow the Bible because I don't hold the Bible as an authority. What matters is whether they're a cult. I've read Combatting Cult Mind Control and I've got access to Steve Hassan's list of questions to determine if something is a cult. Reading ex-Mormon sites shows an incredibly close parallel with JWs, regardless of disparity between their particular beliefs.

  We've had threads here before about going to doors as JWs and someone sparking our thinking that something is not right with our religion. Even if it doesn't produce immediate change, that spark can stay with someone and later help them to leave. This may be such an encounter for these girls.
• 

  undercover

  What should I say to the Mormons?

  "I'm NOT interested." as you close the door/walk away.

  There's no point talking to Mormons, JWs or any other person trying to sell you their religion. They're convinced they're right...that's why they're there. IMO, it's best to treat them like an unwanted interruption. I won't be rude, but I don't owe them anything, especially my time, so I quickly let them know that I'm not interested in what they have to sell and they can move on.
• 

  I discovered

  I definitely want to talk the JWs if they EVER come to my door (no one knows me in this area) but I'm not ready yet!

  The Mormons do and I just hope they don't know some jws and start to gossip about you. Please be careful.
• 

  Butterflyleia85

  Oh my goodness thanks for that video! I use to have The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (basically Mormon) come study with me each week, a couple of months ago. They are nice ppl and kinda reminded me of when I use to go out and preached but I didn't follow their beliefs at all. But because of being DF at my Hall I just decide hey maybe I can be accepted and encouraged to do good for God. But yeah it is weird how they believed and I could never get them to just stick with the Bible they referred to the The Book of Mormon all the time. Eventually they saw I was firm with my belief and they stopped visiting. They are very nice people though. I hope God looks at their efforts though. "Resurrection of righteous and the unrighteous" ya know.
• 

  Qcmbr

  Before you even bother you need to ask yourself why you want to talk to them:

  If you decide the route of respect just politely thank them and apologise for wasting their time (and let's be honest you have!)

  If you decide that you are genuinely interested (and I'm getting the jive that you aren't) then certainly do your research from all sources and remember that you just got out of one cult.

  If you decide that you wish to convert them as Chalam is suggesting then I'd suggest you re-read point two above and remind yourself that your faith is just as wonky when you boil it down. If however, you are convinced your sky god can outwit their sky god then do whatever your faith / sect / cult / study group does to get your mojo and try that. It won't work.

  If you decide that you are wanting to engage is some philosphical debate (and why not) just remember they aren't there to debate with you and so you'll inevitablly get into tortuous mental impasses that they will easily bypass with their 'testimony' and you will be frustrated by. They will not engage you beyond this.

  If finally, you , either because you genuinely care or you are being a bit of a clever dick, want to enlighten them and help / shame them into accepting you are right and they need to listen to you then may I respectfully suggest that as a former LDS missionary you:

  1/ Avoid that absoultely childish and downright stupid cartoon - it isn't that it is wrong but that focuses on the most ineffective tosh (if I made a video of Jesus walking around on water, sped it up and added a comedy track I doubt you'd make much of an impression on any committed Christians.)

  2/ Don't bother with a hit list of dodgy doctrines - after all you can only offer in their place another suitably silly belief unless you are of a scientific bent and already reject religion. Playing my bible is better than yours because we have Jericho and you have no horses is naff. It will make zero impact.

  3/ Do focus on divine experiences and show genuine interest and ask follow up questions. A Mormon's weakest point is - like most religious people - also their strongest. Mormons do not base their beliefs on facts / flawless philosophy / repeatable scientific principles or common sense. Mormons base their beliefs on a supposed divine experience called a testimony. The problem with a testimony is that it does not bear up to investigation. Feelings, impressions, odd dreams, coincidental experiences and so forth are not a solid foundation for believing that a mendatious 14 year old saw God or for that matter that an invisible Jesus chose some bible students in 1919. When you really dig deep testimonies / reasons for belief really fall apart.

  IMHO.
• 

  TD

  Qcmbr gave some good advice.

  My own point of view comes from living in a part of the country where streets have names like, "Alma," "Lehi," and "Jarom"; LDS missionaries are not always adolescents, don't usually accept a "Not interested" response at face value and call a couple of times each year.
• 

  bluecanary

  I've posted this question on a Mormon site here and gotten some good responses. I now intend to do some more reading about ex-Mormons, particularly life stories, just because it's fascinating how similar our experiences are. Plus their board lets you have avatars and a signature. Simon, the ex-LDS are making you look bad.

  I've already stated my reasons for talking to the Mormons. And I told them up front that I'm not interested in converting so if they feel like it's a waste of their time not to bother. If they want to talk to me anyway, that's their business. I have nothing to convert them to. I just want to provide a little thought fodder for their use at a later time.

  This was one suggestion given me on the LDS site:

  Talk about what you know best. Mind control.

  I think you talk about how you have been abused by your faith and allow to connect the dots to their own mind control clan. Tell them how creepy it is to hear JWs teach young children to bear witness that the JW religion is the one true church. Ask them if Mormons do that. Mormons put three year old kids in front of the pulpit at church and feed them words of how the church is the only true church. Tell them how creepy it is that JWs don't allow outsiders into some of their ceremonies and completely excommunicate dissidents. Then ask them who gets to attend a temple marriage.

  There is an analogous manipulation to every manipulation you encountered as a JW. Mormons have dozens of practices that separate them from the rest of the world and the primary purpose of these practices is to separate them from the rest of society. You can't leave the church if think society is a totally foreign place. JW's do this but use different practices. You couldn't celebrate holidays as a mechanism to separate God's chosen from Satan's minions. Mormons don't drink coffee and wear magic underwear for the same reason. It separates us from the rest of the goats.