Mormons vs. Jehovah's Witnesses (page 2)

Vidiot

I've said this before, but I view the LDS as the WTS's weirder but nicer older cousin.

(And Scientology as the WTS's crazier and meaner younger cousin.)

Beth Sarim

All 3 the LDS, WBTS and Scientology all eerily similar in a way.

My experience with LDS is rather negative. I view them more negatively than me growing in WT. I had experienced deep racism from Mormons against my coworkers even in this age. They are also anti-Semitic. As American born religion, it is very ethnographic and narrow minded.

Downtowner

Thanks for everyone's comments! The Girl Next Door, the point of "comparing" the two religions is as I stated I enjoy studying different faiths and comparing the differences. It was something I noticed that popped in my head and thought I would share what I observed. Ya know, conversation.

In studying the LDS and JW religions during a time JW's are cutting back while the LDS church is moving forward. So if Jehovah is with a organization because of their growth, based on JW teachings, he must have taken his blessing away from Watchtower and put it on Mormons.

Yes Mormons do have strange practices and yes I agree they fall in the cult definition.

"To begin with, what is the point in comparing which cult is better?"

Clambake

I have seen a program once about the book of Mormon and how there is basically no archaeology evidence that anything in it has a lick of truth.

It is completely insane to me but general ly pretty harmless.

I cconsider things cults more on there destroying lives and families than actual theology.

JWdaughter

My best friend in HS was a Mormon. Later came out as gay and died of AIDS at 26. His service was held in a fully packed LDS church and he was surrounded by his family at the end.

That is what tells me of the critical differences between the two. Religion wise, they are both strange, I know what both believe and while the LDS has nutty doctrines, they are more of a lifestyle religion(the religion promotes family and life), where the JWs are about making sure no one does anything that doesn't promote the religion. Family is an accessory, and an unecessary one at that.

There were some wrong things earlier said about LDS. Women get callings even if they don't get married before getting out of college. Women can serve missions, too, but aren't expected to as the young men are.

Family planning, as long as it isn't an abortificant(?) is now acceptable. Premarital sex, not. People can come back from it easier than JWs, and it is kinda a job to get excommunicated as a mormon. You have to really piss off the powers that be. Which is why there are so many "jack" mormons. (I'd be the one drinking coffee unrepentently!)

No joke, the theology is whacked and probably more so than the JWs.(coffee???!!!) That racism was a part of it while slavery was unacceptable is odd, but I've seen both of them up close and personal, and if I was to hang around LDS or JWs, I personally think LDS are generally a lot nicer, kinder and more fun. I also see them helping others, LDS or not, Tithe payers or not. I don't see JWs helping anyone, not even each other, mostly. Their religious lives(LDS) are built around serving each other and helping others and that says more than their wacky theology IMO.

kaik

JWDaugher, glad you pointed out your gay friend. I have exactly opposite experience. I know or knew gay couple not far from me. One of them was ex-Mormon, but died of natural causes at age 50+. He was with his partner for very long time and started to suffer with various debilitating issues due diabetes on his feet. Had heart attack, etc. Nobody from his Mormon family came to visit him once, nor attended his funeral. However, they arrived with moving truck with idea that everything he owned will be theirs. I am not kidding. Glad the state had approved SSM year earlier, and family was out of luck. So after a lot of argument with the surviving spouse, they got old peace furniture from their grandma and left.

Downtowner

Clambake, you made a good point. That is why they say pray to Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit will tell you if it is true or not. That is more important than historical evidence. So why does the scriptures say test what you are hearing is true? To me a form of testing is to research the history, and in the LDS case, the archeology.

There is a good film out there called Latter Days. It's about this Mormon Missionary who ends up coming out of the closet as gay and faces excommunication and the ordeal he has to go through with his parents. His father distances himself from the family spending most of his time at the church, the mother falls apart yelling at her son. He is brought before a 'court' (their version of JW judicial committee) and formally excommunicated. Just to let you know if you do watch it it;s rated R with some gay love scenes in but they are accurate in a lot of ways by showing the Missionary with his 'magic' underwear. Growing up a JW I saw a huge parallel in how the guy was treated vs. how JW's treat their own who do not agree.

Mormons may not destroy lives to the extent the JW's do (Like breaking up families by encouraging JW members not to socialize with non-JW/excommunicated family) but it is there if one decides to leave the church. They may not have a church practice of shunning but all church rites are stripped and the emotional impact is just as bad on families. I saw the LDS 'true colors' when the LDS church supported Proposition 8 in California a few years ago and most recently it's public announcement for same sex couples who were married with children at home who are wanting to join the LDS church could not get baptized until they were of mature age (18 in the USA) and renounce their same sex parents.

In my opinion, any religion that says you have to believe a certain way or threatens you with excommunication is enough to define it a cult. I was watching an LDS sermon once and the 'apostle' even stated that one of the ways a member can get excommunicated is by teaching doctrines that aren't true (aka true according to LDS theology). He even mentioned the word apostasy in his sermon. The cult red flat raised so fast it flew off the pole after watching that sermon.

Think about it... if a church is spiritually strong, why do they need to silence those who may teach something that is not in line with the church teachings? Only if they are trying to hide something.

LevelThePlayingField

Downtowner you said, "Think about it... if a church is spiritually strong, why do they need to silence those who may teach something that is not in line with the church teachings? Only if they are trying to hide something."

I agree. JW's will say, But even the Bible says at Titus 1:9, to "reprove those who contradict". And yes that's true. But JW's always go beyond what is written and then throw out of the congregation those who contradict. The Bible doesn't say to throw you out, it just says to reprove. And the thing is that most of the time it's NOT contradicting the Bible that's the issue, it's man made policy that's harmful to people. Like the have to have two people as witnesses to a pedophile case in order to establish it. If no two witnesses the matter is dropped and the perp goes on terrorizing. If you persist in asking for a change in this policy you will get thrown out.

Mormons vs. Jehovah's Witnesses

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