Mormon Direction

I have read quite a few statements by ex-members who claim they have seen the light that this Church is false and they spent years believing in the wrong church. Reading their personal accounts I have found an alarming trait with all of them. None have claimed that God told them to leave, not one. 

The beliefs that each of them held, to account for leaving the Church, have centered on some claim that the Church lied, or mistreated them, or that they claimed the Church is false after reading some book or article about some historic account that tainted the Church, etc etc. With that, they professed the Church was false. 

Not one of their claims have originated from the Spirit of God, not one of their beliefs is spiritually based, not one is spiritually justified. Wouldn’t a spiritual basis be the foremost important reason for staying or leaving, knowing that it is only the spiritual that God works in and determines if a church is his?

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I am sure that many know about Margaret Toscano. A lady that was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Due to her position on free speech and her enthusiasm toward women’s issues as a scholar and within the Church, Margaret Toscano faced excommunication in the year of 2000.

I wanted to read more about her thoughts and beliefs to determine for myself where she stands, in a spiritual sense, so I searched the Internet for reputable articles of what Margaret says and believes. I found a good one at the PBS website where a transcript of a PBS interview exists. After reading that transcript I could write pages about what she has said, but I needed to focus on one important topic for this blog entry.

When reading the words spoken by others about this Church and about their experience with this Church, I search for the spiritual validity of what they say and how much in line they are with gospel teachings and principles. I did the same with what Margaret said in that PBS interview.

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Not long ago, I was in conversation with a fellow who quit the Seventh Day Adventist church because he was against it’s membership in the World Counsel of churches (WCC). He claimed that he believes in Jesus Christ, yet he quit his chosen church which preached salvation by the Bible. This saying that he quit what he believed was his chosen church and his means of salvation because of his personal disagreement with his church. 

Our conversation began about the false traditions of other Christians where he spoke of his short findings about the WCC, but when he asked me if I belonged to a church and I told him, his tune quickly changed, hypocrisy and ignorance began to rear it’s ugly head. 

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When I was approached by the LDS missionaries, I felt the Holy Ghost confirm that meeting was important. The Holy Ghost later confirmed that my membership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was good and true. At no time did I have any concern about any “alledged” immoral actions of other Mormons.  My attendance to this Church was led by the Spirit, not by personal judgements of other people. 

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It is sad to hear some stories of why a few members leave the Church, even though in numbers they are far less than those who fall to false beliefs and doctrines from others and the world. These few leave because of the poor behaviour of some members, some of who gained positions of leadership in the Church.

The irresponsible behaviour of some members who mistreat, in any way, other members or potential investigators is inexcusable. There is one such story of an ex-member of 15 plus years who suffered mistreatment at the hands of a local Church leader who employed this member in his business when this member was in teen-hood. He refused to pay this member for work done and that betrayal and mistreatment set the stage within the heart and mind of that young member. Later, this young member later witnessed at another LDS Church a Bishop refusing a mother entry into a funeral service for her husband because of his bias toward her lesbianism tendencies. That was the straw that broke the camels back. This member left the Church and to this day refuses to return.

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There are many other Christians who speak against the use of feelings in regards to faith and the discernment of truth. Some Christians use the Bible to deny the idea that impressions from the Holy Ghost are felt based on the idea that we cannot trust feelings. Others denounce the idea of feelings because it has no basis in fact or logic, claiming that feelings about Mormonism is far too subjective.

Bible passages used by others to discredit the use of feelings are, Proverbs 3:5 ; 14:12 ; 28:26 and James 2:24, to name a few. It appears that religious beliefs about feelings fall into two basic camps. The ones who deny feelings to promote facts and logic and the other camp that declares feelings as a means to determine if they are saved. Either way, when reading the beliefs of these two camps, I see that there is no real understanding of the scriptures and what God teaches about feelings.

Many of the members of this Church are converts and some of these converts came from both camps, the “fact” camp and the “feeling” camp. It is reasonable to believe that either convert would likely experience some degree of struggle with their past beliefs in the face of the doctrines and teachings of this Church. With the ties to their past still affecting them, it can be difficult to make the transition. The “fact” believers would have to learn the spiritual truth (facts) about feelings and the believers from the feeling camp would need to learn and develop a better perspective of “feelings” in reference to spiritual truth and the gospel.

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Isaiah spoke of this as the method of God of how he teaches us by his Spirit, but did you know that this is also the way he brings us to overcome our problems and shortcomings? After all, what do you think would be the way that God uses to brings us affliction, trial or tribulation?

Within the Book of Mormon, it teaches us that God gave us weaknesses so that we may be made humble ( Ether 12:27, 28, 35, 37 ). God also said that he will show our weakness to show that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto God and through weakness we can be made strong, but what God shows from these weaknesses are things that are not easily perceived. This means that no matter how hard you may try identify your own weaknesses, you will not be able to find how they are constructed and integrated into your mind and heart. To see into the heart, to know what lays there affecting you life, God is required. 

Do you believe that you can still do this on your own?

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One of the challenges of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is whether a particular doctrine or practice is believable or acceptable. I have read and heard so many claims by ex-Mormons of how they were fooled or blinded to some of the doctrines or activities of the Church.

Some of the common complaints surround tithing, lack of answers to prayers, Adam-God Theory, Blacks previously refused the priesthood, men oriented church, and so on. When I looked at these claims or complaints and the stories behind them I see that they are just personal, which means that their issues are specific to them. For some things the Church has done, such as restrict Black men from the priesthood, are true, but making personal issue out of these things certainly does not gain the ear of the Lord neither does it gain any help or witness from the Holy Ghost. Why is this? It is because making personal issue is the act of contention which is the spirit of contention and such is not of God.

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One day, while in Church, a bishop, stake president or one of the General Authorities of the Church says or does something that upsets you or that you take issue with it. Before you know it you are at odds with the Church and even resign your membership.

Taking issue is dangerous to the health of your faith.
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There has been quite a debate about LDS ceremonial garments, routinely called “Mormon undergarments”. The use and purpose of these garments have been attacked, degraded, condemned and maligned by those who are “anti-Mormon” and even anti-Semitic style criticism.  The affect has been, to some degree, a thorn in the side of many latter-day Saints who struggle enough with their faith. It is the purpose of these attacks to degrade, malign and cause confusion, inserting doubt and even resentment into the minds and hearts of devout Saints.

Being human and mortal is tough all by itself, but when the natural weaknesses of mortality are bent and used by the selfish evil doers, it makes life all that much harder. With such a trait and characteristic of these “anti’s” one wonders why they are not seen for the malicious and destructive nature they are, but unfortunately many good people are badly affected by the misguided.
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