The Religious Path

[luna-tic]

To those of whatever religious denomination. What made you want to follow the doctrine?
What circumstances led you to that decision?
How were you convinced by the book, priest, family or friend if you had no religious inclination before?
What keeps you believing?

[Ice-Maiden]

Well there you've answered yourself. I don't believe anything should be confrontational - all topics are open to debate and the offering of personal opinions. I only use the word "ramblings" because of how you go on and on about this subject - and YOU haven't answered a question. What denomination are you? I appreciate your views, as such, but you're still trying to say that if EVERYONE believed, etc - as if you're right. I think religious fervour grips some people, until they can't tell their @rse from their elbows.

[Ice-Maiden]

However - may I just add that you have a right to your views the same as anyone else. I'm sure you're a decent person, but believing that the leader of your church receives his revelations directly from God puts him or her in a somewhat exhalted position, doesn't it? Are you talking about your local preacher, for want of another word, or do you mean the person who's head of ALL your places of worship? Have you never questioned the fact that he's a mere mortal, just like anyone else? Have you never wondered if he might be wrong? Does it fill you with dread to think there may be no God at ALL? Why??

[bladski]

Ice - Thank you for your comments. To answer your question I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) or you might know us as the Mormons. I know I am probably coming across as a bit defensive it's just that Mormons are persecuted a lot and it often seems that people don't want to know about our church as much as they would rather persecute or look for holes in our beliefs, that is why i get defensive. It just gets old thats all. I served as a missionary for my church for 2 years in the Philippines from the age 19-21, I learned the language and I taught people who were interested... Please don't think I was one of those annoying type of missionaries that force their beliefs upon people or tell everyone they will be damned because that is not what we did as missionaries, we simply asked people if they wanted to know more about Jesus Christ and His teachings and our church and if they were we taught them, and if they weren't then we left them alone.

About the leader of our church... His name is President Hinckley and yes he is a normal human being and we do not worship him or exalt him... But we do believe that he is called of God to be a prophet just like those of olden times in the Bible. We believe that this is Christs church restored in the latter day and just like the church back when, we believe in prophets... We believe that he communicates with God and receives revelation for the church. It's awesome to have that guidance through the priesthood.

[bladski]

About believing in God and the possibility of Him not existing well for me that isn't a question, there is absolutely no amount of dread within me thinking about the possibility of God not existing because I know He does... Now of course I do not have a perfect knowledge of this because I have not seen Him or met Him. But I have faith and I feel His love and His spirit and have seen His miracles all around me... U might ask "well how do you know?" , I just do. I couldn't explain to you what salt tastes like if you asked (besides salty) but I know what it tastes like.... it's kind of the same with how I know God exists, I can't exactly explain it but I just know, I have tasted of His spirit and His love for me and I just know... as funny as that may sound.

We also have what is called "The Book of Mormon" which we believe is an ancient record containing the teachings of Christ in the ancient Americas. We believe that around 400 BC (i believe around the time of Jeremiah) that a group of people from Jerusalem were called of God to leave and travel into the wilderness where they ended up building a boat and sailing to the ancient Americas (their decsendants being american indians). On the American Continent they had Christ's church and His teachings just as they did in Israel. On this contitnent Prophets were called and taught just like in the Bible... The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and a companion to the Bible. We believe that it was found written upon golden plates by a young boy named Joseph Smith in the 1800's. Joseph, through God's help, translated the Book and restored Christ's church on earth, he was also called to be a modern day prophet and receive direct revelation from God. Since Joseph is obviously dead there has been many prophets called since him and currently it is the before mentioned President Hinkley.

[bladski]

Lastly I would just like to say that Jesus Christ is the foundation of our church. We worship Him and follow His teachings and we believe that without Him and His Atoning sacrifice we could not be saved in the kingdom of God.

I hope I have explained my beliefs a little bit clearer and I hope I have not offended anyone. I welcome any comments and would hope that people would be respectful even though they do not have the same beliefs. Thanks.

Sorry that was so long... I tried to basically explain my whole religion in a few paragraphs.... I could go on but I don't want to bore you all to death so I just tried to hit the main ideas.

[luna-tic]

Thank you bladski for your comprehensive answer. The debates can get rather heated on here sometimes but as you said, we are not trying to offend you, just understand more clearly.
Your belief system and reasons why following others in a certain way is personal to you but I just wanted to see if anyone could explain their compulsion to do so?
I do think some people can be gullible, especially when young and needing a direction and sometimes religious practitioners prey (not pray) on the needy.
One part of your story that intrigued me was the descendants of Jerusalem being American Indian.
Why is it that all the native people to that land had never heard of god or the word god and had their own animistic beliefs even as late as the 1400's?
A quote from one famous native of America when visited by Europeans:
"We do not want your churches or god, they only teach us to argue about our beliefs"

[naomi24]

Good morning bladski, thank you for taking the time to explain your beliefs. I've known quite a few Mormons and have listened to them with interest. I do own The Book of Mormon, and I have read it, but what strikes me as odd about it is that it's written in an old form of English - very much as the King James bible is written, and that puzzles me. If this book was indeed translated from golden plates by a young American boy in the 1800s, why would he use such language? Very strange.

[luna-tic]

Good morning Naomi,
Something else that puzzles me. If Joseph Smith continued to receive revelation from god after he became a prophet then why bother with the golden tablets and translating it into a antiquated text that only makes it's readers more confused when he obviously easily understood god when conversing with him?

[naomi24]

Good morning Luna. If my memory serves me correctly, Joseph Smith was visited several times by an angel called Moroni who told him where to find the tablets and gave him the means to translate them. It's always struck me as odd than a young American boy should have used not only the format of the bible, but also the language of the bible, and apart from anything else, that's the reason I question the validity of The Book of Mormon. Incidentally, I believe Moroni took the tablets away again after they were translated, so the only evidence we have that they existed is a declaration signed by several people who swear they saw them. I'm sure bladski will correct me if I'm wrong on that.

[luna-tic]

Your knowledge in such matters Naomi has always served you well, apart from your guessing of gender, I do recall.
When I spoke of religious denomination I think that basically covers the variation on a theme where stories have grown from many sources and been tailored to suit the origin of another religion.
When I was a child I wondered why there were so many different religions based on one god.
It still doesn't make much sense.

[naomi24]

Me too, Luna ............. and I'm still wondering!

[luna-tic]

Maybe we should be asking ourselves why do we continue the search for truth?
I personally don't know but something compels me to do so. I may live my life never knowing but it's fun trying.

[Whickerman]

To go back to the original question - I was living the life long before I knew there was a name for it. Simple as that really! (Animist).

[luna-tic]

Hello Whickerman,
If I needed a description for others to understand my way of life then animism may partly fall into that and even certain factors of buddhism with a hint of vinoism(okay, maybe more than a hint) :0)
I'd prefer not to be labelled with any inclination toward a religion as I find the concept is a constraint on life.

[naomi24]

I've no idea what my beliefs would be called - probably Confusionism by some. :o)

[luna-tic]

So far, the only true `ism' I do practice is vegetarian.
Confusionism, I like that. :0)

[Octavius]

1. Nothing �made� me follow the doctrine. I just felt a calling.
2. I was not led; I found something and walked closer to it.
3. No individual convinced me, it was a personal disclosure.
4. Faith.

[luna-tic]

Thank you so kindly Octavius.

[bladski]

U guys have great questions about what I explained! They are all very valid and yes I do have answers for all of them... I will need to go back and read them and then I will try to post them up here.... This might sound corny but there would be a lot easier way for me to get these answers to you... being that we have approx. 60,000 missionaries around the world all of 95% of which are around the age 19-23 they could answer your questions about Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon a lot better than me just typing... If any of you are interested I could have some sent to you, they are nonconfrontational, non-annoying, and they are not pushy, they simply share about our beliefs with people who are interested. If you really are interested in learning more besides reading my text the missionaries would be a thousand times more informative... let me know if you are interested

[bladski]

Luna - First I will answer your question about why the american indians did not know of any christian God. The Book of Mormon which like I said is a history of the peoples on the ancient american continents had the same religion and church set up as they did in the Bible. The time period of the Book of Mormon takes place from 600 B.C. When they left jerusalem to 420 AD when the record stopped being recorded.... The reason for no one knowing about God was because those records were buried around 421 ad and not discovered until the 1800's by Joseph Smith. If you read the Book you will find that these ancient people on the Americas were basically split into 2 different groups and were constantly engaged in war... ultimately the side of the non believers completely destroyed the side with the church (the side with the church during there last days had basically turned away from God and were living in iniquity). So the non believers ended up domination hence by the 1400's they had no idea what christianity was.