Why Mormonism is Appealing
Why does Mormonism get such a bad rap? Mormons have some questionable beliefs, sure, such as baptism of the dead. But at least they base it partly on the Bible (they believe it is referred to in 1 Corinthians 15:29), albeit through what I think is a rather bad interpretation of the text. And they find in the Bible no contradiction to this practice. Moreover, they take the doctrine more specifically from their own prophecies, which they do and should (if they are honest with themselves) accord an authority similar or equal to that of the Bible anyway. And at any rate, it is at least as well substantiated biblically as the transubstantiation which is part of the Roman Catholic doctrine. But yet the Mormons have the status of a cult.
Now, don't get me wrong. I disagree with sweeping vistas of Mormon theology. I am just questioning why Mormonism is seen as a "cult" (what an ill-defined term that is), when Roman Catholicism and Pentecostalism, and other types of Christianity with some (to me) strange beliefs are not.
What I would like to do, rather than stating my objections to Mormonism (I'm sure the reader can find enough objections of his/her own out there), is say what I really like about it, and why I would like to be a Mormon. again, I also could create a similar list for why I do like being an Anglican, why I would like being Roman Catholic, etc. -- this does not mean that I find Mormonism the most appealing type of Christianity! It just means that I find appeal in it. So, to list:
1. Authority. This is what has also attracted me to Roman Catholicism and Pentecostalism in the past, and is part of what I enjoyed about being a member of a charismatic church. Of course, I have now been called away from my charismatic church to one which heavily emphasizes personal interaction with God (at least, in my congregation). But it sure would be nice if there were some earthly authority to go to, like the Apostles in the days of the early church, who could give an authoritative answer to whatever questions I had. And it would be easy to know what doctrines were right if they were currently alive to state clearly what is right and wrong (there are certainly issues where the Bible is not clear!). Unfortunately, I believe that the apostolic authority has become far less meaningful due to centuries of transmission through humans, some of them very corrupt, if indeed the transmission was properly maintained at all.
2. Another testimony. Not only the ongoing testimony of the prophets, but moreover the Book of Mormon, while it is not much more clear to me than the Bible, would provide a new and valuable resource for better understanding what God wants us to know. As in surveying, with Biblical interpretation redundancy is an asset.
3. Authenticity (all of these starting with A's is purely coincidental!). It's not so much that the Mormon missionaries are hugely authentic (although Sister Kauo from the first pair was, and Sister Curtis seemed to open up more later, and one of the current Sisters seems to be doing likewise), but I very quickly met some really authentic people when attending their church. Also, because of Joseph Smith's experience with prayer (see below), authenticity in prayer is highly valued. I also think that's very important, and so this emphasis is very appealing to me.
4. Joseph Smith has a really cool story. Come see the DVD sometime if you're in Fredericton -- I asked for a copy, and of course they gave me one. He spent a long time searching for the right faith, and eventually it was revealed to him that all churches had been corrupted and the true church had to be restored (as the story goes). After that, there was some persecution and such. Kudos to him for going with his convictions and staying true to his calling, whether or not he was mistaken about it. Also, I could really connect with searching for the real church. I went through a big period of that for a while before God called me to one, and still wonder about it intellectually.
5. Dedication. Maybe it's symptomatic of a church which is confident that it has a hold of the truth, but the Mormons seem to really believe in what they are doing. I mean, very few churches these days so literally send out missionaries (two by two, following the Biblical precedent). And it was wonderful to be at a confirmation where the congregation acted exactly as if they believed that the candidate had received the Holy Spirit. I realize some or even most of what I'm seeing may have just been conditioning, but if it wasn't -- what a wonderful thing for a church to really wholeheartedly believe what they say!
Okay, that's enough for tonight. I reckon the list could be extended, but those come to mind.
A special note for any "conservative" Christian readers -- Mormons are very big on both chastity and abstaining from alcohol. In fact, those are their two special rules of life, given by latter day revelation. They also support a very literal interpretation of scripture, even of the Bible (though it is of course superseded, due to the fact that the Bible has been conveyed orally and translated, by the book of Mormon). So really, they believe many of the same things as you do.
Now, don't get me wrong. I disagree with sweeping vistas of Mormon theology. I am just questioning why Mormonism is seen as a "cult" (what an ill-defined term that is), when Roman Catholicism and Pentecostalism, and other types of Christianity with some (to me) strange beliefs are not.
What I would like to do, rather than stating my objections to Mormonism (I'm sure the reader can find enough objections of his/her own out there), is say what I really like about it, and why I would like to be a Mormon. again, I also could create a similar list for why I do like being an Anglican, why I would like being Roman Catholic, etc. -- this does not mean that I find Mormonism the most appealing type of Christianity! It just means that I find appeal in it. So, to list:
1. Authority. This is what has also attracted me to Roman Catholicism and Pentecostalism in the past, and is part of what I enjoyed about being a member of a charismatic church. Of course, I have now been called away from my charismatic church to one which heavily emphasizes personal interaction with God (at least, in my congregation). But it sure would be nice if there were some earthly authority to go to, like the Apostles in the days of the early church, who could give an authoritative answer to whatever questions I had. And it would be easy to know what doctrines were right if they were currently alive to state clearly what is right and wrong (there are certainly issues where the Bible is not clear!). Unfortunately, I believe that the apostolic authority has become far less meaningful due to centuries of transmission through humans, some of them very corrupt, if indeed the transmission was properly maintained at all.
2. Another testimony. Not only the ongoing testimony of the prophets, but moreover the Book of Mormon, while it is not much more clear to me than the Bible, would provide a new and valuable resource for better understanding what God wants us to know. As in surveying, with Biblical interpretation redundancy is an asset.
3. Authenticity (all of these starting with A's is purely coincidental!). It's not so much that the Mormon missionaries are hugely authentic (although Sister Kauo from the first pair was, and Sister Curtis seemed to open up more later, and one of the current Sisters seems to be doing likewise), but I very quickly met some really authentic people when attending their church. Also, because of Joseph Smith's experience with prayer (see below), authenticity in prayer is highly valued. I also think that's very important, and so this emphasis is very appealing to me.
4. Joseph Smith has a really cool story. Come see the DVD sometime if you're in Fredericton -- I asked for a copy, and of course they gave me one. He spent a long time searching for the right faith, and eventually it was revealed to him that all churches had been corrupted and the true church had to be restored (as the story goes). After that, there was some persecution and such. Kudos to him for going with his convictions and staying true to his calling, whether or not he was mistaken about it. Also, I could really connect with searching for the real church. I went through a big period of that for a while before God called me to one, and still wonder about it intellectually.
5. Dedication. Maybe it's symptomatic of a church which is confident that it has a hold of the truth, but the Mormons seem to really believe in what they are doing. I mean, very few churches these days so literally send out missionaries (two by two, following the Biblical precedent). And it was wonderful to be at a confirmation where the congregation acted exactly as if they believed that the candidate had received the Holy Spirit. I realize some or even most of what I'm seeing may have just been conditioning, but if it wasn't -- what a wonderful thing for a church to really wholeheartedly believe what they say!
Okay, that's enough for tonight. I reckon the list could be extended, but those come to mind.
A special note for any "conservative" Christian readers -- Mormons are very big on both chastity and abstaining from alcohol. In fact, those are their two special rules of life, given by latter day revelation. They also support a very literal interpretation of scripture, even of the Bible (though it is of course superseded, due to the fact that the Bible has been conveyed orally and translated, by the book of Mormon). So really, they believe many of the same things as you do.