Opinion of Mormonism

[Figueira]

Neutral I guess, although it depends on how you define "Mormonism."

[Mr. Smith]

The answer'll really surprise you!

[HillGoose]

I'm scared of Mormons, because I used to be one.

I got involved with them back in 2016 and joined their church, gave them all my information and stuff, but in spring of 2017 they started making me uncomfortable. It started with them wanting me to try to convert my family members, followed by stuff like trying to convince me to move in with some Mormon guys to be in an environment where I could "avoid sin" and stuff like that, and trying to convince me to go on a mission or transfer schools to BYU. I also think that maybe they were trying to get me to marry a certain member of the church.

I tried to deal with all of that, but then I told them I was gay and I didn't get a very kind response. It wasn't even like understanding or caring or anything. They said stuff like "Do you know why that's wrong?" or "You can overcome it" and things of that nature.

At that point I decided I needed a break from the church because when they said those things it made me think about how many LGBT teenagers must harm themselves after hearing things like that from their family or church, and that I couldn't morally be a part of a religious community that says things like that.

I basically stopped talking to everyone in the church for a few months, and moved to a town pretty far away, and that's when stuff started to get scary. I refused to answer most of their texts/calls, because I had told them I didn't want to talk, but they kept asking for my address until one day one of them literally texted me saying that they were at the house of one of my family members with missionaries trying to get my address. I called my family member and told them not to open the door or speak to those people, but I was extremely freaked out because the fact they literally tracked down my family (this wasn't the address I had lived at previously either) to try to find my new address when I told them not to speak to me was very disturbing and creepy. I told this person to stop talking to me, after which the missionaries with them texted me and I told the missionaries to stop trying to contact me or I would report them to law enforcement.

Even that didn't fix things though, because apparently the message "I'll call the cops if you don't stop stalking me" didn't get far enough, and I would occasionally get messages from different missionaries and members of the church trying to meet up with me. It was disturbing because it was like every time I told someone to stop contacting me, they would just get another person in the church to do it. I usually ignored those, though.

Back at the beginning of February a missionary called me again and I answered because I didn't know the phone number, and told her I did not ever want to be a part of the church again after how they all were, I told her about how I felt the church was doing wrong, and I'm still not sure if she was actually upset or just being manipulative but she literally starts crying over me not wanting to be a part of the church. I didn't want to be mean to her so I got her calmed down enough to get off the phone.

A couple of days after that, I got a call from ANOTHER missionary, and when I answered I asked who it was, when they identified themselves I hung up and they started texting me, and I told her that I had told them all to stop contacting me or else I would contact law enforcement (I don't want to deal with calling the cops on these people, which is why I hadn't yet, but at that point I was close) and they weren't being respectful of it. I think this missionary FINALLY added me to a "Do Not Contact" list because I haven't heard from any of them since.

But literally these people are the reason I dropped off social media entirely. I deleted my facebook, instagram, and twitter, I kept Snapchat but I've pretty much locked it up to only people I know and approve as friends. I've even considered changing my phone number and maybe even my name because of them.

There's my little horror story.

[RINO Tom]

FR.  Don't really care what they believe, they produce some good folks.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

Does anyone else see a double standard about Mormonism, compared to, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, or Southern Baptists? If anyone put up a thread about Islam with the same results (as of now, it is 70% or so negative), it would be condemned as an embarrassment to the Forum.

The one area I disagree with Mormonism is its classification. It is not, in my opinion, Christian. It teaches views on Jesus that would separate itself as its own sect.

My negative opinion is of Mormon theology, not of individual Mormons, or even of Mormons as a group.

Mormons (A) add to Scripture with the Book of Mormon, and (B) present Christ as something other than the Son of God as Scripture presents Him.  They advocate a Salvation based on Works, and this is contrary to Scripture.  I consider such differences to have Eternal consequences, as Scripture states that Salvation is by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ and his Death and Resurrection. 

While I do not consider Mormonism to be a Biblically Christian faith, I do acknowledge that Mormons and Christians have much in common in terms of concerns with the disintegration of the family and the progressive secularization of our society.

[America Needs R'hllor]

I'm scared of Mormons, because I used to be one.

I got involved with them back in 2016 and joined their church, gave them all my information and stuff, but in spring of 2017 they started making me uncomfortable. It started with them wanting me to try to convert my family members, followed by stuff like trying to convince me to move in with some Mormon guys to be in an environment where I could "avoid sin" and stuff like that, and trying to convince me to go on a mission or transfer schools to BYU. I also think that maybe they were trying to get me to marry a certain member of the church.

I tried to deal with all of that, but then I told them I was gay and I didn't get a very kind response. It wasn't even like understanding or caring or anything. They said stuff like "Do you know why that's wrong?" or "You can overcome it" and things of that nature.

At that point I decided I needed a break from the church because when they said those things it made me think about how many LGBT teenagers must harm themselves after hearing things like that from their family or church, and that I couldn't morally be a part of a religious community that says things like that.

I basically stopped talking to everyone in the church for a few months, and moved to a town pretty far away, and that's when stuff started to get scary. I refused to answer most of their texts/calls, because I had told them I didn't want to talk, but they kept asking for my address until one day one of them literally texted me saying that they were at the house of one of my family members with missionaries trying to get my address. I called my family member and told them not to open the door or speak to those people, but I was extremely freaked out because the fact they literally tracked down my family (this wasn't the address I had lived at previously either) to try to find my new address when I told them not to speak to me was very disturbing and creepy. I told this person to stop talking to me, after which the missionaries with them texted me and I told the missionaries to stop trying to contact me or I would report them to law enforcement.

Even that didn't fix things though, because apparently the message "I'll call the cops if you don't stop stalking me" didn't get far enough, and I would occasionally get messages from different missionaries and members of the church trying to meet up with me. It was disturbing because it was like every time I told someone to stop contacting me, they would just get another person in the church to do it. I usually ignored those, though.

Back at the beginning of February a missionary called me again and I answered because I didn't know the phone number, and told her I did not ever want to be a part of the church again after how they all were, I told her about how I felt the church was doing wrong, and I'm still not sure if she was actually upset or just being manipulative but she literally starts crying over me not wanting to be a part of the church. I didn't want to be mean to her so I got her calmed down enough to get off the phone.

A couple of days after that, I got a call from ANOTHER missionary, and when I answered I asked who it was, when they identified themselves I hung up and they started texting me, and I told her that I had told them all to stop contacting me or else I would contact law enforcement (I don't want to deal with calling the cops on these people, which is why I hadn't yet, but at that point I was close) and they weren't being respectful of it. I think this missionary FINALLY added me to a "Do Not Contact" list because I haven't heard from any of them since.

But literally these people are the reason I dropped off social media entirely. I deleted my facebook, instagram, and twitter, I kept Snapchat but I've pretty much locked it up to only people I know and approve as friends. I've even considered changing my phone number and maybe even my name because of them.

There's my little horror story.

I'm sorry to hear this, if it's true. Missionary religions are creepy, which is just another reason I'm fairly fond of Judaism even if I do not believe in it.

As for my opinion of Mormonism- neutral to lean negative, like my opinion of most other religions (with an obvious bias in favour of Judaism). As people, though, most Mormons seem nice.

[augbell]

I've a negative opinion on every religion. But I voted positive because I've a less negative opinion on them than on other religions

[Sir Mohamed]

It depends. Mainly neutral. It is overall too conservative for my taste. But mormonism and being liberal must not be at odds like Musilms can also be liberal like myself.

[Lincoln Republican]

Why should this forum have to tolerate a bigoted statement bumped from six years ago by the original poster?

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Neutral.  I'm more or less in line with their views on abortion and gay marriage, and admire their commitment to political participation, but they definitely have some very heterodox doctrines that I, as a mainstream Christian, can't accept. 

That said, I can't say for sure whether or not they are true Christians; that's for God to decide.  All I know is that they profess to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of humanity, which in my mind is sufficient to accept them as part of the Body of Christ.