If You were likely to convert to any Monotheistic faith, which would it be?

[Bismillah]

Katzpur: Mormons are by far my favorite brand of Christians

 

[Katzpur]

Katzpur: Mormons are by far my favorite brand of Christians

Oh, that's SO NICE of you to say! :hug:

 

[jarofthoughts]

I urge you to look up Tenrikyo

I did, and from what I could find about the beliefs of this faith I would not call it Shinto, and according to the Wiki page on Tenrikyo, neither would they. Their inclusion as a Shinto sect seems to be more for state classification than for actual religious relatedness.

 

[Gaura Priya]

Interesting that you'd have said that. It's at times like this that I actually prefer to see Mormonism not included in Christianity. Of course, we consider ourselves to be Christians, but when most people outside of Christianity think "Christian," I think they immediately think of Evangelical Protestants and are, quite frankly, turned off by the idea of converting to that particular brand of Christianity. I sometimes wonder how many people would consider converting to Mormonism as opposed to some other Christian faith.

I am sure that it is known that Mormonism or Latter Day Saint Christianity is a separate entity to Catholicism, the Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Church, and Protestantism.

Some say about the cultic status of Jehovah's Witnesses along with Mormons... the Jehovah's Witnesses came from the Bible Student movement, which began with Charles Taze Russell. Some say that they are separate... but they just separate themselves.

But with Latter Day Saint Christianity, it is different; it is a separate form of Christianity. After all, I have never heard anyone say, "I used to be a Christian, but now I am a Mormon!"

 

[Orias]

I'd assume pantheism, or panentheism.

 

[Katzpur]

But with Latter Day Saint Christianity, it is different; it is a separate form of Christianity. After all, I have never heard anyone say, "I used to be a Christian, but now I am a Mormon!"

I've definitely heard people say, "I used to be a Mormon, but now I'm a Christian," though, and it irritates me to no end. It's definitely distinct from mainstream Christianity, but it is still Christian. Even though there are times (like in this thread) when I would prefer that we not be included in the same group as other Christians, I realize that I can't have my cake and eat it, too. Darn.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I find that besides their additional beliefs like in the BoM as scripture, Mormons believe fundamentally the same things most mainstream Christians believe, so I'm not sure why they get a bad rap.

 

[Penumbra]

This is not saying you will convert, or I will convert, it's a poll to see which Monotheistic faith you think you could identify most with. Explaination of your choice or choices would also be nice, because I love the insight I get on here.

I don't particularly identify with any forms of monotheism. If I had to sort the list in a rough order of what I identify with, I'd select things like monotheistic Shinto or monotheistic Hinduism, or Sikhism over the Abrahamic religions by a wide margin.

But even with the disclaimer, I find the thought process of the OP troubling. I don't understand the concept of shopping for religions at all. I could never choose what I believe; the evidence and my reason lead a certain way and there is no choice in the matter.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

It was just a hypothetical, not religion shopping persay, and in my case, I've studied many world religions, so I have this kind of scale of which ones are more true then other ones.

 

[Penumbra]

It was just a hypothetical, not religion shopping persay, and in my case, I've studied many world religions, so I have this kind of scale of which ones are more true then other ones.

I know it's hypothetical; your disclaimer in the OP made that much clear. But it's the mindset (whether you adhere to it or not) that is nonsensical.

I've seen many people describe their conversion to their current religion as being because they "identified with it" rather than they determined it was factually accurate.

 

[Katzpur]

I find that besides their additional beliefs like in the BoM as scripture, Mormons believe fundamentally the same things most mainstream Christians believe, so I'm not sure why they get a bad rap.

I think their main issues with us are the following:

1. We believe in scripture apart from the Bible.
2. We do not accept the Nicene Creed or other post-apostolic creeds.
3. We believe in continuing revelation from a living prophet.

 

[Tarheeler]

But even with the disclaimer, I find the thought process of the OP troubling. I don't understand the concept of shopping for religions at all. I could never choose what I believe; the evidence and my reason lead a certain way and there is no choice in the matter.

I've seen many people describe their conversion to their current religion as being because they "identified with it" rather than they determined it was factually accurate.

I'd have to agree with you.

The only conscious decision I made with Judaism was the one to actually seek out conversion. The more I read about the religion the more I realized that my beliefs were inline with it.

If it was simply a choice, I could have stuck with some form of Christianity and avoided all of the awkward family situations.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Wow Judaism is up to 40% Imagine if it were more open to converts. It'd be growing!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Interesting that you'd have said that. It's at times like this that I actually prefer to see Mormonism not included in Christianity. Of course, we consider ourselves to be Christians, but when most people outside of Christianity think "Christian," I think they immediately think of Evangelical Protestants and are, quite frankly, turned off by the idea of converting to that particular brand of Christianity. I sometimes wonder how many people would consider converting to Mormonism as opposed to some other Christian faith.

I was listening to a podcast the other day - a debate between two atheists (both ex-Mormons) and two Protestant Christians. It drove me nuts when the Protestants would say things like "well, you rejected Mormonism, but what about Christianity?" ... as if those two terms were for completely different classes of belief. Arrgh.

I think their main issues with us are the following:

1. We believe in scripture apart from the Bible.
2. We do not accept the Nicene Creed or other post-apostolic creeds.
3. We believe in continuing revelation from a living prophet.

Hmm. I see two different main reasons:

1. Mormons don't fit the "mainstream" definition of monotheist.
2. Historically, Mormons have been a distinct, separate society... an "other" that was to be treated with suspicion and fear.

I think that mainstream animosity to LDS has more to do with suspicion, rumour and the legacy of the 19th-century conflicts in Illinois and Missouri than it does with actual consideration and rejection of theological claims of the LDS Church.

I mean, your first and third objections apply pretty well to the Catholic Church (well, if you broaden "scripture apart from the Bible" to include other non-Biblical sources of doctrine, such as Holy Tradition), and I doubt the average American Protestant could actually tell you what the Nicene Creed says without looking it up.

 

[xkatz]

Wow Judaism is up to 40% Imagine if it were more open to converts. It'd be growing!

Judaism is pretty open to converts IMO. The difference is we don't proselytize, so we do not attempt to gain converts like other religions do. Also, I think a lot of people don't understand Judaism. Outsiders look at the religion as a cultural thing IMO. However, Judaism is very open to anyone willing to join it.

 

[Gaura Priya]

I've definitely heard people say, "I used to be a Mormon, but now I'm a Christian," though, and it irritates me to no end. It's definitely distinct from mainstream Christianity, but it is still Christian. Even though there are times (like in this thread) when I would prefer that we not be included in the same group as other Christians, I realize that I can't have my cake and eat it, too. Darn.

Hahaha, perhaps the cake doesn't exist at all! Or perhaps the cake is still in the oven... :yes:

One could always say, "Oh, I'm a Mormon Christian." Even if they may not agree, the label 'Christian' is emphasised, and makes 'Mormon' sound more like a denomination rather than a specific Church.

Yes, it has always irritated me when people would say that Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses aren't Christian because they do not believe in the Trinity, or anything like that.

Along with Canon of Scripture, the Old Testaments between the Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant denominations make for different 'Bibles' as much as the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ.

 

[Katzpur]

Hmm. I see two different main reasons:

1. Mormons don't fit the "mainstream" definition of monotheist.

Right, but that's due to what I listed as Reason #2. We don't buy into the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity. But hey, we're in good company. I've never yet found anyone who can provide me with any evidence at all that anyone in the apostolic era did, either.

2. Historically, Mormons have been a distinct, separate society... an "other" that was to be treated with suspicion and fear.

I think that mainstream animosity to LDS has more to do with suspicion, rumour and the legacy of the 19th-century conflicts in Illinois and Missouri than it does with actual consideration and rejection of theological claims of the LDS Church.

I think you're definitely right about that, and it was kind of a vicious circle kind of a reaction. We were shunned from the start, but we intentionally isolated ourselves to some degree, too. Mormons tended to vote as a block, for instance, and were therefore seen as a threat. Now, I think we're rejected more due to an irrational fear of the unknown than because of our actual doctrines. Take the Book of Mormon, for instance. The problem with it seems to be not so much what it teaches as the fact that it even exists. Most people don't have a clue what it teaches and yet they are convinced that whatever it is, it's false.

I mean, your first and third objections apply pretty well to the Catholic Church (well, if you broaden "scripture apart from the Bible" to include other non-Biblical sources of doctrine, such as Holy Tradition), and I doubt the average American Protestant could actually tell you what the Nicene Creed says without looking it up.

You're absolutely right. The fact that Catholics rely so heavily on Holy Tradition is possibly one reason they are less critical of our beliefs than the Protestants are. The belief in Sola Scriptura, on the other hand, is truly ridiculous. How anyone can claim to believe both in the doctrine of the Trinity and in Sola Scriptura is beyond me.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I went with Vaishnava Hinduism, because it's probably the closest philosophically to Buddhism.

 

[LuisDantas]

Once upon a time I considered the Bahai Faith, but I have since learned that it is way too Abrahamic and emphasizes monotheism way too much for my tastes.

These days, I can't really think of any Monotheism that I would convert to. I suppose Hinduism or Gnosticism if I felt really pushed against the wall.

 

[The_Evelyonian]

If I had to convert to one of the monotheistic faiths I'd probably go back to Christianity. It's the one I left and the one I'm most familiar with.