Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
I always have time, and I am always interested in sharing. Just don't want to be pushy, that's all.
You're absolutely right. I'm curious, though, as to what kinds of evidence you would consider to be "objective"?
The Mormon faith started when a fourteen-year old boy was searching for the truth. He was confused by the disparity of beliefs within the Christian community of his time. In trying to resolve his questions by an appeal to the Bible, he happened upon James 1:5, which says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." Since the one thing he knew for sure was that he did, in fact, lack wisdom, he decided to do what James suggested and ask God: "Which of all the Churches I might choose to join, teaches the truth?" Early one spring morning in 1820, he left his house in rural upstate New York and went into a quiet grove of trees nearby, where he knelt in prayer. According to his own account, a glorious light that was brighter than the noonday sun descended upon him. Within that light stood two individuals. One of them called him by name, and said, "Joseph, this is my beloved Son. Hear him." When he was finally able to regain his composure, he asked the question that was the purpose of his prayer. The Son of God responded by telling him that the fulness of His gospel was no longer found on the earth, and that the churches of that time contained "a form of godliness" without the power necessary to speak the truth with authority. He was told not to join any church at that time.
From this experience, Joseph learned that the Father and the Son are two physically distinct beings. He also learned that his Heavenly Father knew him personally and that He did, in fact, hear and answer our prayers. Several years later, he had another vision. This time an angel of the Lord, a resurrected being known as Moroni, appeared to Him and told him of an ancient record buried near his home. Moroni told him that this record contained the secular and religious history of a group of people who had once lived on the American continent. It included an account of the Savior's visit to these people following His Resurrection and Ascension. God had chosen him to translate this record. He would be directed in this effort by the power of the Almighty and would be given the same authority as Jesus Christ once gave Peter. Through him, the same church as had existed anciently would be restored to the earth.
That's it in a nutshell. A really small nutshell. Does it sound pretty hard to believe? If it does, I'm not surprised. Joseph once said that if he had not experienced firsthand the things he had, he wouldn't have believed them either. The Latter-day Saints believe that the Church Jesus Christ established near the end of His ministry fell into apostasy after the deaths of the Apostles and that while Christianity had never ceased to exist, many of the doctrines Christ had taught evolved over time. Because there was no longer anyone on earth who held the authority once held by Christ's Apostles, the church was left to survive without continued direction from its divine Head. The Protestant Reformation had been an inspired attempt to fix what had gone wrong, but it wasn't enough. There was only one way Christ's Church could be re-established, and that was by the Christ Himself. A reformation was insufficient. What was needed was a restoration -- from the ground up.
We actually have much in common with traditional Christianity, but we are also unique among Christians in a number of ways. I'd say the main differences between us are these: (1) We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost -- but we do not accept the 4th and 5th century creeds which speak of them as a single substance or essence. In other words, we reject the post-Apostolic doctrine of the Trinity. (2) We believe that the Bible is God's word, but that it is not the only record we have of God's dealings with His children. We also accept three other volumes of scripture, the best known of which is "The Book of Mormon." (3) We believe that a living prophet directs Jesus Christ's Church today and that he is assisted by twelve Apostles who have exactly the same authority as the Apostles Jesus called anciently. (4) We believe that God has a plan for each one of us, that we lived in spirit form with Him before we were born, that we actually chose to come to earth, and that we will someday return to His presence. The purpose of our existance is to have joy now and throughout eternity, and to become as much like our Father in Heaven as possible.
No, they all worship the same God. They simply understand Him differently. Whether I pray or a Catholic prays or a Baptist prays, the same God will hear and answer each one of us.
Okay, let me put it this way... I believe that absolute truth does exist. I also believe I've found it. I just don't think that there is any way for me to prove it. Consequently, I prefer not to even try. No one is born knowing the truth. Each of us must ultimately determine what we believe to be true as we experience life. We want to be able to make our decisions based on logic. We want to be objective and yet, with respect to spiritual knowledge, this is almost impossible. We are influenced by so many different factors (both internal and external) and each of us is the product of his environment. Everything we are able to experience with our senses is pretty much subjective. I may have found absolute truth, but for now, I can't know that for sure. So basically, I live my life as if I have found it, but when it comes to trying to convince someone else of it, I pretty much act as if it doesn't exist.
That should keep you busy for a bit 