Oh boy, I don't get on for a few days and this happens. Again.
Whatever nonbelievers in the LDS religion may say, this movie is completely FALSE. It's utterly ridiculous in fact, to the point where I find it silly how much people still seem to think it's what people can somehow manage to believe.
As to what Beastmode said, it's somewhat true, but taken a little wrong. There is a database that keeps track of all the members of the faith, however it is based on their baptism into the church at age eight. Once there, the church keeps a record of them. It stems from the idea of the 99 and the lost sheep parable. This way we can keep track of who is lost - when they stop coming. We usually have someone from the ward go out to this person, we refer to them as less or non-active, and talk to them about it. If it's a problem that can be fixed then we do all we can to make it better for the person to be able to come back. Sometimes it has to do with what another member has said that this member finds offensive, if so we try to help them settle the difference to help them come back. If it something doctrinal, and they ask to leave the church, then they are allowed, though I'm not sure what happens to the records. Whether we keep them or remove them, I don't know the particulars of that.
In regards to missions, they do still cost quite a lot, but youth do not choose where they go. The leader of the church in charge of missionaries sits with the record and prays about it, then looks through the available missions until God reveals to him the mission that the young man, or sometimes woman, is to go on. They are then sent on that mission. I'm not sure about the price, but it is not to pay the church, but to pay for the missionaries plane ticket and living expenses while there. I'm not sure what money they would need to fight prop eight, as far as I know all they've done is spoken out against it, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me and I'll see what I can find out.
I'm not entirely sure what process you're talking about with the mentor on faith, but I don't know about anything like that. There are already mentors to the youth, called leaders, who teach every sunday to the Youth. During the three hour block of church, there is first a "Sacrament Meeting" where members partake of the sacrament and are taught all as a group, similar to a sermon of other christian religions, from what I know of them. Then the second hour is called "Sunday School" where the men and women go to a room to learn together, the children go to their own classes separated by age, and the youth do the same. They are taught by a teacher them more specifically to their age. After that, the third hour is when they all separate into larger groups, men, women, youth (also separated by gender), and children and are taught as a group what their specific role in the church is, as was mentioned above later. So there are specific mentors already in place for the youth, called the leaders (either the Young Women Leaders or the Young Men Leaders). It is their job to discover if any youth is becoming inactive, and to go and ask them why. After that, see what I said above.
The singles are usually much more fun oriented than anything else. In places where there are more collections of singles, usually they have entire wards dedicated to singles alone. The idea of singles wards, or branches (both used to refer to a separate church) is to help young people who are looking for a husband or wife find one who is strong in the gospel, seeing as religion tends to be the biggest divider of families. The Church is very, very centered on families.
I'm not sure what Insight Magazine is... I'll have to look into it, but they do use the Ensign to create talks, which is the Church's magazine. Unlike most churches however, there really is no clergy. The is a bishop and his two counselors, and they preside over each Sunday Gathering. The Bishop is not a permanent leader, neither are the counselors who the bishop chooses. Instead, they are men who were regular members of the ward, and they are replaced when God reveals it to be time for another to take the Bishops place, or when God calls one of them to another calling. However, the Bishop doesn't teach in the Sacrament Meeting, or really much at all. He will make remarks to the congregation sometimes, but more often than not he is not speaking. Instead, the Bishop is inspired by God to ask a member of the congregation to speak, usually giving them a talk from the Ensign to speak on, or sometimes telling them to come up with their own topic with God's help. There is only one member of the entire hierarchy of the church that is in that position for life, and that is the Prophet. Usually the twelve apostles under the prophet are for life as well. Everyone else are replaced when God reveals that it is time for the calling to be passed to another.
The Different BYU branches are all pretty much the same really. It's more of an LDS joke that the Idaho one is for single women, just because the original BYU is very strict. Don't look at that for an example of the church though. Personally, I think that the Provo BYU is going a too far with all their rules. It's a bit ridiculous, but it isn't technically owned by the church itself, though I can't say that for sure. Sometimes I'm not too sure that God would agree with their strictness.
There, I think that clears everything up on that.
As for some of the other comments, I can't remember who said what and I need to get some other things done today, so I don't have time to keep going much longer, but women are not property of me. That is the FLDS church, a breakoff that no one who is LDS would agree with whatsoever. I'm fairly certain they don't even follow the Book of Mormon anymore. In the LDS church, women are told that they should help to support the men because they need it. Women are the "backbone" of the church, running it's more important things, like the relief society for those who are in need. When someone in the family dies, or the mother of a family goes into labor and has to go to the hospital, the relief society will bring meals to the families, take care of young children, and help to support the other members of the church. Every woman in the ward is a member of the Relief Society, so every woman is asked to try and help out. There is mo requirement to help, in fact there really is no requirement at all. Everyone is expected to choose what they will and will not do, it is very much about choice. Some say that woman are considered subservant in the church because it asks women not to work for themselves, but to let the man do that, but that is because of the high placement of families. It is believed that the woman should be there to help take care of the children in the home and to keep it a good God-filled place. Still, the church does ask that women get an education and are able to work in case their husband loses his job. It's just asked that they do what they can to be a mother.
In thebrucebeat's comment about Joseph Smith, I ask them to kindly look again at the history of the church, and tell me how Smith got anything out of it that would have kept him "lying" to so many people. The Church in the early days was a very very sad place to be. Why do you think they suddenly took off to the west? Because they were popular and Joseph Smith was getting a lot of money from his "scam"? Sorry, but I don't see a lot of gain, and I can't imagine any criminal would go through so much pain and not give up the scheme. Besides, he was fourteen years old.
In regards to the independence of the people, they are actually encouraged to write much of the talks themselves, about how they feel about it and what they think, experiences they've had, and just keep that as a topic guideline to the topic they should stick to, seeing as most people aren't great speakers and might get distracted. Most still do. As for children, they are taught much as they would be at home if they are young in regards to the religious aspect. When they are older though, they are asked to read the scriptures for themselves and decide if they believe it to be true. If they decide they don't believe it is true, then they can leave, there is no forcing them to stay.
As for Garyd's comment, the LDS people believe we are christians, whether you believe it or not is your choice, but I don't see much real evidence against the church. The hierarchy of the church honestly is mostly for keeping records, not much for knowledge on church doctrine. Usually, however, the people higher are closer to God, and that is why they have a higher authority.
That is a very big difference, you're right on that. But the people in the Book of Mormon were all destroyed, the ones that called certain places by certain names. By the time the pilgrims and the other Europeans came over, the people here had likely long forgotten it. Still, how much do people really know about those that came before the Aztec and the Mayans, or the inca's (I believe that's what they're all called, forgive me if I misspell the names.) There isn't much that we do know, and we believe they came after the nephites and Lamanites, the civilizations in the Book Of Mormon, at least in a way. Actually, it is believed that the Aztecs were the Nephites at the end of the Book of Mormon, and the Lamanites were the Incas. If you look at old American Indian and South American legends, you can see some of what the Book of Mormon talks about, though it has been twisted by the ages and ages of time between.
I think I've covered everything. If you have anymore questions, please post another. I would be glad to do what I can to answer.
I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If you have a question about my religion, please ask me, and I'll see what I can do for you.
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacksOriginally Posted by FreshAir
Banned
Guru
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks