I will survive...or do even better!

[whatisis]

Hey, a Latter Day Saint, I've often brought up in Bible study practices of the Mormons...as long as I don't say I agree with them! I liked the one where you can pray for salvation for the dead and they get a second chance to accept or not, interesting.
Anyway, I went to my third United Church today, the denomination I was raised in (I was born into the Disciples of Christ, which has one church in our entire city, as were both my mother and father)and these seem to be my choices: 1) fake that I believe things I don't but have a good worship experience in the evangelical church 2) feel more in tune with the theology but be driven nuts with liturgical worship experiences (the church I went to today have two hymn books which you pick up on your way in."Now we'll sing Hymn #X from the Hymnbook X"...I felt like yelling "Bingo!" when I got the right page in the three seconds flat you had to find it...Get a big screen people!). Tonight I'm going to a Presbyterian service...and their services sure don't have a rep for being fun fun fun! The search continues. Being me, you and I should write a book together "Fumbling Through Faith". Btw, your courses sound fascinating!

[BeingMe]

Good title there Wii, and a book that should be written. I bet there are a lot of faith fumblers out there.

Yes, the praying for dead thing ... we can actually get baptized for them too (since we have a body and can do so in our dead's place ... as the disciples said, "you must believe and be baptized." Or words to that effect. Just because you are dead, it seems, does not mean you will accept Jesus as your saviour. The belief is that you don't go to heaven or hell directly, but to a place of waiting. So, you go with the same issues and confusion, and doubts, etc. Which is a bummer really. So, in come your relatives to the rescue, because if you accept Jesus in the 'place of waiting', then someone with a body can get baptized for you. So, baptisms are done, just in case. Which is why LDSers are very big on genealogy. Very simplistic description, but that is the gist.

Omigosh! I can talk about stuff like this for hours. I am going to a dinner on Monday, at another church with a friend. So, let's see what the ladies there are like.

I better go do the laundry.

[whatisis]

Yes, I realized in the car it was baptism I was thinking of. I actually gave our pastor a print out from the internet about it,as I had brought it up in our bible study. He told me he thought it was a fascinating concept.
Have you read any of the following books? The Misunderstood God by Darin Hufford, If Grace Is True and If God is Love by Philip Gulley & James Mulholland, If The Church Were Christian by Philip Gulley or The Gospel of Inclusion by Bishop Carlton Pearson (not LDS!) Gulley is Quaker Pastor who has survived a number of attempts to kick him out of the denomination. In If The Church Were Christian he tells an amusing story (not so amusing at the time, I guess) of his first charge where he was fired for telling a church member that he didn't believe in Satan or Hell when she asked him. He said after getting the boot he went home and said to his wife "Hey honey, good news, we don't have to get up early on Sunday's anymore"
Anyway, I wish we could discuss these things in another forum but if we exchange any personal info we'll get the boot!
Enjoy your upcoming dinner outing, Being Me.

[whatisis]

I've found a church of interest! I went to the Presbyterian service tonight, I went last week too. Sunday evening really isn't a service it's a few hymns a prayer and a bible talk for an hour. Both week s the Pastor has really talked about things that hit home with me, I leave thinking. Tonight after the service I spoke with him and we had a really nice talk. I won't detail it because I don't want to get into religious debates here on DB but I felt comfortable expressing some of my concerns etc to him. I asked him how liturgical the morning services were and he said "not very", they have a mixed style of worship with some contemporary music and the periodic responsive reading. I said "Oh thank you, I was at a church this morning where there were seven pages to the order of service and two hymn books to use, I was stressed out at the end of it!" Anyway, his views on the bible seem pretty in line with my thinking and I'm looking forward to getting to one of their morning services. I can't next week but I look forward to going back the next Sunday. I'm excited!

[whatisis]

Just to add to last night, I mentioned to the Presbyterian Pastor that I'd attended the United Church for a few servicesrecently (in the U.S. that would be similar to United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, Episcopal Church) and he said "Well, you have to be careful with them, they may have gone too far in trying to be everything to everybody" and I replied "and my Dad (who is United) warned me about you Presbyterians too!"
Anyway, Being Me, if you're out there still, I'm wondering what it was that brought you to the belief that Joseph Smith was who he said he was? Don't feel you have to answer, I'm just curious as I've never talked to an LDS before. Again, unfortunately we only have this forum to talk as we can't exchange personal info. otherwise I wouldn't bore everybody esle with our littel religious exchanges. So, if you'd like to share that would be great, if not, no sweat!

[whatisis]

Being Me, I forgot to mention there is a great book out there Seeking Enlightenment Hat By Hat by Nevada Barr, the mystery writer. She talks about her journey to and through faith, she's an Episcopalian (Anglican in Canada). I think you'd love it, I give it as a gift to people and they seem to really enjoy it. It may be out of print but you can always pick up a used copy for a few bucks (abebooks.com). Worth the read!

[ImprovedRomeo]

wii, find me on the alt...should be easy to find. With what's been going on lately, I don't want to lose touch.

[BeingMe]

Anyway, Being Me, if you're out there still, I'm wondering what it was that brought you to the belief that Joseph Smith was who he said he was? Don't feel you have to answer, I'm just curious as I've never talked to an LDS before. Again, unfortunately we only have this forum to talk as we can't exchange personal info. otherwise I wouldn't bore everybody esle with our littel religious exchanges. So, if you'd like to share that would be great, if not, no sweat!

Hi Wii. I don't mind talking about religion or my personal spiritual journey. A pity we can't get to another forum, or just personal contact. Oh well! It just made sense to me at the time ... I don't know if it was a belief for me, but a logical thought that why wouldn't there be a prophet for today. We sure need one. Who said the end of prophets had come? In fact, the bible talks about false prophets, which assumes there will be true prophets. Many of modern churches have 'prophets'. I still don't know if he was a prophet, but he's as good a one (and the one's after) as any of the other prophets that have come along in the churches today. To me, that wasn't so much the issue, as were other things.

I find it very annoying that one cannot exchange emails, especially those of us who have been on this board for so long. I have found several virtual friends through this bb, but that was a long time ago. And, we are still in contact through FB or occasional email. One would think that if you have been a loyal bb'er, like 2 years or so, you would have more liberties such as private messages.

[ImprovedRomeo]

There's much more to the editing button than what meets the eye...and what's happening on this board in general.

[whatisis]

There's much more to the editing button than what meets the eye...and what's happening on this board in general.

You mean the editing button is the anti-christ. I suspected as much!