Mormons: a follow up

I apologize to my new Mormon friends that your efforts have not converted me. I have been open-minded and I’m glad that I was because it is wonderful to learn about other people and other beliefs. More knowledge can’t be a bad thing, in my opinion.

I also think there’s a big benefit in interfaith dialog because we can pool our resources and see different sides and aspects of God. Together we might get a more complete picture than alone.

However.

We did agree to go and visit the local Mormon temple (not inside, which is not allowed to non-Mormons, but to the grounds and the visitors center).

I have a new appreciation for what a light touch our own Sisters had because the girls at the visitor’s center were not nearly so respectful. Fair enough, we were on their territory. It may have been too much to go to their visitor center. The girls who greeted us there seemed disappointed in our Sisters that they hadn’t pushed us harder towards Mormonism, but they only got as far as they did with me because they were not pushy.

As I explained to the new Sisters at the center, I am interested in learning more not for my own sake but because you never know when you might have a friend or someone you know in a crisis of faith and searching for meaning. If you know a lot about a variety of faiths, you can give a good suggestion for that person’s life. Certainly after my interactions with our Sisters I am going to be telling people that Mormons are wonderful people and it’s worth looking into if you’re searching for a faith.

So here were our experiences at the Mormon visitor’s center…

It started with sitting in front of a giant statue of Jesus and listening to an actor read some of Jesus’s statements from the Bible. We were instructed to listen and keep our hearts open.

Afterwards we were asked to say what we felt and what our heart said listening to these words.

They clearly believe that if my heart was truly open, then I would instantly believe Jesus is the only Savior. If I don’t come to that conclusion from hearing Bible verses I don’t believe in spoken by an actor, then my heart must not be open to the word of God.  I know how to listen to my heart, thanks. I don’t need to be instructed to do so by a girl some fifteen years younger than me and barely out of high school.

We passed by a couple of girls trying to convince a young African-American couple of the truth of Mormonism. One of the girls said, “When you are baptized, you begin to hear that spirit, that voice of God, that can guide you all the time. Wouldn’t that be nice to have all the time?”

It took all my will power not to interrupt them to say that I hear that voice of God too. And I have not been baptized Mormon (clearly)! How do you explain that?

My experience has been that most Christians, at least evangelical ones, believe that the world is split into two sides. One side is unhappiness, restlessness, separation from God and the other side is Jesus Christ. There is absolutely no place for those of us who have peace, joy, serenity, and purpose in life without any Jesus.

[I recently encountered another option: people who believe that my prayer to Ganesha actually goes to Jesus. Keep telling yourself whatever you need to, but I will tell you flat out that I reject Jesus and I very much doubt that your Jesus accepts the devotion and prayers of someone who consistently says that he’s a myth and not the only true path to God]

I couldn’t help laughing when we watched a video about family. It was a lovely video and showed a wonderful family that is much like I would like my family to be. There was nothing about it that made me think only Mormons can have such a family. At the end it said that a family based on Jesus’s teachings would be the strongest and best family. It gave some words to encapsulate Jesus’s teachings. Words like: Faith, Love, Prayer, Wholesome Recreation.

Wait, what?!

When did Jesus mention Wholesome Recreation? When it comes to family, what I remember Jesus teaching is this:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters–yes, even their own life–such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)

There’s lots of good in the Mormons we met. Lots and lots and lots of good in Mormonism. It just isn’t clear to me why any of it requires Jesus.

However, their belief in Jesus and the love of God they feel inspires them to be good people (for all the ones I’ve met, anyway), so that’s great. They are welcome to it. I, on the other hand, have seen nothing that makes me think Mormonism is the path for me personally. They feel that it is Christ’s love that allows them to love others. I feel that I don’t need Jesus for that and I am fortified by the love of my own Gods. I also think one can love simply through one’s own humanity.

I am still very glad that the Sisters came into our lives.