Why Is It So Hard to Figure Out What Mormons Believe?

[_Themis]

The better question is why is it so hard to take the Church at it's word? The doctrines are whatever it teaches and disseminates. It's just common sense that most apply to any other organization, including other churches, and what the Church happens to say about it's own doctrine; whatever it publishes.

It's hard becuase the church is not consistent. You might be on how you want to determine what is doctrine, but the church does not support your idea, and I and others have tried to get you to address it. As an example is the news room which is not to be considered doctrine says the church does not know, but then the church has released first pres declarations about why, which are considered doctrine.

This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith.

[Guest]

The apostolic forget everything we ever taught on topic x handwaving does not work for those who do not imbibe the sugary kid's drink.

I used to fully drink from the fountain till one day my brain revolted and vomited it all back out. Kind of like the scene in Temple of Doom where Indy comes out of the trance when the torch was waved in front of his face.

[_DarkHelmet]

Not even Mormons agree on what Mormons believe. How can they expect outsiders to know?

[_Darth J]

The better question is why is it so hard to take the Church at it's word?

Because the Church demonstrably lies about what its teachings are, and because "milk before meat" is a euphemism for fraud.

[_SteelHead]

The better question is why is it so hard to take the Church at it's word?

Because the Church demonstrably lies about what its teachings are, and because "milk before meat" is a euphemism for fraud.

+1

[Guest]

The better question is why is it so hard to take the Church at it's word? The doctrines are whatever it teaches and disseminates. It's just common sense that most apply to any other organization, including other churches, and what the Church happens to say about it's own doctrine; whatever it publishes.

It's hard because the church is not consistent.

There are no examples of such.

You might be on how you want to determine what is doctrine, but the church does not support your idea,

It's not my idea. It's what the Church itself teaches. In Teaching, No Greater Call, all the publications are listed for use in teaching the doctrine and keeping the doctrine pure (the names of chapters in the work). The 2007 statement also tells us that the doctrine is established and then published in official publications. Elder Christofferson's talk on how the doctrine is established also eliminated the notion that the doctrine in found only in the scriptures. Etc. etc.

As an example is the news room which is not to be considered doctrine says the church does not know, but then the church has released first pres declarations about why, which are considered doctrine.

The Newsroom is an official publication. Notice the word "official" in the top graphic which is not necessary but happens to be there in this case.

Not even Mormons agree on what Mormons believe. How can they expect outsiders to know?

They agree. Even at the MDD where such is not palatable to there anomalous views it is seen that they accept the Newsroom, for example, using it as a basis for banning those who disagree with their Church denying brand of apologetics.

[_Drifting]

Not even Mormons agree on what Mormons believe. How can they expect outsiders to know?

Even Prophets and Apostles in TV interviews have struggled to clearly remember what the Church teaches.

[_SteelHead]

Bc,
Did Holland and Purdy lie in their interviews on the BBC?

[_Infymus]

What Mormons believe is best at the chapel Mormon layer.

Chapel Mormons have a wide variety of beliefs which they can communicate to each other without issue. Once a strange belief is exposed to the outside world, the belief is then challenged by the apologists. This is what happened to Bott.

You can't nail down Mormon Doctrine. You can't. It has ever changing goal posts. They change it constantly.

People like bcSpace and his buddies point you at LDS.org or Mormon.com. You go there and there isn't anything that specifically states what is or isn't doctrine. It's like going to the Microsoft site looking for something and this is what you get:



The only time you will know that Mormon doctrine isn't doctrine is if you go public with some particular piece written by some Mormon. If it is embarrassing or politically incorrect, it'll get tossed out as "Don't know", "Not sure", etc, etc.

The only doctrine of Mormonism you can be sure that is and will always be doctrine is : Pay, Pray, Obey.

[_Buffalo]

The Newsroom is an official publication. Notice the word "official" in the top graphic which is not necessary but happens to be there in this case.

Now rendered irrelevant by Christofferson's recent conference talk. :)