Contacting the FLDS Church about Praying to Find out

[_KevinSim]

The people on these forums strike me as reasonable people, and it's been clear to me that the vast majority have put a lot of thought into their respective positions regarding the LDS Church. But even so, by far the most serious challenge to my testimony didn't come from any of you, but rather instead from a news item (I don't remember whether I heard it on the radio or read it in a newspaper) about an older woman who joined the FLDS Church because she prayed and asked God if that church was true. Over the last couple of days I have come to realize that I absolutely have to contact the FLDS Church and ask them about this means of finding out if the FLDS Church is or is not true. I'm not going to leave the LDS Church over the matter; my testimony has not been damaged that far; I simply have to know what the FLDS Church's position is on finding out whether or not that organization is true. On the other hand, I live a four hour drive away from Hildale, Utah. Does anyone know how I would go about approaching someone from the FLDS Church to ask them about this, preferably a way that doesn't involve me driving four hours one way?

[_Fence Sitter]

Your drive would be a waste of time. They will Answer Them (or you) Nothing

[_Fionn]

I have to agree with Fence Sitter here. I doubt seriously you'll be able to find someone who is still a member who will speak with you.

You'd be better off trying to find someone who is no longer involved and ask them.

I would try reddit, personally.

[_Bazooka]

The people on these forums strike me as reasonable people, and it's been clear to me that the vast majority have put a lot of thought into their respective positions regarding the LDS Church. But even so, by far the most serious challenge to my testimony didn't come from any of you, but rather instead from a news item (I don't remember whether I heard it on the radio or read it in a newspaper) about an older woman who joined the FLDS Church because she prayed and asked God if that church was true. Over the last couple of days I have come to realize that I absolutely have to contact the FLDS Church and ask them about this means of finding out if the FLDS Church is or is not true. I'm not going to leave the LDS Church over the matter; my testimony has not been damaged that far; I simply have to know what the FLDS Church's position is on finding out whether or not that organization is true. On the other hand, I live a four hour drive away from Hildale, Utah. Does anyone know how I would go about approaching someone from the FLDS Church to ask them about this, preferably a way that doesn't involve me driving four hours one way?

Ehmm....why do you need to contact them?
As the news article stated, the woman simply prayed to if that Church was true and God told her it was.

I guess I'm surprised that hearing someone else joined another Church based on a feeling after prayer comes as such a surprise, and has had such an impact on you.
Especially as I and others have been posing you that exact scenario for a long time.

[_Spanner]

Don't the FLDS have a website?

I recall seeing excerpts of FLDS testimonies posted somewhere and contrasted with LDS testimonies (virtually identical). Not sure what blog or thread I saw the comparisons on though.

[_Themis]

The people on these forums strike me as reasonable people, and it's been clear to me that the vast majority have put a lot of thought into their respective positions regarding the LDS Church. But even so, by far the most serious challenge to my testimony didn't come from any of you, but rather instead from a news item (I don't remember whether I heard it on the radio or read it in a newspaper) about an older woman who joined the FLDS Church because she prayed and asked God if that church was true. Over the last couple of days I have come to realize that I absolutely have to contact the FLDS Church and ask them about this means of finding out if the FLDS Church is or is not true. I'm not going to leave the LDS Church over the matter; my testimony has not been damaged that far; I simply have to know what the FLDS Church's position is on finding out whether or not that organization is true. On the other hand, I live a four hour drive away from Hildale, Utah. Does anyone know how I would go about approaching someone from the FLDS Church to ask them about this, preferably a way that doesn't involve me driving four hours one way?

You have been around here for years and you missed this. Was it because you didn't want to believe people here?

[_The Erotic Apologist]

The people on these forums strike me as reasonable people, and it's been clear to me that the vast majority have put a lot of thought into their respective positions regarding the LDS Church. But even so, by far the most serious challenge to my testimony didn't come from any of you, but rather instead from a news item (I don't remember whether I heard it on the radio or read it in a newspaper) about an older woman who joined the FLDS Church because she prayed and asked God if that church was true. Over the last couple of days I have come to realize that I absolutely have to contact the FLDS Church and ask them about this means of finding out if the FLDS Church is or is not true. I'm not going to leave the LDS Church over the matter; my testimony has not been damaged that far; I simply have to know what the FLDS Church's position is on finding out whether or not that organization is true. On the other hand, I live a four hour drive away from Hildale, Utah. Does anyone know how I would go about approaching someone from the FLDS Church to ask them about this, preferably a way that doesn't involve me driving four hours one way?

You might want to rethink this. The FLDS represent one of the largest and longest-lived examples of organized crime in the history of this country. You could realistically put your life in jeopardy, depending on how you go about "contacting" them.

[_Quasimodo]

The people on these forums strike me as reasonable people, and it's been clear to me that the vast majority have put a lot of thought into their respective positions regarding the LDS Church. But even so, by far the most serious challenge to my testimony didn't come from any of you, but rather instead from a news item (I don't remember whether I heard it on the radio or read it in a newspaper) about an older woman who joined the FLDS Church because she prayed and asked God if that church was true. Over the last couple of days I have come to realize that I absolutely have to contact the FLDS Church and ask them about this means of finding out if the FLDS Church is or is not true. I'm not going to leave the LDS Church over the matter; my testimony has not been damaged that far; I simply have to know what the FLDS Church's position is on finding out whether or not that organization is true. On the other hand, I live a four hour drive away from Hildale, Utah. Does anyone know how I would go about approaching someone from the FLDS Church to ask them about this, preferably a way that doesn't involve me driving four hours one way?

You might want to rethink this. The FLDS represent one of the largest and longest-lived examples of organized crime in the history of this country. You could realistically put your life in jeopardy, depending on how you go about "contacting" them.

At least put your wife and three of her girlfriends in the car when you go. If you look like a polygamist, you might get away with it.

[_KevinSim]

I guess I'm surprised that hearing someone else joined another Church based on a feeling after prayer comes as such a surprise, and has had such an impact on you.
Especially as I and others have been posing you that exact scenario for a long time.

Posing a scenario is one thing. An actual occurrence of the scenario is quite a different thing.

Posing the scenario that someone asks God if the FLDS Church is true, and gets a yes answer, really means nothing at all, because if there is a God He can be sure that everyone always gets the same answer, and in such a case the posed scenario would never occur.

But if this lady actually did precisely the same thing I did when I asked God if the LDS Church is true, then that fact would really, really bother me. So I've got to find out if she actually did do precisely the same thing I did.

[_Tobin]

I guess I'm surprised that hearing someone else joined another Church based on a feeling after prayer comes as such a surprise, and has had such an impact on you.
Especially as I and others have been posing you that exact scenario for a long time.

Posing a scenario is one thing. An actual occurrence of the scenario is quite a different thing.

Posing the scenario that someone asks God if the FLDS Church is true, and gets a yes answer, really means nothing at all, because if there is a God He can be sure that everyone always gets the same answer, and in such a case the posed scenario would never occur.

But if this lady actually did precisely the same thing I did when I asked God if the LDS Church is true, then that fact would really, really bother me. So I've got to find out if she actually did do precisely the same thing I did.

I fail to see why this bothers you? Do you really think man-made organizations like the LDS Church (or FLDS Church) are divinely lead?