Serious Question: What other Church compares to Mormonism?

[_lulu]

Sounds like you need a very warm congregation where the members have excellent social skills.

I wouldn't think in terms of denomination so much. Shop for some congregations of whatever denomination that exhibit the above.

[_Kishkumen]

The Orthodox Church is an interesting choice in terms of its history and doctrines. There are similarities to Mormonism in theosis (which is, as you noted, very different in theological specifics), the prominent role of the Holy Spirit as a guide to the Church alongside the scriptures and councils, and the liturgical focus having a kind of corollary in the LDS endowment.

GOC also has a more mystical bent than other Christian sects.

Having said all that, I have a difficult time seeing Kevin Graham there. No offense, Kev. Criticisms of Orthodoxy include its retrograde intellectual discourse, its superstitious atmosphere, and its outdated views on social issues.

I won't say whether I agree with these criticisms or not. I just have a difficult time seeing a largely secular ex-Mormon buying into the kind of Church that is thus criticized any better than he or she bought into Mormonism.

I could, however, be dead wrong.

[_LDSToronto]

Most any church is going to seem refreshing in comparison to the LDS church. But a Catholic would say the same of the LDS church upon first experience.

Beware the honeymoon phase.

H.

[_EAllusion]

Episcopalians are nice too. My thought process is more along the lines of finding a faith community that provides a social network without providing much pressure to believe in the truth of a specific religion. The drawback to this is that such liberal religions tend to be theologically dissimilar from Mormonism and might be a culture shock if your family cares about that too.

[_huckelberry]

I do not think I can make any safe recommendation.It is a good observation made by several that congregations vary, perhaps more than denominations. A person just must look and find what fit is best.

I will share a personal observation.. I have not found a congregation that has as much community as I would sometimes like. I go to church for a time of reflection worship and prayer. I am glad I do even if I do not think my church is ideal. It does have good things and has been a light in my life. My own understanding of church is that the fracturing of Christianlty has allowed growth and exploration of possibilities in different directions in different places. I think that is useful but incomplete.

[_madeleine]

for what it's worth, there isn't a "perfect" church, for the very reason they're made up of us, the imperfect.

Pray in your own way, for what you need. Can be as simple as "God, lead me to you." and/or "protect me from what is false". Just examples.

God bless you on your journey.

[_sleepyhead]

I'm in search for another church, and I'm looking for something like Mormonism without all the whacky doctrines and untenable truth claims. You know there are positives in Mormonism, like the strong sense of community and focus on family, etc.

Hello kevin,
I would think the community you find in Mormonism is a result of them being the only ones who adhere to a particular lifestyle (at least in their mind). The word of wisdom for example. To find a community again you need to look for a church that has some rules about life beyond just loving everybody. For a while I attended Jewish synogog. What I liked about them was after service instead of just giving everyone a scrap of bread and a sip of juice/water we actually sat down and ate a meal and talked. This means that the meal was more community oriented than merely running around shaking hands as in the LDS church.

[_Dr. Shades]

Kevin:

Wouldn't your wife prefer Mormonism proper? If so, could you perhaps attend the LDS church with your wife and do what another person suggested and simply decline all callings and not pay tithing? Besides, it's a church you're already extremely familiar with.

Yes, I'm being 100% serious.

In addition, maybe you could earn additional points with your wife by not asking her switch churches.

[_Kishkumen]

Kevin:

Wouldn't your wife prefer Mormonism proper? If so, could you perhaps attend the LDS church with your wife and do what another person suggested and simply decline all callings and not pay tithing? Besides, it's a church you're already extremely familiar with.

Yes, I'm being 100% serious.

In addition, maybe you could earn additional points with your wife by not asking her switch churches.

I like this idea. Why? Because Kevin knows what he is dealing with in Mormonism. He generally gets along well with Mormons, excepting, perhaps, its apologists. It seems to me that sitting through sacrament meeting an hour a week would not be such a burden on him. I could be wrong, though. It very much depends on his feelings and where he is at.

[Guest]

Kevin:

Wouldn't your wife prefer Mormonism proper? If so, could you perhaps attend the LDS church with your wife and do what another person suggested and simply decline all callings and not pay tithing? Besides, it's a church you're already extremely familiar with.

Yes, I'm being 100% serious.

In addition, maybe you could earn additional points with your wife by not asking her switch churches.

Hi Kevin,

There was a stage in my journey that I felt like Woody when he exclaimed I am a lost toy!. At the time of my epiphany, I felt terrified of being on my own without a church - the church. Particularly because I had never conceived of such a thought. How can you prepare for something you can't anticipate?

The first thought I had was that I must belong. I must affiliate. I must be found and become once again a part of a larger sum to become "whole" again. Oddly, whenever I inform a Mormon that I have resigned, the first question they ask me is, "so what church did you join?"

I think Shades has some great points here. Particularly since you're inclined to think well beyond packaged religeon.

So, what is so wrong about simply focusing on becoming a Follower of Christ?

A friend of mine that is a former pastor gave me a book about it (a new kind of Christian). He and his family adopted a philosophy, simply stated: Christ plus nothing. In other words's, Jesus without the extra crap. Semantically speaking, they are no longer "Christian" (a very mis-defined term), they would rather be identified as followers of Christ. He is one of the most charitable people I've ever met (and the friends his family have discovered in the process are most similar). Although they attend a congregation, their community of believers transcend religeon and culture. Like minded people gravitate to what he emulates. They're not alone and they're not afraid. Think about it.

The point is, perhaps you may still be able to attend a Mormon church with your bride as Shades is optioning (albeit with the required barfbag) and as an individual, still becoming someone more genuine and whole in their daily walk. Isn't this the kind of transition out of Mormonism your wife would prefer?

win win



ldsfaqs,

it's hard to believe I was much like you. Blech. If I can repent, so can you.. : /