A TBM admits being weirded out by the temple

[_zeezrom]

If the old man in white tried to touch my private parts (i.e. Junk) I would have elbowed him in the nose. The loins shot did invade my privacy a bit. Hey, once a Mormon, privacy is no longer yours, right?

I hated oil anywhere near the face because I had a thing about oil and pores.

[_why me]

What is amazing is that the catholics over on the catholic taliban site where Mormonism is dragged through the mud, don't quite realize just how strange the catholic faith is to outsiders when they are trashing the lds faith.

Every mass is the same...the same symbolisms and the same rituals with standing, kneeling and sitting throughout the 40 minutes. And Mass on Sunday is obligatory and if one doesn't go to Mass on a sunday or other days of obligation it is a sin. Does that sound cultish?

And yet on the catholic taliban site, they often refer to the lds church as a cult.

They need a reality check.

A few differences:

Mass is not kept sacred/secret from the public at large.

Mass has never involved penalties such as throat slashing or disembowelling.

You don't have to dress in robes and give secret signs and tokens for Mass.

Mass doesn't borrow its symbolism from the Masons.

Mass never involved polygamy.

It makes very little difference. You see Runtu, strangeness is strangness. What about the jews at the wailing wall with their moving and shaking? Or the muslims with their prayer five times a day as they face Mecca? Both can be claimed to be a little weird by those who don't practice the faith.

Let Mormons be Mormons. And if a person doesn't like it, they can always leave...No one stops them from heading out the door.

[_Runtu]

It makes very little difference. You see Runtu, strangeness is strangness. What about the jews at the wailing wall with their moving and shaking? Or the muslims with their prayer five times a day as they face Mecca? Both can be claimed to be a little weird by those who don't practice the faith.

Let Mormons be Mormons. And if a person doesn't like it, they can always leave...No one stops them from heading out the door.

Sure, we see other people's religious practices as strange; I'm always a little weirded out when I see those EV types on TV swaying back and forth, hands raised, and eyes closed. I don't know why that strikes me as weird, but it does.

Yesterday I was listening to an interview with Isabel Allende about her new novel set in Haiti. Of Voodoo she said, and I'm paraphrasing, "Other people's religious practices and beliefs seem to us to be magic or superstition, whereas our practices are real religion." True that.

Catholic Mass is strange to people of other traditions. But its strangeness is probably one of degree in comparison to the endowment. Most EVs, for example, wouldn't be weirded out or shout "cult" when they saw the Mass. I wouldn't say the same about the endowment.

[_greentam]

One of my biggest problems is talking to people about temple ceremonies. "Secret" and "sacred" get in the way of actually explaining anything coherently. I was always under the understanding that temple ceremonies were more than just symbols. That the passwords, handshakes, etc. are actually needed to get into the Celestial kingdom. I left the church before doing more than just baptisms for the dead by the way.
Part of my change of personal philosophy was because of these things as absolutes for gaining entrance into the presence of God. The belief that, without these things, anyone else would be barred from his presence was just absurd. So little of Earth's total population now and historically have these "tokens" that, to me, it makes his plan for bringing us into the Celestial kindom unobtainable to most of the population.
Also, this embarrass me from time to time, but I used the lack of temple ordinances and an actual temple building as an excuse to disregard my husband's religious upbringing (FLDS). I used the excuse of "you guys can't be the "true" church because you have no temple" as more ammo in my defense of the LDS church.

[_why me]

The belief that, without these things, anyone else would be barred from his presence was just absurd. So little of Earth's total population now and historically have these "tokens" that, to me, it makes his plan for bringing us into the Celestial kindom unobtainable to most of the population.

This is not exactly true. Since the gospel is also preached in the next life, all may have a chance to gain celestial glory. In fact, a person probably has a better chance without being a Mormon on this earth.

[_greentam]

The belief that, without these things, anyone else would be barred from his presence was just absurd. So little of Earth's total population now and historically have these "tokens" that, to me, it makes his plan for bringing us into the Celestial kindom unobtainable to most of the population.

This is not exactly true. Since the gospel is also preached in the next life, all may have a chance to gain celestial glory. In fact, a person probably has a better chance without being a Mormon on this earth.

The problem I see with this is that even though you can be preached to and accept the gospel you are still damned and prescribed to the same kingdoms as before. At least this is how I was always taught. I think there are references to it somewhere...*digs out my Book of Mormon from who knows where...*
So according to this train of thought...It would be better to only accept the church in the afterlife and not this one? I think that this also goes along the teaching that it would be better for you especially if you accept, then later deny the church. Because you "knew" God had higher expectations?
This also sounds highly to me like the excuse of putting of baptism till your last days to be "forgiven" of more sins.

[_Buffalo]

The above is the part that I find suspicious. This is right off an antisite where former members claim that the lds church is a cult. I find it hard to beleive that a recent TBM just after attending the temple would use these words of description unless she was searching through the web or if she is a fraud and just wrote a fiction story.

Anyone can write her story...if they wished, including many here since we are all experts in anti lingo.

When I first went to the temple I thought to myself "holy freak I am in a cult!" But I was going on a mission and I didn't know what to do so I just thought I might not understand right now and maybe I'll understand later.

Yeah, it seemed pretty culty to me too.

[_Buffalo]

The problem I see with this is that even though you can be preached to and accept the gospel you are still damned and prescribed to the same kingdoms as before. At least this is how I was always taught. I think there are references to it somewhere...*digs out my Book of Mormon from who knows where...*
So according to this train of thought...It would be better to only accept the church in the afterlife and not this one? I think that this also goes along the teaching that it would be better for you especially if you accept, then later deny the church. Because you "knew" God had higher expectations?
This also sounds highly to me like the excuse of putting of baptism till your last days to be "forgiven" of more sins.

Better yet, enter into the new and everlasting covenant (polygamy) and you can be exalted no matter what sins you commit, as long as you don't kill anyone who is "innocent." Of course, there's wiggle room in the word innocent.

[_cafe crema]

WTF? Catholics don't really undergo such strangeness, do they?

What is amazing is that the catholics over on the catholic taliban site where Mormonism is dragged through the mud, don't quite realize just how strange the catholic faith is to outsiders when they are trashing the lds faith.

Every mass is the same...the same symbolisms and the same rituals with standing, kneeling and sitting throughout the 40 minutes. And Mass on Sunday is obligatory and if one doesn't go to Mass on a sunday or other days of obligation it is a sin. Does that sound cultish?

And yet on the catholic taliban site, they often refer to the lds church as a cult.

They need a reality check.

And you really need to get over your anger at CAF. You'll know you're there when you no longer need to regularly interject a post/rant unrelated to the topic at hand. Another sign would be not referring to CAF as "the catholic taliban site" twice in every rant.

[_madeleine]

WTF? Catholics don't really undergo such strangeness, do they?

:D

Most of the western Christian world observe Ash Wednesday, and most use ashes in the sign of the cross on a person's forehead. What is strange, is that Mormons do not!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Wednesday