not Heavenly Father. I grew up in the Church and was taught that it is Heavenly Father that answers your prayers. Jesus is just a moderator in the process. In the last few years it is becoming more and more clear to me that people are looking to Jesus to help them with their problems. This became clear to me when our Bishop last Sunday said "Is there a burden to living? Let Christ into your life to shore up the burden." I was taught to ask Heavenly Father for help. I can see where the Jesus stuff is good for new people studying the Church. It ties into their belief systems. I have trouble with the Jesu stuff at Church. It takes away the scared nature of the Godhead at least in my mind.

One last observation, very few people bear testimony anymore of how Heavenly Father helps them or answers their prayers. Its all about Jesus helped me to this or I felt Jesus as I did that. Also very few old timers or really TBM bear their testimonies any more. Have you noticed that?I feel and see the soul of the Church dying in our ward and stakes in Canada.

Yes, they needed to fix that problem. I also was taught that Jesus was sort of a middleman. Jesus was the "God of this world" but it was clear we prayed to HF. Jesus was some kind telephone operator.

Eventually, Mormons are going to have to come up with a convoluted trinity for the Godhead like other Christians. Not having God and Jesus connected (like leaves on a single stem) enough makes them look too polytheistic. "Three SEPARATE personages" is one thing that differentiates Mormons from mainstream Christians. It was JS's big announcement about the nature of God. Mormons are going to need more obfuscation on this teaching to fit in, IMO.

dagny Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, they needed to fix that problem. I also was
> taught that Jesus was sort of a middleman. Jesus
> was the "God of this world" but it was clear we
> prayed to HF. Jesus was some kind telephone
> operator.
>
> Eventually, Mormons are going to have to come up
> with a convoluted trinity for the Godhead like
> other Christians. Not having God and Jesus
> connected (like leaves on a single stem) enough
> makes them look too polytheistic. "Three SEPARATE
> personages" is one thing that differentiates
> Mormons from mainstream Christians. It was JS's
> big announcement about the nature of God. Mormons
> are going to need more obfuscation on this
> teaching to fit in, IMO.

-----------------------
-----------------------

If you remember the Temple - Satan is "God of this world".

Makes a lot of Mormon belief much clearer when you realize that.

Hmmmmm. Good point.

Back when I was a temple goer, I probably understood that like saying some people worship money as their god.

If Jesus is a god, then it seems that Satan would be too. They are both brothers from the same source in the story. The mythology has so many holes. I'm glad I don't have to make excuses for it anymore.

It would be great to hear "Lucifer answered my prayers" in F&T meeting.

I think you mean "how it's Jesus who *doesn't answer* your prayers now". Heavenly Father didn't answer your prays before.

I was taught like you were taught. Everything was Heavenly Father when I was young. "Dear Heavenly Father" is how we prayed.

The church has been indoctrinating the youth for 7 years already with this Jesus talk. In 2019, I heard how the young women had prayed to Jesus and wow! They suddenly had the strength and wisdom to move rocks at young women's camp.

All the years as a member, I now realize why my prayers were ignored. I prayedto the wrong dude <sarcasm>

Another change 'clarification' of prior doctrine..

sigh

From the horse’s mouth – Mormons do not pray to Jesus:

https://faq.churchofjesuschrist.org/who-do-mormons-worship


Excerpts:

“Mormons, more properly referred to as Latter-day Saints or members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, worship God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.”


“How do Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ? Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ by remembering and reverencing Him for the life He lived and the sacrifice He made in behalf of humankind. They worship Him by exercising faith in Him and striving to follow His commandments. One of the sincerest ways they worship Jesus Christ is by partaking of the sacrament each week during Sunday worship services.”


“While Latter-day Saints do worship Jesus Christ as explained here, they do not pray to Him. That is reserved for only God the Father.”

-----

When I was in for my one NY minute I winced every time I heard them say "Christ" as it sounded so irreverent to me. Maybe because it was the primary word my swear-y dad used to express annoyance, lol.

I don't recall any time I heard a Mormon pray to Jesus.

I also don't remember that they do the sacrament every week - as the article linked above states that they do. Is that correct? If so, it's a bit of a change from when I was in. I didn't ever partake myself. I forget precisely why I did not. Maybe I foresaw that I was going to leave. Or maybe I left because I didn't partake, lol. Whatever the impetus was, I am thankful for it.

I swear at Jesus quite often and tell him what a complete and utter turd he is. I like to think that in a sea of millions of supplicants, my condemnations stand out. I've found that my needs are met at least as well as when I used to praise him and ask him for favors. Perhaps I amuse him and he humors me return.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2025 04:22PM by summer.

Yeah. Jesus is the original "broken clock".

An attempt to convert people raised as mainstream Protestants. In a trinity belief praying to Jesus is praying to God.

Your prayers are only answered when things go your way. If things dont go your way it means you are not following the cult right.

If one team wins a game it is an answer to prayers but the other team is sinning. If the other team wins it doesn’t mean God wanted them to win according to tscc. None of it is logical just threats and words.

Imho
I find the whole thinking pattern amusing.