Posted by:
Anoncathol
(
)
Date: December 11, 2011 08:32PM
Hi.
I have never been Mormon (I was born and raised catholic) but one of my best friends in childhood was a mormon girl. She and I used to have lots of wholesome fun together... I remember a lot of things that seemed sort of unusual (once she invited me to hear her returned missionary brother's testimony - he had had doubts in his faith while on his mission, but dismissed them, not because he had examined them in the light of reason, but because he had a 'feeling inside that it was right'). One of the last times I visited her home, I ate dinner with the rest of her family. I remember her father always seemed sort of disapproving, but he started interrogating me (high school kid) about different doctrines - transubstantiation, priest celibacy, etc. It was very uncomfortable and hostile... I think that she was uncomfortable too, but of course he was her father (he always seemed slightly autistic, or emotionally checked out, so he probably didn't read our reactions very well). I didn't visit her house so much after that - it was really alienating, and I couldn't figure out how to explain that to her. I think it was harder for her too. near the trickling off of our friendship, our get-togethers were more with her mormon girlfriends and in a church environment... I wonder if she felt compelled to bring me into the fold... It was probably hard for her as she grew older, learning more and feeling more obligation.
Now I wish we had kept more in contact. The last I heard, she has done well in college, but her mother wants her to marry soon. I don't know why, but recently I really regret losing her friendship (she had a gawky, ridiculous, almost adolescent-boyish sense of humor and a scientific mind- good at math, at least better than me).
That was sort of long, but I have two questions (I never really understood much about mormonism)
1. Do all mormons dislike catholics (is it an innate part of the belief) or is that more of a fundamentalist attitude?
2. I was wondering if that kind of thing is common? Has anyone lost childhood friends as they grew up, because of changing religious pressure and family disapproval? Has anyone mended old friendships?