I'm curious. I grew up non-Mormon in Utah, but ended up converting when I was in college because I needed something in my life that I could believe, only I had no idea what actual Christianity was. After my mormon baptism, I kept praying that I would believe in the BoM and Joseph Smith as a real prophet, but....no, not at all. I stopped going to church and stopped caring entirely about mormonism.

A few years later I decided to read the Bible. It all just seemed to click beautifully into place. I finally knew what it was to believe in Christ and salvation through Him.

Unfortunately, all - and I mean ALL - of my friends (and back in those days I had many friends in high school) either stayed extremely hardcore mormon, or they left the church and became angry, bitter atheists, or just believed in simply "a" god. No one I know from back then became a Bible-believing Christian.

So I'm wondering about all of you - which path have you taken?
:)

Do you want to clarify, or are you looking to get crucified?

I became an agnostic atheist. I think you'll find most of us on this board are. It seems though that people usually revert back to what they were before they were Mormon. If they were a Christian before converting to Mormonism, they go back to being a Christian. If they were raised a Mormon, they tend to become Agnostic, Atheist, or believe in "God" but have no affinity to a particular religion.

I'm curious though, what was the difference between converting to Christianity over Mormonism? And how did the Bible seem more convincing to you over the Book of Mormon?

I tried to stick with religion after losing my faith in Mormonism but the Bible/Christianity seemed to have the same problems as the Book of Mormon/Mormonism. Neither convinced me (esp the Old Testament).

I am not a Christian, in part, because I have read the bible and it did not read as anything I could morally belong to.

Stuff in the OT like Lot being rewarded by God after offering up his daughters for rape are not things I think should be part of "holy texts"

Then the NT, stuff like the Resurrection, well I think it morally appalling to torture one person for the crimes committed by someone else.

YES.

Who, specifically gets to define what an "actual Christian" is?

I ask because I have heard so many people that claim to be Christian say that another person that claims to be Christian is not really a Christian. I am interested in a definitive answer to what an "actual Christian" is that I can use in all further discussions.

You said, "A few years later I decided to read the Bible. It all just seemed to click beautifully into place."

Me too. I read the Bible and it clicked into place. That's why I'm an "angry atheist" instead of an "actual Christian."

It's all in how you view it. I'd say FORTUNATELY your friends avoided being "Bible-believing Christian" because frankly, the literal Bible believers are lacking just as much in their critical thinking skills if not more than Mormons.

Yeah, it all clicked into place alright.

Timothy

By "actual Christian," I suppose you mean Marcionite, who viewed the God of the Old Testament as fundamentally flawed, and viewed Jesus as an emissary from the true God who would liberate humanity. Or perhaps you mean Ebionite, which saw Christianity as essentially Judaic and Jesus as fully human. Certainly you don't mean evangelical Christian, which is a theological development hundreds of years post-Jesus and utterly unrecognizable to Jesus himself and to his original disciples.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2011 03:15PM by resipsaloquitur.

That's fantastic. Is this historical time period your field, or a hobby of yours?

Nope. Just a hobby. Bart Ehrman is a good place to start.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2011 03:22PM by raptorjesus.

It's a fairly prevalent misconception that Christianity was ever monolithic. It hasn't been.

Here's a good list of Christian "heresies". Mormonism has far more in common with the various gnostic heresies than it does with mainstream christianity.

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

Have a strong hold on your faith before you start with Bart Ehrman, if your faith is something you're desperate to hang on to. He was a graduate of a Bible-thumping church institute that taught the holy inerrancy of scripture, until he started studying the details with an open mind. I love his books.

I think that Jesus may have been real, because his words on their own are a fairly radical departure from the "God is so pissed at you and you are going to pay!" structure that seems to have been common back then. Religion as weapon to keep people in line, and here comes this guy that says, "You know, if you just treat people decently, like you want to be treated, we'll get along quite well." Then all the commentators got hold of the message--I'm looking at you, Paul!--and sent it all to hell.

But speaking of Hell, I don't think that a cosmic being who would do that to people he allegedly loves is worthy of worship.

Jesus, Interrupted and Lost Christianities are also must-reads. Jesus, Interrupted does a fantastic job of sifting through all of the later-added theology, and showing just what the original Jesus texts said. Incidentally, all of the original Jesus stuff is all fire and brimstone, god hates those who don't believe and the world is going to end soon. In other words, the only stuff we know he said shows him to be a classic apocalyptic prophet. All the cuddly love your neighbor stuff (sermon on the mount, etc.) is later embellishment by people who didn't really like what he had to say.

Lost Christianities is a thorough discussion of the various forms of Christianity that were prevalent up until Catholocism successfully silenced the competing forms of Christ worship.

this is a thorny issue on this board, so be thick skinned when reading the replies.

When I first learned that JS was lying about it all, I assumed that I would find another Jesus brand, and go to church there.

I even came here and asked people where they now go to church. It just seemed natural that it would happen that way (trading one church for another one).

Then on my own, I started thinking about what made me think that Jesus was someone to worship, and it all came down to the same reason that I was doing the mormon thing. It was just because somebody with some outrageous claims said to do it.

I thought that the bible is so full of outrageous bull shit that could have never happened, that what made the Jesus part true? How was that part any more true that what JS said?

I decided that it couldn't logically be any more true at all. You would have to rely on the word of some writers that wrote some other crazy stuff that couldn't possibly be true.

I don't get caught up in what label or category I fit into, but I doubt that there is a God, or a divine Jesus. And if I'm wrong, they'll probably say, "ya, we packaged that all up with some crazy shit, no wonder you didn't believe it", and they'll be fine with me living my life as if they didn't exist.

>
> I don't get caught up in what label or category I
> fit into, but I doubt that there is a God, or a
> divine Jesus. And if I'm wrong, they'll probably
> say, "ya, we packaged that all up with some crazy
> shit, no wonder you didn't believe it", and
> they'll be fine with me living my life as if they
> didn't exist.


LOL.

If god(s) exist then choice of religion doesn't seem to matter all that much them. If it did I would expect some undeniable sign. In my world view how you treat others is more important that what you believe.

strivingforbalance Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> LOL.
>
> If god(s) exist then choice of religion doesn't
> seem to matter all that much them. If it did I
> would expect some undeniable sign. In my world
> view how you treat others is more important that
> what you believe.


Not tooting my own horn, but yesterday during a snow storm I drove about 12 miles out of my way to help a guy who didn't speak English find where he needed to go.

It made me concisely consider all this as I drove back. I decided that I think and believe the same things about treating other people with kindness and dignity if I do think there is a God, or if I'm pretty damn sure that there isn't one.

I try to be the type of person that I want to live around, and it has nothing to do with God or Jesus.

I'm not a Christian. I don't believe that Jesus was God in the Flesh. I do believe that God may exist and that Jesus may have been a real person but I don't believe for a second that they are the same guy.

Personally I don't care much for most people who call themselves "Good Christians" and for me when I look at Christianity objectively, it makes as little sense as Mormonisim..

I did.

I suppose you mean by "actual Christian" you are referring to the fact that non-LDS Christians don't regard Mormons as Christians because of their doctrines. I agree, the teachings of the LDS Church are more sci-fi channel than biblical Christianity.

Shortly after I left the church I became a follower of reformed theology (Calvinism). I went from Boyd K. Packer and Thomas S. Monson to John Piper, John MacArthur, and RC Sproul.

I think that Jesus may have been real, because his words on their own are a fairly radical departure from the "God is so pissed at you and you are going to pay!" structure that seems to have been common back then. Religion as weapon to keep people in line, and here comes this guy that says, "You know, if you just treat people decently, like you want to be treated, we'll get along quite well." Then all the commentators got hold of the message--I'm looking at you, Paul!--and sent it all to hell.

But speaking of Hell, I don't think that a cosmic being who would do that to people he allegedly loves is worthy of worship.

There's something about "I'm here to die for your sins and save you by grace, but if you don't accept my unsolicited sacrifice, daddy’s going to see to it that you burn in hell." that sounds eerily familiar to "I'm (god) pissed at you and you're going to pay."

Just sayin'

Timothy

Ah, but there's a grand tradition of "My words were twisted, I didn't mean it that way!" to counter that. IE, later addenda to Jesus' words--I'm looking at you, Paul!--which is well documented in Ehrman's books.

LOL!

Nope. I became a lesbian.

Just sayin'...

Ron

Yes, I did. I was BIC too so it's not like there was a "before" for me.

I agree with SweetZ though, I am not much for those who call themselves "good christians."

Since my WFT experience I've been wondering what I was until I finally determined that I don't believe a lot of the myths. I have, however, had gnostic experiences that tell me that Jesus is indeed the Christ. However, I expect that I shall remain an unchruched Christian.

Perhaps I shall become a Messianic Jew. Still, being skyclad is fun on the full moon, so maybe I'll become a Wiccan. I'm onsidering rejoining one of the other mystery schools. Most of the hermetic brotherhoods are not in conflict with a belief in Christ and do attempt to aid the individual in gaining the gnostic experiences I seek.

I was a Mormon for 20 years.
From the time I was 12 until I was around 32.
Before I was 12, we never went to any church.
Mormonism was the only religion I knew.
To keep a long story short, I left the Mormon church after 20 years.

Yes, I did become a Christian.
I was baptized at the Vineyard about 8 years ago.
The first time I walked into the Vineyard & heard the worship music, I cried during the whole worship part (30 minutes).
I cried again the next Sunday during Worship.
I had never heard such beautiful music before.
They were all singing love songs to God,
and it was beautiful.

A couple of months after I got baptized at the Vineyard,
I decided to spend one year with God.
I turned off the TV, turned off the radio,
I only watched the Christian channel & klove radio (christian music).
It was supposed to be for one year.
At the end of one year, I could go back to my regular tv & music.
At the end of the year, I liked it so much, that I couldn't go back.
It has been 8 years now, and I still watch the christian tv as my main tv watching & christian music is the only music I listen to.
Not that I want to be holier-than-thou or anything, it's just that the sermons on the christian tv help me so much & bring me peace. I can be having worry about some situation that is happening & when I turn on the sermons on the christian channel,
I feel my stress & worry going down.
Also, the christian music is uplifting & positive for me.

I also try to read & study the Bible more.
Something I never had time to do while a Mormon.
I am learning more about the Bible in these last 8 years than I did in 20 years of being a Mormon.

Also, my husband that I am married to now is a Pastor.

Not full blown, I just appreciate some of the values that are offered, not necessarily some of the spell binding words/songs being chanted over and over and over again, but the lessons that have values to go by that can apply in anyone's life if they choose for it to be or at least give it a test drive to see if it works for them.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/golden-globes-host-ends-show-with-thank-god-for-making-me-an-atheist/

How about the rest of you?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2011 06:11PM by experienceheals.

I DID! I love being Christian! I always truly believed in the mormon church and I've always loved God. Now I know you don't need ANY church to gain salvation.

You said "I finally knew what it was to believe in Christ and salvation through Him" and I'm right there with ya. It's so simple yet when I was Mormon the atonement was always so confusing and that's because it doesn't really fit in the mormon doctrine. They believe you are saved by grace after all you can do (huh?? that doesn't really make sense to me) but (and this is a big but because I'm not positive) Christianity believes it's by grace only that you are saved.

I have also heard that a lot of people turn atheist after being mormon and I can really see why. There was a period of time where I wasn't sure what to believe.

Last year I read the Bible all the way through because I got the application on my iPhone, daily reading. I was so drawn to Christ just reading about him that I felt like a this thirsty person who could not get enough to drink. I cried and prayed and felt in my heart I was in the wrong place, that I was allowing others to get between me and God and to say to me that if you don't follow the prophet you can't know the Savior. Reading the Bible and what I believe was the spirit of God, drew me out of the church. I went December 2010, felt it was a dead place as no one honored Christ's birthday there in the manner I thought was fitting. I felt it was a dark place there. I left and never went back. Now I don't go to church at all anywhere and just have a quiet faith.