Crisis of Faith

[Dark Phoenix]

Hello everyone. My name is Dark Phoenix, for the sake of my privacy. I was raised a Mormon.

In the past two years or so, I have had a massive crisis of faith in that church, and in god.

I am at a point now, where I am asking a lot of questions about other religions. I hope to find a few answers here, or at the very least to learn more about different denominations of Christianity.

Can anyone tell me, is there a specific brand of Christianity represented here, or is it a blend of faiths?

Is this the right place for me to learn more?

 

[Eugene]

Hi Dark Phoenix and welcome to CF.net. It's good to have you join us, and I personally believe the problem you are experiencing with faith is something God takes us all through to establish us in truth. I too left a major brand of Christianity as I was led to learn what the bible really said.

Hopefully we represent Christ and Him crucified for us. 1 Corinthians 2:2. You'll find many different church assemblies represented among us and their peculiar doctrines manifest, but the basis of our faith is to be born of God. John 3:16 is one of the preeminent verses many quote as a starting point of our faith. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

I wrote the following pamphlet in two parts at the following URL links I hope will give you a new look at the necessity of coming to personally know our Savior instead of just being religious. May God bless it to you in Jesus' name.

Salvation with Security - Part One
http://www.christianforums.net/showthread.php?t=45800&p=700699&viewfull=1#post700699

Salvation with Security - Part Two
http://www.christianforums.net/showthread.php?t=45800&p=700700&viewfull=1#post700700

 

[Vaccine]

Greetings Dark Phoenix!
Welcome to CF! I am fairly new here but from what I have seen this is an excellent place to learn more. I would say multiple faiths are represented here, but instead of blending I think it's steel sharpening steel to let the truth shine through. I would encourage you as a friend in christ to check out Eugene's links and hold on to your faith, God IS someone you can trust.

 

[Obadiah]

Hello everyone. My name is Dark Phoenix, for the sake of my privacy. I was raised a Mormon.

In the past two years or so, I have had a massive crisis of faith in that church, and in god.

I am at a point now, where I am asking a lot of questions about other religions. I hope to find a few answers here, or at the very least to learn more about different denominations of Christianity.

Can anyone tell me, is there a specific brand of Christianity represented here, or is it a blend of faiths?

Is this the right place for me to learn more?

Dark Phoenix, what you are going through is a good thing, in my opinion. And I would disagree that you should "hold on to your faith" because your faith so far has been in the Mormon religion and in the Mormon god, which is not the same as the Christian God of the Christian Bible.

For now I would strongly suggest just reading the Bible with an open mind and not worrying too much about different denominations, etc. (Things like denominations, etc are all man made creations so are less important than the Bible, which is God's actual message to us!). I think Eugene's pamphlet is good for pointing you to some good sections of the Bible to focus on while you are doing this and is a good explanation of what Christian "salvation" is. But don't just read a verse here and there. Read large portions of the Bible all at once so you can see the whole picture. Don't even worry about any parts you might not understand just yet. For now just read through them so you can get an overview of Biblical Christianity. I would also suggest starting with one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) rather than starting in Genesis like too many people try to do. (If you start in Genesis you will quickly be in the "genealogy" section, which can bore anyone to the point of never wanting to read anything in the Bible again. )

For now, don't worry so much about what "denominations" are good or right, and don't worry much about what other people say Christianity is all about. There is a lot of mis-information out there. If you just read God's word for yourself you will be reading the truth of what God has to say. Then later on when you hear someone say something like "God says..." or "the Bible says..." you will have a lot better chance of knowing if what they are saying is truth or a mistake.

In reading the Christian Bible you will learn far more truth about God and Christianity and you will start to see how different that is from what the Mormon Religion has taught you. You may lose faith in the Mormon religion and the Mormon god, but you will gain faith in the true God, and THAT is what's important!

 

[Maedchen]

Hello everyone. My name is Dark Phoenix, for the sake of my privacy. I was raised a Mormon.

In the past two years or so, I have had a massive crisis of faith in that church, and in god.

I am at a point now, where I am asking a lot of questions about other religions. I hope to find a few answers here, or at the very least to learn more about different denominations of Christianity.

Can anyone tell me, is there a specific brand of Christianity represented here, or is it a blend of faiths?

Is this the right place for me to learn more?

Dear Dark Phoenix,

welcome to this very special place here.
I am quite new, too, but I can assure you that the most kind, compassionate, trustworthy and godly people dwell here!
I know that, because so many of them already reached out to me and helped me coping with my faith and life.

I disassociated myself from Jehovah's Witnesses half a year ago. Thus I am shunned. As you might know, there are some parallels of the Mormon's and the JW's practice of faith (door-door-preaching e. g.).
It wasn't and isn't easy for me to start new, but with God's help and those wonderful brothers and sisters here on this forum, we might be able to find our way to the true worship.

I am glad that you found us here. And if you want to talk, ask or just share your frustration of your 'crisis of faith', I would be happy to be there for you. I know it's not easy to trust anew, but we should try!
God loves you! And Jesus wants you to have a living relationship with Him! Don't give up.

Love, Rose

 

[Matthew G]

Hello, Dark Phoenix.

This is definitely an excellent place to learn, and I echo Obadiah that this particular "crisis" you are facing is a good thing. Hang around the forums, ask questions, and sitt under the Learning Tree of those who have the gift to teach.

I hope you enjoy your stay, brother. God bless.

 

[Dark Phoenix]

And I would disagree that you should "hold on to your faith" because your faith so far has been in the Mormon religion and in the Mormon god, which is not the same as the Christian God of the Christian Bible.

I do not understand what you mean. When I was a Mormon, we believed in the divinity of Jesus Christ. How is that so different? We used the bible as our scripture as well, and I was always taught that its contents were gods word. I don't think I understand how that differs from other Christian faiths.

(Things like denominations, etc are all man made creations so are less important than the Bible, which is God's actual message to us!

Why is it that so many people interpret the bible differently then? Shouldn't there be one truth that's right for everyone? If all of us are reading "gods word" and then coming up with different conclusions, isn't there a serious problem?

In reading the Christian Bible you will learn far more truth about God and Christianity and you will start to see how different that is from what the Mormon Religion has taught you. You may lose faith in the Mormon religion and the Mormon god, but you will gain faith in the true God, and THAT is what's important!

I have read the entire King James Bible six times. I have not found any of its contents to support mainstream Christianity better than Mormonism, in fact, I would say it supports Mormon theology very effectively. Either you are unfamiliar with Mormon theology, or overconfident in the clarity of the bible.

 

[Free]

I do not understand what you mean. When I was a Mormon, we believed in the divinity of Jesus Christ. How is that so different? We used the bible as our scripture as well, and I was always taught that its contents were gods word. I don't think I understand how that differs from other Christian faiths.

......

I have read the entire King James Bible six times. I have not found any of its contents to support mainstream Christianity better than Mormonism, in fact, I would say it supports Mormon theology very effectively. Either you are unfamiliar with Mormon theology, or overconfident in the clarity of the bible.

Do you believe the Mormon teaching that you can become a god, just like the Father became a god?

(Things like denominations, etc are all man made creations so are less important than the Bible, which is God's actual message to us!

Why is it that so many people interpret the bible differently then? Shouldn't there be one truth that's right for everyone? If all of us are reading "gods word" and then coming up with different conclusions, isn't there a serious problem?

It can be a serious problem but not necessarily. There can be numerous reasons as to why there are different conclusions, including people who simply do not do proper study, an individual's pride, ignorance, or bias (from which there is no escape), etc.


And welcome to the forums! I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[Maedchen]

Dear [MENTION=96705]Dark Phoenix[/MENTION],

I admit that I am not very familiar with Mormon theology. I know a Mormon lady and we exchanged some Mormon/Jehovah's Witness comparisons, and I visited twice the Mormon Temple in Utah.
So I am truly not educated enough as to criticize your beliefs. Only I wonder how the "Book of Mormons" could be used equally to the bible, when the bible states that nobody should add any word to it (see Rev.22:18; Deut.4:2)

My question to you, dear Dark Phoenix is, why do you have "a massive crisis in this church, and in God" ?
If the King James Bible which you read six times so much supports Mormon theology, then why came your doubts?

Please don't take my question as an offense. I just want to understand you.

Love, Rose

 

[Obadiah]

In reading the Christian Bible you will learn far more truth about God and Christianity and you will start to see how different that is from what the Mormon Religion has taught you. You may lose faith in the Mormon religion and the Mormon god, but you will gain faith in the true God, and THAT is what's important!

I have read the entire King James Bible six times. I have not found any of its contents to support mainstream Christianity better than Mormonism, in fact, I would say it supports Mormon theology very effectively. Either you are unfamiliar with Mormon theology, or overconfident in the clarity of the bible.

Dark Phoenix, originally I thought you came here because you were having doubts about Mormon theology, but now I think it looks more like you are here to maybe defend Mormon theology under the disguise of searching for Christian truth or perhaps to destroy the truth of Christianity in your mind in order to remove your doubts in the Mormon religion. I'm not going to personally try to respond to this. I did listen to a sermon one time that explained some of the differences that make the Mormon religion separate from the Christian religion very well, and will try to find the link to share here if I can find it and if you are interested in hearing it.

 

[Obadiah]

I have read the entire King James Bible six times. I have not found any of its contents to support mainstream Christianity better than Mormonism, in fact, I would say it supports Mormon theology very effectively. Either you are unfamiliar with Mormon theology, or overconfident in the clarity of the bible.

I found the link to the sermon I was speaking of. It was recorded during last year's election when Mitt Romney was running. He explains these differences between Mormonism and Christianity far better than I could. You can listen to it if you wish.

http://www.newlifelynden.com/sermons/mormonism/

 

[Eugene]

I found the link to the sermon I was speaking of. It was recorded during last year's election when Mitt Romney was running. He explains these differences between Mormonism and Christianity far better than I could. You can listen to it if you wish. http://www.newlifelynden.com/sermons/mormonism/

Brother Obadiah, that was a good tape as far as I got and hope you don't mind I transcribed near as I could what was said there on the first part of it with minute markers shown I think others might find interesting.

The Mormon view of scripture.
6:24 Now the Mormons believe that the bible is a good book, and it's mostly accurate concerning the commandments of God, however through the years of being texted and copied, and people getting their hands on it the bible has many errors that have crept in it, so the bible therefore isn't in the Mormon view a perfect book. Lucky for us God revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith that there was a book that was buried in the ground that was written on gold plates in a different language by a group of native Americans who lived here in America around the time of Jesus. Now since these plates were original documents and not copies there is therefore no errors in them. Therefore these plates represent the perfect and uncorrupted word of God. These plates Joseph dug up from the ground were written in a different language that has been long since dead, so God gave Joseph Smith a Seer Stone and so he would put this stone in a hat, and he would bury his head into the hat and God would reveal the proper translation of these golden plates. These golden plates get translated into English for us and then become The Book of Mormon.

7:40 Now on the very front page in the introduction in the Book of Mormon this is what Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.â€

Number one. If the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth, what is not as correct? the Bible. If the Book of Mormon is the keystone to the Mormon religion, what book is not the keystone to the Mormon religion? the Bible.

8:36 And if "a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book.", this book is closer to God than what other book? the Bible, and this is written right on the very first page.

8:53 One of the non negotiable hallmarks of the Christian church is the superiority of the bible. All things are measured against the bible. The bible says this in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture God breathed, and is inspired by God Himself and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So according to the bible, the bible is what gets you the closest to God. And now the Apostle Peter writes this (2 Peter 3:15-16): (NIV) "Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction."

 

[iLOVE]

Hello everyone. My name is Dark Phoenix, for the sake of my privacy. I was raised a Mormon.

In the past two years or so, I have had a massive crisis of faith in that church, and in god.

I am at a point now, where I am asking a lot of questions about other religions. I hope to find a few answers here, or at the very least to learn more about different denominations of Christianity.

Can anyone tell me, is there a specific brand of Christianity represented here, or is it a blend of faiths?

Is this the right place for me to learn more?

Blessings & welcome,

I smiled when I read your message. This why you have come.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44 NKJV

If the Father didn't draw one to Christ, no one would believe; no one would seek God. No one seeks God until the Father draws him and no one "choose" this on their own.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 NIV

On this site you will find good advice vs. Godly advice. Always test the spirit by looking at the scripture in the bible. If it does not fit the scriptures, it's good advice that is human wisdom (spirit of the world). The Holy Spirit understands what you need and will write it on your heart and mind if you stay in faith and believe.

 

[Obadiah]

Brother Obadiah, that was a good tape as far as I got and hope you don't mind I transcribed near as I could what was said there on the first part of it with minute markers shown I think others might find interesting.

No, I don't mind. It's not even my sermon, just a link to someone else. Glad you took the time to do that. I had tried to make up an outline of the 4 points he covers, but it was getting too tedious and getting past my bed time, so I just left Dark Phoenix (and everyone else) with the link instead. But if you listen to the whole message, he does make a very good case and he uses scripture as well as Mormon writings, history, and even the words of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young themselves to support his case. He even shows that those two Mormon "prophets" considered Mormonism to be a distinct religion, separate from Christianity! I think for anyone interested in why Christians claim the Mormon religion is not part of the Christian religion it's worth listening to the entire message.

 

[turnorburn]

Re: No Crisis of Faith Here

Your never going to get better answers to your questions than from the Master Himself..

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

tob