I was directed here by the other boards. Any traditional Christians around to lend a bit of information?
I was born Lutheran, Raised Catholic, became an avowed atheist, then kind of became agnostic, and I dont know why but as I get older I keep thinking back about all those years in Sunday school, church, etc
I do know however Catholicism is not for me in any way. Penance, Purgatory, and the Pope being the only one who is truly able to talk to god... it all flies in the face of everything Christian.
Southern Baptist seems like it would fit well with my views. Though Pentecostal and Lutheran are certainly options. I dont know why but I seem to be more drawn to Hellfire preaching.
Help a lost bro find his way?
>and I dont know why but as I get older I keep thinking back about all those years in Sunday school, church, etc
Are you afraid to die?
>>851256
It honestly hasnt really hit me yet that with my lifestyle I am past middle age. Maybe subconsciously my lifestyle is telling me something, but consciously, I dont ever really think about death
>>851248
>Pope being the only one who is truly able to talk to god
That's not Catholic dogma.
>>851248
Everything you read is misinterpreted in theology. I would recommend studying the bible in an academic context. Then move on to theism/fatalism/stoicism. Only sane way to live in this world.
>>851248
You know shit about Catholicism.
T. Atheist.
>>851248
>I was born Lutheran, Raised Catholic, became an avowed atheist, then kind of became agnostic
aren't you a special snowflake
As someone who was raised southern baptist, don't get into it. It is just as hypocritical as the Roman Catholic Church. Once you start dealing with straight up fundamentalists, you'll see how fucked everything is.
Idk if being a pentacostal would be for someone raised as you were. To me, it's just a bunch of people dancing, singing, and pretending as though they can speak multiple "holy languages" on a whim, which of course is pure bullshit.
>>851248
What athiest books have you read?
>>851248
Go Eastern?
>>851248
>the Pope can talk to God
The Catholic church does not say this if you mean some two way conversational thing like talking to your friend on the phone. Where do people even get these insane ideas about Catholic doctrines when the fucking catechism is publicly available?
>>851248
Lutheranism is nice if you want Catholic-like services without the Catholicism. If you're really interested in Baptist churches look around. Southern Baptists aren't the only game in town.
>>851248
Wow, you sound like an impressionable person.
This Church is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
>>855907
Chick Tracts probably.
>>856202
There's like 500 years of misinformation about Catholic theology that's been distributed by what are in fact political organizations that need to have an anti-Catholic bent by definition. Chick tracts are the surface of the iceberg that is Protestantism.
>>856197
>visitors welcome
And yet those who convert and then leave describe their "visitors welcome" periods as not being indicative of ANYTHING they saw as actual members.
Also, excavate the Hill Cumorah and Native Americans aren't Semites.
>>855907
Catholics don't read the Catechism, and protestants definitely don't
>>856214
Why so salty
>>856256
About the former I'm not, only ever met one Mormon and that was on a camping trip and I never heard a lick of "join us" from her.
About the latter because their archeological claims are absurd. As in American Indians are a lost tribe of Israel. Despite not being Semitic in the slightest.
>>856348
Wouldn't Mormons just DUDE GOD LMAO?
I mean they do think he changed them
>>856356
*just say
>>856356
Yes but that why I like my religious archeology to be reasonable, i.e. About stuff that actually existed.
Egypt enslaved the Jews, debate it yes but Egypt did and still does exist and did practice slavery (everyone did), and Babylon was a real place, so was Persia and its ruler Cyrus, you know, stuff like that.
Saying Adam and Eve, the first humans were from modern Missouri and as such all humanity came from modern Missouri is retarded. Debate about a real Garden of Eden all you want, but the actual Bible never really states where Eden is, in fact I think the first verifiable location mentioned would be Mt. Ararat in modern Turkey/Armenia. Plus one could make a case that humans came from Africa but didn't get souls until getting to the Middle East and God endowing 2 with them in the then less oceanic Gulf of Aden, but that at least sounds archeolically more plausible than Ojibwe Jews.
>>856197
Do you believe it is the truth and that things like the book of Abraham are true or do you just follow it for the community?
>>856504
My personal testimony is still growing. The Book of Mormon does seem to have an infinite wisdom on the same level as the bible and I don't think some con-man wrote it.
I feel the Holy Ghost as I read the book and whenever I go to church, so God is telling me I'm doing something right.
As for the book of Abraham I'm not so sure. Joseph Smith seems to have had some more eccentric revelations in the years closer to his death compared to his early life.
If I look at my Church and Joseph Smith from a non-Mormon perspective, I see Joseph Smith as a man with Christian intentions, a man who wanted to start a reformationist church with stricter guidelines for its followers for the sole purpose of bringing others closer to God. I honestly believe that.
Also Mormons are the most exceptional Americans you will ever meet.
>>856562
>Book of Mormon does seem to have an infinite wisdom on the same level as the bible
Firstly I would ask you to take a look at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAGasQ7j_ZI which whilst long does demonstrate that the book of Mormon was legitimately plagiarized and based off of texts found in Smiths time.
Secondly take a serious look a the other texts like the pearl of great price and the book of Abraham the latter which has been proven to be fraudulent as well as other documents they historically used to proove their truth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hofmann
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham
>feel the Holy Ghost as I read the book and whenever I go to church, so God is telling me I'm doing something right.
That same feeling has lead people to Islam an all other sects of christianity.
>I don't think some con-man wrote it.
Well there are some issues as firstly Joseph Smith was legitimately a con man before his experience with the divine and had faced legal trouble for deceiving people with claims to be able to divine hidden treasure for them as well as making a fraudulent bank and promissory notes.
>As for the book of Abraham I'm not so sure. Joseph Smith seems to have had some more eccentric revelations in the years closer to his death compared to his early life.
The book of Abraham wasn't a revelation.
>If I look at my Church and Joseph Smith from a non-Mormon perspective, I see Joseph Smith as a man with Christian intentions, a man who wanted to start a reformationist church with stricter guidelines for its followers for the sole purpose of bringing others closer to God. I honestly believe that.
Does practicing masonic rituals, engaging in polygamy (including with married women) and using plagarised documents something that brings people closer to God?
>>856745
Part II
I think an important question to ask yourself is a). Does the fact Mormon teachings contradict the bible pose an issue to you?
b). Is there any evidence that would ever invalidate the claims of the Mormons
c).Does the truth even matter if it means you can hang around nice people.
Evangelicalism is from the lineage of radical Protestants such as the Puritans and the Anabaptists, which were like a medieval Christian version fundamentalist Islam.
I would check out some of the mainline denominations before delving into any divergent sects.
>>856753
All Mormonism has taught me and the people I know is the importance of family and the gospel.
In this sense it undoubtedly brings people closer to God and has been much more effective than most sects from what I have seen. Statue worshipping Catholics and hellfire preachers alike.
>>857074
Really? Atmosphere is all that matters for you?
Weak.
>>857074
Catholics don't worship statues.
>>857130
Why the fuck did you have to bother? This thread is going to be 200 posts of "YES" "NO" from here on out
>>851248
Are you black, Latino or Native American
>>857074
>All Mormonism has taught me and the people I know is the importance of family and the gospel. In this sense it undoubtedly brings people closer to God and has been much more effective than most sects from what I have seen. Statue worshipping Catholics and hellfire preachers alike.
Im not the anon in >>857119 or >>857130. Can you actually answer the questions in >>856753 please?
because if the answer is no to those questions Ill change the content of my posts.
>>857074
>Statue worshipping Catholics
>>857074
Because Mor(m)ons are such iconoclasts, right?
>>857074
Mormons would never thinking of using statues for the purpose of depicting Jesus, right?
I want to be a catlick but I can't because evolution leaves no room for god. Do I just reject evolution?
>>857257
https://www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/EVOLUTN.TXT
Reject being an American protestard.
>>857257
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DltDyVdbMWM
>>857257
It's Catholic.
And we don't mandate acceptance of evolution. All that's been said is "it's not incompatible to our theology and you can believe in evolution if you choose to."
Also, ever heard of theistic evolution?
>>857257
why do you want to be a Catholic?
>>855907
again, american education
>>855907
>Be American Catholic
>Take class about history of the Middle-East
>Professor talks about the concept of a god-king
>Someone raises their hand and asks if that's like the Pope
>Professor says she doesn't really know how the Pope works
>mfw she speaks several languages such as Farsi, Arabic and Turkic and teaches lots of classes about medieval Asia
I mean I know Asia and Catholicism don't really go together all the time, but it just struck me as odd.
>>857812
>>Professor says she doesn't really know how the Pope works
The point being that it's actually not like that at all and it would have been nice to have that misconception corrected
>>857812
>specializes in a bunch of near eastern stuff
>doesn't know theology
Seems legit.
>>857826
She knew Islamic theology and Central Asian shaman theology well enough and went into detail about the monophysite/dyophysite controversy in the Middle-East class I took with her.
>>857827
Sounds based, she write any books, have any online classes on YouTube or whatever?
I knew right after I posted that I should have typed "catechism."
>>857834
Indeed, she's got a book, from what I can tell. It's about the conflicting of ideas of kingship in diplomacy between Syrian and Egyptian states and South Russian, Central Asian, and Iranian states during the Mongol period. I took a class about that topic with her, it was pretty interesting. I didn't do outstandingly well in the class but eh.
>>857838
I notice you're not giving me a title.
Here's an image in exchange.
>>857846
Kingship and Ideology in the Islamic and Mongol Worlds, 2008, Cambridge University Press
>>857848
Oh man I can't find this on TPB or KAT what the fuck.
>Believing the bible when Jeremiah 8:8 is a thing.
>>851248
>I get older I keep thinking back about all those years in Sunday school, church, etc
what kind of atheist were you that simple nostalgic bullshit converted you to god?
