should i leave the mormon church?

Question

i know a lot of you will call me a liar if i say this, but this really happened to me and my cousin and her brother and my own mother can testify of this.
first off, i'll give you background. i've been a member of the mormon church for a little over 2 months now.
we went to a trip to utah to look at the salt lake city temple among other things, etc.
well we ran into mr. henry b. eyring outside of the salt lake city temple. he was going in there for some reason or another.
of course we approached him but he had other men around him. i asked him several times while he was walking if i could just talk to him for a few minutes, if he could just spare a few minutes and maybe pose for a picture with me but he wouldn't do it.
actually, right before he entered the temple and we were rudely told to "step back" by the other men, he looked at me and made eye contact and laughed. not a mean laugh, but a laugh like "i would never spend my times with the likes of you". or maybe he meant different... i don't know,
i'm just really shaken up and can't understand why an apostle of the lord would do such as thing as not even to speak with me for a minute or two.

Answer 1

that would have to be your decision......do you base your belief system on the assumed possible behavior of one man?



we cannot possibly know what kind of schedule eyring was trying to meet.....and few things can be misinterpreted as easily as sarcasm or laughter...

it is too bad that we live in a world that has come to the point where a man of God must travel with security, even on the temple grounds....but that is where we are. now if you had had an appointment with him, or he had been in a position where he was open to the public and he had snubbed you - that would be a whole different thing. as it is - you cannot know the why's or what's of the situation.

Answer 2

Cassie,



I am sorry you had such a negative experience. I have fortunately been able to have a few different experiences than that. The most memorable of which was also at the Salt Lake Temple. I had just parked my car to the North of the Temple and was walking towards it. I looked across the street and saw L Tom Perry (a member of the Quorum of the Twelve). I crossed the street and was able to spend about 2 minutes talking to him as we walked to the temple together. He was pleasant, kind, and I felt like he truly cared about me for those few minutes.



On an even more personal note. I grew up with a father that was not an active member of the church. I never knew why but he never went. Mom would always get us up and take us but Dad always stayed home. After my mission I finally had enough guts to ask why. His answer was something that I have learned is all too common today - he had been offended years before by something someone said or did.



Remember the reasons why you were baptized. It doesn't matter what others do or don't do. All that matters is what you do. I spent my entire life not having the Priesthood in my home. Don't make the same mistake and cost you and your family the blessings of the gospel.

Answer 3

Although I can understand your feelings, it is also understandable that he was unable to stop. Generally when the apostles are going to the temple they don't necessarily have a lot of free time. To share an example of the importance of these meetings I'll tell you of a recent experience. Each year, the temple closes twice for a two week period for maintenance, generally on the lower floors with the most traffic. However, each Thursday the apostles continue to hold their weekly meeting upstairs. I imagine this to be a highly spiritual meeting. Although I was not there that day, a team with which I was working later on was there on a Thursday and working just one floor down from where they were holding the meeting. Their work was causing quite a bit of noise and they were informed to keep it down. After repeated requests (they could not do their work any more quietly) they were told that President Monson had just requested that they go home. At first I was shocked by this reaction, but then I realized that the importance of having the spirit in that meeting and being able to focus was more important than any temporal work being accomplished by the temple workers. Plus, we were able to complete the work we were doing a day early anyways, so clearly things worked out.

On the other hand, Apostles are human too and are not perfect. It is possible that he could have acted differently; however, the matter of a testimony is whether or not these things are true, not if the people are perfect.

I have been able to meet and be around apostles and the prophet several times. I have no doubt that they are inspired and called of God. When I listen to their words and apply them, I can see that it comes from God. Yet I have been able to see that they are human too, but even then it is clear that they have a personal relationship with Christ and are called as his Apostles.

Answer 4

I am a member of the Church and those other guys that he was with were body guards. The apostles of the church are very busy men. In the Salt Lake Temple a lot of times is where the general authorities hold meetings there is a special floor in that temple for them. I am sure he was going to a meeting and was in hurry to get there like they are usually are.

Answer 5

My experience is that apostles will stay after a Stake Conference just to shake hands with anyone who wants to. Unfortunately, being an Apostle today is like being a movie star - not only do people all want a piece of you, some want more. You have to go back more than a hundred years to find a time when church presidents didn't need body guards. I don't know if apostles have a "no photo" policy, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm sure his laugh was more of a helpless embarrassed laugh.



I admit that I too have seen apostles act strangely - almost like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders. The church is still true.

Answer 6

First off the men around President Eyring are his security detail. Second, you're lying. President Eyring and other members of the First Presidency have a private entrance to the Temple. He wouldn't have been walking around outside and he definitely wouldn't have said anything of the sort to you or anyone else. I have had the privilege of meeting with President Eyring, he is the most humble man I have met. he is caring and generous to a fault. You my dear are a troll.

Answer 7

Wow, if you have to ask this question on the strength of just that incident(not saying that it did not happen, but that you read a whole lot into a glance) then to be sure, your testimony was not all that solid to begin with. Talk to your bishop, pray for a strong testimony. Do not leave. But methinks you are looking for an excuse. How terribly sad.

Answer 8

There is a 2 tier system in different new religious movements and you have found the second tier in the Mormon church. Joseph Smith didn't keep the word of wisdom. Ellen G White didn't keep kosher. If you have seen the contradictions, please get on Facebook and find "Truth Seekers Outreach" They can help you with the contradictions and so on that you see.

Answer 9

It sounds like the other men were security and they were protecting him. I imagine someone like him has all kinds of people approaching him and not always for the the friendliest reasons. How are they supposed to know that you are harmless? I think that a lot of people want to make celebrities of church leaders and I imagine they get approached like rock stars and need to be protected. I don't think that's how the Lord wants us to look upon these people. They are just servants of the Lord doing what they were called to do. If I were you I wouldn't take it personally.

Answer 10

You should write him a letter and make personal contact. Explain what happened and ask him to explain.



The reply you get will probably better than what you can get here.



You have to realize that they are approached there by many anti-mormons and have security there to help them get to where they are going. I don't think it was intended as a personal slight.



If you do write to him, please post some of his reply to you out here as a follow up. I am sure some could be shared and some will be private.

Answer 11

OH YOU RAN INTO THE MIB"s did ya??? yea when I was in UT Spencer W. Kimble was the Pres. back then and he was in one of the Utah parades, he had a stretch limo and he had MIB's (men in black with ear pieces in their ears) all around it, like he was going ot get assassinated, and he waved from the car, but they were treating him like the president of the US and I guess the MIB's were maybe ex-FBI or ex-CIA agents who had also Mormons (the CIA and FBI have hired Mormons because of their honesty and their time overseas and their language on mission trips). plus some of the apostles are rich and just don;t take the rime to get to know members so they act a bit stiff.



I am surprised you did not notice the trained volunteers that go after nonmembers, nonmormons at temple square, I was attacked at Temple square the last time I went, and will never go to SLC, temple square again, you can;t even walk around temple square without some trained LDS member trying to convert you or tell you about the church.

Answer 12

I think if you leave a church it should be for a better reason than for the rudeness of one apostle. Is his attitude typical amongst church members? If not, chalk the experience up to that particular person being a jerk. Perhaps you should write him a letter to let him know how disappointed you are. He may not realize how off putting he can be to people.



If there are other reasons you are thinking of leaving, I wouldn't blame you one bit. I'm sorry they got you as a convert. Trust me, you won't go to hell if you leave the church.

Answer 13

Each person has to convince themselves if it is the right one.



The most important thing is to look in the Bible for the things good religion promotes.



For example:



High Moral Standards

Marriage - Hebrews 13:4 - Does this religion require that among its members, couples who live together be legally married?

Divorce - Matthew 19:9 - Does this religion respect Jesus' direction and allow divorce and remarriage - but only on the grounds of immorality?

Sexual morality - 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 1:26-27 - Does this religion teach that sexual immorality either between a man and a woman or between a couple of the same sex is a sin?

Courageously upholding Bible standards among it's members - 1 Corinthians 5:11, 13 - Does this religion remove from its membership roll any who unrepentantly ignore Bible standards?



Brotherly Love

War - Mattew 5:44; 26:52; 1 John 3:10-12 - Does this religion encourage its members to participate in warfare?

Politics - Jonh 6:15; 18:36; 17:14 - Does this religion follow Jesus' example and avoid becoming involved in politics, even if that means that its members will be hated by some politicians?

Prejudice - Acts 10:34-35; James 2:1-4 - Does this religion teach that all people are equal in God's sight and that members of the religion should not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race or economic standing?



Respect for God's Word

Religious titles - matthew 23:1-10 - Do leaders of this religion like to be called by honorific titles and seek prominence in the community, or do they obey Jesus' command to avoid doing so?

Use of images in worship - Exodus 20:4-5; 1 John 5:21 - Does this religion obey the Bible's clear command to avoid the use of images and idols in the worship of God?



You can also ask yourself, which religion encourages people to study the Scriptures to see if what they are learning is really true?



You can use these points to analyze any religion to see if they are living by the truth, the Bible is the truth, search it out.



===========================



If you would like to know more about this and other themes, next time Jehovah's Witness come to your door, ask them for a free Bible study at your convenience. You will never regret all the knowledge you will acquire and remember that what you do with that knowledge is your choice.



Knowledge + Application = Wisdom

Answer 14

If he were to stop with every single person who wanted a couple of minutes of his time he'd have no time for his work. It may have seemed rude to you, but it was protocol to him and his body-guards. The same goes for any well-known figure weather it be religious or otherwise.



If it was a matter of doctrine you wished to discuss with him you're Bishop would be more than happy to sit down for a couple of minutes and discuss it with you. That's what Bishops, and local church leaders are for.



I'm sorry you feel slighted by the experience and hope you can soon get over it.

Answer 15

It sounds like he had an appointment to be at in the temple, which means it was an important one. If he stopped to talk to every Mormon he passed he would never make it to the temple that year, let alone that day.

I think his smile was more apologetic.

Answer 16

It's too bad we don't have his side of the story. Maybe he had just come from meeting with a group of people, and one or five children were at the meeting that he felt he should give 10 extra minutes to that made him late for the meeting he was on his way to when you saw him. Maybe his laugh was a jolly, 'I really wish I could, but I'm already late' laugh. And by asking several times, the bodyguards felt that you weren't listening to them and they needed to be more abrupt to be taken seriously.



Trying to put yourself in others shoes usually helps alleviate a lot of perceived offences.

Answer 17

ever heard of joel olsteen? he preaches that if your not rich then you aren't a good christian yet he is a very successful pastor, just because a pastor is well known doesn't mean he's right or a good person, some people are just, and pardon my language, douche bags, i don't think having one well known mormon who happens to be a d-bag should be the only thing that convinces you to stop being a mormon, i am not mormon but i believe that you need a better reason then one person being rude to change your beliefs, just follow your concience and believe what you believe is right.

Answer 18

Ive met him myself and he is in no way the person you describe. He is humble and sweet and gives 110% of time. And he went out of his way, 10 minutes before his talk, to speak with me and my friend.



Maybe if it was really him, his mom just died or something and wasnt in the mood to discuss it or play celebrity.



Since no one else was there, its hard to say what was really going on there. I wouldnt leave the church based on what you are assuming is a rude encounter. Your testimony needs to be based on gospel truth, not how polite someone is when you dont know their personal circumstance. Give him a break.

Answer 19

Have you ever been in a hurry. Have you ever brushed off a family member cuz you had some place to be. I wonder if that happend if the family member should dis-own you cuz you were rude or in a hurry.

Answer 20

While I would not condone rude and offensive behavior by anyone to anyone else, I would also hope that you (or anyone else for that matter) would not be guilty of what the Bible says is to "judge others unrighteously." Not knowing the full story, or what or if his intentions were the same as you perceived, ie deliberately being rude to you, verses mis-perceiving your persistence as a threat, etc, it is hard to judge.



What I do find interesting, is all of those who IMMEDIATELY make judgments, again something the BIBLE cautions us to do, and jump on the band wagon of negativity.



Mathew 7:1-2

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.



Perhaps a solution to your concerns is for you to write a letter to the apostle in question, explain your tender feelings, and allow him the opportunity to share his side of the story. By doing so, you can avoid judging others, and be compassionate and Christ-like yourself.



I would be certain that by doing so, you would not be "throwing away" your original very important decision to be baptized by a singular incident.

Answer 21

Prepare for a lot of "MORMONS ARE STUPID" posts...

But you do what you think is best. I'd be pretty shaken up with that too. I left the Lutheran church because I found hypocrisy to be rampart there.

You choose whatever you want and whatever you think is best.

Answer 22

Please educate yourself about Islam and find out what it has to discover. Mormonism is not the true path to salvation:



http://www.freeislamicbooks.webs.com/

Answer 23

There are a lot of weirdo's out there, and while I'm not saying you are, HE has no way of knowing who is or is not. I'm sure that these men receive death threats all the time, especially with all this mess over homosexual marriage and stuff. I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude, but I'm sure he has to be extremely cautious about who he talks to on the street. Please don't be offended.

Answer 24

it would be super cool to see him. he is one of my fevorite guys. but i understand that situation and those were probably body guards. you got to understand at least in utah he is like a celebrity and everyone prob wants to talk to him. im absolutely certain he wouldve maybe in a different situation. im not sure why he laughed if you read his books and listen to his talks he is a pretty funny guy and maybe he tried laughing to maybe make you not get mad about being told to step back. it wouldve been nice to talk to him. i dont think this is something you should leave the church over. you can write him a letter if you would like explaining what happened and that it bothered you i wouldnt be too suprised if you got a response. this is a good church and he is a wonderful man his teachings have bettered my life. read some of his talks. i know he is called of god and i know this is a man that would never want to offend but would rather be your friend

Answer 25

Um hes busy? Ever think of that?



Try talking to the president or vice president for 3 minuets.. good freaking luck.



Dude, i think you just took it the wrong way.

Answer 26

Leave, but not for that reason.



You presumably joined this church because you believed you would get eternal salvation and even progress to becoming a god.



And you'd give that up because some old man snubbed you? If you really believed, I don't buy that you would throw it all away.



If you don't really believe it all, then spend some time studying the history and doctrines, and you can easily see it isn't true.



You undoubtedly made an emotional decision to join, and now you are making an emotional decision to leave. You might try putting your brain in charge of your decisions instead of just being emotional.

Answer 27

Well, Cassie, that's up to you, and maybe your unconscious mind is picking up on things about the church that are disturbing to you, that your conscious mind is not yet ready to deal with.



Being snubbed by an apostle is no fun, but personally, I'd be more concerned that those same apostles are riding around in limousines, while members of the church in third world countries like Peru are melting the gold in their teeth just to pay their 10% tithing -- which goes in part to paying for those apostles to ride around in limousines. Just a thought.



Leaving is a personal decision; no one can make it for you, or should make it for you. If I were you, though, I'd read "An Insider's View of Mormon Origins," by member of the church Grant Palmer. This might give you an understanding of how the church was founded, and what kind of Prophet Joseph Smith was. Grant Palmer was a Mormon Seminary teacher for 34 years, and after writing this book, he was disfellowshipped for apostasy, but he is still a member, and his arguments and facts are sound, whatever church apologists say. Maybe you can pick up a copy at your local library, or else you can find it on Amazon for under $20. http://www.amazon.com/Insiders-View-Mormon-Origins/dp/1560851570

Answer 28

Your own religious scripture is full of stories of God's chosen men behaving badly. Samson, anyone? Peter betraying Christ? Your beliefs must be determined by whether or not you believe some is true, not whether men offend you.

Answer 29

I left the Mormon church many years ago. It started when I was about 13. At that time they still taught polygamy in heaven and told me I would share my husband in heaven with many other women. I hate polygamy and it made me cry. That was the beginning of the end for me and the church. I left for good when I finished high school.

I have become a Protestant since leaving and have had some of the most wonderful experiences concerning God. Leaving was the best thing I have ever done in my life.

If you decide to leave please don't leave God behind too. Take Him with you and he'll show you the way. To many ex-Mormons leave God when they leave the church.



Your story does not surprise me at all.

Answer 30

If your faith is predicated upon the actions of those in the hierarchy of the church, yes, leave it.



But - even for an atheist - that seems like a pretty shallow reason to me.

Answer 31

What he did to you was wrong and he does not abide by the will of God.

My mothers side is Christian (Not the religion, but the connection to Christ and lifestyle) and my fathers side is Mormon (Both religion and lifestyle) Let me tell you my reason for believing Mormonism was created to lead people astray.



The book of Mormon was written by Joseph Smith, and he was told where to find this book, that was written on two gold plates, by an angel named Moroni.

The Holy Bible was written by human hands at the command and will of the one true God. And many authors of the New Testament received the scripture from Jesus himself. It wouldn't have been hard for Satan to come to Joseph Smith in the form of an angel and tell him where to find this "holy book" that Satan himself could have created.



The Holy Bible states that God always has been, and always will be. While the book of Mormon claims that God was once human as we are today.



In Christianity, Jesus is the self-existent creator of all things, being one with the Father.

In Mormonism, he is the spirit brother of Lucifer who was conceived in heaven by a celestial Mother and came in flesh as the result of the Father having sex with the Virgin Mary.



Isaiah 43:10 says, "'You are my witnesses,' declares the LORD , 'and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."

God Bless you and you will be in my prayers.

Answer 32

Now say that again, changing the man to the Pope, Salt Lake City to Rome and the Temple to The Vatican.



Busy people are busy. get over it.







Meanwhile, to answer your question - Yes. Mormonism is a load of utter bollocks. This has nothing to do with your experience in Utah and everything to do with the testable claims of Mormonism and their consistent failure when actually tested.

Answer 33

Look to God for Love. Men can only filter it. If you trust Mormonism, then stay, but know that your Source is God, not man.

Answer 34

YES........ I do not know about that man at all..... but I do know, with absolute certainty, that the teaching of mormonism is false.... no practicing mormon will be found in Heaven.... all who are being deceived by mormonism will be eternally separated from God.....



All who come to God in The Way He prescribes will receive His free, and eternal, gift of Salvation. Those become a part of The Body of The True Church of which Jesus The Christ is The Head. Those are the ones of The True Christian Faith. Only those of The true Church will enter Heaven.

Answer 35

You are right, those people are as arrogant as can be. Mormons work for them, they do not work for you. Resign right away.You can find instruction on how to resign here:

http://www.exmormon.org/remove.htm



If you need more reasons to officially resign, please see http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/

www.utlm.org

www.hotm.tv

www.exmormon.org



If you have other things to discuss that are critical of mormonism, please go here:

http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agora/index.php?site=exmobb&bn=exmobb_recovery



In fact, you can re-post your experience with the false apostle on that bulletin board in order to discuss your experience with others who have experienced the same thing.



Congradulations on finding out the truth about mormonism. In retrospect, it is probably the best thing that could have happend to you.

Answer 36

Jesus said you would know people by their 'fruit'. Even though Samaritans were hated by most Jews, Jesus showed by His example that He loved them and was not above speaking to them. If these 'disciples' are unapproachable, are they really following Jesus?

Answer 37

you shoud leave

Answer 38

Yes, Matthew 7:16-20 says:



You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

True Way into the Kingdom

Answer 39

YES! Get out of that Cult, dude!

Answer 40

yes



please



go with what your heart tells you



be free of mormonism!!!

Answer 41

I would.