Why would a sane, intelligent person want to be a Mormon?

Question

I keep reading these answers and questions about Mormons and they just can't understand who would believe such weird stuff.

But, I challenge them to answer that problem. Why would so many intelligent, sane, rational people CHOOSE to be members of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints?

I mean, did you ever STOP TO THINK that perhaps we do NOT BELIEVE in those weird things? That the anti-Mormons are making a lot of this stuff up, for the shock value?

STOP TO THINK.

Answer 1

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

Nope, no mention of mud there...



Why would an otherwise sane and reasonable individual choose to spew such venomous hate filled garbage as is presented as Fact here?

Like you said, shock value.

Answer 2

Frankly, I'm not sure most of the answerers really read your question (Fud being an exception). You make a good point. I know many sane, rational people who are Mormons. Much of the stuff attributed to them is nonsense, right up there with the ridiculous things attributed to many other religions throughout history. People tend to hate and fear what they don't understand, and a lot of people here haven't tried to understand Mormons. Just look at all the silly "uh, to have ten wives" comments.



People should research and find out for themselves what a religion is about before they insult it. Maybe people choose to be Mormon because they did find out about it, and the practices of that particular religion suit them.



Really good question. Oh, and I'm not Mormon, for those ready to sling insults. Just like to be reasonable.

Answer 3

New Mormons are born into Mormon families; Mormons have a good evangelism program.



Rather than asking really stupid questions here, get some real information about the Mormons and their religion; on line or (gasp) a library. Remember this, bashers never tell the whole truth about anything, so you have to find out the pros and cons yourself.



I am not a Mormon, but respect their right to have a religion without people like you in your infantile way trying unsuccessfully to make fun of them. You come across as an idiot, not the Mormons.

Answer 4

I'm not a Mormon, but here's my take on it: Like anyone else, if you've found the faith that works for you, that's great. Keep seeking, asking questions, and refining your faith. Live a moral, principled life. Be a good person. Do well by your faith. You'll have no argument from me.



All religions and subsets of religions, beliefs and subsets of beliefs (including both yours and mine) have quirks. The quirks shouldn't proclude intelligent, truth-seeking people from deciding to follow whatever calls to them, so long as the belief or religion does some degree of good in the world.



Edit: Hey, I read the question. :( I was addressing you as a Mormon who was wondering why others dwelled on trivialities. Alas!



Edit to edit: No worries. :) I was wondering if I was misinterpreted. It's 5 AM so I don't trust my typing.

Answer 5

I consider myself to be normal, average, and an everyday good guy. I also believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is God's restored church here upon the earth, and that a man (or woman) will get closer to God by living its principles and doctrine than by any other way.



It has brought joy, happiness, and a confidence that God's acknowledges my faith, and that he knows me by name and blesses me for my faith and convictions. I would have it no other way. I love the Mormon church for what it teaches and for the path back to God it shares to the world.

Answer 6

My question is why would a sane, intelligent person NOT want to be a Mormon??? There are SOOOOO many wonderful blessings in store for those who are worthy to receive them! I pray that I may one day be found worthy for exaltation in the highest of God's Kingdoms - the Celestial, there with my loving husband, children and family for all eternity.

Answer 7

I agree, most Mormons do not understand or know the weird stuff that is at the heart of their religious beliefs.



On the outside, their religion can seem so fluffy and can leave out so much of the Joseph Smith (and the rest) stuff, that it can look and be just like a soft, watered down form of Christianity. I know what I am talking about, I live right in the middle of them (well, sort of, I am next to one of their world hqs and surrounded by RLDS).



Christians should note that, even though Mormonism is not Christianity, that many people who call themselves mormons are fooled into believing the truth. The RLDS pastors around here have gone so far out of their way to look like Christianity that I believe it backfired on them. They are now getting people saved! Some of them are in turn becoming pastors. Keep in mind that this is RLDS, not Mormons exactly, but I think it is seeping into the LDS too.



This might be a good thing, if it keeps going that direction, but I suspect that it might lead to confusion. But when I look around here, at the RLDS church members, I think that they are people who are just trying to do the right thing. That does not make them good necessarily, nor Christian, but it helps.



I am not sure how much of this is getting into the LDS.



To sum it up, in my opinion: Because they just want to be considered "good" people.



In response to the additional details:

Really? They sure do a great job of appearing not to know the Bible, or even their book of Mormon very well. Is this a trick of some kind and they really know their stuff? Or do they still have a long way to go after they were a missionary or preacher?

Answer 8

I like believing in weird stuff. Personally I think that satan does not want people to find happiness and Heavenly Father so he will do anything to destroy their chances. If the church did not have opposition I would be concerned, since negative things can only come from satan and certainly not Heavenly Father. When people attack the church it only builds on my testimony that they church is true.

Answer 9

I'm sorry no-one actually read your question. Subtlety doesn't pay around here, better off asking straight out...



I'm in Australia and we don't hear a lot about things LDS, but as someone who spends a lot of time researching family history I love Mormons!



So tell me, what kind of things _do_ get made up about you?

Answer 10

Shawn D---



RLDS and LDS are different sects. You cannot compare the two very much at all.



For someone that claims to know what you are talking about you are coming off as an idiot.

Answer 11

right this is Piaget's (in demand psychologist) dialectic: he seen discovering as being the interplay of matters with gadgets. once you communicate regarding the worldwide, you do no longer communicate regarding the worldwide. You communicate approximately your courting in direction of that worldwide (this is Piaget's dialectic). extra suitable nevertheless, the belief is reflexive: as quickly as I communicate approximately you speaking regarding the worldwide, I communicate approximately my courting in direction of you who communicate regarding the worldwide. If i've got the opt to make it even crazier, i will borrow an theory from Freitag. Language is a sort of historic past following which each little thing is wise... in an extremely familiar experience, my theory is predicated upon my interpretation of the worldwide (because of the fact my existence is symbolically mediated, my journey of the worldwide is for specific via the bounds of the symbols i exploit to characterize that comparable worldwide to me). And that concept is additionally reflexively utilized because of the fact i ought to apply symbols to describe the above. EDIT Is each little thing debatable. confident -- and ironically, even this answer is.

Answer 12

i have noticed that there is a confusion about the difference between the FLDS, RLDS and the original LDS faiths. i belong to the LDS (latter-day saints) and our beliefs are totally different from the RLDS and the FLDS.

Answer 13

Religion has nothing to do with intelligence or sanity.

Answer 14

Mormonism has its problems, to be sure. Maybe they looked at the Baptists and went with the lesser of two evils, what do you think?

Answer 15

whats a mormon

Answer 16

It's not good to judge others. Let him be.

Answer 17

the only thing I can think of is that they are really not intelligent sane and rational people to begin with

Answer 18

about belonging to something

Answer 19

You said it well! Right on! I have asked them the same thing. They think they will be gods someday with their own planet. It is obvious they don't read scripture properly. That Smith guy sure has them brainwashed.

Answer 20

Considering how much I know about Mormonism, I think its because they have very efficient brainwashing techniques.

Answer 21

Yeah, the wife thing would be cool...i need my house cleaned

Answer 22

32 wives, no need to ever worry about not having clean socks.

Answer 23

it's all about having several wives