Hi! What do Mormons teach about Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox? About Jews and Muslims? About Hindus and Buddhists? About Wiccans and Pagans? Thank you.
2 Responses to “Hi! What do Mormons teach about Protestants, Catholics and O…”
Bruno Rios
2007-12-02 08:32:33
Mormons believe that it is inappropriate to tear down the faith of others. We believe there is much truth in all of the world's religions. In a statement made by the first presidency in 1978, the Mormon Church proclaimed: "The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohamed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God's light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals."
Of course Mormons have some theological disagreements with those of other faiths, but we believe it is more productive to recognize that which is beautiful and true in the world's religions, rather than trying to tear down the faith of others.
Heidi
2007-12-04 05:47:45
In addition to the great answer the webmaster posted, I would like to add this. The Mormon/LDS faith has 13 Articles of Faith, which are basic statements on what we believe. The 11th states: "We claim the privilege of worshiping the almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship, how, who or what they may."
We are taught to be kind and respect those of other faiths. We are encouraged to make friends with many people, even those not of our faith. I have met a lot of great people with great values who were not LDS. The times that I have been to a church meeting where other religions were specifically discussed, the purpose of the discussion was to learn more about these faiths. But I have never heard anyone say that members of these faiths would be doomed to eternal damnation. We sometimes discuss Jewish customs in our classes, but only because the early Christians were actually Jews, so understanding Jewish customs is vital to understanding the Bible.
Of course Mormons have some theological disagreements with those of other faiths, but we believe it is more productive to recognize that which is beautiful and true in the world's religions, rather than trying to tear down the faith of others.
We are taught to be kind and respect those of other faiths. We are encouraged to make friends with many people, even those not of our faith. I have met a lot of great people with great values who were not LDS. The times that I have been to a church meeting where other religions were specifically discussed, the purpose of the discussion was to learn more about these faiths. But I have never heard anyone say that members of these faiths would be doomed to eternal damnation. We sometimes discuss Jewish customs in our classes, but only because the early Christians were actually Jews, so understanding Jewish customs is vital to understanding the Bible.