one.

I had lunch yesterday with one of the owners of my company. We were talking about my experience with Mormonism and polygamy. They didn't have any idea about these things outside of the book they read and I read at their request. It was "The Nineteenth Wife."

But the topic of my post isn't polygamy. It is Mormonism. They understood the concept of Old Testament prophet in modern times. What they couldn't understand was how all the policies and procedures indicated sanction from God.

They feel called at different times to do different things in their beliefs as well as going to several different churches to partake in what they feel is the spirit of Jesus Christ's teachings and what they read in their Bible.

The concept of "receiving a calling" is personal not communal. The concept of prophecy is individual not policy driven.

Before the book and lunch with me, they thought LDS Inc. was another denomination who believed that their prophet talked to an American Indian and that is where The Book of Mormon came from. They thought there were actual ancient records that LDS Inc. has to corroborate their story of American Indians having seen Jesus.

Now they think Mormons are like Jehovah's Witnesses and being ridged people claiming to follow Christ but not in a spiritual sense but a laws, policies, procedures sense with only a few people able to interpret The Bible instead of it being a personal experience with Jesus.

Their concept of family is not something to worship but a stewardship given to them in this life. It is so different from what I was inculcated with when I was growing up. And it is a perspective that still has its anxiety and not living up to what their concept of God wants for them to be saved. The big difference is in how much control over your own salvation one has.

Mormonism and LDS Inc. take a personal Jesus and throw him away. They make policies more important than prophecies. They edit their holy book on a regular basis and they keep the control of where you think you can serve completely out of your hands and place them in their geographical designated representative's control.

My owner talked about how Catholicism seemed empty in rituals in what it offers for access to salvation. But they couldn't comprehend the next level Mormons go in organizational control over salvation.