Hi, all. I've been friends with a Mormon woman for two years. She was a concert ( basically grew up poor and married her rich visiting missionary). She's never pushed it on me and has even been honest about some complaints she's had, but overall is into the church. Well, yesterday I made the mistake of saying that I'd tried a few religions well she told me she'd be inviting me. My response was that I liked where I was going but I'd be open to attending an event in support of her. I've been snooping around this page, and now I have some anxiety. On the other hand, I've heard that being involved in the Mormon church could open doors for good business connections for my husband. Is this true. I'm very nervous because I do love my friend and I don't want to offend her.


For those wedding why I'd be nervous: Years back, I attended a born again church to see a neighbors perform a dance. Well after the service the priest or whoever he was lead a prayer and told us he'd be talking to anyone who didn't say the prayer after. I bolted out of there with my heart pounding in my chest. I hate all of that. I'm a Quaker by the way. Were very much....non pushy, and while we do abstain from substances for no biblical reasons we don't care if you're gay. So that's where I'm coming from! Help!

Sorry I can't correct the spelling errors *concert/*wondering

"Consort???"

There's nothing wrong with you politely saying, "No, thank you dear. I'm happy where I am. I'll always support you in your choices, but I don't want to go anywhere else right now."

Definitely do some studying, like here, for instance:

http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm

I'd highly recommend not joining any church for business connections, especially not the Mormon Church.

The thing to understand about Mormonism is that it is not just a church. It is an identity, a way of life. You are Mormon 24/7. They want your money and your time. Lots of both.

If you ever get involved with it, study, study, study. Then at least if you do ever join it, you'll be going in there with your eyes open.

Just say no politely and firmly. If you do decide to go to see her perform,make it clear that that is why you are going and that you are not looking for a new religion. Be polite and firm

Study first what people say about Mormon businessmen and business partners. You won't like what you find. It is not worth the risk cultivating an association with a Mormon businessman, since fraud and embezzlement are so widespread among Mormons businessmen. Utah is the nation's fraud capital.

ww.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/01/utah-bribery-investigation-harry-reid

This is what happens when a church virtually worships a known charlatan and con artist such as Joseph Smith. All Mormon leaders in embryo want to be just like him.

Please don't attend or join just because it *might* be "good business" for your husband. And it probably wouldn't be anyway, mormons have a long and sordid history of essentially screwing each other in business, and of getting people involved in all sorts of MLM/pyramid scheme nonsense.

If you go, they will pounce on you, and hound you to come again and again and again. If you can handle that, fine. It won't be pleasant.

I can't put this any more bluntly, despite the nice feelings you have for your friend:
It's a cult. An insidious, ignorant, despicable, ridiculous cult.

Don't go.

Oh, I think you should go and after, tell her politely what you think of that very boring experience. You've been to other churches, you'll find this one deadly dull. Then, invite her to explore other churches. (Unless, you really don't want to go, in that case just say so.)

You won't run into anything like that at Mormon church services. In fact, if you go to a Fast & Testimony meeting (1st Sunday of the month), you'll think you're back at a Friends' Meeting.

I'd say go, just so that you can then tell her you're not interested.

It is a cult and it will absorb your life -- money, time, identity, intelligence . . . It's not called the Morg for nothing.

You do not need to go in order to tell her that you are not interested.

Hahahahaha! Go, and then after the meeting, tell her you tried to research on an ex-mormon site what it would be like for you to attend and then tell her that we didn't even scratch the surface on how boring the meeting was and how robot-like the members are.

Then ask her, quite innocently, how she can stand it?

convert?

Tell her you'll go with her if she'll go with you to your Quaker meeting first. That will stop her in her tracks.

Tell your friend "No, hell no, and don't ask again!"

Make that, "I love you dearly, but hell no." LOL

I don't think you should go, especially if you worry about offending people. Going to new churches, any churches, people are so friendly. Did you know Mormons friendship others to bring them in to the church? Let me find the link, I will add it at the end of this.
I say stay away from potential quicksand...



Edited to add link to thread: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1736384,1736595#msg-1736595



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2016 12:10AM by KiNeverMo.

It's never just an innocent, friendly invitation if someone, anyone asks you to attend the Mormon church. It is with the agenda of getting you to join. They will employ manipulation to get you so involved from the get go, it will make your head spin. This is exactly what happened to me. I didn't even know what hit me.

My advice is don't even give it an inch. Stay as far away as possible from that church. If your friend is a good one, she will not be offended if you decline to go and your friendship will go on as normal. And better not to mix the friendship with business. In and out of the church I know of too many examples where things went downhill after doing that.

The thing that bothers me the most, looking back now, is why didn't my Mormon friend see me as good enough as I was, without joining her church? Why did she automatically view my religious beliefs as inferior to hers? Anyone not Mormon is broken and in darkness in their eyes.

Pay attention to your feeling of discomfort. Don't go if you feel that way just because she's your friend. Mormons are master manipulators. Who wants to deal with that if they don't have to?

Mormonism is a highly controlling religion, similar to the JWs. It is not a denomination with which you want to get involved.

Mormons will use "fellowshipping," a.k.a. fake friendships, in order to get you baptized into their church. They will take all of your time and all of your money and give little in return. The LDS church invests its donations into real estate and business ventures, and does real little charity among outsiders.

If you are looking for a new church, stick with the reputable mainstream churches such as the ELCA Lutherans, the Episcopalians, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, etc.

Keep reading this board, if you wish, and you will discover much.

Intense responses. Thank you for bringing to light that what I was feeling was for a reason! If she invites me on a Sunday, I'll tell her that I already have a meeting or first day school ( not a lie). If she probes deeper I will be honest in telling her that I feel very fulfilled where I am, and offer to do age to the food pantry if there is one. I did that for my pushy born again neighbors and they finally shut the f* up about it. By the way, sorry for the repeated typos yes she is a CONVERT, lol.

It would be funny to see what she would do if you invited her to your church. Usually Mormons won't go to other churches.

I would call Mormonism a cult more than anything, as it controls pretty much everything members do from food, even down to their underwear as once a Mormon goes to the temple, they're required to wear garments, basically knee length shorts and a capped sleeve shirt for the rest of their lives.

Another way Mormonism controls its members is that they're not allowed to become full adults in that they can't watch anything R rated, and many Mormons even avoid books written for adults, instead favoring stuff written for teenagers. It's one reason Mormons are so obsessed over anything Disney from the theme parks to movies because that's a safe form of entertainment for them, as they don't have to worry about adult content.

My most-Mormon friend watches children's programming. She loves 'Bear in the Big Blue House' and now she's into the tween programs on Disney.

If there's nothing else on, she'll just sit and watch the Shopping Channel or the Weather Network.

Wait...WHAT? I knew about the underwear,but they can't watch rather R films? Even the adults???

Even the adults are not supposed to watch R-rated films.

Laney, it's actually worse than that. The church has begun to discourage the watching of PG-13 films.

One of the church's top leaders named Lynn Robbins gave a devotional address at BYU on Sept. 17, 2013. Robbins is a genuine slimeball, infamous for preaching that destitute families should pay tithing before rent or food. On this occasion, he said, in part:

"In 1986 President Ezra Taft Benson warned members of the danger of anything 'R rated' or beyond. The members thought he had drawn a line. I know that because I have heard many members of the Church say, 'Oh, we can watch that movie. It's only a PG-13. The prophet gave us permission.' They don't say that last part, but that is what they are thinking, because they thought he posted a speed limit, so to speak.

"But what would a movie given an R rating in 1986 be rated today? Would you agree that Hollywood has relaxed its standards? It is referred to as 'ratings creep.' Hollywood has gradually allowed more vulgarity, profanity, nudity, violence, sex, etc., over the decades while maintaining the same ratings. Does the word *creep* remind you of 'the serpent [that] was more subtle than any beast of the field,' as we read in both the book of Moses and Genesis? Well, you don't need a study to verify the reality of ratings creep. If you are unaware of this creeping phenomenon, it is likely good evidence that you have become desensitized yourself to this dangerous trend and are in a pot of water with the temperature on the rise.

"The cunning result of this creeping trend is that the 1986 R-rated movie has deceptively become a PG-13 or PG movie in 2013. The shifting or creeping of the line could be compared to the mists in Lehi's dream that 'blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.' As members justify the viewing of such movies based upon a deceptive rating, they become more and more desensitized to inappropriate material that a prophet identified as dangerous back in 1986. Those so deceived are pacified and lulled into Satan's territory; hence this warning in For the Strength of Youth: 'Take care that your use of media does not dull your sensitivity to the Spirit.'"


http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2135

for the full text.

That's a little dramatic, I understand the offensiveness of violence, but curses or sexuality??? Even more insane is the anti-masturbation rule. Do they really believe that their thirteen year old sons aren't doing that? What a bunch of idiots!

Laney Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's a little dramatic...


Welcome to mormonism!!!!!