Avatar4321 Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Why are Mormons taught to stay away from non Mormons? Does God only love Mormons? We are taught to stay away from non-mormons? Then what the heck do our missionaries do all day long, visit mormons and tell them to become mormon? 1
deedoo Posted February 23, 2014 Author Posted February 23, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then.
The Nehor Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Why are Mormons taught to stay away from non Mormons? Does God only love Mormons? I must be doing missionary work wrong then. I interact with non-Mormons all the time and I am friendly and nice. I even have some who (shock) come over to my residence to hang out, have dinner, and interact with them. Glad I know now that they are beyond God's redeeming love and I can snub, ignore, and mock them now. I guess I am supposed to be more lonely.
The Nehor Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then. If you knew it for a fact why did you ask? So was it her intentionally avoiding your family or did your son drive her away somehow? Edited February 23, 2014 by The Nehor
Tacenda Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then.I truly think it may have to do with lifestyle change possibly. With my family, my sister and I are the only active LDS. The rest of my siblings don't have anything to do with the church, they live different lifestyles, whereby they drink and some smoke. We've not a lot in common. So it may be that. We all love each other and try to stay in contact, but don't have the same connections. ETA: Not saying your granddaughter's family are a bunch of partiers, my siblings aren't that way. Just that the LDS sometimes can be in their own little world. The culture tends to keep everyone busy in their callings & activities, be it service or fun. So they don't mean to be standoffish. Edited February 23, 2014 by Tacenda
Raingirl Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then.You know that for a "fact"? Do please share your sources for that assertion. Surely you must have all sorts of documentation for your "fact".I joined the Church in 2011. My experience is that the Church does exactly the opposite.
JLHPROF Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then. Can't speak for that specific family, but you do NOT know "for a fact" that Mormons are encouraged to keep a distance since there is no such fact. If anything, we Mormons are taught to be nauseatingly friendly to non-members in the hope they might one day decide to become Mormon.If your Grandaughter is avoiding her family after joining Mormonism, it is not due to any Mormon teaching or cultural tradition. It may however have something to do with the famiy relationship. 1
Garden Girl Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then. deedoo...I've been Mormon all my life... even went through a period of being inactive and then returning to full activity 19 years ago... and never in all my years in the Church have I heard it said or personally been "encouraged" to stay away from non-Mormons... so, with all due respect, your "fact" -- as others have pointed out -- is simply not correct. I think someone pointed out that we are encouraged to seek marriage with a person of our own faith... as do many other faiths with their members. When two people share the same religious beliefs, they are more apt to have a more cooperative, successful marriage. And, it helps when children are involved to be able to raise them in a home where the parents share the same philosophy, standards and values. If LDS (Mormons) are truly living the gospel standards, etc., they do tend to feel more comfortable with, and want to associate with, people who adhere to those same standards... but in no way have I known of any instance encouraging members to stay away from non-members... GG
Storm Rider Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then. Deedoo, you know for a fact? Could you please explain the facts you are aware of that teaches Mormons to stay away from non-Mormons? I have been a member for over fifty years and I have never heard of such a teaching. I was a military brat as a child and as an adult I have lived in several foreign countries (I am currently in Doha, Qatar) and no where did I hear of these "facts" you have.
Calm Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 What is actually taught:http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/doctrine-of-inclusion?lang=eng
Bill “Papa” Lee Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Pa Pa. Argonaut? I don't understand. I wouldn't think that you or anybody is an "argonaut". All I can think of is Jason from that cool 50's movie that had special effects that were as amazing as anything I had seen until the era of computers. Sorry. Heh. What is an "argonaut" theologically speaking?Loved that movie, but IPAD's do spell check so quickly that misspelled words are easy to miss, thanks for pointing out my error.
Deborah Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Anecdotal experiences are not "facts". Usually if someone doesn't participate with family members of different faiths it is because of family dynamics or interests, certainly not church teaching. 3
talltimber Posted February 23, 2014 Posted February 23, 2014 Deedoo, SOME Non-Mormons can become very offensive to Mormons. So when Mormons shuns them, it is not because they are non-Mormon, it is because they are offensive. For instance, in doctrine, sometimes non-Mormons teach that Mormons teach their works save them, and not the grace of God. That is not an honest understanding of the matter. But often, when taught the actual Mormon doctrine of Salvation, they continue to repeat the same false ideas. That can be offensive and drive people away.
Avatar4321 Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then. So how do we do missionary work?
3DOP Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 Loved that movie, but IPAD's do spell check so quickly that misspelled words are easy to miss, thanks for pointing out my error.heh. papa.
rpn Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) OP, I am very sorry you or your son is hurt by what they see as distancing from your granddaughter because of the church. That must really stink, even if we have trouble believing that it has anything to do with church teachings. I suggest you reach out to your granddaughter and tell her that you would like her to do _________, _________, and _________ or _________. Tell her that you came here and were told that something else must be going on because there is no teaching in the LDS faith that says to abandon family if they are not church members. So you want to talk about whatever the problem is so that you can see her and her family more. Offer to go to family counseling with her. I can tell you that people (not just lds church members, people in general) avoid going where they feel unwelcome or judged. They avoid going where there is swearing or drinking to excess or risky or dangerous or just unkind behavior. They avoid going where people trash other people, or the music is too loud or bawdy or just not child friendly if they have children. Sometimes they juggle lots of things that make just hanging out not a preferred way of spending precious little free time ---- Mormons tend to spend about ten hours a week on church things besides on sundays. Sometimes they don't have a lot of extra money because they have large families, tithe and a monthly donation to the poor, one parent stays home with kids, and they give a lot of service, so they may not be able to travel often. Maybe there is something in all that that might help you figure out what the obstacle is and figure out a way around it. Edited February 24, 2014 by rpn 3
Bill “Papa” Lee Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 heh. papa.Many times I feel like opting out of posting, because of the embarrassing mistakes I make, and fear I have little to contribute. There are so many so much more educating, so I appear even more a fool.
Tacenda Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 Many times I feel like opting out of posting, because of the embarrassing mistakes I make, and fear I have little to contribute. There are so many so much more educating, so I appear even more a fool.I've noticed longer and better spelled posts from you lately. I'm hoping it's because your back is getting better. And your posts are always intelligent!
altersteve Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I have several non-Mormon friends, one of whom is my best friend in the world (he's an atheist, in fact). Guess I should tell my bishop. 1
ERayR Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) She's gotten nearly 50 comments, some that say they also had problems growing up non LDS in Utah, and others that say it's definitely not a church thing but more the dumb adult, or kids acting like kids. But I do feel there is a problem, I guess they didn't hear the GC talk by Pres. Hinckley near the end of his presidency, urging members to reach out to their non LDS friends and neighbors. I think that most kids, sometime in their lives, have a hard time growing up no matter what the environment. Edited March 21, 2014 by ERayR 1
ERayR Posted February 24, 2014 Posted February 24, 2014 I know for a fact that you are encouraged to keep a distance from non mormons if you belong to the church. My granddaughter has very little contact with her dad's side of the family since she became Mormon and got married. They were all very close up until then. There are many reasons contact might be curtailed. A couple which come to mind are distance and perhaps how they react to her now that she has become a member of the Church. 1
Rock_N_Roll Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 I spent two years of my life interacting with mostly non-Mormons on a daily basis. Now – with my ‘side job’ (I play in a rock band in night clubs), I associate with non-Mormons on the weekends. I have many non-LDS friends and fellow band members. I was never encouraged to “keep a distance” from non Mormons while growing up. And I was raised here in Mormon country (Utah County). And as a side note: Two members of the group Imagine Dragons are LDS, and I didn’t notice them avoiding anybody at the Grammy’s a few weeks ago. Just the opposite. 1
thesometimesaint Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 Many times I feel like opting out of posting, because of the embarrassing mistakes I make, and fear I have little to contribute. There are so many so much more educating, so I appear even more a fool. I've always found you have lots to contribute, and just wish you posted more. If someone is going to hold a few innocent errors against you that says more about them than it does about you. 3
Avatar4321 Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 If anyone sincerely believes this, I think that it may be a sign that we are struggling with one of the Grand Fundamental principles of Mormonism: Being a Friend to all.
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