Mormon Questions.

So, i've been wondering the last couple days about some mormon stuff. a guy i work with grew up with a mormon family and we started talking about church and stuff. said he doesn't believe that any clergy person should be paid because that leads to corruption. of course, i guess that means that mormons don't pay any clergy. he doens't go to church anymore, so i don't think he was really agruing that point much. but that's not really the question, but it can be discussed.

but, reading about it, the book of mormon says something to the effect of not drinking "hot drinks." is that a literal interpretation? that seems sort of dumb. not that basic religous beliefs seem far-fetched as far as everyday life (virgins being pregnant, resurrection, ya know stuff that doesn't happen now-a-days) but not drinking hot drinks just seems over the top dumb.

also, what's the deal with the underwear? I've heard about it, but don't really know much.

and then, the afterlife. i've heard about them getting their own planet or something, but after reading some of the info about them, i didn't get that out of it.

seriously, what's the deal though? especially the hot drinks. wtf is wrong with a hot drink?

 

I'm no mormon expert, but I had a friend in high school who was a mormon. He wouldn't drink anything that had any kind of alcohol or caffine in it, and he said it was because Mormonism forbids drinking anything that could "alter his state of being". That might be what the hot drinks thing is.

I think the Mormon concept of heaven goes that there are several levels of heaven. If you aren't "saved" you are judged based on your deeds on earth and potentially sent to either hell or a sub heaven. If you were a devout Mormon when you die you go to some sort of super heaven where you are given divine powers and are pretty much on the same level as god.

Again, that's based on conversations I had 15-20 years ago with a Mormon so it might not be the most reliable answer. But that's the way things were explained to me by my friend.

 

Apparently MOST LDS clergy serve without pay of any kind--those at the level of local churches. But they have a hierarchy that involves a President & Apostles, & I'm not sure what other level(s) that "serve full-time" & receive some sort of living allowance. Found a very interesting article on the topic:

http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/paidclergy.htm

In the process I also came across another interesting article on Mormon beliefs in general, in case anyone is interested:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_beli.htm

And a link to a description of their beliefs regarding "hot drinks" & other issues related to physical health:

http://www.jefflindsay.com/WWisdom.shtml

 

Used to know LOTS of Mormons. Had a friend and she told me they believed that the more kids you had the higher your level in heaven and also you still kept HAVING kids in heaven. Sounded more like HELL to me. For women anyway. They have LOTS of really strange ideas. I used to pick her brain, guess obviously the thing that struck me the most was having to have babies for ETERNITY!

 

.....or a tax scam.

 

I've got a Book of Mormon at home that I haven't had the chance to read yet. I have browsed their "official" website, though, and there's some pretty good info there.

Here's the link.

 

for a different perspective on mormon fundamentalism ... read this:

Under the banner of heaven : a story of violent faith / Jon Krakauer.

 

Hot drinks are the work of the debil. John Smith obviously didn't want his followers scalding their tongues.

 

upcoming PBS show on mormonism ... april 30. check local listings for times.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/info/MORM102.html

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of America's fastest growing religions, and its influence circles the globe. The church has 12 million members today and over half of them live outside the United States. Yet the birth of Mormonism and its history is one of America's great neglected narratives. This four-hour documentary brings together FRONTLINE and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in their first co-production to provide a searching portrait of this fascinating but often misunderstood religion. Produced by award-winning filmmaker Helen Whitney ("Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero," "John Paul II: The Millennial Pope"), the film will explore the richness, the complexities, and the controversies of the Mormons' story as told through interviews with leaders and members of the church, with leading writers and historians, and with supporters and critics of the Mormon faith.

 

If your ever in New York near Elmira---go to the Hill Commora (sp) I can't remember what month the show is but it is something to see even if you are not a Mormon. I've been twice. As for the underwear thing---it has to do with going to the Temple and doing some things that are pretty secrative. If your a Mormon and getting Married in the Temple---Brides beware----if your dress is to reveiling--they will have you cover up. The wedding ceramony isn't grand either.
The heavens are Celestreal, Trilestreal and Tealestreal (sp on all three) I know the Celestreal is the highest where the Father is. I dont remember where the other two stand. Since I married a non Morman, I will not be with him where ever I go unless----when he dies and someone goes to the Temple and does a Baptism for him--then I will be with him--we will be Married in death also. The more children you have is only because the Bible says go forth and populate or something like that--so thats what they do. I dont think the more children you have the higher up in heaven you go. Im not sure what the hot drink stuff is all about though. I do know that my Mormon foster father only drank Sanka coffee. I think it does have to do with the caffein stuff.

I can go on about the Mormon faith but this isnt the thread to do so. I really dont have much good to say about it since I grew up in the faith and have seen so many things that didnt sit to well with me.