Comments about ‘Oakland Baptists visit LDS headquarters’

I converted to the LDS Church 37 years ago and have been active since. Before that I was Southern Baptist. From my experience, I believe LDS and other Christian churches are more alike than different. I say that without compromising my testimony of the Restored Gospel. I also believe we all should work together on common causes and quit name calling and "holier than thou" attitudes. To paraphrase a well known saying, "We must all hang together or we surely will all hang separately."

@ex-mormon

Lighten up Francis...

It always puzzles me why today's Mormons insist on minimizing their unique religious and cultural distinctives as some have done in their comments here.

Given the rich texture of Mormon History and culture - not to mention a theological system so distinct that the title of "The Fourth Great Abrahamic Religion" was proposed by Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention - I would think that Mormons would be loudly declaring, "Oh no, we're not Christians we're something different altogether: We're Mormons!"

Instead, Latter-day Saints insist on trying to squeeze their square peg into a round hole that they have never fit and never will. Why do Mormons value their distinctives so little that they're willing to sell them for a porridge called, "Me too! I'm one like you!"'

Yet when outsiders call them on this needless, unproductive, and inaccurate line blurring they gets pounced on, denounced, and condemned by Latter-day Saints. It's a real head scratcher!

So to paraphrase the late great James Brown, may I respectfully suggest that Mormons stop all that and just say it loud: "I'm Mormon and I'm proud!"

As a former Methodist with enduring abundant affection for Methodism (especially the historic, committed version), I would agree with Arkansas gal and others commenting here. The doctrinal differences between the LDS Church and Methodism are actually not that important in terms of how we act each day. Both traditions discourage bad habits, urge good works, and yet ultimately rely on the saving grace of Christ's sacrifice. The differences with those who reject Christianity on the whole as a "fairy tale" loom much larger.