I’ve attended church services of several denominations.
Let’s take the past ten years.
I’ve attended a Methodist church, a United Church of Christ church, and an Episcopal church. Every single one of them has people at the door who will hand you a service book or a hymnal, say hello, and answer questions. Every single person is allowed to walk inside and take a seat.
When I was in my teens, my best friend and I went to a Roman Catholic church every day during summer vacation and were always allowed to attend. My friend was Catholic and was able to receive communion while I remained in the pews or asked the priest for a blessing. Since both of us could read music we were often the ‘choir’ for the weekday services for the rest of the congregation.
Still, the Mormon church does not allow non members to attend services. This bothers me. Why not? This is a church which goes door to door to attract new members. Yet, you can’t get in without an invitation?
This smacks of cultism. The Mormon Church is a cult.
Well normally I am not one to defend the Mormon Church. However growing up as a good Catholic in Utah, I never have heard of this. Methinks you are misinformed. I had several friends (and my first wife) who were LDS and I went several times–no invite.
Normally you strike me as an informed doper–perhaps you should do a little research before you go out and insult a bunch of your fellow members.
I think that a “temple” is different than just a local church, and you don’t need an invitation to attend a local church service. Also, I think the term for the invitation to the temple is a “recommend.”
We have several Mormon dopers, so someone will be along to set us all straight shortly.
The temple isn’t open to the general public, this is true. To simply go to ordinary Sunday services, however, is open to anyone. Though I’m not LDS, I’ve been to the dunkings of my niece and nephew and some friends, as well as some other church events that I don’t recall clearly now. There was nothing special involved. Certainly no invitation that I needed to show.
I’m the first one to think the LDS is pretty nutty. But I don’t understand your consternation about not being allowed to hang around someone else’s secret or private rituals and buildings.
I wish they would. I can understand why a Catholic can’t meet with the Pope upon demand. I’d have a hard time if a Catholic can’t attend Mass without an invite.
Not being a member–I suppose I would suggest you show up Sunday. It isn’t like you have a secret handshake to get in. Just walk in. I fail to see how it is any different then any other church out there. Now if you are discussing their temples–yes, you need an invite.
I am not LDS, but I grew up in Utah and I will say the amount of ignorance I have found when people find I am from there amazes me. Like I said, I find myself defending the Mormons! In my experience I haven’t found them to be much different then any other religious institution. If they are a cult–then so are most religions.
oh just re-reading your quote here. Yes at their temple you do need an invite. At a church you do not. I am not privy to the ‘why’ but we have several well informed dopers who I am sure will be along shortly to discuss that. It makes sense to me that you would have to be a member in good standing to attend their temples as they see that as a holy thing. But to go to a church just show up if that is your thing!
Before we consider this claim seriously, we need to discover [ol][li]Is your statement even true? Is is true that every non-Mormon is prohibited from attending all CoJCoLDS worship services, or is it merely that there are certain events or particular places (such as the Temple in Salt Lake City–or even particular areas within the Temple at Salt Lake City), that are off limits?[/li][li]Does the exclusion of the general public from a single type of worship actually constitute “cult-like” behavior if there is no corresponding atempt to lure the unwary to join or to prevent any new members from maintaining relationships with family who are not members?[/li][*]Do you even have a coherent definition for what you believe to be a cult? (Or i this just one more “Slam the Mormons” thread that would be better placed in the Pit?[/ol]
Before we consider this claim seriously, we need to discover [ol][li]Is your statement even true? Is is true that every non-Mormon is prohibited from attending all CoJCoLDS worship services, or is it merely that there are certain events or particular places (such as the Temple in Salt Lake City–or even particular areas within the Temple at Salt Lake City), that are off limits?[/li][li]Does the exclusion of the general public from a single type of worship actually constitute “cult-like” behavior if there is no corresponding atempt to lure the unwary to join or to prevent any new members from maintaining relationships with family who are not members?[/li][li]Do you even have a coherent definition for what you believe to be a cult? (Or i this just one more “Slam the Mormons” thread that would be better placed in the Pit?[/ol][/li][/QUOTE]
From what I understand, I am not allowed to attend any LDS service unless I have an invite.
Yes, I think it does. Sure, not everyone should be allowed to attend a wedding or a funeral at a church. But, even if it is a 7am Mass which usually has the same people attending, I’d find it it odd if someone can’t attend without an invite.
A cult is an organization which uses religion to divide us from them. If Tom and Deb showed up at my church here, you could sit right next to me. A cult attempts to indoctrinate you in what they believe.
I worked at a public library for several years. Some Mormons wanted to give us some books about Mormon history, but they wanted to take the ones we had in exchange. We refused their offer.
All normal weekly LDS services are open to anyone who wants to attend. Just go on in and sit down. These services are held in the regular LDS churches you see here and there (or on every other corner here in Salt Lake).
Special passes, called “recommends”, are required to get into an LDS Temple, and not even all members have them. But the temples are not used for normal worship services, they are for special ceremonies such as baptism for the dead, temple marriages, receiving endowments, etc.
And while the LDS do regard the ceremonies conducted in the temple as sacred, and as such as not for casual conversation, it’s not exactly tough to find information about them on the web.
This is not correct. See above. You may attend any normal sunday service and will be welcomed. Bored, but welcome.
Gotta go with this. I am no fan of organized religions but that is neither here nor there. In the final analysis it’s their church. They can do what they like in this respect.
Well, it’s been almost 40 years since I attended a regular service and stayed for the whole thing, but I’ll give it a shot.
It varies some on which service your talking about. On a given Sunday, there are a half dozen meetings. The men attend Priesthood meeting, where they will typically hear a lesson about some aspect of their level of priesthood, have some discussion, etc. The women may attend a Relief Society Meeeting (the Relief Society is a women’s organization within the LDS church that focuses on charitable works, community involvement, etc), children will attend Sunday School.
The main service is Sacrament Meeting. This is usually the last meeting of the day, and all members are supposed to attend. There is an opening prayer, some music (both performed for congregation and some for the congregation to join in), a lesson about some aspect of the religion (frequently based on a bible story or Book of Mormon story), some inspirational talk, announcing of church business or community news, blessing newborns, and of course, the serving of the sacrament. Small bits of bread and small cups of water are blessed by someone holding the higher priesthood, and young men holding at least the lower priesthood pass these out to the congregation. Each member who feels worthy eats a small piece of bread and drinks a swallow of water.
Once a month is “Fast” Sunday, where people fast from food for the first part of the day, both to remind them of their blessings, and also to donate the money saved from skipping breakfast and lunch to the church’s charity. It used to be that on Fast Sunday the members of the congregation were invited to stand up during Sacrament meeting and bare their testimony (tell of your faith in the church beliefs).
A closing bit of music and prayer, and everybody goes home to watch football.
I should tell my Mormon-hatin’ wife that AT LEAST they serve communion weekly. Yeah, it wouldn’t count, for her, as “real” communion, but it beats what the Methodists around here do. “special” occasions only, and when we attended her niece’s freakin’ CONFIRMATION on double-freakin’ PENTECOST SUNDAY that wasn’t considered a special occasion.
Raised Catholic, I see her obsession with communion as similar to that of an Italian widow. There’s a reason the RCC only allows it once a day, and that’s because some people will take it any time they can, to the point of not leaving the church from 6:30 Mass til the end of 12:15 Mass. As a 1/3 atheist, 1/3 agnostic, and 1/3 Jebus knows what, I still think of it as Big Magic I’d rather not do without.
As for the OP, I’d heard, from a Mormon friend, that I couldn’t get into a really cool temple in the NW burbs. Not even if I thought it was REALLY KEWL, which I do. And I stand with those that dismiss the LDS as a “made up” church (give it a couple thousand years and get back to us–we’re shallow and insular that way) and find the Mountain Meadows Massacre as offensive as, oh, I give up on counting the other examples. OTOH, we’re all entitled to our crackpot beliefs, and I’m sure a Mormon, a Catholic, and a Lutheran would all throw up their hands at some of mine.
Actually, let me amend this a little. Sacrament meeting, which as discussed above is the main meeting, is certainly open to anyone who acted respecfully, and I know Sunday school would be open to any child (and probably parent), as my children attended semi-regularly for a while despite not being members.
But it’s possible that Priesthood meeting, or some of the other meetings specifically for certain groups within the church, would be closed to casual entry. I don’t think you’d have to do much more then ask politely first to attend at least one, but they might frown on a group just walking in, or attending on a regular basis if you were not part of that group for whom the studies were intended.
It’s been so long since I attended, and I only held the lower priesthood, that I’m fuzzy on some the details.
