Is it a sign or not???

This will be a very short blog. So I am at a bit of a dilemma, I have been questioning the Mormon religion to myself for a little bit now, but I find it very ironic that 2 days after I start this Blog, I tear my ACL and now I will be temporarily disabled for about a year during my surgery and rehab process. Now to the Christian mind this is conceived as a sign, but is it? To a Free Thinking person its just a coincidence? If I was confused before, I am even more so now. HELP!!!!!

The Most Correct Book

This is a very Bold statement, if you say something of this magnitude, you better be able to back it up, now again I am a Mormon but as stated in previous post, I have doubts and can not honestly say without a doubt in my mind that the church istrue and the only true church. So I am sure reading all this ex-Mormon literature does not help the Mormon cause but it sure does bring up a number of questions that should have reasonable answers.

The first LDS Prophet Joseph Smith
“told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” and numerous other LDS Prophets have said the same. I have problems with this statement, Joseph Smith wrote other books, The Pearl of Great Price, the original Doctrines and Covenants (before his successors' additions), and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. Shouldn't these books also be the most correct? They were inspired of God, right?

The 8th Article of Faith states
the belief in the Bible as the “word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” The Book of Mormon gives to us that second witness of the authenticity of the scriptures as recorded in the Bible. So if it supports the Bible, why is it that the correct version of the Bible (Joseph Smith Translation) it not one of the most correct books.

In a Talk by President Ezra Taft Benson he says "In 1829, the Lord warned the Saints that they are not to trifle with sacred things. (See D&C 6:12.) Surely the Book of Mormon is a sacred thing, and yet many trifle with it, or in other words, take it lightly, treat it as though it is of little importance (7th paragraph). Since I have been in a Mormon, I hear of the Bible all the time but rarely get any lessons or teaching from it. Most Lessons are straight from the Book of Mormon or the Ensign, which for the most part references the Book of Mormon or talks from LDS Leadership.

Here's where I'm going with this, The Book of Mormon, according to LDS Prophets, is the one true Correct Book, but I have seen prior versions of the Book of Mormon that are not the same as the current version. There are contradictions here.

So now that I have rambled on for a bit, What is the Most Correct Book?

Burning in the Bosom

You know as I was thinking of this subject, I realized that if my wife were to read this she would say that I am trying to find the easy way out or something of the sort. But I say it just doesn't feel right anymore.

----------D&C 9:8-9----------

Months back, the wife and I would read the Book of Mormon and pray together nightly and I would also read by myself, but for some reason for some reason I would never get that burning in the Bosom feeling that D&C 9:8-9 talks about. I wonder why; I had it before; when I first joined the church I felt it; when I was baptized by my father-in-law into the church I felt it. What is going on? Why am I not feeling it? I was still following all the commandments and being a good Mormon, I was actively trying to be a better Mormon. I even talked to my Baptist Family about it. What is really going on.

Now that I have started having doubts and had a little confusion in my life, I have realized that I have felt this burning in the Bosom before, I felt it when I was baptized the first time in the Baptist Church, I have felt it when I was singing in the choir or listening to a sermon during my Baptist time.


So my question is: If I have received this burning in the Bosom while attending a church service that is supposedly not inspired of God (Baptist), and have also received it while attending the Mormon church, how do I know which one is right?

My Story!! of Mormonism??????

So my story I believe is a bit different from others; I was born and raised as a Baptist in the South, while growing up I attended numerous churches to see how they were and if I liked them, To make a long story short Baptist churches were my favorite. So after I graduated high school, I left home and joined the military where my alcohol usage multiplied 10 times fold; needless to say I didn't go to church much any more, I mean why would I when there was Sunday Football or Basketball, Beer, pizza and girls to have and hangovers to nurse.

So as time went on I met my wife, but at the time she was just another girl and we dated and eventually got married, at that time she I had no clue what her religious preference was and it really didn't matter seeing as she was just like me, out partying and having a good time also. So about 2 years after we were married my wife went into a little transition, a religious transition. By this time, I knew she was a Mormon, but it wasn't a big deal cause I didn't know anything about it and was too naive to do any research. So I knew she was in the process of getting back into the church (becoming Active). So at this point I really didnt have any allegiance to any church but since I wasn't actively attending any church I began going to church with here, OK it was after some whining, but I went.

I attended church services for a while and began receiving missionary lessons, everything sounded great and perfect and eventually I as baptized and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And we lived Happily Ever After...........................or so I thought.

2 years later, I attended church services regularly but always hesitantly, I only go now because it would break my wife's heart if I told her I didn't really want to be there or I believed that some of the so called inspired teaching were of man and not of God. To make a long story short, I have been doing lots of research and there are lots of things I don't agree with and just weren't right. So this is why I am very confused and hopefully I will get some followers and that will chime in and give me some tips, hints or your perspectives.

Ray is Confused Blog