Chapter 9: The Search

I wanted to know what the truth was. I knew I would find it. I searched the scriptures. I read anti-Mormon literature sent from a group called Saints Alive (who are apostate Mormons) and a book called "The Maze of Mormonism." It was so obvious to me that Mormons were brainwashed. I had to help my friends avoid a Hell of fire and brimstone, where your flesh burns forever and ever. I wondered how God could send such good people there and the Baptist response was, "They send themselves there." My church believed that God knew how your life was going to be before you were even born. I wondered if He knew our destination already, what was the purpose in life if He was going to send people to Hell? How can a God who loves us give someone that fate for the eternal afterlife? My Mormon friends were good people who were very Christ-like. They performed service, lived clean lives and had high morals.

I would ask "how can God send his children to Hell", but Born Again Christians don't believe you are a child of God unless you are "born again." Their definition of being born again is if you have prayed and asked the Lord to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins. A verbal prayer you have to say aloud and then and only then you have your ticket to Heaven. You will go there whether you want to or not - because you have been born again.

I had to figure out why Mormons believe what they believe so I can help them. The best way was to take Seminary - the beginning of the brainwashing process. John gladly helped me register. People were surprised and asked him how he got me to take Seminary and he answered, "I had nothing to do with it."

They were studying the Old Testament which worked out well because I think my mind would have been closed if it were any other book of scripture outside of the Holy Bible. My seminary teacher was Mr. Rasmussen. The other students called him Brother Rasmussen - but not me. I wanted to make a point that he was no brother of mine. After calling him Mr. Rasmussen a few times as he greeted me before class he shook my hand and said in a soft, somewhat pleading voice, "Brother........please." Oooops! My rudeness was recognized.

I learned a lot in the first week of Seminary. I had learned a lot about the Old Testament and not so much why Mormons believe what they believe. I continued with my anti-Mormon literature, too. I wasn't going to take any one's word for the truth, I had to know for myself. I opened my mind and questioned everything. I looked up every scripture my anti-stuff quoted. There was a lot of scripture quoted with "dot, dot, dot". I looked up the verses in the Bible and read the "dots". I read the verses before and after the one verse that was quoted. Do you know what I found? There were a lot of scriptures taken out of context and didn't support the point they were trying to prove. This would make their points......lies? Why would they tell lies about the Mormons?

I questioned why there was only one Bible with so many interpretations of it and so many churches, each proclaiming to be the true church. How can one Bible say so many conflicting things? Which church was teaching the truth? I had to know and carried these questions heavily for the next couple of months, sincerely seeking, studying, praying and asking for guidance and asking for the truth to be revealed to me.

.....to be continued......