…When those promises about what he would accomplish in law school didn’t come to pass, Christiansen started to doubt. “It was really devastating and it caused a huge amount of cognitive dissonance,” he said. At the same time, a number of prominent members of the LDS church resigned their memberships due to historical and doctrinal issues with Mormon history. So, for the first time, Christiansen decided to research the life of founder Joseph Smith.
Learning more about Smith’s participation in folk magic and treasure digging as well as his extreme polygamous lifestyle deeply concerned Christiansen. But overall, it was knowing that the scholarly biographies he read painted a more believable picture of the founding of Mormonism than he ever had received growing up.
“You’re taught a particular narrative in the LDS church and there are maybe a few things here and there that don’t quite make sense, but you don’t think about them a whole lot,” he said. “After doing all the reading, (I was) presented with a coherent narrative that explained things better.”
In 2015, he told his wife that he no longer believed. He continued to take his children to church with her, but it was hard. “It’s a really unpleasant time to think about because my entire universe was just ripped out from under me,” he said. “You feel lied to, you feel silly for having believed. On top of that, I’m married to a devout woman and she’s raising our children in the LDS church. It became increasingly difficult as my children were growing and I would hear them being taught things that I knew were not even arguably true.”
Though he no longer considered himself Mormon, he still thought of himself as Christian, and one day he picked up a book of the writings of the early Church Fathers. “I thought it would be interesting to see what early Christians believed and that I (could) pick and choose a few things they believed and build my own beliefs,” he said. “I was shocked to find that all these people were Catholic, or seemed like something really close to Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. That really bothered me because it was not what I was expecting to find. One issue that touched me was the Real Presence. It seemed really obvious to me that whether I believed it or not, these people did.”
That discovery led to a year of intense research into Catholicism. At that point, the family had moved to Northern Virginia for Christiansen’s job and he decided to go to St. Rita Church in Alexandria for his first Mass. “It was so powerful and moving to me. It was really like being transported to another universe,” he said. “And in a way it was very different from the kind of emotionalism of Mormonism. There was something so rooted and ancient about Catholic liturgy.”
In 2018, Christiansen resigned his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was baptized at St. Rita. His family was there to witness it. “In (my wife’s) mind, it was not ideal but she has said, ‘It felt like I got my husband back.’ She sensed that this was a good thing for me,” said Christiansen….
The above comes from a Nov. 30 story in the Catholic Herald.
I have a long history of cordial relations with Mormons and have spent many an hour with their young elders over the course of 20+ years (no, in I never converted). I have always admired the sacrifice these young men and women have made to go on their mission. I am well-versed in Mormon apologetics and criticism but usually keep my proverbial sword sheathed with these young people. That said, I would strongly recommend No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie, or most from Gerald and Sandra Tanner’s Utah Lighthouse Ministry. Therein you will find many facts the likes of which caused Jeremy Christiansen to abandon the Latter Day Saints. Nevertheless, an observation: one of the most holy of men I have ever met is a Mormon, a certain Barton Jones. I know this doesn’t square with their obvious heretical beliefs, but if ever a man honored God, it is he. I always tell the young missionaries to emulate this man.
GOD bless them.
I recall a Mormon neighbor, many long decades ago, who took two long car trips with his family, on the Pan American Highway, deep into Mexico and Latin America. He was in search of the true roots of his Mormon beliefs, as told in his Book of Mormon. He never found answers to his questions. I felt badly for him, and wondered what he might do next. I had previously been to Salt Lake City, to visit family friends, and had enjoyed a tour of the Mormon Tabernacle, especially, the huge Mormon Tabernacle Choir section and organ. I got several books on Mormonism in the Gift Shop, and read them. Although I had always respected the Mormons who devoutly practiced their faith– their religion made no sense at all. Was this Angel who visited young, questioning Joeph Smith, a trickster and a fraud, of diabolic origins? Why didn’t God help the poor young man a little better, to answer his religious questions? What a shame. All the Mormon families I had known, were always good neighbors, who seemed to live by good Christian values, and were admired by everyone. Well, it is a great blessing, that this young man, Jeremy Christiansen, and his family, were blessed by God with answers to their searching— and were led to the True Faith! Poor Joseph Smith– he was a martyr, in the end– for a hoax!
Like Joseph Smith, the Prophet Muhammed had angel visitors, starting with the Angel Gabriel, who proclaimed to Muhammed his special designation by God as Prophet. Muslims claim that their Qur’an is a holy work directly inspired by God, through the Prophet Muhammed. Sounds very similar to the Joseph Smith story. Many Mormons and Muslims are devout, good people, leading good lives. However, I think that both of these religions are tragic hoaxes. I also was once shown a popular book called “A Course in Miracles,” supposedly inspired by “divine” entities, one of whom claimed to be Jesus, to some famous psychiatrists at Columbia University. One of them had been a professor for Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., when he was studying to become a psychologist. Another hoax! The famous psychiatrists turned out to have extremely serious problems, such as alcoholism, homosexuality, and tragic neurosis disorders, and mental illness.
Many people object to Muhammed taking a nine-year-old girl as his second wife, after his first wife– who was fifteen years older than Muhamned–died. And almost everyone rejects the polygamy of Joseph Smith and his Mormonism. Both Islam and Mormonism originally believed in polygamy. The Qu’ran allows up to four wives, and Mormonism seems to have had no limits on wives, originally. However, the LDS Church did eventually change their polygamous beliefs. Many Muslims today, just have one wife and children, together.
And Mohammed was in his fifties when he took Aisha, nine or ten, as a wife. Yuck! like marrying one’s grandfather. She never had children. Probably damaged. If she had ran away with a younger man, he most likely would have had had her murdered. Mohammed’s first wife was a heretical Christian of some sort, rich and held the purse strings before she died, thus he took out vengeance on women. The Koran has more women in hell than men, but what woman would want to go to a Muslim “heaven”. Sounds like a Playboy Club on steroids.
That’s so funny! Well, I was told by Muslims that Muhammed’s first wife, a wealthy woman 15 years older than him, influenced Muhammed to respect women, and allow them to own property, and have their own money; plus, he made it a mandate in the Qur’an, to especially help poor widows and orphans– as well as helping all the poor. They believe this to be a very high spiritual act, close to Allah. And widows must never be stigmatized. I also was told, that although it seems a scandal to us, that Muhammed’s second wife was a nine-year-old girl– the girl grew up to be a great big Islamic scholar!
When I asked some Muslins about the shockingly scandalous concept of Paradise presented in the Qur’an, they told me that what this all meant, is symbolic– that Heaven is a total joy, bliss happiness, and pleasure, spiritually– not physically– far beyond all earthly joys and pleasures. But Heaven is only for the just. Allah judges your soul when you die, and there is also a Final Judgment and resurrection of the body. There is a Heaven, and a Hell, in Islam. Sounds a little like the Christian concept, but without Christ. Also, it doesn’t seem that Islam stresses a union of the soul with God, as in Christianity. In Christianity, the union of the purified soul with God, is the highest joy, bliss, happiness, pleasure, completion of the soul’s journey or pilgrimage– a marriage with God, the full, complete indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in the soul. I think the Muslim Sufis seek a similar kind of experience of union with God, like our Christian Saints– not sure about it, though.
Borrow a copy of the Qur’an from a library, and read the hadiths online, and see the truth. Mohammed had more than four wives, but only allowed his followers to have four, but they could have more concubines. He also talked his adopted son out of his wife by telling the son that Allah willed it. Look up concubines under the Ottoman Empire, and see how horrifying it was for the wives and concubines to constantly complete with each other just to keep their families alive. Still the same in many places.
MR– The Qur’an sounds just terrible! Many Muslim groups in the Middle East have horrific beliefs and practices, to this day. But in America, there are also good groups of Muslims, who have–and believe in– one-man/one woman marriages, large families, and good family values. The women wear modified headscarves, just covering their hair, and modest clothing– they look similar to paintings of Our Blessed Mother. They do not believe in alcohol, birth control, or abortion.
The Muslims have shocking, embarrassing material in their Qur’an, abuut Heaven, or Paradise. Well– Christians also have some shocking and embarrassing material! The first time I heard a priest read the religious poetry of St. John of the Cross aloud (first in Spanish, and then, in English) I was quite young— and so embarrassed and uncomfortable! I wondered what the others were thinking. I was more comfortable, reading the beautiful poetry of St. John of the Cross, by myself. The imagery is quite erotic! The “Song of Songs” in the Bible was very embarrassing for me, too! I would rather not hear it read aloud, either, in a classroom or in a church. Well, I know this literature is just allegorical, not erotic.
The Song of Solomon is an Israelite love poem between one man and his bride (one man, one woman) as it should be. Later Solomon married many foreign wives, who brought pagan practices into Israel. In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, Solomon is said to have regretted what he did and expresses that the wife of his youth (evidently his first wife) was his comfort in old age.
Christians applied those passages to Christ and his bride the Church (one church, not many). The Lord said there is no sex in heaven.
All true. And yes– the Church is the Bride of Christ– and each of our souls is also His Bride. We never know when the Bridegroom, Christ, may be coming. We must be well-prepared and vigilant, like the Five Wise Virgins (St. Matthew, Chapter 25) awaiting His coming.
Mohammed also married a first cousin, which is a highly dangerous practice as it can cause serious genetic defects, especially generation after generation. Many Orthodox Jewish couples now take tests before they are married to see if they are genetically compatible with those whom they wish to marry. It sounds like a good practice for women who might be RH negative too. If not compatible, no marriage should take place. That is another reason people should not get intimately involved before marriage.
Oh– sorry, I just submitted a comment which contained information regarding the popular book, “A Course in Miracles,” supposedly dictated by dead spirits (particularly, one who claimed to be Jesus)– to two prominent Columbia University psychologists (not psychiatrists)– Helen Schucman and William Thetford. Fr. Benedict Groeschel studied under Helen Schucman, and they were friends until she died. Fr. Groeschel noted that she suffered lifelong, with tremendous mental illness issues. He explained his theory of so-called religious visionaries, who mistake their own mental processes for religious experiences of God. citing wisdom of St. John of the Cross. William Thetford, Schucman’s colleague and collaborator with supposedly “divine messages” also– was gay or bisexual, and had lovers of both sexes. I mistakenly said one was alcoholic– not true, just neurotic with huge tempestuous personality issues.
I associate A course in Miracles with Marianne Williamson. She is a proponent of it.
It is not a hoax.
It is just New Age.
It was very popular in the 1980s.
Even some Catholics and some Catholic religious orders got into it.
But it faded because it was not Truth.
It is still used by many people.
Oh– it doesn’t natter to me, whether you say that this was a “hoax” or “not the truth.” I do not believe it was Jesus Christ who sent mysterious “messages” to the “scribes” who then compiled “A Course in Miracles. ” Fr. Benedict Groeschel tried to help one of the “scribes,” Helen Schucman– one of his psychology professors. He even sat at her bedside when she was dying– as she was a very tormented, difficult person with mental health problems. She was very angry, and wished she had never been involved in this “Course” thing. She said she never believed in it nor practiced it. She also messsd around with the Catholic faith for awhile, and Fr. Groeschel tried to help her– but she gave it up. William Thetford, the other “scribe,” had mental torments, too– but did try to practice the “Course” material— and it was reported that he died happy about it. As for Marianne Williamson– what a joke! Laughable! The “Course in Miracles” totally denies Christ’s crucifixion, suffering and death to redeem mankind, replacing it with “hippie” garbage. The “Course” totally denies the reality of sin, all Biblical teachings, all Christian Morality, the Blessed Trinity, the Divinity of Christ, and necessity of Christ’s earthly ministry, death, resurrection, and salvation. Etc.
A hoax is intentionally misleading people. And it could have been but it may just be people who were themselves misled by lying spirits.
“Stay away from it” is the advice of Catholic Answers.
Helen Schucman was Jewish, and William Thetford’s family was originally Christian Scientist. Both had abandoned faith in God and religion for just science. They were colleagues, but had constant blow-ups. One day, they decided that there must be a better way for them to get along. Shortly thereafter, Helen Schucman had her first “message” from Christ (supposedly) on a New York subway– and told Thetford about it. They decided to pursue this strange thing together– and so, the spirit-world messages began, that became the “Course in Miracles.” The idea behind the “Course” seems to be ” hippie-style” “love and peace”– without any rules, structure, morals, virtues, consequences for doing evil (belief in sin is totally denied) — there is no belief in good or evil actions, or belief in any religion. Very condemning of Christianity as being “judgmental.” It seems to be about just forgiving everyone, love, peace, and that’s all. You know– even pagan Hindus and atheist, pagan Buddhists, believe in karma– responsibility for your actions, and being stuck with consequences for your sins! Fr. Groeschel said a Mass for his friend, Helen Schucman, after she died.
The Catholic Church has excellent criteria to go by, to determine– as far as possible– the validity of supernatural experiences. If a believer claims to have visions or messages from Christ or the Blessed Mother, our Church will investigate thoroughly, and provide a sound conclusion on the investigation. Church-approved apparitions are very reliable. Among them are the apparitions of Our Blessed Mother at Lourdes, Fatima, and in Mexico, with Our Lady of Guadalupe. Plus, the apparition of Our Lady to St. Dominic, giving him instructions on the Rosary; the apparition of Our Lady to the Carmelite priest, St. Simon Stock, with the Brown Scapular; the Miraculous Medal given with instructions by Our Lady to St. Catherine Laboure– and much, much more!
Not to argue just to educate.
The apparitions of Lourdes, Fatima, Guadelupe and Miraculous Medal are approved.
The apparitions to St. Dominic and Simon Stock (who has never been canonized) are accepted but they are not approved. Maybe too early in Church history or not the kind of thing that needed approval.
Although St. Simon Stock was never formally canonized, he was commonly recognized as a Carmelite Saint, and his relics were– and still are– highly venerated. In 1564, the Church gave him the Feast Day of May 16th. He is a very important Saint of the Carmelite Order. To be invested in the Brown Scapular, is highly regarded, in our Church. I was invested in it, in a large group, many long decades ago. There has been some dispute over the historical origins of the Rosary. However, a great many Popes and theologians have upheld the apparition of Our Lady to St. Dominic, giving him the Rosary and instructions. The Brown Scapular and the Rosary are both holy, they are sacramentals. To faithfully wear the Brown Scapular, and to faithfully recite the Rosary, brings many beautiful graces.
Pope St. John Paul II wore his Brown Scapular from about age 10. After he was shot in 1981, the Pope told doctors who were about to operate on him, never to remove his Brown Scapular. The Brown Scapular carries with it some wonderful promises, from Our Lady– including, a sign of salvation, protection in danger, a pledge of peace, and the Sabbatine Privilege. The devout wearer shall not face the fires of Hell. And there are 15 Promises of Our Lady, for those who say the Rosary faithfully. A partial indulgence is merited, every time you kiss your Brown Scapular.
Concerning Our Lady of Guadalupe this page is interesting history
http://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/approved_apparitions/guadalupe/
Many years ago, we had an Episcopalian family friend who sang with the Mormon Tabernackle Choir, in Salt Lake City. The Mormons are very strict, with all aspects of their religion– including their music ministry. But they do allow non-Mormons to sing in their famous Mormon Tabernackle Choir– just like the Catholic Church allows non-Catholics to sing (usually, paid artists) in our semi-professional church choirs. Our Church used to have strict rules, too, and I wish they would re-instate those rules. Our Episcopalian friend’s husband was an assistant to the Episcopal bishop, and she also regularly attended their own Episcopal church services.
Looks like I misspelled “tabernacle,” in recent comments!!
I have known both good, kind-hearted Mormon and Muslim families who love God, follow their religious faith, and when asked (without proselytizing) — have shared with others, their beliefs in God, and how they are seeking holiness. I think they contribute a lot of good to the world today, practicing chastity, modesty, daily prayers, and good family values. They also do not believe in birth control or abortion. Their families are close-knit, and their children are good kids. They all daily practice their religion enthusiastically together, in the home. Too bad our Pope couldn’t lead all the Catholics to be happy, enthusiastic, close-knit, large Catholic families, all practicing their religion daily, together– in a slower, more natural and peaceful way of life, close to God. To heck with destructive Modernism and worldliness.
Since Vatican II, some of the best, most successful Catholic families I have seen, are orthodox, devout Catholic homeschooling families, who attend either the Tridentine or
Novus Ordo Masses.
What did Jesus say?
He said, “You brood of vipers!” He did.
Not what I was referring to but a good answer and true.
Who did he call a brood of vipers?
Reading the Church Fathers is always enlightening, even for us cradle-Catholics. (You may find some things there that surprise you.) I highly recommend it for all.
These stories are inspiring and encouraging. Thank you, California Catholic Daily.
I didn’t understand the “extreme polygamy” in the subhead, like “moderate polygamy” in America is okay? Well, actually, some are trying to bring it back under the guise of marriage equality. If marriage is not one man and one woman, it be redefined in many ways. The LDS organization stated Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives. (Nice number.) And, Brigham Young, who brought them to Utah, married 55 wives, but 19 predeceased him and he divorced ten.The “prophet” and Utah governor must have had a very busy house and he didn’t drink coffee, unless they had cold brew coffee back then. “And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:9).
For a polygamous religious man to have 40 or 50 or more wives– is considered quite “extreme” to most people!
Neither the Mormons nor the Muslims drink alcohol. And observant Jews have a kosher diet. Mormons do not believe in drinking any hot drinks, like coffee or tea. However, I was told that herbal tea might be okay– not sure about that, though. Can you tell us more about the Mormons’ dietary beliefs?
That’s complicated. Their “scriptures,” like Doctrines and Covenants, can be changed by a subsequent “prophet” leader. The head of their organization (it’s not really a church) is not bound by their Scripture and tradition, as is the Pope, for example. That’s why their teachings have changed dramatically over time. Allowing Blacks to be priests (changed in 1978) and banning polygamy are a couple of examples. They truly are a cult in that sense, with a leader who claims direct ongoing revelation from God, demands obedience and is accountable to no previous history. So, their dietary rules have not been rigid. That said, I’ve had several Mormon friends who are good, hard-working (the beehive image), decent, family people. So, like all, they should be treated respectfully as we speak the truth to them. And, often, it’s Mormon parents and school board members who have fought for decent public education. We should be thankful for that, an area where we’re allies. For more on your question, check out the link below from Mormonism for Dummies, written by a couple of Mormons:
https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/religion-spirituality/mormonism/whats-not-on-the-mormon-menu-198996/
Pretty strong Red Hair gene.
Beautiful Family !!!