I was what some would call a “nominal” or “cultural” Christian, that is-I believed in name only, but was not really a committed follower of Jesus Christ in my heart or life. It was not until my freshman year of college that I became a Christian at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
One fascinating aspect of how I came to faith in Christ is the role that Mormonism (Latter Day Saints) played. My exploration of Mormonism was in one sense a catalyst for me to actually consider who God is and what I would believe. Mormonism ended up being a step in the journey for me to faith in the God of the Bible-a God who I now understand to be VERY different from that which is portrayed in Mormon theology. (If you are a Mormon reading this post, thank you for reading this post. Please take the time to read it all the way to the end. For those with little understanding of the differences between Mormonism and a biblical Christianity, click here or here, and read on).
Growing Up in Nevada
I grew up in a small town in Nevada. I had lots of Mormon friends and even a few Mormon girlfriends. I deeply appreciated the friendships and connection I had with the Mormon community. In high school, some of my friends and I formed a ska band and we almost named it “Tom and the Mormons”-thankfully we settled on the much better name “Toad Repellent.” We had great times together and it was a sweet privilege to be part of their lives. I also appreciated the families of my Mormon friends; they were kind to me and welcomed me in. In addition to this, we also had quite similar moral values, and I appreciated that common ground.
Yet, despite having all these friendships, I had never really taken the time to explore Mormon theology. It was not really a priority to me; other things were far more important, things like having friends, having a girlfriend, and pursuing the joy of playing music. Little did I know that my lack of interest in studying theology would soon radically change.
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Exploring Mormon Theology
My exploration of Mormon theology began when I was 17. I had just broken up with a Mormon girlfriend and was heart-broken. I was searching for answers and began asking deep questions about God and the truth of reality. Up to that point, I had not really thought through what I believed or why I believed what I did. I just considered the Bible true. But I never explored how a historic Christian Faith compared to Mormonism.
Breaking up with a Mormon girlfriend gave some impetus to study the Mormon religion. One reason we had broken up was the fact that I was not a Mormon. This got me wondering if I myself could believe in the God of Mormonism, and thus my search for truth began.
In the state of my searching, I had a sweet friend who was a Christian who sat down and explained a bit of the Bible to me. She explained about some of the differences between a biblical understanding of God and a Mormon understanding. She also encouraged me to look to God and not a girl to find my happiness. This helped for a little bit, but that aching in my heart remained and my search for truth continued.
In the process of searching I also had conversations with my Mormon friends. I spent some time studying and talking about the Bible with them and even attended one of their services. I asked them questions and kept thinking about the topic. While this was happening, I was often encouraged by my Mormon friends to simply read the Book of Mormon and pray about whether it is true or not (see this post one why a person should not do this).