Question to mormons?

Question

Can one of your members be excommunicated for visiting a non mormon church? I ask this because I have invited a mormon co-worker and his wife to visit my church. I have another question also. Mormons are not supposed to drink anything with caffeine right? This same guy drinks caffeine loaded energy drinks, tea and coffee all the time. He tells me all the time how strong his belief is in the mormon faith. So if his faith is as strong as he says it is then wouldn't or shouldn't it be effortless to give up such a silly thing as caffeine? I don't even believe that the consumption of caffeine is wrong at all but I know that if my Bible said it was wrong I would have absolutely no problem at all giving up something as silly as this. Can he be excommunicated for drinking caffeine also? Because I have read some testimonies of ex-lds and some of them said they were excommunicated or threatened with excommunication for drinking cokes, can this really happen? Please don't report this question just because I have ben unfairly labeled a mormon bashing bigot, it is in no way offensive I am simply curious

Answer 1

Nope.  I've visited tons of different non-LDS churches.  

There's no doctrine stating that Mormons shouldn't drink caffeine.  We're not supposed to drink coffee, black tea, or alcohol.  Some individuals choose not to drink caffeinated soda, but that's their choice and not a church teaching.  

.....and none of us are perfect.  We all have shortcomings and things that we could do better.

Even if he were drinking coffee, tea, or alcohol, that's not something that he'd get excommunicated over.  

No one should have ever been excommunicated or threatened with excommunication over drinking coke.  In the event that this happened, it was either done jokingly (and someone didn't get it) or it was an uninformed and overzealous leader.  If it did happen....It shouldn't have.  I have a hard time buying that story though frankly.  Coke isn't something that we do in secret or hide from others.  It's like a Twinkie.  They're good, but not if you're consuming 40 a day.  

You're not going to be excommunicated for asking questions.  However, if you begin to persecute the church it can put your membership in jeopardy.  If you show up to work at Walmart and tell all the customers how much Walmart sucks, you'd probably lose your job.  It could be the same with the church, but it would be handled on a case-by-case basis

You may be interested to know that in an independent study of religion, members of the LDS church were found to be the ones that spent the most time reading the Bible outside of church worship each week.

Answer 2

We can visit other churches.  We have had organists that moon lighted at other churches professionally, and then came and played for us as a calling.  Perhaps your friend has read your mission statement and does not care for your motives.  

There is no prohibition on caffeine.  The Word of Wisdom has been interpreted to restrict coffee and tea.  Some people do not have the will power to give these up or smoking and drinking.  No one is ex communicated for this.  If you believe these former members, I have some swamp land to sell you.  

You are laboring under the misconception that members are constantly under a threat to their membership will be taken away for the slightest challenge to doctrine.  You seem to believe we isolate ourselves from the world.  Don't you think that we study and try understand what you believe in comparison to our doctrine?

Edit

Completely??  You are a Baptist, correct?  You read the Bible and it implies that we should baptize by immersion. Yet 95% of other people you accept as Christians, don't do this.  We both believe that baptism for infants is incorrect.  Yet some you accept as Christians use the Bible to say it is acceptable.   We happen to have additional revelation that directly and specifically confirms what you claim the Bible says on the topic.  Can you at least say it is not completely contrary to the Bible on some points?

Answer 3

Statistically speaking, Mormons read the Bible more than most Christians. We're also encouraged to study it for ourself. I can't recall one time having anyone in the church ask me to just take their word on what the Bible says.

Answer 4

Mormons can be excommuncated for anything their cult doesn't like.

Answer 5

1 No, a member would not be excommunicated for visitng a non-LDS church.

#2 It is not caffeine that is against the word of wisdom, but tea and coffee are.  It is still the person's choice, but unless the person lies, they cannot be drinking coffee and get a temple recommend.

A person can be excommunicated for:

Breaking temple covenants and not wanting to repent

Preaching doctrine contradictory to the gospel

Wanting to be ex'd

Who ever "claimed" they were ex'd for drinking caffeine is full of c**p. EVERY effort is made to NOT excommunicate people, but if they are unwilling to follow the church's discipline, then they will be ex'd.  It is always the last resort and they may ALWAYS come back to the church and be re-baptized.

Interesting that you claim that we don't "really" study the bible, we just listen to what others tell us... We spend a year studying the Old Testament.  Then we spend another year studying the New Testament.  (The next two we study the Book of Mormon, then the D&C) We rotate them every four years.  Have you ever attended a Mormon church?  

It is interesting to me that people claim we don't teach from the Bible.  Well, this is what we learn at church:  

How to be Christ-like, to obey commandments, that we are God's children, the Jesus is our Savior, that we can repent, to pay tithing and many, many more important gospel principles.  Now, I don't know what bible you are studying... but that is all contained IN the bible we study.  So, to claim we don't really study it, well, that's just you being judgemental and not really knowing what you are claiming.

Answer 6

OK when I was brought up int he 70's it was forbidden, I was in Ut and the Tanners were in town, although i never ran into their anti-mormon stuff. I knew people who would drink non-caffinated drinks or just not drink soda at all, but that was UT. My mom drank big gulps from 7-11 all the time and when she got an ulcer, which was a combination of caffeen and asprin, she said the prophet was right about caffen, she never drank big gulps with caffen in them again.

The word of wisdom needs to be updated, I don;t think the churhc realizes that energy drinks have caffen in them or they are jsut not payign attention to such things or being silly and saying, the word says "Caffeen" not other things that have a caffinated effect. Even chocolate has caffeen effect, but some mormons are addicted ot it.

I think things have changed and mormons can now visit other churches. When I grew up, it was that satan controled nonmormons and satan was after us mormons and Big brother/God was alwasy watching us, but that was the 70's, when the african american couldnot hold the preisthood.

I see mormons ask questions on here anyways without visiting another church and I think its GREAT!

Answer 7

No, we cannot be excommunicated for visiting a non-LDS church. I've visited a few different churches when I was in choir in High school. I live in Utah, and there were only a couple members of the choir that were not LDS.

We are counseled not to drink caffeine because it can be addicting. I've found this out in my own home. My mom and grandma buy diet Pepsi by the case loads. They are addicted to it. It's not very good for you either. We should at least not drink coffee or tea, so I don't know if he just doesn't know? We can't be excommunicated for drinking caffeine. I drank a Dr. Pepper yesterday actually. Usually I only drink Sprite.

Yeah, they are lying about the whole being threatened to be excommicated for drinking caffeine.

Usually when a member is excommunicated it is because they broke the covenants they made with God in the Temple, commited adultry... etc... my dad is exommunicated because he cheated on my mom. He scheduled an appointment to talk to the Bishop so he could start the repentance process but didn't want to repent any more.

Answer 8

First, about caffeine. It's not specifically caffeine that is verboten. It's coffee and tea. I can't tell you why he might drink coffee and tea. Herbal teas are good, tho.

Now, about visiting other Christian churches. You asked "then you come back to your church and start asking questions about what was preached in the church you visited, concerning the fact that it conflicted with what you have been taught as an lds......could you be excommunicated for that?"

First, no, simply asking questions is actually encouraged. It opens dialogue. We are told not to accept blindly, but to KNOW what we believe and WHY we believe it.

Secondly, you sound like, if one goes to a non-LDS Christian church, they are just automatically going to KNOW that they are right and the LDS is wrong and asking THOSE questions will lead to excommunication. But, there is also the opposite (which I think is more true) that non-LDS Christians attend an LDS church and ask questions and end up coming to the LDS church.

Yes, some of what we believe conflicts with some of what I was taught as a Protestant. And I chose the LDS church.

And, as to reading the Bible? When I was growing up Protestant, we STUDIED the Bible. We spent a whole year just on the book of Revelation. That was the real beginning of the end for me and the Protestants. I read the Bible and studied the Bible and figured out in my head what the TRUE Biblical church would teach. And when I talked to the LDS missionaries, I know

THIS IS IT!

So don't tell ME that I don't know or study the Bible, and I'm not the only LDS convert to feel that way. Don't @$$/u/me that the Bible is CLEAR anti-Mormon literature.

Answer 9

No we can not be excommunicated for attending another.However we do not like to miss our church meetings we could miss something special. Nobody said that we can not drink caffeine. I know several who do drink caffeine. However we do not drink hot drinks or alcohol. No he can not be excommunicated for drinking caffeine. Those people that you know were ecommunicated were excommunicated for something else they did not for drinking caffeine.