Anti-Mormons

[Happy_LDS]

How do you deal with Anti-Mormons in general? Do you usually take your time and try to debate or totally ignore them?

[Zelph]

How do you deal with Anti-Mormons in general? Do you usually take your time and try to debate or totally ignore them?

I will take my time and debate with them, I generally wear them out.  If they get rude and disrespectful I will ignore them.

[Sariah_Gift]

I don't argue with them. Most of them want to "fight" and the spirit of contention comes from Satan, not interested.

[AlaskanLDS]

I think each situation has to be handled on its own...obviously with the Spirit guiding you.  As mentioned, contention is of Satan and nothing good will ever come from it.  There are those who would be called anti--that are only ignorant in the real teachings of the church.  If they are only questioning and can be talked to calmly, I think anyone in that situation is worth spending time on.

[Kim B]

This is my philosophy.  Lets say you have a little flower growing in your garden.  It's small and somewhat ugly right now, but it has great potential.  It could grow into the most beautiful flower ever.  So, what do you do to help it along?

You could grab it and yank hard.  Maybe it will stretch-right?
You could fertilize it over and over and over again.
You could pour water on it until the soil washes away.

Or you could give it a little fertilizer and a little water and go about your day.  Come back later and check on it.  Does it need more water-more food?If you do this and it still doesn't flourish, at least you tried.  But if it does flourish, how joyous you will be.

I can guarantee that if you try the first three, it will die.

Every situation needs to be approached with love.  If you have truth to offer throw the seeds out lovingly and let them settle.  Don't try to cram them down someone's throat.  When you rile a person up, even if they would have heard the truth otherwise, they will be too blinded with anger at that point to listen to anything you say.  And who will be held accountable?

[Fielding]

I usually do things a different way than most people.  When critics attack me I say something like this: 

"Okay, I am not offended, I value your opinion.  Isn't it great to live in a country where we can choose how we worship.  If you are a Christian I consider you my to be brother, we worship the same Lord in the way we each think is appropriate.  I respect your way.

If they are not attacking me, but just negative toward the church, I will occasionally mention how various church programs have benefitted my family, and how I value my membership, and then let it go at that and not be pushy.

I have sympathy for our critics.  I was baptized when I was eight, but had I grown up without the church I fear I might have become a critic myself, and never joined.  After all, the Joseph Smith story is a lot to swallow when a person hears it for the first time.  I probably would have told the missionaries to get lost.  Maybe that is why I was sent to a family who would raise me in the church, the Lord knew I would never cut it as a convert

[Happy_LDS]

Well, we are not speaking about Church critics but anti-mormons, those who seek to destroy the Church through deceit, lies and all sort of trickery.

[Fielding]

Anti-Mormons are a very healthy sign.  It means Satan is angry.  The fact that they exist validates the turthfulness of the gospel.  If there were no anti-Mormons I would begin to worry. 

Brigham Young made a statement which I will try to quote from memory:  "Every time we erect a new Temple the bells of Hell begin to ring,  I want to here them ring some more"

Another quote I like, but don't know the author of is:  "A kite cannot fly without a headwind"

I do not try to interact with the hard-core anti-Mormons.  I let them alone and just keep pushing the work forward.  The Lord will take care of them in due time.