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I'm interested in understanding the specific ways in which God's presence and intervention are consciously experienced by Christians in their daily lives. In this question, I'm narrowing the scope to Mormonism (LDS).

Do LDS teachings provide specific guidelines for how Christians should or could experience/encounter God in everyday life? Moreover, are there particular types of divine experiences accepted by the LDS Church that other denominations would be more reluctant to accept or actively promote?

For context, I'm asking this as a follow-up to my previous question, To what extent are Christians encouraged to make conscious efforts to "experience" God as "real"?

Mark
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1 Answers1

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Do LDS teachings provide specific guidelines for how Christians should or could experience/encounter God in everyday life

Yes.

  • 'We’re told to look for God in many places—in the scriptures, in our daily prayers, in our weekly worship—but God is everywhere. His presence surrounds us. Once we realize this, we can begin to learn how to find Him in our daily lives.' 1
  • 'The sun rises and sets each day; small seeds grow into mighty trees; the many components of our body work together, enabling us to breathe, run, dream, and eat. Inspired advances in medicine and technology are happening every day, and we can now communicate with almost anyone anywhere. God’s power can be seen in every detail of our lives.' 2
  • 'So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him. Humble yourself. Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there—if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.' 3
  • 'Daily Prayer...Daily Scripture Study...' 4

Are there particular types of divine experiences accepted by the LDS Church that other denominations would be more reluctant to accept or actively promote?

Maybe. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sometimes more ostracized than other times about particular beliefs and some denominations just differ in beliefs. IMO none of the above teachings should be difficult to promote in any other Christian denomination. There might be more reluctance when the Book of Mormon is mentioned (but if scriptures replaced that it shouldn't be difficult)

1 Where is God? Finding His Presence in Your Daily Life 2019

2 Finding Miracles in Everyday Life, March 2019 New Era

3 Come Follow Me, Apr 2019 Pres Russell M Nelson

4 Seeking Spiritual Experiences Daily 2015

GratefulDisciple
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depperm
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  • "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sometimes more ostracized than other times about particular beliefs and some denominations just differ in beliefs" - Do these more controversial beliefs include specific ways in which God interacts with Christians (the topic of my question)? – Mark Nov 06 '23 at 14:06
  • @Mark maybe, the list is too long to track. – depperm Nov 06 '23 at 14:23
  • Could you please include a few examples? The most notable ones. – Mark Nov 06 '23 at 15:05
  • @Mark no as this doesn't pertain to the OP. Many Christian denominations don't view LDS as Christian-this is the base of my statement. What exact beliefs specific denominations disagree with can't realistically be listed – depperm Nov 06 '23 at 15:08
  • I'm confused. Why would that be a problem? I'm asking for specific ways in which God interacts with Christians, that are accepted by Mormonism. Of those, I'm also interested in specific ways that would be more controversial in other denominations (the most notable ones, 2 or 3, it doesn't have to be 1000 examples). That's totally consistent with the OP (I'm the OP). – Mark Nov 06 '23 at 15:12
  • @Mark I don't actively track which ways other denominations teach that God does this. Which 2 or 3 denominations should I choose, would those 3 be a good representation of other denominations? I feel like this questions will get really big if one has to start comparing with some number of other denominations. – depperm Nov 06 '23 at 15:18
  • Good point. Maybe something that is taught by Mormonism but not by Catholicism nor Protestantism at the same time? – Mark Nov 06 '23 at 15:25
  • @Mark so compare my answer with answers to questions you've aimed at Catholicism and Protestanism – depperm Nov 06 '23 at 16:00
  • That sounds fair enough. – Mark Nov 06 '23 at 16:02
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    Something not mentioned here, but maybe worth mentioning, is temple worship. Which, depending on how you look at it, fits the criterion of not being something encountered in Catholicism or Protestantism (although I'd say Catholicism at least has the general ritualistic style in some of their traditions). But apart from that, I agree with the answer. LDS are pretty tame on the charismatic side. Have "quiet" forms of worship. For the most part experience God in the "still, small voice" of the Holy Ghost. Believe in blessing the sick but will perform them in private. – kutschkem Nov 08 '23 at 08:36