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Amy
Perkins
wrote:
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Hi, Mike —
I'm 22 years
old and have been dating a Mormon guy for
five years.
We have discussed getting married but there
is only one problem: I want to stay Catholic
and believe very much in the faith of the
Church and he wants to stay Mormon.
I know we could still get married in the Catholic
Church if he does not convert, but on the
issue of raising our children:
- Is it true that if you get married in
the Church, you have to raise your kids
Catholic?
The requirement isn't in the wedding vows.
I would appreciate any answers you could give
me or any other references.
Thank you for your time.
Amy
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If I want to stay Catholic and he wants to stay Mormon, do we still have to raise the kids Catholic? }
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John
replied:
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Hi, Amy —
This is not as simple as, if you
were to marry, a Protestant. Mormons
are not Christians.
There are major
theological heresies in their set
of beliefs.
Example: They deny the Trinity, just
for starters. To be honest with you,
if it were not for their numbers,
it would be correct to call them a cult, as it is a pagan religion
that believes God the Father was
a man and lives on a planet near
the star, Kolob.
It would be a serious, serious matter to allow your children to be raised in a faith that could lead them to eternal damnation!
Yes, the Catholic spouse must agree
to raise their children Catholic.
They also have to get a dispensation
from their local bishop to marry
any non-Catholic.
Hope this helps,
John DiMascio
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Richard
replied:
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Hi, Amy —
As John mentioned, a Catholic entering
a mixed marriage has to commit to
doing everything within (his/her) power
to raise the kids Catholic.
The non-Catholic partner may not
object: he may even agree to raising
the kids Catholic, for the sake of
harmony. The eventual result, in
spite of all good intentions, is
that the religious difference eventually
brings tension between the parents.
The result is a lack of a fatherly
example in living the Catholic faith.
The result is also a bad message
to the children:
That the difference between the
Mormon religion and the Catholic
religion doesn't matter much.
That will make it easy for the children
to fall away, when they leave home.
- Do you really want all those troubles
making your family life harder?
It's not as if the two religions
were very close, like Catholicism
and Greek Orthodoxy.
Mormonism doesn't even believe in
the Christian concept of what God
is.
—
Richard Chonak
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Amy —
Just an addendum to what John and
Richard have said:
I'm still single, and would rather wait
for my Ms. Right : )
I would encourage you to:
- find out more about the Mormons and the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) really believe, and more importantly,
- wait for a handsome looking Catholic man who practices his faith as seriously as you appear to do. Trust me Amy, it will be worth the wait!
In another reply, my colleague John said:
Mormons don't believe in the same
Jesus as the orthodox (small o) Christians
do. Hence, they profess faith in
a different Jesus.
They believe among other things that Jesus
and Lucifer were soul brothers. They
believe the Father is separately
God not, just a Person in the Trinity.
This Father God lives on a planet
near the star Kolob. |
We have received objections from some Mormons who have never heard this. If we state something about someone else's faith, we should be able to back up what we say.
For Mormons or members of the LDS (Latter Day Saints) who have never heard this, they can check out the following references on Wikipedia:
If you are interested in the Catholic reply to Mormon beliefs check out some of the web pages from our colleagues at Catholic Answers.
Hope this helps,
Your brother in prayer, your brother
in Christ,
Mike
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