u/Acceptable_Excuse860

As the title implies, I am a Mormon who is considering becoming Catholic because I have been disaffected from the LDS church for variety reasons, including, but not limited to, prophets of the Mormon church saying things contradicting each other and the Bible, teaching a false version of Christ, historically doing things like practicing polygamy, and requiring extra ordinances for salvation that have no biblical basis.

One major reason I am considering Catholicism is because the LDS taught that the authority Christ gave the apostles was taken from the earth after their death (I don’t even know why I believed that happened).

Anyway, one church that can trace their authority back to the apostles in the Catholic Church, but I heard that the Eastern Orthodox Church does too.

So, my first question is:

1. Why should I choose the Catholic Church over another one that claims apostolic succession?

My other option is to become a protestant. While they don’t have a claim on apostolic succession or a beautiful liturgy (in the case of evangelicals at least), they do seem to go “back to the basics.” What I mean by that is they don’t as the saints to intercede or believe things like the Immaculate Conception, Mary’s bodily assumption, purgatory, or other things that aren’t strongly based in the Bible (please don’t take this to mean that I am making fun of these beliefs, I am just saying what I heard).

So, my second question is:

2. For those who converted to Catholicism, what made you choose that over another branch of Christianity? For those who were born Catholic, why do you believe I should become a Catholic?

Recently, I have decided to leave the Mormon Church for a variety of reason, including concerning history, un-biblical practices needed for salvation, and “prophets“ teaching things that contradict the Bible (and the Book of Mormon, for that matter).

As I search for a biblical Christian church, I have two lingering questions that I would appreciate your perspectives on.

1. Does there have to be a “one true church?”

Growing up, I was taught that the Mormon church was “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.” They support this claim with the first vision, in which their founder Joseph Smith claimed to see God, who supposedly told Joseph that all of the churches on the earth were wrong and Ephesians 4:5 (one Lord, one faith, one baptism).

There are many Christian churches on earth today, and I know that what separates Protestant denominations from each other are “secondary” beliefs, but what should I say to a believing member of the Mormon church who claims God wouldn’t allow so many churches with differing beliefs on the earth?

2. What would you say to a Mormon who claims that there needs to be a prophet on the earth who speaks to God and guides His church?

This is related to the first question and is pretty self-explanatory, but Mormons claim that a prophets is needed to, among other things teaching us about Gods will for us in these days. They would say, “God has always spoken to his people through prophets, why would he stop?“

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Thanks for all your help. I just want to find the true Jesus 😌