Is it just me, or are Mormons much more mild-mannered and self-effacing than Jehovah Witnesses? These two young chaps let me pontificate (pretty mildly — my internet bark is worse than my bite) to them on the sidewalk for a good five to ten minutes. We were outside and heading in different directions, so I did not have much time to go through everything. When they asked me if I’d ever talked to Mormons before and what I thought, I explained how the the True Church could never be so corrupted as to need a Joseph Smith. I pointed out that for all its failings, God preserved the Mosaic Covenant and the Levitical Priesthood down to the time of Christ. Christ, when establishing a better covenant than the Mosaic one, would not let His priesthood and Gospel suffer worse than he let Moses’. Hence, the True Church and Gospel still had to be in existence from the time of the Apostles on down to Joseph Smith. Hence, the latter was a false prophet. I did give them the English translation of “Extra ecclesiam nulla salus,” and told them in parting that they should check out the Catholic Church for the sake of their souls.

Could have I done better? Sure, with more time and a place to sit down. But I think that having door-to-door missionaries who are interested in you as a potential convert and not much else has its upside (which is how my post relates to Clara’s). I often lament how much I dissemble as a Catholic at Cornell. I have protestant friends, but I tend to shy away from disputes where we disagree. That, or I behave gingerly. There are many reasons for this, some worse and some better. These things are too close to my heart to make small talk out of — “cast not pearls . . .” Additionally, barring early death, I should know these people for a long time — when being co-workers will not potentially complicate “proselytization.” There is also cowardice, I admit. Plus, in my spiritual priorities, I have several planks in my eye that I need to address before I play opthalmologist for others.

But when you meet a guy on a sidewalk who just wants to talk religion — what a relief! How can you offend someone by trying to convert him when he’s trying to do the same thing to you? Right as I’m saying my Rosary, lamenting my failures to live up to my baptismal and confirmation vows, God plops down two heretics in my way who practically invite me to come out and say the things that prudence and/or cowardice stop me from saying at any other moment. Thank God for Mormons!

Anyway, thank you, Discipulus, for your remark, and Happy St. Patrick’s to you and all our readers! Sorry for neglecting him — a particularly inexcusable omission coming from a diehard fan of the Fighting Irish! I’ll post Discipulus’ comment here on the proper thread since he wasn’t able to:

Thank you, Clara, for sharing your insights; there’s nothing like life experiences. We love Saint Paul and Saint Francis but you passed over one of our greatest apostles and I’m not going to attribute it to invincible ignorance. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!