Posted on 01/11/2010 3:54:09 PM PST by Colofornian
POCATELLO — One of the organizers of a media campaign that is using billboards in Pocatello and other cities seeking to convince Mormons of perceived errors in their faith says the group is not attacking members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"The reason we do this is that we really do have a love for the Mormon people,” says Mark Cares, president of the group that is organizing the campaign. “Our ministry is to reach out to the LDS people.”
He says while the campaign does question LDS doctrine, it is not meant to attack Mormons. LDS members see the campaign differently.
“We’re used to it. It happens a lot,” Roger Porter, an LDS spokesman for the Southeast Idaho area, says about anti-LDS campaigns. “It’s too bad it happens in the name of Christianity.”
The campaign includes two billboards in Pocatello (on Pole Line Road and Highway 30), two in Idaho Falls and one in Rexburg. The campaign will also include mass mailings.
The billboards, which show a woman in obvious emotional distress holding her head, ask the question, “Feeling worthy?” and direct people to the Web site, www.hishealingnow.com.
Though they’re subtle, the billboards are undoubtedly targeted toward LDS members, especially women.
“They’re not in-your-face, but if you’re an LDS member, it will be hard not to know they’re directed toward you,” Cares says.
The “Speaking the Truth in Love to Mormons” campaign is organized by the Truth in Love Ministry of Nampa.
Cares says the central message of the campaign is that Mormonism is a religion of works.
“In Mormonism, you have to ... pull yourself up by your own bootstraps,” he says. “The emphasis of Christianity is what God has done and not what you have to do.”
“Mormonism is grace-plus,” he adds. “In Christianity, the message is grace alone. There are (major) differences between the messages of Christianity and Mormonism. In our experience, we have found this is a message many people in the LDS church need to hear.”
In response to questions about the campaign, an LDS media relations manager in Salt Lake City released a statement explaining the church’s doctrine on salvation.
The statement says the church does not believe people can gain salvation through their own unaided efforts.
“We must work to our limit and then rely upon the merits, mercy and grace of the Holy One of Israel to see us through the struggles of life and into life eternal,” the statement said, quoting from chapters of Nephi and Moroni in the Book of Mormon. “We believe that while human works are necessary — including exercising faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, receiving the sacraments or ordinances of salvation and rendering Christian service to our neighbors — they are not sufficient for salvation.”
Porter says it’s unfortunate that groups such as the Nampa church feel the need to attack Mormon doctrine, but LDS members aren’t offended because they’re used to those campaigns.
“We live in a free country and society and people can speak their minds and do what they want,” he says. “Our intent and objective is to get along with all people and work with (them) to accomplish good things for the community. If some people don’t want to do that, we just have to ... move on and do the things we’re trying to do to accomplish some good.
“We’re confident in the direction we’re going.”
Cares, who is also a pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Nampa, says his group is accused of being anti-Mormon all the time and the recent billboard campaign has been a topic of discussion on talk radio shows in the Boise area.
“If you’re driving down the road and you discover that around the curve the bridge is out, the loving thing to do is sound the warning,” he says. “If I truly believe the bridge is out, the loving thing to do is warn people.”
Do you all see that the LDS church expects YOU to do EVERYTHING "before" God kicks in? (Notice the "and then" transition in the statement above). Lds derive this statement from 2 Nephi 25:23:
...ye are saved by grace, AFTER ALL YOU CAN DO." (2 Nephi 25:23) [Mormon, have you done ALL you can do? All YOU can do emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc.??? 'Cause this verse says free grace doesn't kick in UNTIL you do -- that's what the plain meaning of the words "AFTER all" equals.]
And: "...may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their WORKS." (Helaman 12:24) [In other words, the Book of Mormon teaches that free grace isn't so free after all, because men have to earn it "according to their works."]
Lds columnist Jerry Johnston wrote an interesting column of late: From that column: Now comes author Brad Wilcox with a fresh take on the notion. In his new book "The Continuous Atonement," Wilcox writes: "I think of the Atonement more like this: Jesus already bought the whole bike. The few coins he asks from me are not so much to help pay for the bike, but rather to help me appreciate it, value it and use it correctly." I like that a lot. (See Humility only real response to salvation )
It was a nice column to see, showing that there's wonderful, fresh movement among Mormons! Yes, indeed! The light is finally kicking on for Mormons! Jesus Christ paid for 100% of our salvation! When He died on the cross, He used a common phrase that meant in their day, "Paid in full" when He uttered the words, "It is finished." Mormons like to quote Phil. 2:12: ...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, -- all the while ignoring the same sentence in the next verse: 13for it is GOD WHO WORKS IN YOU TO WILL AND TO ACT according to his good purpose. Who gets the credit & the glory? God!!! HE works in us! He enables our will & actions to be in accordance with Him!
Indeed. LDS President/"Prophet" Spencer W. Kimball in official LDS periodicals proclaimed:
"Man can transform himself, but he has in him the seeds of Godhood that can grow. He can lift himself by his very bootstraps" (Tribune, Sept. 18, 1974).
"Brethren, 225,000 of you are here tonight. I suppose that 225,000 of you may become gods" ( The Ensign, November 1975, 1980).
What does Mormon doctrine say? "Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; entere ye into my law and ye shall be saved." (Lds Doctrine & Covenants 132:32)
The Bible says that Abraham was saved by faith (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:2-3) -- not by following a law that had yet to be introduced to anyone of his generation. Rom. 3:20 very specifically says the purpose of the law was to gain knowledge of sin -- not to find salvation. In fact, that verse makes it quite clear that "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
Mormons say the primary impetus for God's forgiveness isn't based upon His grace & mercy, but rather upon living his commandments (legalism): "To make our repentance complete we must always keep the commandments of the Lord (see D&C 1:32). A person is not fully repentant who does not pay this tithes or does not keep the Sabbath day holy or refuses to obey the Word of Wisdom. He is not repentant if he does not sustain the authorities of the Church and does not love the Lord or his fellowmen. A man who fails to have his family prayers and who is unkind to his family and others is surely not repentant...President [Spencer W.] Kimball said...spend the balance of your lives trying to live the commandments of the Lord so he can eventually pardon you and cleanse you." (Lds church, Gospel Principles, p. 120-122, citing Lds "prophet" Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 200)
The Lds church has it backwards. We are forgiven & cleansed; and therefore God works through us to assist us in good works and pure living. They think you have to engage in commandment-obedience so that God will eventually pardon & cleanse us. (That's legalism)
Intimidating billboard placemark
[Whereas, in contrast, a good definition of a "Christian" is someone already perfect in the Father's eyes thru Jesus sacrificial death (Heb. 10:14) -- where His perfect righteousness is substituted for our imperfect righteousness. (1 Cor. 1:30). Heb. 10:14 ...because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.]
Just to be sure, I looked up "worthiness" (a key Lds concept) in the 1977 "Topical Guide to the Scriptures of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" published by church-owned Deseret Publishers.
I found verses like Doctrine & Covenants 59:4: "And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time--they that are faithful and diligent before me."
"Commandments not a few"? -- sounds like a long checklist to me.
I then looked at the 1979 "Topical Guide" in the Lds version of its KJV -- and turned to the "worthiness" entry there: It tells me right up top its related to the concept of "qualifying for" & then proceeds to verses like D&C 31:5: "Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live."
Ah. There it is: The Mormon "strategy." Don't "trust" for your salvation, "thrust in your sickle"
So it sounds like the Mormon god wants plenty of soul labor -- paid labor -- spiritual hirelings -- earned labor for salvation. No free gifts here. No grace here. Just follow the rules, ma'am.
Indeed, the LDS are the "rules oriented" ones: The purity and perfection we seek is unattainable without this subjection of unworthy, ungodlike urges and the corresponding encouragement of their opposites. We certainly cannot expect the rules to be easier for us than for the Son of God... (Lds "prophet" Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 28)
Just look @ all the "rule extensions" Lds have imposed upon their followers in order to make it to the highest degree of afterlife:
(1) You have to be obedient to all the commandments & ordinances of the Mormon god
(2) You have to tithe -- what Lds reference as the "Law of consecration"
(3) You have to obey the "Word of Wisdom" -- not drink coffee, etc.
(4) You have to get married -- sorry, no never-married single people allowed
(5) You have to have as many children as possible
(6) You have to perform temple work for the dead
(7) You have to perform endowments essential for this highest degree of salvation
(8) You have to be a member of the right church (Lds)
(9) You have to receive & perform the rites and ordinances established by that church
(10)You have to have Joseph Smith's consent to enter into your highest afterlife
That is 19th-20th-21st century legalism!
The 1st amendment was not designed for anyone’s comfort.
“What makes you worthy?”. Maybe I am just in an extraordinary mood today but between reagannut and you I have spent the last twenty minutes laughing my butt-ocks off!
there is no concept of worthy in the Bible or God’s eyes. We are in fact not worthy but God has decided to have mercy on us and delivered Jesus Christ, as a lamb to be sacraficed, in token for our salvation.
The term worthy is Masonic but even it has no real degree other “Worthy and well qualified and coming of good report”. Joseph Smith was a Mason and that is where he got the term.
Now that I read that line and made my comment, I will go and read your post.
Hog wash.
I will only accept an imperfect God's assessment and judgment.
Sorry Joe.
Wait! Some imperfect being gets to make a decision for me? That is cracked.
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Good analysis.
No only imperfect, but the LDS God is not Omnipotent either. He cannot create nor destroy matter, he can only “organize” it.
You are just Ahab, continuing and continuing after your Moby Dick.
Packing break placemarker.
If he is God and needs something organized couldn’t he create a maid or Jeannie 2.0 to do it for him?
I would think He is a busy God.
What Paul is talking about is not the same as some LDS idea of progressive worthiness.
In God’s eyes you either are or are not. He is an absolutist and doesn’t do things by degree or stacking building blocks of good works for achievement points, which you can take to the cashier at the heavenly gates and redeem for special dispensation.
If he is God and needs something organized couldn’t he create a maid or Jeannie 2.0 to do it for him?
I would think He is a busy God.
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Especially with having to create all those “spirit babies” with all of his wives.
Apparently, our “heavenly mothers” don’t have the power to organize.
So they are incubators and serve no other purpose?
I want a whole woman, even if they get on my nerves.
It’s a great life -
But it’d be hell without the women.
Ooops, there was a “snort!” in those brackets :-)
So they are incubators and serve no other purpose?
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Pretty much. Their job is to be “eternally pregnant”.
An amusing thing to watch is a bunch of LDS women together discussing how “wonderful it will be to always be pregnant, and having spirit babies knowing they will come to their own earth to progress just like we did”.
Equally amusing is a bunch of Ex-Mormon women together discussing it and saying “Dear God! HOW could I ever think I wanted THAT?!”
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