Posted on 03/12/2010 2:53:28 PM PST by delacoert
Dallin Oaks' Harvard appearance part of LDS drive to increase understanding, awareness of religion
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The tripartite structure of the Godhead is one of the central aspects of LDS theology that Elder Oaks stressed as critical to LDS beliefs. “We maintain that … God the Father is not a spirit but a glorified Being with a tangible body, as is his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. Though separate in identity, they are one in purpose.” In addition, the purpose of existence in this reality has a definite purpose in LDS: “to qualify for the glorified celestial condition and relationships that are called exaltation or eternal life.” The means of achieving this state are defined according to a religious plan for one's life, a plan that, “can only be accomplished through an eternal marriage between a man and a woman.”
Perhaps the most essential distinction between the LDS faith and other forms of Christianity is its epistemology regarding the sources of knowledge of the divine. “Most Christians believe that the scriptural canon—the authoritative collection of sacred books used as scriptures—is closed because God closed it shortly after the death of Christ and there have been no comparable revelations since that time. Joseph Smith taught and demonstrated that the scriptural canon is open.” The continuing possibility of direct revelations from God gives believers of the LDS Church two authoritative sources for spiritual truth: the continually growing canon of religious scripture and the personal discovery of spiritual truth through communion with the Holy Ghost. “As a source of sacred teaching, the scriptures are not the ultimate but the penultimate. The ultimate knowledge comes by personal revelation through the Holy Ghost.”
Elder Oaks' full remarks, are available online at Apostle Addresses Harvard Audience on Mormon Faith.
(Excerpt) Read more at hlrecord.org ...
PR machine at work. Their view of the ‘godhead’ isn’t one of the mysteries of the LDS, the ‘meat’ doctrines are, and I will guarantee he will NOT be discussing those.
And this is the very reason that evangelical Christians do not accept the LDS claims to be Christian. This is heresy!
And this is the very reason that evangelical Christians do not accept the LDS claims to be Christian. This is heresy!
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And Oakes doesn’t even get into the really heretical doctrines of Mormonism:
We can become Gods ourselves....
Christ is only our Creditor, we have to pay Him back...
Christ didn’t need to die because He already atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane...
Christ was married and probably a polygamist...
Polygamy is STILL an ‘eternal principle’ (they have never rescinded D&C 132)....
God cannot create, He can only ‘organize’...
God has a wife or wives (Mother in Heaven)....
God was once a human who lived the Mormon gospel, went through the Mormon temple, had a savior of His own...
God has a God, who has a God, ad infinitum...
I can go on, and lest anyone accuse me of ‘twisting’, I can provide documentation for all of the above from the LDS’ OWN sources.
And this is the very reason that evangelical Christians do not accept the LDS claims to be Christian. This is heresy!
As a "backdrop" to what I'm going to say, I'll point out that Christianity makes claims for itself that it is "exclusive" and that there is no other way to God, the Father, than through Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. And that's fine.
Also, there are a lot of other religions in the world who don't make exclusive claims like that, but Christianity rejects them all as false and Satanic (in that Satan perpetrates lies on the world, and tries to keep people away from the truth of God in Christianity).
Now, having said that -- I find that there are a lot of "up front" religions out there, who although they don't agree with Christianity -- they are "up front" about it and are not "sneaky" and trying to pretend to "be Christianity-based" [there are some, but in comparison to all the religions in the world, not many].
Scientology doesn't claim to be "Christianity-based" and basically "makes up its own religion" and stands by it. Gotta respect them for, at least, standing by their own "religion" and not trying to pretend to be some other religion.
Islam (which I think is from the devil) doesn't try to be "Christianity-based" and it's against Christians and Jews, both. It makes no bones about it and is totally against Christianity. At least it stands up for itself and its beliefs and doesn't try to "pretend" to be "Christianity-based".... LOL ...
And you can go down a list of other world religions that stand on their own.
BUT, when you come to Mormonism... they're plain "SNEAKY" about things. They lie to you, pretend to be "Christianity-based", try to pretend to have "Christian doctrines", try to pretend to be "just another denomination" of Christianity...
I've never seen a sneakier bunch in my life than Mormons when talking about how their "religion" is "Christian-based" and has Christian doctrines.
That must be how come Romney is so sneaky in his politics, too... it just goes along naturally with the relgion that he is a member of.... :-)
Matthew 26:34
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
Food for thought.
Some may not be aware of this, so I posted the Scriptures to show where the conflict is obvious.
Yes, indeed... that does show the conflict -- very obviously.
And to the Mormon that also -- very obviously -- shows why the King James Version of the Bible is so unreliable. It can't even "get it right" in that very apparent conflict... doncha know.... :-)
Is this what FR is all about?
Translation:
"We worship a god with at least TWO physical bodies."
You might want to comment on this thread...
Is "run tell teacher" what it's all about?
God the Father is not a spirit but a glorified Being with a tangible body, as is his resurrected Son, Jesus Christ.
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That’s not a Christian belief right there...
Mormonismn is not Christianity...
Well, I’d like to thank you for having an open thread, which is not usually the case when threads are started by lds.
And how is this ‘bashing’?
Mostly we post quotes and articles by the LDS themselves.
You just HAD to do it, didn’t you.
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