Uhm, yes you did and that's fine, but don't try to say one thing and do another.
But before I go any further, are you willing to debate what you posted or are you just posting and running like before?
________________________________________________________
I'm sorry if my rant seemed like a defense of Mormonism. I'm not trying to convert anybody to any religion unless bringing people to believe in Christ counts. I am however turned off by people who say things that I think are untrue or who say things that may have some truth in it but is said in such a way as to be misleading or belittling. I simply often try to correct these kinds of statements. Yes I have a hard time not taking critical post about Mormons and Mormonism as being about my wife.
You must know my posts and notice that I comment on a wide variety of subjects other than religion. I in fact am always reluctant to talk about religion since I feel so unprepared as compared to others. I am not a Bible student. I have read it several times but am not a student.
I don't know what you mean by running before. I don't spend my life in front of the computer and I am at work. There are limits to what I can do here but I am willing to have a “discussion” with anybody about most anything.
I find it very distasteful when discussions/debates devolve into arguments. The reason for discussions are for people to learn what others know or believe. I enjoy civil discussions. Sometimes people have to agree to disagree but that doesn't mean we can't at least let others know what it is we do believe.
When I see posts that cherry pick quotations from “Mormon Leaders”, especially when taken out of context I am especially offended and lost about how to comment. The reason is that I am not a Mormon Scholar. I'm sure that if you were to debate a Mormon Scholar you would have a lot more fun. I would be just a dimwit by comparison. Perhaps my wife could answer questions.
I guess if you have questions, I would be glad to try to answer them from my perspective but I'm not sure a debate would be much fun for either of us.
So, did I say something in my last post that you find particularly offensive or obviously indefensible from a Christian perspective? My meaning was to defuse the differences and make sense of them since I find the Mormons to be Christian.
A little background, I'm an ex-mormon, was quite active for some years, had a temple recommend, was a melchizidek ph, sealed to my mormon spouse (still very active), son born under the covenant, etc.
I left mormonism due to a variety of factors, but the primary one being that I do not believe that man can become a "God", nor that "God" was once a man. There are other factors, but I think you get the point.
As far as "bashing" or "belittling", etc. I would ask; What qualifies as debate vs. bashing, or anti-mormonism? When one is posting from legitimate LDS sources and then linking to the source, how can things be misleading or taken out of context?
If I posted my opinion, that's one thing. But linking directly to LdS sources is clearly another, would you agree?
I seem to recall responding to you once before and not getting a response. It's likely I'm mistaken, if so, my apologies.
There are many things in your post that I disagree with, nothing that personally offended. That is why I asked if you were willing to debate them, not "argue" per se. Although, I can see where many may have a hard time with "debate" vs. "argument" when the line can be so thin.
I know a lot about where you're coming from. I'm there, but from a slightly different perspective/direction, I'm an apostate to the mormon church. My wife and I have our differences, we have some discussions now and then about theology and doctrine, but we can do so without it becoming heated.
I will hold my "fire" so to speak, I don't want an otherwise amicable interaction to devolve. I would like to offer this partial response to your previous post though. No reply or response required or solicited, just "food for thought".
[JAKraig] - ”I don’t fail to see evil in Mormons because of my wife, although I believe her to be a very true Saint. She tries hard to live her religion, I wish I was as good a person as her. Mind you I try to be a good person, I just don’t think I am willing to put as much effort into it as she.”
I agree with your sentiments in regards to my wife. I truly believe she's a wonderful person, otherwise, why would I be married to her? But something in your statement struck me.
Keyword = “effort”. How much “effort” JA? I’m married to a mormon, she's a temple worker, so that in and of itself should indicate to any who are familiar, how faithful she is. I see how much “effort” is expended and then I hear my wife tell me things like; “I hope I’ve done enough to get to heaven.” “I pray that I’m good enough to get to heaven.”, etc. Is this what is taught in the Bible? That believers in Christ must go through all this “effort” and still remain in doubt? I don’t believe that is the sign of a loving and merciful God. To keep His children confused. Satan is the author of confusion. God is clear on the matter;
John 6:28-29 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
No “effort”, no works, once you truly have a change of heart, your "works" are an outward manifestation of your conversion. I’ve been trying to teach my wife this for sometime, yet she is caught in the Chinese finger trap of Mormonism. She has to believe in the “restoration” or all of her “efforts” have been for naught. Mormons believe you must earn “credit” and that Jesus will pay the balance on the “debt owed”, but cannot nor will not tell any at what point you know you’ve done “enough. IOW, you’ll only find out once you reach judgment.
Grace is a matter of recieving by faith. You cannot earn it. Nothing you do will merit you more of it. There is no greater sacrifice than what Jesus did on the cross. And thanks be to God- you can simply receive that by faith. And faith is a posture of rest. Not of work. It's like saying to our kids at Christmas, "Here is a great gift I'm giving you. It's free after all you can do. You do not deserve it. It's so nice you can never pay for it. Now go get me all of your money and do extra chores and we'll call it even." That's not much of a free gift, is it?
That is what I find offensive with mormonISM, that they have attached a "price" to the Grace that God gives freely.
FRegards,
SZ