Posted on 11/13/2012 5:13:31 AM PST by Colofornian
Sometimes, cult members -- like Mormons -- can describe a pretty "orthodox" sounding Jesus Christ.
There's some things we actually -- really -- agree with Lds leaders in their general premises.
Oh sure, Mormonism has indeed distorted the one True Jesus and twisted Him into an entirely different Being! (And just like a Nazi twisted "cross" is no cross at all, a twisted "Jesus" is no genuine Jesus at all!)
But that still doesn't take away from statements where we can find agreement -- like when Mormon leaders readily concede that they worship, speak about, believe and acknowledge an entirely different Jesus from the Christ of the Christian world!
| Lds Source | Lds Leaders Say: 'Different Christ' | Bible indicates: 'Different Christ' |
| Lds 'prophet' Gordon B. Hinckley: | Lds "prophet" Gordon B. Hinckley: “There are those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.” (LDS Church News, June 20, 1998) Hinckley again: As a Church we have critics, many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. ("We Look to Christ", from April 2002 General Conference.) |
"The FACT IS, we do NOT depend on the Bible or on traditional biblical interpretations for our theology." (BYU professor Robert L. Millet, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, 6:1, p. 198). Did you notice the "WE" of Millet's statement? -- and that there wasn't a storm or even a peep of protest from either Mormon leaders or Mormon grassroots objecting to this Millet statement...and I would guestimate that lack of protest encompasses ALL FReeper Mormons! In stark contrast, the traditional Christ within Christianity is... ...uniquely THE ONLY begotten Son from eternity past, not one of millions of God's pre-existent "sons"; He is uniquely Savior, not one of millions of saviors per Mormondom; He is uniquely Creator and divine and self-existent from eternity past, not one of MILLIONS of men who are somehow likewise "self-existent" from eternity past; His blood is uniquely powerful beyond men's commandment-keeping -- lest the promise Jesus made to the thief on the cross become a false prophecy; His blood is potent enough to cover ALL sins, unlike the Mormon Jesus who leaves men to "make up" for anemic blood via their own "blood atonement." He absorbed God's wrath vs. the Book of Mormon violent Jesus who took out His wrath upon thousands of residents in alleged 16 Book of Mormon cities! The violent Mormon Jesus sunk, entombed, and otherwise destroyed perhaps up to 90,000 upon His death on the Mormon cross! The Bible knows no such horrific crucifixion aftermath fairy tales... |
| Lds official publication Ensign; BYU Press; Lds curricula - Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide | “It is true that many of the Christian churches worship a different Jesus Christ than is worshipped by the Mormons.” – LDS publication, Ensign Magazine, May 1977, p. 26; "True and saving worship is found ONLY among those who know the truth about God and the Godhead, and who understand the true relationship men should have with each member of that Eternal Presidency." ("Our Relationship with the Lord," in Fireside and Devotional Speeches, 1981-82 (Provo: BYU Press, 1982), p. 97 -- this quote republished in official Lds curricula publication in 1983, 1986, Come unto Christ: Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide, 1984/1988, p. 45) | (See comparison charts to follow); Christians worship a Christ who can receive direct prayer (Acts 7:59; Mormons even militate vs. their own "scripture" on this -- see 3 Nephi 19:18, 24-26) |
| Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie | "And virtually all the millions of apostate Christendom have abased themselves before the mythical throne of a mythical Christ whom they vainly suppose to be a spirit essence who is incorporeal uncreated, immaterial and three-in-one with the Father and Holy Spirit" (Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pg.269). | The Christ of Christianity is 'mythical' per an Lds "apostle"? And Mormons imagine that they haven't somehow wielded a direct attack upon Christians worldwide? May I remind Mormons that Lds continued to publish McConkie's "Mormon Doctrine" book? (The Mormon church got ahold of the direct copyright, acquiring it from Bookcraft, and then publishing it under its direct ownership umbrella -- Deseret Book Publishing -- in 1993) McConkie's book was published/republished under 7, count 'em 7, Mormon "prophets" (McKay, Lee, Kimball, Benson, Hunter, Hinckley, Monson). Only McKay conveyed strongly that alterations needs to be forthcoming after the initial edition, and revisions were made...but not enough to keep from embarrassing the Mormon faithful ever since! |
Summary bottom-line:
Mormon official publications say they worship a different Christ...
...the Mormon "prophet" said they speak about, believe and acknowledge a different Christ...
...Most Christians say they worship, speak of and trust another Jesus...
...So. We would seem to be on the same page...so why the few stragglers who are out of harmony???
[STAY TUNED FOR PART III]
From the article: “There are those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.” (Lds "prophet" Gordon B. Hinckley)
"The FACT IS, we do NOT depend on the Bible or on traditional biblical interpretations for our theology." (BYU professor Robert L. Millet, Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, 6:1, p. 198).
From the article: In stark contrast, the traditional Christ within Christianity is...
...uniquely THE ONLY begotten Son from eternity past, not one of millions of God's pre-existent "sons";
He is uniquely Savior, not one of millions of saviors per Mormondom;
He is uniquely Creator and divine and self-existent from eternity past, not one of MILLIONS of men who are somehow likewise "self-existent" from eternity past;
His blood is uniquely powerful beyond men's commandment-keeping -- lest the promise Jesus made to the thief on the cross become a false prophecy;
His blood is potent enough to cover ALL sins, unlike the Mormon Jesus who leaves men to "make up" for anemic blood via their own "blood atonement."
He absorbed God's wrath vs. the Book of Mormon violent Jesus who took out His wrath upon thousands of residents in alleged 16 Book of Mormon cities! The violent Mormon Jesus sunk, entombed, and otherwise destroyed perhaps up to 90,000 upon His death on the Mormon cross! The Bible knows no such horrific crucifixion aftermath fairy tales...
And people wonder why evangelicals stayed home. One corrupts the Constitution and one corrupts the Gospel.
I worship God. He has Son named Jesus...........
Oh goody! Different Christian faiths laying into one another based on their guesses as to who-did-what 2000 years ago. Let’s start a war!
Will any old Jesus do?
I have been to several Churches that have so called pictures of Jesus portraying him as a womanish looking man or maybe not a man which is against scripture, not that i have anything at all against the looks of a woman, i like them very much, but a man that looks like a woman, no, no.
But it is said that the picture was painted by a homosexual which is self explaining so why would any one worship an image of that kind when there is no scripture to back it up not to mention the fact that it goes against the very nature of God and man.
Unless they just want to worship something and don,t care what, or they want to be involved in a club of some kind which seems to be the case, and in that case the moose or elks would have the same affect in their lives.
As far as Mormons are concerned most of them are like other Church goers, they probably do not do much reading of the scriptures themselves, they let some one else do it for them and interpret it the way that suits them.
THX 1138
Wonder how many people will realize this discussion is in the religion forum.
The apostle Paul was warning believers -- night & day for 3 years -- about false shepherds distorting the truth as would-be leaders of the church of Ephesus...he even labeled them as they were... "savage wolves"...
So, hey, that's the history of THE Christian church...
I mean, if you're children were teen Republicans, and some Dems were targeting them, would you object if somebody came to their side as advocates? Or would you say, "Oh goody! Different political parties laying into one another based on their guesses as to who-did-what in the last 4 yrs and who-will-do-what in the next 4 yrs. Let's start a political war!" ???
Well framed
You could have a point if this thread where about different Christan denominations, however mormonISM is not Christianity, so your point is void.
I worship God. He has Son named Jesus...........
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Is Jesus God? Is he the Son of God because of physical sexual relations with Mary?
Because Mormons teach that Jesus is a ‘sub-god’ and only one of millions of Gods and that God and Mary had sex.
Want quotes from LDS leaders?
As far as Mormons are concerned most of them are like other Church goers, they probably do not do much reading of the scriptures themselves, they let some one else do it for them and interpret it the way that suits them.
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Even more so. In Mormonism, the focus is on feelings, they are discouraged from thinking for themselves or researching.
Many (if not most) Christian pastors I know encourage their flock to study the Bible and research.
Also in Mormonism there is a famous quote “When the prophet speaks, the thinking has been done”. I thought myself out of Mormonism.
When I left Mormonism, I ended up getting a degree in Biblical Studies, in part to unlearn what I had been taught in that cult.
Mormons aren’t Christians. Christians agree on the basic (Salvific) doctrines, Mormons deny those.
Been there, done that.
Seriously. You would think the upper right hand corner was hidden or something.
What the LDS believes or doesn’t believe is of no concern to me. I believe in God and His Word. There is no need for another testament............
What the LDS believes or doesn’t believe is of no concern to me. I believe in God and His Word. There is no need for another testament............
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I agree there is no need for another Testament, however I disagree that what the LDS believe is no concern to you. As a Christian, you should WANT to warn others that are following a false gospel.
My point in asking those questions, is what you posted a Mormon would automatically respond with “we believe that too”, but they define it and mean it VERY VERY differently than you do and they know it, they use that assumption that you and they mean the same things, to lie to you about what they believe and get people to either think they are ‘just another Christian group’ or to leave them alone - saying as you did, it is no concern. That way they are free to lie and twist and defraud others into joining their religion - and following their false Gospel.
I love Mormons too much (and I still have several Mormon friends) to let them skip merrily into hell without telling them the truth.
Now, back to my question? Do you believe that Jesus is God’s literal son because God and Mary had sex? Or do you, like me, find that teaching blasphemy?
Mary has nothing to do with the fact that Jesus is God’s firstborn Son. He was God’s Firstborn millenia before Mary existed, before Abraham existed, before Adam existed, before ANYTHING existed.........
Again, I agree with you, but that isn’t what Mormonism teaches. They teach that God and Mary had sex and that Mary was one (just one) of God’s many wives.
Don’t you think that type of blasphemy should be responded too by Christians?
There is something relative to this thread that ALL Christian denominations agree on, in view of your post it seems like you would be dying to know what that universal view is in regards to a Mormon thread.
ALL Christian denominations agree that Mormonism is not Christian, that it is an entirely different, non-Christian religion started by Joseph Smith.
Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Southern Baptist, Greek Orthodox, Methodist, Evangelical, non-Evangelical, they all agree that Mormonism is not a part of Christianity but an entirely different religion of it's own.
Blasphemy is an invention of man, not God...........
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