Posted on 12/17/2014 6:04:21 AM PST by Gamecock
Youve got to be careful what you share online. Over the weekend Facebook and Twitter were suddenly inundated with links to a new recording of the Christmas hymn Angels From the Realms of Glory mashed up with Angels We Have Heard on High. It was recorded by The Piano Guys and features David Archuleta, a one-time runner up on American Idol. It is a creative recording that intersperses shots of the musicians with video taken to record the worlds largest nativity scene. The song is beautifully sung and the music is rich; it is no surprise that it quickly gained over one million views. Well and good, right? Well, except for one thing: Its purpose is to separate you from Jesus Christ.
This video was produced as a key part of a huge social media campaign called #ShareTheGifta Mormon evangelistic social media campaign. This campaign is meant to reclaim Christmas as a religious holiday but also to serve as a gateway into Mormonism. At the end of the video is a brief testimony by Steven Sharp Nelson of The Piano Guys who shares what Christmas means to him and who points to a second video titled He Is the Gift. This video, in turn, leads to a page at Mormon.org that shares why you, too, ought to become Mormon.
As I said, youve got to be careful what you share online. What looks good at a glance may harbor some deep concerns.
I thought a lot about this video over the weekend and want to offer a few reflections on its significance.
This video reminds us that Christianstrue Christians who hold to the true gospel of the Bibleare not the only ones who use biblical language and who sing the great hymns of the Christian faith. Mormons sing many of the same hymns as we do, though they often change the lyrics to remove any references to the Trinity or to otherwise make them palatable with Mormon theology. (e.g. Where in Holy, Holy, Holy we sing God in three persons blessed Trinity they sing God in his glory, blessed Deity.) Mormons claim to be Christians and to honor the Bible; they speak of Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer and claim that he is the only begotten son of the Father; they proclaim a gospel of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Spirit, and persevering to the end. But they also deny the doctrine of the Trinity, they deny the divinity of Jesus Christ, and they deny justification by grace alone through faith alone. Though they proclaim that they are Christians, in reality they are Christ-deniers. We do not need to apologize for this and cannot over-emphasize it: Mormons are not Christians. Yet they share just enough of our beliefs that they can masquerade as Christians if we do not look deeper than the surface.
This video also reminds us why Mormonism is a quickly-growing religion. Mormons rarely win and woo converts through their theology. It has been my experience that most Mormons do not know a lot of theology and that most of them do not much care for theology. Mormons win followers through their promise of a better life and through their example of happy, clean-cut individuals and families. And sure enough, this video is full of beautiful people behaving beautifully. There is not a tattoo or body-piercing to be seen, not a hair out of place, not a frown in the crowd. Mormonism does not have to offer theology because it speaks to the realm of felt needs. The great promise of Mormonism is you can be like us or, even better, your family can be like ours. For many people that is very nearly irresistible.
This video serves as a helpful reminder that Mormons and many others use new media very well. These Mormon evangelistic efforts are always very clever and very compelling. They always give away enough information to make it seem like Mormons are just another friendly group of Christians, and they withhold the information that distinguishes them from true Christians. They speak gladly of the affirmations but tend to hide the denials. This video is powerfully effective at accomplishing its purposeto serve as an advertisement for Mormonism and to function as a gateway into Mormonism.
Finally, this video reminds us that even good songs can be dangerous. Most years I enjoy watching a performance of Handels Messiah, and it does not much bother me that few of the musicians involved are Christians. They sing the most God-glorifying words set to sublime music, and do it without a shred of faith in Christ. But there is a substantial difference between God-glorifying music sung by unbelievers and God-glorifying music sung by false teachers who intend to use that music to lead you away from Christ. This performance of Angels From the Realms of Glory is meant to turn you away from justification by grace through faith alone and meant to turn you toward the false gospel of Mormonism. The song was not intended to glorify Jesus, but to draw attention to a false representation of him. The song itself is not the problem, of course; the problem is the purpose behind the song and the campaign that generated it.
This video reminds us once again: Not all that glitters is gold.
If I rely solely on Jesus Christ for my salvation, what does that make me?
BTW, how did you answer the questions here?
A very BAD Mormon!
3.We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Prophet Joseph Smith first wrote them in a letter to John Wentworth, a newspaper editor,
in response to Mr. Wentworth's request to know what members of the Church believed.
They were subsequently published in Church periodicals.
They are now regarded as scripture and included in the Pearl of Great Price.
THE ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 535541
Joseph Smith |
Re: "salvation": The Bible talks about the following aspects those in Christ are saved from:
1. Bondage to Personal Sin (John 8:34; Romans 6) + original sin (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Romans 5)
2. Eternal hell (numerous passages spoken by Jesus in Gospels)
3. Satan & darkness of world (Acts 26:18)
4. Fear of death (Hebrews 2:14)
5. Spiritual death (Eph. 2:1-4; Luke 9:62)
So, I guess I'm a little befuddled, Normandy.
Mormonism says we aren't in bondage; we all have free agency.
Mormonism says no such thing as original sin for us to be saved from.
Mormonism doesn't believe in eternal hell -- only temporary spirit prison.
Mormonism says Satan was only your pre-existent spirit brother, not the guy holding supposedly "free agent" people in bondage.
And Mormonism says we all have a "get-out-of-hell" card as long as when the Mormon spirit missionaries come to us in spirit prison, we accept their proxy baptism and Mormonized "gospel"...So why fear death per Mormonism?
And spiritual death? When has Mormonism emphasized that?
So...I guess I'm still trying to understand what Mormonism portends to be saving anybody from...
What is your salvation from???
Define salvation. On what do you rely on for exaltation?
Normandy,
I suspect you will be the brunt of attacks from brothers and sister in the faith of Jesus. Will probably say you aren’t christian.
Let’s let Paul state the gospel.. and then compare it to the christian gospel today and see if there are any changes.
Most won’t see a difference.. but there is a difference..
And I suspect Mormons would see the Christian gospel as their own and it originates not in scripture, but in Rome..
Paul, to Corinithians
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Rome’s gospel
For I delivered to you first of all which I also received, that Christ died for our sins on Good Friday, according to Rome, and that He was buried, and that He rose again on the third day, Easter Sunday, according to Rome..
Maybe not being a Christan is not a bad thing if being a christian means believing Rome’s gospel version.
Salvation from sin, death and the effects of the fall.
I fully agree with Paul there.
I agree with your points 1-5. Spiritual death comes to man because of the Fall and because of sin. After Adam and Eve fell they were cast out of the presence of God, and we are born into this fallen world, separated from God. Our sins make us unclean and without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ we would not be able to return to the presence of God.
So we are 100 per cent reliant on Christ for our salvation.
Normandy, let's just take "the fall" on this given post.
I have a book published by Mormon Church owned Deseret Book Publishing (1990). It's called A Witness of Jesus Christ: The 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Old Testament.
Chapter 9 is contributing by a BYU prof...Robert J. Matthews. He presents a totally distinct picture from how you've presented the Fall so negatively (which, BTW, I do agree with you). What I'm saying though is Mormonism doesn't present the Fall negatively; in fact, just the opposite!
Allow me to quote from Mathews:
"No mention is made in Genesis about how Adam and Eve felt about the Fall and having been cast out of the Garden of Eden. But in the Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 4:912 (Moses :10 & 11), we find both of them rejoicing because of the great new life and spiritual opportunities available to them as a result of the Fall...It is only from latterday revelation that we learn that Adam and Eve would have had no children without the Fall. The bible does not define this and therefore many have looked upon the transgression of Adam as a bad thing, believing that if Adam had not transgressed, the earth would have kept its paradisiacal status and the entire human family could have lived in paradise without sin, death, and so forth. Little do these theorists know or realize that none of the human family would have been born if Adam and Eve had not fallen. The references for this very significant and essential doctrine are 2 Nephi 2:23; Moses 5:11; and Moses 6:48." (p. 142)
Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th "prophet" of the Church, wrote: "I never speak of the part Eve took in this fall as a sin, nor do I accuse Adam of a sin" (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:114)
He also wrote: "Adam and Eve rejoiced in the Fall..." and that Adam's "transgression" "was not a sin in the strict sense." (same source, p. 115...also cited in The Pearl of Great Price Student Manual Religion 327, p. 13)
Lds "apostle" Dallin Oaks at the Fall General Conference in 1993 - republished in the November Ensign of that year -- claimed that "Some Christians condemn Eve for her act, concluding that she and her daughters are somehow flawed by it. Not the Latter-day Saints! Informed by revelation, we celebrate Eve's act and honor her wisdom and courage in the great episode called the Fall." ("The Great Plan of Happiness, p. 73 in the November 1993 Ensign.
Other Lds sources also say that minus the Fall, Mormons wouldn't have been able to progress toward godhood!
So here you wisely talk about the many consequences of the Fall-- and rightly so. And yet how has Satan convinced Mormon leaders of what his rebellious mutiny entailed???
Why, per Mormon leadership, you don't need to be "saved" from the effects of the Fall...
...why supposedly sex and procreation were based upon it...
...progression toward godhood was based upon it...
...that it wasn't somehow "sinful"...
...that it was actually "spiritually opportunistic"...
...Eve was "wise" and "courageous" to directly disobey God (I'm sure, Satan would say, like he was!!!)
...And here...Normandy...your leaders are telling you "celebrate" and "rejoice" over their direct disobedience of "the Fall"...
Sorry, Normandy...but you can't eat your cake and have it, too.
You can't claim "salvation" from something supposedly so positive (wise, courageous, spiritually opportunistic, not sinful, something to rejoice in, something to celebrate) ...something that your 10th "prophet" took issue with Christians who claimed that we were "somehow flawed by it"...
If you're not flawed by the Fall -- like Joseph Fielding Smith highlighted -- you don't need to be "saved" from it!
Normandy: Pick your authority: The Bible and obvious experience of life where terrorists murder 136 children in Pakistan and Mormons murder 120 children and their parents in Southern Utah (1857)...or the leaders who orchestrated the Mountain Meadows Massacre slaughter and reinforced the Book of Mormon's take on the Fall and the Pearl of Great Price take on the Fall and your General Authorities who have been spouting the above nonsense ever since!
The plan that God set in motion from before the creation of the world was not a mistake by Him. When Adam and Eve fell it was not a surprise to God, who knew the fall would happen, and because of this, and because of His great love for the human race, he had prepared and chosen a means of redemption for the human race: Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.
Mankind is in a lost and fallen state because of sin and death, and separation from God — but the good news is that the effects of the fall can be overcome because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
That good news applies to all who exercised faith in Christ from the time of Adam and Eve to the end of time. Adam and Eve rejoiced when they understood that there was a plan of redemption prepared for them, and the whole human family has cause to rejoice because of atonement of Jesus Christ.
Correct
This one will say, "What about the OTHER stuff you believe and are so seemingly reticent to talk about?"
This sounds quite MORMONlike.
Do you agree with what Mormon Living Prophets say?
Then a WORTHY Mormon - a good Christian - would have a VERY good reason for ignoring what was posted to him in #39; right?
I, for one, would like to hear it.
My milk glass is nearly empty; where’s the meat?
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