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I have never stated at least I have never intentionally stated that one religion is as good as another, I have simply not stated that one religion is better than another. If I did think one church better than another why would my “opinion” be of any value to anyone else. My father once explained to me that opinions were line a—holes, everybody had one and most of them stink.

It appears however that some religions have a much more weighted claim to truth than others. That the “Catholic” churches are the descendants of the church led by Peter seems to be true by evidence we see in historical records. That is some pretty heavy weight. Being the remnant of the original church however does not necessarily make the Catholic faith “THE” only faith approved by our God. As I said earlier therein lies the rub, as Sportin Life said in Porgy and Bess, “it ain’t necessarily so.”

Are there reasons to question The Catholic Church? I should say so, but I am a nobody as we are all nobodies and must make decisions based on the knowledge we have before us. What God has given to us in His infinite wisdom is His Holy Spirit to help us come to a righteous decision about faith.

The thing is, I believe God our Heavenly Father, the Father of us all is a real being, a being who hears my prayers, who loves me simply because I am His child. I am not unique, He loves us all. I believe that Jesus Christ is the literal Son of God and that because I (and all others) are sinners we lost our chance to ever be with God again because only perfection can dwell in God’s presence. I am not perfect. Jesus Christ was perfect, yet He was subjected to the punishment that God’s law prescribes to my imperfection, He did not have to do that, He did it because He loves me. Because He did what He did on that day when I stand before God and the books are opened there will be a blot mark where my sins were, When God questions what was there The Lord, The Savior, Jesus Christ will say the penalty has already been paid, he is mine, I purchased him with My blood. I will then be ushered in to His presence to live with Him forever. I will become an heir with Christ of all that His Father has.

These are things I know through study, prayer and by revelation given to me by The Holy Ghost. There are many that teach these things so I am not alone in my knowledge of them but some that teach those things teach other things that I may not agree with. Some teach that without a righteous priesthood to administer the laws and ordinances of His church that my knowledge of Him and His Father are useless, these people make a good case and are worth listening to. Others who believe the same things but again have beliefs that I question say that authority to administer the laws and ordinances of The Gospel of Jesus Christ come from another source, they come from The Holy Bible and knowledge received from Seminary instruction, from the laying on of hands from wise, educated and respected people. Like Martin Luther they too make a a good case for their understanding.

The problem is as I see it they can’t all be right, they are in fact mutually exclusive. Each church calls the other church wrong and in many cases are singled out by the wise educated people as simpletons, ignoramuses or even worse , evil. The churches I see most singled our are Catholics and Mormons. For some reason the churches that are descended from Catholic are not singled out for the berating that I have seen and heard over and over for the better part of the last seventy years. During my years on earth I have witnessed a few things on my own without the help of others. I have read and re-read the Bible many times. I have read in Matthew 7 how we should pray in secret, I have also read there that by their fruits you shall know them. When I see a TV preacher with an animated prayer and an 800 number on the screen to call to give donations I get turned off and think of rotten fruit. When I see the Catholic Church I see a lot of good fruit. When I see the Mormons I see a lot of good fruit. Is there unrighteousness in those churches? Perhaps but by their fruits they look pretty good.

I am done with criticizing other peoples churches that have good fruit and when I see good fruits I like to acknowledge them and investigate them. When I see churches that ordain queers and teach that marriage between two men or two women is the same as between a man and a woman then I classify that as bad fruit. When I see a church teach that the ten commandments are done away with when The Lord didn’t say that, but that they were fulfilled I see bad fruit. It would be tempting to say that because a minister or priest did something wrong that that is bad fruits but I have decided that what individuals do should not be what we judge a church by, we judge by their doctrines.

When churches do what they think will bring them the most money I have a hard time feeling their inspiration. When I see churches with good fruits I may not believe they are right but I am sure not going to believe they are wrong.

I am done with criticizing other peoples churches that have good fruit and when I see good fruits I like to acknowledge them and investigate them.

Has Mormonism ever renounced these statements by it's leaders?

Are the 'FACTS' stated herein STILL in effect?

Orson Pratt proclaimed: "Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness. Any person who shall be so corrupt as to receive a holy ordinance of the Gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent" (The Seer, p. 255).

Questions put to Joseph Smith: "'Do you believe the Bible?' [Smith:]'If we do, we are the only people under heaven that does, for there are none of the religious sects of the day that do'. When asked 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons'? [Smith replied] 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119).

Joseph Smith: "for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible" (from Pearl of Great Price 1:12). "What is it that inspires professors of Christianity generally with a hope of salvation? It is that smooth, sophisticated influence of the devil, by which he deceives the whole world" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.270).

Brigham Young stated this repeatedly: "When the light came to me I saw that all the so-called Christian world was grovelling in darkness" (Journal of Discourses 5:73); "The Christian world, so-called, are heathens as to the knowledge of the salvation of God" (Journal of Discourses 8:171); "With a regard to true theology, a more ignorant people never lived than the present so-called Christian world" (Journal of Discourses 8:199); "And who is there that acknowledges [God's] hand? ...You may wander east, west, north, and south, and you cannot find it in any church or government on the earth, except the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Journal of Discourses , vol. 6, p.24); "Should you ask why we differ from other Christians, as they are called, it is simply because they are not Christians as the New Testament defines Christianity" (Journal of Discourses 10:230).

Orson Pratt also said: "This great apostasy commenced about the close of the first century of the Christian era, and it has been waxing worse and worse from then until now" (Journal of Discourses , vol.18, p.44) and: "But as there has been no Christian Church on the earth for a great many centuries past, until the present century, the people have lost sight of the pattern that God has given according to which the Christian Church should be established, and they have denominated a great variety of people Christian Churches, because they profess to be ...But there has been a long apostasy, during which the nations have been cursed with apostate churches in great abundance" (Journal of Discourses , 18:172).

President John Taylor stated: "Christianity...is a perfect pack of nonsense...the devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century." (Journal of Discourses , vol. 6, p.167); "Where shall we look for the true order or authority of God? It cannot be found in any nation of Christendom." (Journal of Discourses , 10:127).

James Talmage said: "A self-suggesting interpretation of history indicates that there has been a great departure from the way of salvation as laid down by the Savior, a universal apostasy from the Church of Christ". (A Study of the Articles of Faith, p.182).

President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "Doctrines were corrupted, authority lost, and a false order of religion took the place of the gospel of Jesus Christ, just as it had been the case in former dispensations, and the people were left in spiritual darkness." (Doctrines of Salvation, p.266). "For hundreds of years the world was wrapped in a veil of spiritual darkness, until there was not one fundamental truth belonging to the place of salvation ...Joseph Smith declared that in the year 1820 the Lord revealed to him that all the 'Christian' churches were in error, teaching for commandments the doctrines of men" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, p.282).

More recent statements by apostle Bruce McConkie are also very clear: "Apostasy was universal...And this darkness still prevails except among those who have come to a knowledge of the restored gospel" (Doctrines of Salvation, vol 3, p.265); "Thus the signs of the times include the prevailing apostate darkness in the sects of Christendom and in the religious world in general" (The Millennial Messiah, p.403); "a perverted Christianity holds sway among the so-called Christians of apostate Christendom" (Mormon Doctrine, p.132); "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" (Mormon Doctrine, p.269); "Gnosticism is one of the great pagan philosophies which antedated Christ and the Christian Era and which was later commingled with pure Christianity to form the apostate religion that has prevailed in the world since the early days of that era." (Mormon Doctrine, p.316).

President George Q. Cannon said: "After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, there were only two churches upon the earth. They were known respectively as the Church of the Lamb of God and Babylon. The various organizations which are called churches throughout Christendom, though differing in their creeds and organizations, have one common origin. They all belong to Babylon" (Gospel Truth, p.324).

President Wilford Woodruff stated: "the Gospel of modern Christendom shuts up the Lord, and stops all communication with Him. I want nothing to do with such a Gospel, I would rather prefer the Gospel of the dark ages, so called" (Journal of Discourses , vol. 2, p.196).

When I see a TV preacher with an animated prayer and an 800 number on the screen to call to give donations I get turned off and think of rotten fruit.

HMMMmmm...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithing_settlement

Temple Recommend Questions:

1 Do you have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost?

2 Do you have a testimony of the Atonement of Christ and of His role as Savior and Redeemer?

3 Do you have a testimony of the restoration of the gospel in these the latter days?

4 Do you sustain the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator and as the only person on the earth who possesses and is authorized to exercise all priesthood keys? Do you sustain members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain the other General Authorities and local authorities of the Church?

5 Do you live the law of chastity?

6 Is there anything in your conduct relating to members of your family that is not in harmony with the teachings of the Church?

7 Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

8 Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and other meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?

9 Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen?

10 Are you a full-tithe payer?

11 Do your keep the Word of Wisdom?

12 Do you have financial or other oblgations to a former spouse or children? If yes, are you current in meeting those obligations?

13 If you have previously received your temple endowment:

Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple?

Do you wear the garment both night and day as instructed in the endowment and in accordance with the covenant you made in the temple?

14 Have there been any sins or misdeeds in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authorities but have not been?

15 Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord's house and participate in temple ordinances?

>>That the “Catholic” churches are the descendants of the church led by Peter seems to be true by evidence we see in historical records.<<

Whose historical records? Not actual documented historical records. If you're going by the fabricated records of the Catholic Church you're being duped.

Your obviously correct in that the shed blood of Christ and trust in Him alone is the only way to salvation.

There are however warnings in scripture about leaving that "first love". I suggested you read the letters to the seven churches found in Revelation. Incorporating pagan practices and beliefs were strongly condemned by God calling it "whoring around with other gods" and cause for being rejected. Adding rules and rituals were what Christ condemned the Pharisees for.

Carnal "good works" are not "fruit of the Spirit". I often think of Mother Teresa who by all carnal observation surely had "good works". She however believed that whether you were Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever was good enough. Those "good works" were not "fruit of the Holy Spirit".

Scripture tells us to correct and rebuke false teaching. If we don't and just allow it we are partakers of that error. God warns His people about false religions and to "come out of her" or they will partake of the plagues that will come to it.

These debates aren't simply about different paths to the same God. Love for others demands that we warn about errors that will result in Christ saying "I never knew you".