Posted on 03/04/2012 7:48:55 PM PST by Ben Barrack
As the Nevada Republican Caucus returns were coming in last month, CNN's John King referred to Mitt Romney as Governor Mormon. Without correcting himself, he used the word Mormon four times in nine seconds. While some may argue it was an innocent slip, others will say it was Freudian in nature.
A short time later, King's network did a story on a bizarre Mormon practice that involves posthumously baptizing non-Mormons by proxy. In the report, the parents of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal were identified as having been subjected to such a practice. Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who was interviewed for the CNN story, unhappily responded to revelations that he himself had been placed on such a list.
In its report, CNN cited Helen Radkey as the person who discovered these unusual baptisms. Radkey is a former Mormon who claims that, Jewish Holocaust names are regularly going into the Mormon database. The report concluded with a reference to Romney actually participating in such proxy baptisms. The message was clear but subtle; Romney is part of this.
Radkey is an extremely key figure, not so much for what she provided to CNN for that story but what she still has yet to provide.
About one week later, the Independent, MSNBC, and Yahoo News all reported that the iconic diarist and heroine, Nazi-era Anne Frank had been posthumously baptized nine times by the Mormon church. Yahoo News cleverly segued from this story to an unrelated story about a Romney comment during a Republican debate, in what appeared to be an attempt to subtly connect the two stories.
Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert went even further by inviting a Jewish intern onto his set during his program and asked him to hold a hot dog while Cobert cut off the tip with a...
(Excerpt) Read more at redcounty.com ...
Wait a minute. Does this mean if Anne Frank's rejected becoming a Mormon nine times, but Hitler accepted on his single offer, Hitler is "saved" Mormon-style but Anne Frank isn't?
And nine times? (Talk about overkill -- not a word far off the literal application here...given that Mormons believe those who accept "salvation" post death don't get to live forether with Heavenly Father.)
(So much for the Mormon heaven being actual heaven!)
Wait a minute, Ben. Why do you make the bad assumption that Romney's Mormonism -- baptism of the dead & all -- is somehow "unrelated" to his political run?
What? Are you trying to hermetically seal his other-worldly worldviews from public inspection? If so, why?
Mormon baptism of the dead is no obscure tucked-away belief or practice.
Here...allow yourself to become more educated on where Mormons see baptism of the dead ranking amongst all their other teachings:
Lds founding prophet Joseph Smith:
The GREATEST RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS WORLD that God has placed upon us is to SEEK AFTER OUR DEAD. (Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 356)
Lds prophet Wilford Woodruff, who had the Mormon power to begin turning off the valve of polygamy:
There is hardly any principle the Lord has revealed that I have rejoiced more in than in the redemption of our dead
(Teachings of Presidents: Wilford Woodruff, pp. 192-193)
LDS scripture: It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. (Lds doctrines & covenants 128:18)
And no "perfection" in the Mormon church, no celestial kingdom (highest degree of Mormon heaven). No celestial kingdom, no "family is forever"...NO Heavenly Father, either. And no godhood. And no own planet, either.
Why...that's going o-for-4 -- to use a common baseball phrase.
Yup. Romney might be DAILY ASKED all about his own involvement in baptizing dead people -- given that it's Mitt's "greatest responsibility" to perform in this life...and that he, like the "prophet" before him, is to "rejoice" in it!
These people are totally insane and when mainstream America finds out that Mittens is a fruitcake heretic and not only a member but a bishop we will be stuck with zero and women of ill repute will be getting all kinds of freebies on the backs of hard working Americans
What if a repeat baptism undoes the previous? But I guess as long as the dead-dunking stops on an odd number the dunkee is good to go.
Why would a god create such a "bureaucracy" of 9 proxy baptisms?
Is this what we can expect from a Mormon POTUS?
Bureaucracy = duplication...Bureaucracy, Mormon style, = bureaucracy times NINE!!!
That's NUTTIN', Honey!
MOST 'mormons' ain't gonna get to LIVE with the FATHER either!!!
"Now, it may be contended that a judgment, with some degree of salvation for all, encourages the sinner to pursue his dark ways. Not so. However generous the judgment, it is measured by our works. Our punishment will be the heavy regret that we might have received a greater reward, a higher kingdom, had our lives conformed more nearly to truth. Such remorse may yield keener pain than physical torture." (Understandable Religion, p. 89)
While Widtsoe is careful not to call a heavenly kingdom "hell", he is nonetheless certain that there will be a keen regret for lost opportunities:
"Humanity will be grouped according to their works in three main divisions: Celestial (like the sun), Telestial (like the moon), Terrestrial (like the earth). Within each group there will be many gradations and divisions, until from the lowest to the highest in all groups there will be a series of gradually ascending glories. There can be no talk of a hell, except for the few 'sons of Perdition,' but undoubtedly the regret for lost opportunities will be keen among those in the lower degrees of glory." (Program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p. 226)
Joseph Fielding Smith, on the other hand, considers the tormenting regret experienced in the bottom two heavenly kingdoms and concludes "in that sense it will be hell":
"This earth will become a celestial kingdom when it is sanctified. Those who enter the terrestrial kingdom will have to go to some other sphere which will be prepared for them. Those who enter the telestial kingdom, likewise will have to go to some earth which is prepared for them, and there will be another place which is hell where the devil and those who are punished to go with him will dwell. Of course, those who enter the telestial kingdom, and those who enter the terrestrial kingdom will have the eternal punishment which will come to them in knowing that they might, if they had kept the commandments of the Lord, have returned to his presence as his sons and his daughters. This will be a torment to them, and in that sense it will be hell." (Answers to Gospel Questions, v. 2, p. 210)
This line of thinking is interesting in light of Joseph Smith's following teaching:
"A man is his own tormenter and his own condemner. Hence the saying, They shall go into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. The torment of disappointment in the mind of man is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone" (TPJS, p. 357)
The entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on "Damnation" essentially explains that the bottom two kingdoms of heaven are kingdoms of damnation:
"Just as there are varying degrees and types of salvation, coupled with eternal progression in some areas (D&C 76:96-98; 131:1-4), so are there varying degrees and types of damnation. In LDS doctrine, to be damned means to be stopped, blocked, or limited in one's progress. Individuals are damned whenever they are prevented from reaching their full potential as children of God. Damnation is falling short of what one might have enjoyed if one had received and been faithful to the whole law of the gospel. In this sense, all who do not achieve the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom are damned, even though they are saved in some degree of glory."
CELESTIAL KINGDOM: See Heaven.
EXALTATION: This is becoming a God in the highest level of the celestial kingdom.
ETERNAL PROGRESSION: The teaching that each of us has the potential to become a God just like God the Father did. He was once a man capable of physical death, was resurrected and progressed to become a God. We can take a similar path and get all the power, glory, dominion, and knowledge the Father and Jesus Christ has. We then will be able to procreate spirit children who will worship us as we do God the Father.
HEAVEN-The Mormon church teaches there are three levels of heaven (three "degrees of glory"):
HELL: A place of torment from which the worst of sinners are resurrected (if they repent) into the Telestial kingdom; only a limited number remain in hell forever, - the devil and the demons and apostates who consciously reject and work against Mormonism.
SALVATION: A word that Mormons qualify in one of three ways: unconditional or general salvation is simply resurrection from the dead, granted to all through Christ's atonement; conditional or individual salvation involves entering the celestial kingdom through works of Mormonism; full salvation means exaltation to become a God as a result of temple ceremonies and other works. The word 'salvation' can have a two-fold meaning: a) forgiveness of sins and b) universal resurrection:
The Mormons have several different levels of "salvation".
WHO’ll be on their backs?
I really wish people with an opinion would clearly state their opinion and then marshal supporting facts and data. These long cut-and-paste jobs are what I expect from a high school sophomore in their first English Essay class.
I meant taxpayers who have to pay for obamacare and welfare for lazy or loose people
I really wish that those who see "mormon" in the thread title would just skip the thread if their only contribution is a complaint when sourced comments regarding mormonism are posted.
There are many, many arcane beliefs in mormon doctrine that need exposure when you have a guy who believes he will become god of his own planet is running for POTUS. Romney and the mormon church would be happy to see these beliefs hid away in the darkness again.
So let me see if I get this ‘84, you want an opinion with supporting sources (facts and data) YET you are complaining about the supporting sources (facts and data) to opinion, as cut and paste.
Yep, apparently so.
I'll just bet you do!
If you can be THIS judgemental when presented with RAW FACTS; I can only imagine what you could do with some juicy opinion!
Now that you have expressed your low opinion about the MESSENGER; got any comments about the MESSAGE he delivered?
I have it from REALLY good sources; that SOME high school sophomores are SLUTS!
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/teen-girls-hazed-slut-list/story?id=8649050
...REALLY good sources...
I’ll bet some of them graduate an go on to college!
Those cut and pastes are providing data and facts. Yet you complain about the very thing you say you want.
How about trying to come up with the counter? Oh yeah...you can’t.
“These long cut-and-paste jobs are what I expect from a high school sophomore in their first English Essay class.”
If they are not provided, the “mormon victims” accuse posters of lying. They are provided as a courtesy.
I do not read cut-and-paste rants. The time wasted will never be recovered.
You should read them, at least once. You will learn a lot. They aren’t rants, they are SOURCES (which you asked for in your post above).
Or are you a Morgbot?
And yet here you are; replying to me.
Perhaps your Practice/Preach gene needs a bit of alignment.
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