Just what this country needs, someone who thinks they can be perfect by trying to adhere to dietary laws, Church attendence, and paying tithing.
You know wai-ming, Christians do works for the Lord, we do this because we LOVE Him, and not because we will earn a "reward" of godhood.
God recognizes that we cannot live perfectly. When we think we can, it cause one of two things. It causes us to become mentally unstable (cognitive dissonance, etc.) because we recognize our utter fallibility, or it causes us to be deceptive, to lie, and to boast about our own accomplishments.
Christians recognize their inablity to be perfect and rest in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Because we recognize this (how great HE is and how weak WE are) we become slaves to Him and do all our works for His glory. We become humbled by this knowledge.
It worries me that you and Mitt think that you can achieve perfection. Why do you think over 1/2 of all Mormons have left the rat race.....it simply cannot be accomplished.
That's why I issued a "good luck" to sevenbak. You guys think you can do it all by yourselves, and what tiny little bit you can't accomplish - then the atonement takes over. But the atonement in LDS opinion saves everybody (Universal atonement) so what you're left with is earning your way to Godhood. It makes a person arrogant or hopeless...those are the only two choices IMHO.
I appreciate your defense of the truth of the gospel, friend. The typical Mormon is a fine citizen, but their faith is based on the demonically inspired visions of Joseph Smith, and therefore misguided.
Horses in America before Columbus? Steel weapons? Indians decendents of the Israelites? So many untruths in their "scriptures," you'd think some of them would question the rest of it.