Posted on 12/16/2007 11:15:52 PM PST by Mobile Vulgus
Mormons aren't Christians ...
... and other thoughts on religion and politics sure to get your blood boiling
Herewith, my views on religion and the politics of the present moment, with something to offend just about everyone:
1. Mormons aren't Christians. I don't mean that as a criticism, only as a descriptive phrase. When Mormons claim Jesus Christ as their savior, there's no reason to doubt their sincerity and good will, or even to deny that they are in some way followers of Christ. Yet Mormonism rejects foundational doctrines of traditional Christian orthodoxy, such that it is impossible to reconcile with normative Christianity.
2. Anyway, the Latter-day Saints church teaches that all other Christian churches are apostate. A heretic is someone who rejects one or more doctrines of religion, but an apostate is someone who has rejected the religion entirely. How is it, exactly, that you can get mad when people you regard as apostates consider you to be ... apostate? How does that work?
3. Theologically, this is a big deal. But politically, so what? Mormons vote like Southern Baptists and come down on the same side of most issues of public morality like conservative Christians do. If you're a socially conservative lawmaker, wouldn't you rather have a Mormon in your legislative foxhole than a Kennedy-style cafeteria Catholic or progressive mainline Protestant? I'm no Romney fan, but is there really no meaningful political difference between Good-Mormon Mitt and Bad-Catholic Rudy, to say nothing of Liberal-Protestant Hillary?
4. There are plenty of good reasons for conservative Christians not to vote for Mr. Romney, but his religious beliefs are not among them. Do Christians want to be in the position of rejecting a candidate whose political views and moral values they agree with, solely because they don't like his religion?
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
And Dreher is a member of an un-American Church whose European leadership essentially regarded the US as a “protestant satan” until the second Vatican Council.
Christian women are equal before God. We can go to heaven without our husbands’ permission.
I can’t vote for a person who believes the husband must use a secret name for the wife to rise to heaven.
Thanks for correcting me about Elsie’s gender. LOL!
I thought that if you weren’t speaking negatively about someone that it was OK to not ping them. In the future I will ping them no matter. Thanks.
When Christians of varying denominations debate religion they argue from a subjective point of view. An individual’s belief system defines his personal reality. When this reality is attacked the response is often passionate and even violent. This belief system is constructed, in part, of myriad positive and negative experiences.
If one is serious about transmitting the Gospel it begins with positive interactions with those one desires to save. In a word: Love.
Faith without works is dead.
God is male. Jesus was male. Since the Holy Spirit is the same as the other two, He's male. Mary gave us original sin. God made man first and created women for man. I'm not sure you are on firm theological ground.
Thanks.
Jesus is God.
And? Does the Bible say that any term not explicitly mentioned in Scripture is false? If that were true, one would have to abandon Mormonism and Luther's doctrine of "the Bible alone," among countless other beliefs, both true and false.
and was not created until AD 325.
The dogma was formally defined by the Church (to which Christ told us to take our disagreements) at the Council of Nicea, but the notion is evident in Scripture, particularly Jesus' command to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (II. Proof of Doctrine from Scripture).
Interestingly enough, it wasn't until around the year 400 that the Church, which Scripture calls "the pillar and foundation of truth, determined the canon of Scripture. Until then there was no definitive collection of Scriptures, although a consensus had begun to solidify by that time.
It's also worth noting that it wasn't until the year 1500 that the non-Biblical doctrine of "the Bible alone" was proposed.
Thanks.
The dogma was formally defined by the Church.
And then came the Quadrinity. Father, Mother, Son, Holy Spirit sometime during the chivalric age. (1200’s AD)
“Mary gave us original sin.”
Mary? Do you mean the mother of Jesus, Mary? Who is this Mary that gave us the original sin?
John 10
The Shepherd and His Flock
1”I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11”I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14”I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Talked to the shepherd today?
Goes to show you're never too old to learn imaginary things.
Sorry, had to reboot. I was thinking Eve when I wrote Mary. Mothr of man not mother of God.
It's also worth noting that prior to this time the theory of "the Bible alone" COULD NOT HAVE WORKED. Prior to the invention of the printing press, all Bibles were inscribed by hand, this was a time-consuming process and the number of qualified scribes was limited. Additionally, paper had not been fully developed, so they were written on parchment which was very expensive. The result was that the cost of a Bible was far beyond the means of all but the wealthiest people and even for the wealthy there was a very long wait to buy one. All of this was coupled with the fact that most men and almost all women were illiterate.
Now obviously, the invention of the printing press changed this and within a fairly short period of time most families did own Bibles. However, the perplexing question is this, why would the Lord give us a way of Salvation that He knew would be impossible for fifteen centuries?
Would you like to make a political statement, or will you just take the award and get off the &#(##$@@!! stage already!
You just gave me a good reason not to be Christian then.
Thanks!
But WHY should you be 'trusted'?
Post the data that proves that L.C. is male!
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