Posted on 01/08/2008 4:09:13 PM PST by tantiboh
Mitt Romney is facing an unexpected challenge in Iowa from rival Mike Huckabee, who has enjoyed a groundswell of support from religious voters, particularly evangelical Christians wary of the clean-cut former Massachusetts governor because of his Mormon religion.
The common worry among evangelicals is that if Romney were to capture the White House, his presidency would give legitimacy to a religion they believe is a cult. Since the LDS church places heavy emphasis on proselytizing -- there are 53,000 LDS missionaries worldwide -- many mainstream Christians are afraid that Mormon recruiting efforts would increase and that LDS membership rolls would swell.
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THE ONLY PROBLEM with those fears is that they don't add up. Evangelicals may be surprised to learn that the growth of church membership in Massachusetts slowed substantially during Romney's tenure as governor. In fact, one could make the absurdly simplistic argument that Romney was bad for Mormonism.
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ONE WAY TO GAUGE what might happen under a President Romney would be to look at what happened during the period of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Held in Salt Lake City, they were dubbed the "Mormon Olympics."
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Despite all the increased attention, worldwide the Church grew only slightly, and in fact in the year leading up to the games the total number of congregations fell. Overall, from 2000 to 2004, there was a 10.9 percent increase in memberships and a 3.6 percent increase in congregations.
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The LDS church is likely to continue its current modest-but-impressive growth whether or not Romney wins the White House. Perhaps the only real worry for evangelicals is that, if elected, the former Massachusetts governor will demonstrate to Americans that Mormons don't have horns.
Carrie Sheffield, a member of the LDS Church, is a writer living in Washington, D.C.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
And your opinion matters.....?????
Thanks. I will study the matter further.
“It all depends on where the people are ready for the message.”
peopled are ready right now...
They are dying and going to Hell in the thousands every day...
God doesnt require an appointment...
Jesus said Go preach ...
He didnt say He would only save sinners on a Tuesday in 2010
People dont have to GET ready..
They are not saved...they arte sinners...they are readyu now...
Jesus said the harvest is ready...
People cant wait till you change your undies...
I’m afraid I have no idea what you just said.
LOL, spoken by the one whose posts I scroll by on a regular basis ;)
Obama is, IMHO, more representative of our elites than Romney. The Mormons are, after all, outliers of the charmed circle, somewhat as Jews have always been.
Ping to the link ... didn’t want you to miss the stuff on chiasmus.
You said the people had to be ready before you bother to tell them about Jesus and His saving Grace...
You seem to keep them waiting before you just go ahead and tell them that they need them that they are sinners on they way to hell...
That they need to ask God the Father to forgive them...that they need to ask Jesus to come into their heart and save them...
Now you dont do the caving you cant but it they do that believing JESUS will save them...and then they will go to Heaven when they die...
If you are making people wait before you tell them about Jesus, you are not loving and kind to them...
what if they die while they wait for you to decide you are ready to preaxch the Gospel to them/...
Jesus doesnt have to get ready to save them...He stays ready..
And the lost sinners dont have to get ready they were born ready...
You need to just obey Jesus and preach the Gospel to them before it is too late and God holds you responsible for them going to Hell...
caving=saving
Would you please provide an example from this thread? Tauntiboo
One need only go as far back as #1047 to get a quick substantiation of what you asserted. Taunitboo must not read all the posts of his 'high fiver' bud.
Thanks for the ping. I’ll need to read it later. :)
Hope all things are going well for you and yours.
~”You said the people had to be ready before you bother to tell them about Jesus and His saving Grace...”~
No, we still tell them, they just may not listen. Why else would I have served in Italy, when baptisms into the LDS Church are an order of magnitude more frequent in South America? Please, try not to misunderstand what I’m saying.
~”You seem to keep them waiting before you just go ahead and tell them that they need them that they are sinners on they way to hell...”~
How many times have Mormon missionaries knocked on your door? Were they keeping you waiting? If you’re interested, you can always go to http://www.mormon.org.
We’re not “waiting” for anything. Anyone who wants to hear our message is welcome. In some places, more people want to hear.
~”what if they die while they wait for you to decide you are ready to preaxch the Gospel to them/...”~
We’ve got that contingency covered. How about you?
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.Acts 5: 38-39
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:Why will anyone listen to me over your Cacophonous postings?
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.I have received a testimony by God's holy spirit was it confirmed to me, by the Bible was it proved to me. God is the author of my faith.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Is it venom if it’s true? Can you honestly review the history on this thread of the poster in question and point out flashes of brilliance or original thought?
Jake is 5 and learning to read.
He points at a picture in a zoo book and says, "Look Mama! It's a frickin' Elephant!"
Mother takes a deep breath ... "What did you call it?"
"It's a frickin' Elephant, Mama! It says so on the picture!"
And so it does ... " A f r i c a n Elephant " Hooked on phonics!!! Ain't it wonderful?
Why isn’t this disgusting swill moved into Religion category. Its been going on for days and has nothing to do with electing an American President.
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