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 ...
~”Then mormons must accept Dr. Seuss as inspired scripture too LOL.”~
We accept all that is true. Did or did not the Teetle Beetles battle in a puddle?
Oooohh, thats a tough one. I've only just recently recovered from green eggs and ham :) (12 step program dontchaknow)
Thought you’d enjoy that.
It’s pretty common on FR to pray with each other.
Despite the fact that you called me a hypocrite,
with or without your approval, I’ll continue to
apply “where two or more are gathered...”
...Jo
~”I pray that on Super Tuesday all real conservatives and moderate conservatives will vote for Mitt Romney to keep Amnesty McCain from being our nominee!”~
I’m right there with ya. It’ll be a rough four years, otherwise!
I figured it out. Mormon bashers are a division of DemocraticUnderground. Facts don't get in the way of the agenda, and they just skip over whatever they don't like.
They put their fingers in their ears and say "La La La La La"
That scripture finishes with "there am I in the midst of them." Says nothing about prayer. But of course you'll probably have some special interpretation. So I'll just continue to apply "go into your closet".
oops. forgot to ping ya’ll to 2246
Name one created being who escaped from time. And BTW I didn’t write thought experiement to you but I’m glad you at least gave it some though, flawed though your reasoning may be.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.John 17: 22
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:U Said: Take what you read at New Advent and filter that with the passage from 1John 5:7. Dan, you're straining to make something appear that is not there. Sorry.
Your medication needs adjusting again.
Name one created being who escaped time. Stop trying to change the subject you fear.
Son of Man is in books of the ‘accepted’ Old Testament.
The problem is that there are no clear Messianic prophecies. At best they are a Nostradamus kind of fill in the missing pieces after the event takes place. Fooling yourself into seeing a prophecy where there wasn't one.
If the future could be known, it would be easy to make a specific prophecy. Like say on March 3rd, 2011, President McCain began a protracted battle with SCOTUS over claims that he was suffering from Alzheimers and unfit to remain President. The issue became moot when two months later, the Israel's responding to a nuclear detonation in TelaViv Nuked all of the Middle East, plunging the world into darkness. That would be a Prophecy that is worth something :) Sadly it is impossible to predict the future. Not even your God can do that, which kind of proves that he isn't omniscient : )
I find it curious that you keep insulting the Savior but the Mormons embrace you as their freind in what they are seeking to do ... you fit their agenda to sow doubt and division into which they may pour the heresies of Mormonism. Doesn't that give you pause?
I have been very up front with you. My purpose here is to attack you anti Mormon Cabal members and expose the hypocrisy and lies behind your beliefs. You seem to delight in attacking the Mormon religion so much, it is a wonder that you don't join me in attacking your own, it is much easier to do.
You can continue to insult the Savior, and it can be forgiven you, but take care that you do not insult the Holy Spirit by ridiculing His work and continue to reject His still small voice within your soul.
Let me see, how can I insult something that doesn't exist? The Holy Spirit is nothing more than an ill formed concept in your faulty mental map. How is that? Is that good enough? Or how about this? I deny the existence of the Holy Ghost. See there, now I have done it, I am condemned to hell forever :)
There can come a day when you will be left in silence, not just in the dust from your doorway.
Ahh a veiled reference to your cursing me. Well, may you live in interesting times :) A good cursing now and then is good for the soul.
On to more important matters. I am worried that McCain is going to get the nomination. Both of the candidates I liked, Duncan and Thompson, are gone. Are we done with politics for the next 8 years?
Don’t change your meds Delphi. You are as clear and unclouded as can be. Thanks.
Except that portion of Enoch wasn't added until later in the 1st century and as possibly as late at the 3d century. Secondly, go back and you will see that Enoch answers the 'son of man' question in that it is Enoch himself that is given that title. As to the 'source' MHG pointed out two other sources for the quote. Since that portion of Enoch wasn't around at that time makes it kinda obvious that the reference could not have been Enoch.
I realize it doesn't have anything to do with the Trinity, but I would like to know what it means.
Therefore, our focus today on indulgences is in keeping with this return to our roots. Current thought might be expressed as, "Yes, indulgences are still around, but nobody pays any attention to them. After all, indulgences weren't part of the early Church."
As John stated in his opening speech, a widespread lack of knowledge is evident regarding the use of indulgences in our Catholic Church.
The concept of indulgences does date to Apostolic times. Fr. Ivan Fucek, assistant theologian of the Apostolic Penitentiary, states that the Church's teaching on indulgences and Purgatory ". . .was implicit in the Church's doctrine from the very beginning." (Covolo, 1999).
From: APOSTOLIC TIMES AND THE FATHERS
Are you guys going to start selling them again as a "return to our roots" excercise?
Is this similar to the doctrine of the Trinity was implicit in the church's doctrine from the very beginning?
Does it rely on the same set of facts?
Your ballpark, folks.
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