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 ...
When I think of Ted Kennedy and Jimmy Carter I don't think "Catholic" and "Baptist", I think "drunk murderer-traitor" and "incompetent Arabist-traitor." They certainly don't cause me to think differently about their professed relgions.
Rather shallow and very bigoted of you to make a judgment on those faiths based on just two loser politicians.
Thanks for the emphasis St. Paul!
I’m not a Mormon. Doesn’t matter to me that Mormon numbers might increase. They are great peoople and I’d be happy if some moved in next door to me because they live upstanding lives.
Here’s the big problem with Mormons: they don’t drink stimulating beverages and that includes coffee and tea. What? None of that in the White House? Now, if Romney tries to stop me from drinking coffee and tea, he should be impeached. The duty of all of us is to slip a bit of coffee or tea into his water. We must take down this teetotaler. (I’m not serious of course).
Anyone have an extra mitten?
Unlike Huck, would would outright change the Constitution.
This is what you guys are running up against and this is the last word:
Revelation 22:
22Then the angel* showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life* with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants* will worship him; 4they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.
6 And he said to me, ‘These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants* what must soon take place.’
7 ‘See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant* with you and your comrades* the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!’
10 And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.’
12 ‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes,* so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practises falsehood.
16 ‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
17The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
20 The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.*
Your Book OF Mormon is a bunch of lies from hell and true Christians do not heed admonition from heretics and false prophets like Joseph Smith and yourself.
You add to God’s Word after the last chapter was given to John. You and the Jehovah’s Witnesses try the same tactics. Your mind tricks and twisting of the Scriptures will not work on me.
I see, --- Do you get all your doctrine from the Bible up through the book of Deuteronomy?
If so, where is the doctrine of the Trinity.
Since the doctrine of the Trinity did not come from the teachings of the Apostolic Christian Church, where did it come from?
I agree with what you are saying, but Eisenhower was not a Jehovah Witness. He was Episcopalian or Presbyterian, but definitely not Jehovah Witness.
Jesus spoke of God the Father, the Holy Spirit and himself as the Son of God in numerous places within the gospels of the New Testament.
First of all, the New Testament was added after the book of Deuteronomy, so you do accept writings that came after the first admonition to not add to the words.
That is fine, I accept them also.
Now, that Jesus spoke of three persons as being divine does not say he taught the doctrine of the Trinity. I have the scriptures on my computer and I did a word search using Trinity as a Key. The search came up with no instances of the word appearing in the Bible.
I posted a quotation from the Catholic Encyclopedia showing what the teaching of the Apostolic Christian Church was.
The teaching of the trinity is certainly different than that.
The Old Testament also teaches that the Second Coming will come after there is a falling away. The change in the doctrine from what it was in the Apostolic Christian Church is certainly a falling away from that truth.
If it isn't a falling away, explain how the change took place.
Trinity is a term used by theologians based upon Christ’s teachings. Looking for the term in the Bible as doctrinal proof is merely semantics and invalid as a standard of proof. Cite Chapter and verse from the OT concerning this about the end. Not from a website.
I have posted a quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia showing what was taught by the Apostolic Christian Church, by the Apostle Paul regarding the three devine persons.
The Doctrine of the Trinity as taught by today's theologians is different. My question is, when and how did it change, and why is that change not a "falling away".
I agree with the teaching of the Apostle Paul and the Apostolic Christian Church.
As to the chapter and verse of the end times, See 2 Thessalonians 2:1.
1. Now we beseech you, brethern, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him.
2. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, nether by spirit, nor by word, not by letter as from us, that the day of Christ is at hand.
3. Let no man decieve you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.
The falling away took place as we can see from the doctrine as taught in the Aplstolic Christian Church and the present doctrine as taught by present theologians.
Has the doctrine of the Trinity changed or is that line of reasoning trash from Mormon apologetics? The Christian faith has undergone periods of faithfulness and faithlessness throughout history within one sect or the other. With one falling away and the other flourishing vice-versa. The true falling away is yet to come. The appearance of cult movements like Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostals and numerous others are all signs of the times. It shows most true believing people that Satan is alive and well deceiving people with false religions and gospels trying to bring as many down with him as he can.
These things are certain proof of the eventual revelation of the beast (son of perdition). All
No, not my intention at all. In fact, it was a slam on Huckabee and no one else.
I assure you that the Apostle Paul wrote what is in the New Testament attributed to him. He is not a Mormon apologetic, and the quote from the Catholic Encyclopedia wasn't written by a Mormon.
There is no twisting of the words, there aren't enough words to twist.
What line of reasoning explains the change?
I showed my references for my contention. If your contention is just going to be Mormon Bashing, it won't show the truth. They say what they say. Just because they aren't what you usually hear does not mean they don't say what they say.
~”Rather shallow and very bigoted of you to make a judgment on those faiths based on just two loser politicians.”~
It would be, wouldn’t it? You did notice the “taken on their own” part, I presume.
It’s good that you’ve admitted that hate of Romney for his Mormonism is bigotry. Recognition is the first step.
~”If we can get DU and tantiboh and others to see that ‘all that they can do’ is fail to meet God’s established standards...”~
Why, oh, why do you fail to grasp this one concept: I -agree- with you!
That’s why we have the atonement, and repentance. We are all unprofitable servants.
Some fascinating info there, DU. Thanks for the heads up!
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[high-five]
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