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Posted on 12/03/2008 8:59:31 AM PST by Publius804
An Ugly Attack on Mormons
The easiest targets for an organized campaign against religious freedom of conscience.
By Jonah Goldberg
Did you catch the political ad in which two Jews ring the doorbell of a nice working-class family? They barge in and rifle through the wifes purse and then the mans wallet for any cash. Cackling, they smash the daughters piggy bank and pinch every penny. We need it for the Wall Street bailout! they exclaim.
No? Maybe you saw the one with the two swarthy Muslims who knock on the door of a nice Jewish family and then blow themselves up?
No? Well, then surely you saw the TV ad in which two smarmy Mormon missionaries knock on the door of an attractive lesbian couple. Hi, were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! says the blond one with a toothy smile. Were here to take away your rights. The Mormon zealots yank the couples wedding rings from their fingers and then tear up their marriage license.
As the thugs leave, one says to the other, That was too easy. His smirking comrade replies, Yeah, what should we ban next? The voice-over implores viewers: Say no to a church taking over your government.
Obviously, the first two ads are fictional because no one would dare run such anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim attacks.
The third ad, however, was real. It was broadcast throughout California on Election Day as part of the effort to rally opposition to Proposition 8, the initiative that successfully repealed the right to same-sex marriage in the state.
What was the reaction to the ad? Widespread condemnation? Scorn? Rebuke? Tepid criticism?
Nope.
The Los Angeles Times, a principled opponent of Proposition 8, ran an editorial lamenting that the hard-hitting commercial was too little, too late.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
>>Stating that Mormons are not real Christians is not the same thing as Mormon bashing...<<
I disagree. Stating that MormonISM is not Christian is not Mormon bashing would be a true statement, but saying that Mormons are not Christian IS Mormon bashing.
I do not think Mormonism teaches Christianity, but I have Mormon friends that, according to how they articulate their faith verbally, meet the “Biblical” definition of a Christian at least in word.
Most of them, in deed, “seem” very Christian, but we all know how deceiving that can be. So can words frankly. That is why I keep my “bashing” to specifics only. Heck, I use that rule to bash both my church organization as well as myself.
This'll be good!
Yeah and the Evil Catholics had the Inquisition.
You should read some of the fun things Presbyterians said about Catholics!
Elsie, you do know that the Catholic Church and Protestant Churches were not without reproach on this subject.
Romans 10:2-4
2. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
3. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
4. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
“No? Well, then surely you saw the TV ad in which two smarmy Mormon missionaries knock on the door of an attractive lesbian couple. Hi, were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! says the blond one with a toothy smile. Were here to take away your rights. The Mormon zealots yank the couples wedding rings from their fingers and then tear up their marriage license.
As the thugs leave, one says to the other, That was too easy. His smirking comrade replies, Yeah, what should we ban next? The voice-over implores viewers: Say no to a church taking over your government. “
wow.
The angry left has such a talent for playing the victim.
What they are really saying is that it is the gays who would like to take away the mormons right to vote.
This WAS a vote wasn’t it?
In the most liberal state in the US?
And the gays lost it.
Even the most liberal state in the US has decided there is no “right” to change the traditional definition of marriage.
Funny - did they do a similar attack ad on blacks?
No?
Funny that.
“It was Joseph Smith who walked out of the woods proclaiming thaqt he had a message from God and all Christians were false and ONLY he was right and he would tell you how right he was or else you would be sorry!”
It is true that Mormons believe that the original Church founded by Christ became corrupted to the point that the Priesthood authority given by Christ to his Apostles and others was taken from the Earth, and a restoration was necessary. That is a foundational belief of our Church. Interestingly, in the 19th Century, it was a belief also found in mainstream Protestantism. My great-great-grandfather, who was a Methodist preacher in South Africa, wrote about the commonly held belief that the existent church at that time was a “fallen church” with a “hireling priesthood.” He was approached by Mormon missionaries in the 1850’s. He studied the Book of Mormon for a year, and decided that it did not contradict the Bible, which he knew “backward and forward,” as he put it. He thought it “illuminated” everything he knew about the Bible.
Mormon belief in the corruption, over time, of Christian doctrine is not that much different than the belief among Protestants that the Catholic Church had become corrupted, and there was, therefore, a need to break away from the authority of Rome. That is a foundational belief of Protestantism.
We Mormons also believe that the Light of Christ exists in all people to some degree, and that much truth and many good people can be found in other religions. We believe that those who believe in Christ as the Savior are Christians, even if they are not members of our Church.
Unlike some other Christian denominations, we don’t believe that good people who die without having an opportunity to accept Christ, are consigned to hell, or some other undesirable fate. We believe that all people will have a fair opportunity, in this life or the next.
We don’t accept the Nicene Creed. Someone referred to the Gospel of John for the concept of Christ’s divinity. We fervently believe in Christ’s divinity. We just don’t accept the concept of the Trinity. The Gospel of John, Chapter 17, also contains Christ’s Intercessory Prayer, in which He explains how he and the Father are “one,” and prays that all his followers will become “one” with Him and the Father in the same way — that is, perfectly unified in holiness.
There is no statement of the Nicene Creed in the New Testament. The closest thing to it is found in I John, and is called the Johannine Comma. It is now universally accepted that the pertinent language in the Johannine Comma was added by a monk, hundreds of years after Christ.
I offer the foregoing only as an explanation of our beliefs. I respect the right of others to adhere to their own beliefs, and I won’t slander you or your church for it. I would much rather have my grandchildren being raised around people who adhere to other religions that maintain decent standards — provided they aren’t badmouthing my religion — than to have them associating with secular, amoral people. We can agree to disagree, and work together to fight all the terrible things that are happening to our country and our culture, can’t we?
Just so we are absolutely clear, the Catholic Church does not recognize Mormonism as a Christian sect. While they do admire some of the actions of Mormons (and so do I) they do not qualify as Christians in that sense of the term.
And the Catholic Church is not “bashing” Mormonism by saying so, is it?
Maybe FR should add News threads. Then we could discuss the clearly bigoted ad, rather than argue about the perceived shortcomings of the victim.
Oh??
Articles of Faith #6&7 state:
#6 We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
#7 We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
Doctrines & Covenants - not found in the Bible; are THEY important?
I'm not mincing with words! I'm not going to dance around the fact that Mormonism is false with obtuse circumlocutions. Language should be clear and direct. If the word heresy is offensive then the truth is offensive.
I'm not offended by the fact that Mormons think I'm a heretic. I'm not offended by the fact that Muslims think I'm an infidel. I'm not offended by the fact that atheists think I'm deluded for believing in any type of a higher power.
Praise God that He found you. Now, as you are the Prodigal Son, surely you should know better. Had Christians gone out of their way to label you as a Wicked Damned Unrepentent Sinner Wallowing in Sin (as all atheists are) how likely would you have been to want to become a Christian?
The world hates righteousness, and when I was a part of the world I hated righteousness too.
Good point.
Can you please clarify? I don’t understand your post.
We have no need to read it; for our Teachers tell us what it means!
--MormonDude(I got almost straight A's in class!)
“Lets not hijack the thread on to mormon doctrine.
The origional add was false and it was not ONLY mormons who voted for Prop 8 but many Christians and non Christians who knew homo marriage was just wrong. After all, 40 years ago marriage was declared unnecessary if you truly loved someone. Living together was all that was needed. The Marriage license was just a piece of paper.
Now marriage is the most important thing a person can do...but only if you are gay!”
you nailed it.
This really shouldn’t be about doctrine - this is about a right to vote one’s conscience.
How many people here have REALLY had a visit from the LDS like this?
I’ve had several visits. I debated with them. I didn’t like what they told me, and they didn’t like what I told them.
But you wouldn’t meet a more polite bunch of people, and they never stated they wanted to take away anyone’s rights!
What the gays really want is for churches to be declared “hate” organizations and shut down.
What is the purpose of the ad? They don’t think mormons should have been able to vote down prop 8?
Really?
This is crazy.
The bible is important because it documents the word of God and his dealings with man.
I seriously doubt Neoplatonic realism stems from God.
[If true] then the Doctrines & Covenants also documents the word of God and his dealings with man, just much more recently.
Its easy to see the importance.
” have no idea what Mormon thought on that is, as I am not a Mormon. There are dozens of em on the FRee Republic tho, perhaps one will enlighten us.”
Well, given that the Mormon Temple Ritual (at least until its recent changes) had a protestant minister acting the fool-for-pay for the Devil, I think I have a hunch.
Here:
http://nowscape.com/mormon/mormcr1.htm
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