Gong!!!
Nice try. Your entry, however, qualifies for the potential "Epic Fail" award of the day.
Why? Because Sikhs and Shintos don't masquerade as other religions, do they?
If Mormonism wants to some day stand on its own as some new world religion; so be it. But as of now, it continues to attempt to...
...counterfeit Christianity;
...claim all of the historic Christian sects are "corrupt" and "apostate";
...and then claim to be the "only true and living church on the face of the earth" (Lds Doctrines & Covenants 1:30)
I think it's past time that posters begin taking a look-see @ the founding vision of Mormonism -- and realize that it's built upon the attempt to build a foundation on the spiritual graveyard of Christianity.
Joseph Smith knew that unless he could play scorched-earth religious politics, and get Christianity 100% out of the way, that no "restoration" was necessary. He would be irrelevant. Superflous. So he needed to bury Christianity in its entirety.
Does the following 1820s original vision of Joseph Smith, which a later generation of Mormons converted into Lds "scripture," sound like Kum Ba Yah hugging and embracing of Christians?
18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. 19 I was answered that I must join NONE of them, for they were ALL wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that ALL their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were ALL corrupt... (Joseph Smith - History, vv. 18-19, Pearl of Great Price)
So, are you that closed-eyes?...Lds created a huge division in the religious community in the 1830s by labeling all Christians apostates...by calling 100% of our creeds an "abomination" to their god...and by saying we were 100% wrong and unjoinable as churches...all the while calling our leaders/teachers and/or professing believers 100% "corrupt."
Then they decided to spread that slander worldwide with over 100 different translations of that "scripture" and they've literally sent out a million missionaries to discuss our so-called complete apostasy thru the generations.
Why is it so many FReepers flunk fundamental history? Joseph Smith tried to build the biggest spiritual graveyard where he tried to bury all Protestants, all Catholics, and all Orthodox -- and say, "I'm building a restoration upon that graveyard."
And so many posters give them a free pass for that!
I’m not going to repeat myself. See my follow-up on post #55. If you still think I am an “Epic Fail” then fine think what you will, but I will still feel sorry for the people like you blinded by hate.
Matthew 7:1-2
7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. NIV
A point that needs to be constantly restated, as so many try to make an issue of it, usually using Jews as an example,saying, "Jews aren't Christian, would you not vote for a Jew either"? Missing the point that Jews generally don't claim to be Christian or to have the correct version of Christianity.
I'd have zero problem voting for someone of the Jewish faith, who was also conservative.