Posted on 09/09/2012 10:23:41 AM PDT by Mozilla
On Thursday night, Glenn Beck tackled an issue that has come up frequently throughout the 2012 presidential campaign — Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith. Prior to the show, the radio and television host invited TheBlaze readers and viewers to submit their questions, as he sought to address the myths that often surround The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Beck, who is also a Mormon, told viewers that his faith is inherent in all that he does. In fact, it is his personal relationship with God that guides his actions and sustains him.
“I do what I do, because of my faith,” Beck told viewers. “Because of my faith, I’m not afraid.”
He also went on to highlight some of the elements that people need to know about his personal faith and its central underpinnings. From a belief in Jesus Christ to the notion that helping one’s fellow man is essential, these values lay at the center of the Mormon experience.
“God lives. We survive. America flourishes,” he continued, listing off the other sentiments that Mormons embrace. “The Messiah came and he will come again. Be good to one another. Give until it hurts. Give to the poor, the hungry and the underprivileged. Obey God. Make a covenant with him. He keeps his word. But be on his side. Don’t try to get him on your side.”
The first issue — or myth, rather — that Beck tackled was polygamy, a marriage that includes more than two individuals. Since there is mass confusion surrounding Mormons and plural marriage, Beck provided in-depth background and historical analysis on the issue. While he explained that Mormons did, indeed, practice polygamy at one point in time, he notes that this dynamic ended 122 years ago and that the church takes a strong stance against it today.
GlennBeck.com has more about Beck’s statements surrounding historical constructs of the former practice:
He explained that in the 1800s, there was massive persecution of Mormons wer driven out of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. In Missouri, the governor even issued Executive Order-44 which ordered that all Mormons be exterminated or driven out of the state, resulting in 10,000 Mormons who lived there either being killed or forced to flee. Executive Order-44 wasn’t overturned until 1976. As a result of this persecution, there weren’t many men left. The desire to repopulate played a role in the decision to practice polygamy, but only about 5% did it before the practice came to an end in 1890.
He called polygamy ”a perversion of everything we believe in.”
“The media would have nothing more to have Americans believe that anybody who believes what I believe is [Warren Jeffs],” Beck said, referring to a cult leader who is serving a life sentence for having relationships with underage girls.
Contemporary polygamists aren’t Mormons, Beck explained. Watch the host tackle the polygamy issue, below:
Next, he delved into the so-called “magic underwear” discussion. He was, of course, referring to the undergarments that Mormon adherents wear. Many times, this element of the faith is mocked and ridiculed, as non-believers don‘t understand the significance and haven’t necessarily been exposed to the reasoning behind wearing the clothing.
“It is to remind us of something very sacred,” Beck explained. “It’s a reminder of the promises we make at the Temple.”
Rather than serving as a secretive and elusive tool, the underwear represent the personal promises that Mormons make to be “faithful, modest, and temperate.”
While it’s not always easy to wear the undergarments, especially when it comes to finding clothing to wear over them, Beck said that the difficulty makes it more sacred and meaningful. Considering the importance of the underwear to the Mormon faith, it also become more painful, the host admitted, when others mock the practice:
Beck also tackled the purported “secretive” activities that unfold in the temple. While many critics have alleged that the church is elusive and that some of the activities are top-secret, Beck made it clear that there’s nothing surprising or startling going on behind closed doors.
“There’s no secret stuff,” Beck explained. “There‘s nothing you will find in the temple that you won’t find in the Old or New Testament.”
Marriage and baptism are two of the practices that take place inside Mormon houses of worship — elements that most other Christian denominations can relate to. Beck did delve into “baptism for the dead,” a practice that he said has roots in 1 Corinthians.
See him tackle these subjects, below:
There is also, of course, the question of Mormon missionaries. Beck described the fascinating, two-year trips that young believers make to help spread the faith, while simultaneously embarking on a journey to find themselves.
During this time, young Mormons find themselves “preaching the word and reading the scriptures,” as they go door-to-door to discuss their faith. While sharing an example of a friend’s son who just left for Finland for a mission, Beck encouraged others — regardless of their faiths — to engage in similar experiences.
“He will live the exact opposite of a trophy society. In a culture where ‘I’ve got to go find myself, while spending $50,000 a year and listen to a bunch of liberal Marxist professors at some liberal college…these guys do find themselves,” Beck proclaimed. “Please, do this in your faith. It changes your children…it’s one of the reasons that Mormons are so successful. They know why they are at an early age.”
“It’s not weird to be a Mormon. And it‘s not weird to be president if you’re Mormon,” Beck concluded.
This special episode comes as the nation prepares to potentially elect its first Mormon president. While some biases certainly continue to color Romney’s candidacy, the impact appears to be minimal. As we’ve previously reported, November 2011 Pew Research Center results found that, while Romney may have experienced some negative results due to his Mormon faith in the primary race, his general election chances likely won’t be impacted.
Unfortunately, this hasn’t stopped anti-Mormon attacks from unfolding in media. Beck’s goal, of course, was to dispel some of the myths that drive and fuel these incidents.
Still no excuse for demanding that others shut up about your religion.
Bye bye, 143 and 152
Looks like the MORMON mod is working this afternoon!
You tried to misrepresent my question as a statement.
And you’re doing it again here.
Is that all you have, Rudeboy?
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng
Or the Religion Mod, perhaps? Not everything is a conspiracy against you.
Both testaments have instances of polygamy. The Bible does not condemn polygamy, but it does definitely limit the leadership of the Church (bishops, elders, and deacons) to those who have only one wife.
Take a look at the men in the Bible who had multiple wives: Abraham, Solomon, David, etc. How did that part of their lives work out?
Abraham: Father of two peoples that hate one another to this day.
David: Led to the rape of Tamar (his daughter) by one of this sons and ultimately a civil war.
Solomon: His many wives turned his heart away from the Lord and led to the worship of other gods in his land.
Those aren't positive outcomes.
Debate?
I toss out FACTS.
Take 'em or leave 'em (or delete them)
I will make certain to hide my points behind question marks from now on, when I need to run from them . . . .
~ Wilford Woodruff, 4th LDS President
It’s not the facts you toss out . . . it’s the ones you don’t remember. LOL
And Buddhism did win me over for a short while. Until I got to the center of the nothingness and found it, well, empty. Realizing there were things worth fighting about, I started fighting again. Christian truth, for example:
Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Earnest contention for the Christian faith involves confronting people with their error:
James 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; [20] Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
So contending for truth and turning people away from error is a good thing. Not hate, but love, the turning of hearts to the true God, which leads to blessing, and a greater experience of God’s love for the person you are confronting.
But the human messenger is not the ultimate persuader of the wayward heart. The pressure is not on us to change everyone who fails to see the truth. Only God can lead a lost soul to repentance, and this has consequences in how we present the message:
2Tim 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, [25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
But that does not let us off the hook. We must still present the message. If Mormonism is false (and it is, as is Islam, and many other man-made religious inventions), Christians are obligated to call out the falsehood for what it is, without shame or hesitation:
2Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
But this speaking out against falsehood, even when it is earnest as can be, must be done with more than mere civility; it must be done in love, lest we fall short of the supreme objective:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Peace,
SR
they try to closely follow their rules.
___________________________________________
One of their main rules is polygamy...
Its still on their books...
Never done away with...
But they dont follow it at present...
They havent since the last polygamous mormon president and prophet Heber Grant died in 1945 ...
George Albert Smith was the first monogamous president and prophet of the mormons...
The catcher on my softball team was a Buddhist. I was coaching at the time, so I was able to hear all of his interactions with the opposing batters trying to “trashtalk” him. Never failed to crack me up, and I found a respect for Buddhism that I never had.
“I would probably pick Buddhism. No cause for fighting there. “
Ironic since in many places Buddhists are actually fighters. They’ve done a great job of cultivating the peaceful image here in the US.
I was at one Buddhist temple, about 2000 years old from the stone inscriptions. It was a difficult climb to get there and very hot. There was a spring fed water fountain in the temple area. To get a drink you had to bend over. Which also put you in a position to bow to buddha, whether you wanted to or not.
Short but decent summary of the Biblical treatment of polygamy:
http://www.letusreason.org/Biblexp75.htm
Bottom line, plenty of clues it was not the original design per Adam and Eve, was tolerated but never encouraged in the OT (and often had disastrous consequences), but is clearly being pushed out of acceptable practice by the teaching of both Christ and the apostles. Winked at in the Old Covenant, but outgrown in the New Covenant under Christ. I believe the model of the Church as the Bride of Christ is especially relevant in that regard.
Peace,
SR
I don’t advocate running from things, so I wouldn’t recommend you do that.....better to stand by what you say, if you mean it. But I would suggest to you that intellectual honesty in posting is always the best policy.
Okay, I need to run out for a while.....’bye, FRiends.
No problem. Honesty is a good thing. Try it sometime.
That itself is a psychological tactic, used much by liberal, esp homosexual activists: http://www.conservapedia.com/Homosexual_agenda#Strategies_and_psychological_tactics
They are similarities beyond holding other commonly held religious beliefs:
http://www.bible.ca/islam/islamic-mormonism-similarities.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_Islam
As for me, i deal with aberrations, but have spent more time refuting Islam than Mormonism,: http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/JESUS.Vs.Muhammad.html
And caring enough to preach the gospel that is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, and opposing aberrations, is not driven by unholy hate but love.
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