Posted on 10/16/2012 1:59:50 PM PDT by Clint N. Suhks
Shortly after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney enjoyed cookies and soft drinks with the Rev. Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham on Thursday at the elder Graham's mountaintop retreat, a reference to Mormonism as a cult was scrubbed from the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
In a section of the website called Billy Graham's My Answer there had been the question "What is a cult?"
Answer: "A cult is any group which teaches doctrines or beliefs that deviate from the biblical message of the Christian faith."
"Some of these groups are Jehovah's Witnesess, Mormons, the Unification Church, Unitarians, Spritualists, Scientologists, and others," the site continued.
No longer. On Tuesday, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association confirmed that page has recently been removed from the site.
“Our primary focus at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has always been promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ," Ken Barun, chief of staff for the association, told CNN in a statement. "We removed the information from the website because we do not wish to participate in a theological debate about something that has become politicized during this campaign."
(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...
And I find that sad, as I originally said.
lolz
You don’t find it equally sad that you misrepresented them? False data even if it seems to support reproaches against those you hate is not a good thing.
I do not hate any one.
I am opposed to mormonism.
I said I find it sad, actually I originally just said - sad.
Mr. Graham removed the page about cults that included mormonism because of Romney - sorry, that is just sad.
IE He removed the reference to mormonism being a cult.
It is sad that Mr. Graham removed the page on cults because of Romney.
Yep, I stand by my statement.
we do not wish to participate in a theological debate about something that has become politicized during this campaign
Suckyoubus...
You are trying to silly-putty the truth and it will not work.
You “stood by” a statement that said BG deleted Mormonism off of a statement about cults, not one that said BG deleted a statement about cults. Those are different things as much as you would love to believe they are the same thing.
Now stand up like a man and admit you misspoke.
I did not misspeak you just don’t like my answer.
BG removed a page that talked about cults.
In that list is mormonism, so BG removed a page that listed momonism as a cult.
That is sad.
Now go watch the debates or Phineas and Ferb, or something.
ta ta
You are pretending that your inaccuracy of expression was accurate and that all problem is on my side for calling the inaccuracy inaccurate.
Project much?
Run along son, and do something else.
Was it on Graham's site before or did CNN deliberately leave it off?
How is that relevant?
Moses led more people out of bondage than either you or I have ever met (over 600,000 men; over 2 million people). Did that prevent a few key critiques of Moses coming down in the Old Testament?
(Like how Moses struck a rock to produce water instead of more carefully following God's specific instructions.)
In the end, because of things like this, God did not allow Moses to bodily enter the promised land.
Moses & Billy Graham's track record has been both quite impressive. Neither man, tho, ever claimed perfection...for it they did, the Messiah as their Savior was irrelevant to them.
Why should I not persistently point out your continued, obstinate folly?
(yeah, i know. it is about as fruitful as telling off my cat for scratching on the rug.)
Just pester some else, I have stated my position and you don’t like it apparently, that’s on you.
Find something else to obsess about, I am going to watch TV.
I don’t like lies. Now kitty, go to the cat box. The kitchen corner is not the place to do that.
A “churchly” greeting?
The only “churchly greeting I know of in Scripture, one specifically designated for Christian encounters, is this:
2Cor 13:12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.
But John uses the word for a common greeting in 2 John 1:10-11:
2Jn 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: [11] For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
The word for Godspeed is “chairein.” It can mean farewell but also hello, kind of like the Hawaiian “aloha.” It’s just an ordinary well-wishing comment you might offer to anyone. There is nothing in the context that limits this strictly to church encounters. Note that you are not even allowed to let this antichrist person into your home. And when Mormons come to my home, I do not let them in.
Christians should never give antichrists a helping hand in anything, or allow them any influence over themselves or other Christians. I can hardly believe I have to actually spell this out.
Let me ask you a question. If a top leader in the Church of Satan who routinely blasphemed Christ were running for President, and he was a nice guy, a fiscal conservative, and had a real shot at beating Obama (yes, I know, unlikely, but just humor me for a moment), would you be able to vote for that person?
Peace,
SR
And you cannot fail to have noticed that John is also very black and white about matters that other bible writers, like Paul, treat in shades of grey. Paul speaks of carnal Christians, an idea that John in this style would hoot at. And yet both writings are in the same bible and equally true when viewed according to their style.
Failure to see the difference in style dooms you to a supposed command that you should never say hello to a believer in a religion that evangelizes against yours. Your “charein” is a close cognate to the word used theologically for “grace.” Clearly if you are wishing grace to someone, that’s more than a hello.
Hutton Gibson is Mel Gibson’s father, another American Taliban. There are a few of this class of “evangelical”.
crackpot
noun
An eccentric person, especially one with bizarre ideas.
adjective
Foolish; harebrained
I will let others her determine for themselves whether someone who advocates letting Obama lead our country to ruin is a crackpot or not.
Close cognates do not theological synonyms make. It really is the Greek “aloha,” an equivalent of the common greeting "I wish you well" or "I wish you favor." Whereas grace proper is a special kind of favor, unmerited, and it has a well-defined theological meaning. No connection between the two, no inference of a specialized religious meaning. It would be like suggesting that someone who says “goodbye” really means “God be with you,” just because the one term evolved from the other. That would be nonsense.
But it is above my pay grade to ignore apostolic teaching I don't like, just because one human author writes differently than another. They are both writing under the power of the same Holy Spirit, and to deny the clear meaning of the text is to hide from God Himself. He gives us these words, not to lay a burden on us but because He loves us, and wants us for Himself. He doesn't want to share us with false prophets or antichrists. I like that about Him. His love is amazing. That is why it is so sad to see it rejected for such temporary gains. What did that one missionary say? He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose. Sound advice.
Peace,
SR
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.