Joseph Smith: Creator of the Fourth Abrahamic Faith; Mormonism

Auhtor's website ^ | September 15, 2007 | G. Richard Jansen

[1000 silverlings]

Not as long as you believe Smith and his magic passwords save you. Christ saves to the uttermost, no need for another savior.

[Elsie]

It is also not making it personal to speak academically about behavior, e.g. "When posters do not answer a direct question, it is probably because they have no answer."

HMmmm...

[Elsie]

(okay, that might be a bit of a kiss-up, lol)

A BIT!!??!!??

[colorcountry]

edited your post per moderator's suggestion.

Not as long as you someone believe(s) Smith and his magic passwords save you. Christ saves to the uttermost, no need for another savior.

[1000 silverlings]

Thank you. it was the Mormon “y’all” I was meaning, lol

[colorcountry]

I will make sure I change the “you” in my vocabulary to y’all or youse guys or perhaps just generic “mormon.”

[1000 silverlings]

lol

[greyfoxx39]

Re: circular arguments. I just found this article. Useful for debate here:

Approaching Mormon Doctrine

 

---

SALT LAKE CITY 4 May 2007 Much misunderstanding about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revolves around its doctrine. The news media is increasingly asking what distinguishes the Church from other faiths, and reporters like to contrast one set of beliefs with another.

The Church welcomes inquisitiveness, but the challenge of understanding Mormon doctrine is not merely a matter of accessing the abundant information available. Rather, it is a matter of how this information is approached and examined. 

The doctrinal tenets of any religion are best understood within a broad context (see here and here), and thoughtful analysis is required to understand them. News reporters pressed by daily deadlines often find that problematic. Therefore, as the Church continues to grow throughout the world and receive increasing media attention, a few simple principles that facilitate a better understanding may be helpful:

• Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.
• Some doctrines are more important than others and might be considered core doctrines. For example, the precise location of the Garden of Eden is far less important than doctrine about Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. The mistake that public commentators often make is taking an obscure teaching that is peripheral to the Church’s purpose and placing it at the very center. This is especially common among reporters or researchers who rely on how other Christians interpret Latter-day Saint doctrine.

Based on the scriptures, Joseph Smith declared: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

• Because different times present different challenges, modern-day prophets receive revelation relevant to the circumstances of their day. This follows the biblical pattern (Amos 3:7), in which God communicated messages and warnings to His people through prophets in order to secure their well-being.  In our day, President Gordon B. Hinckley has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the family in our increasingly fractional society. In addition, the Church does not preclude future additions or changes to its teachings or practices. This living, dynamic aspect of the Church provides flexibility in meeting those challenges.  According to the Articles of Faith, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”
• Latter-day Saints place heavy emphasis on the application of their faith in daily life. For example, the active participation of Latter-day Saints in their community and worldwide humanitarian programs reflects concern for other people. As Jesus Christ declared, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
• Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of Church doctrine. Moreover, the Church exhorts all people to approach the gospel not only intellectually but with the intellect and the spirit, a process in which reason and faith work together.
• Those writing or commenting on Latter-day Saint doctrine also need to understand that certain words in the Mormon vocabulary have slightly different meanings and connotations than those same words have in other religions. For example, Latter-day Saints generally view being born again as a process of conversion, whereas many other Christian denominations often view it as a conversion that happens in one defining moment. Sometimes what some may consider an argument or dispute over doctrine is really a misunderstanding of simple differences in terminology. 

Journalists, academics and laymen alike are encouraged to pursue their inquiries into the Church by recognizing the broad and complex context within which its doctrines have been declared, in a spirit of reason and good will.

Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Link

[Utah Binger]

Sorry, I was away deer hunting and drinking. The Utah beer was so intoxicating I had to ride my bike back home. Here I am on the main street of Panguitch.

[colorcountry]

Hahahaha.....Ah shoot, that makes me homesick!

[greyfoxx39]

ROTFL....THAT is funny! Looks like a little fawn though...don’t they have muleys up there?

[DelphiUser]

You've been bad!

I though a humor tag would be superfluous...

[DelphiUser]

Mormons DO believe that LDS® works AND rituals can lead to EXALtion!

Actually, Mormons believe that Jesus gave his followers commandments.
We believe that These commandments were not merely suggestions. (Many on the left believe in the Ten Suggestions)
We believe one of the purposes for doing instead of being hearers only, is that doing increases faith, thus we believe in Works leading to increased faith and faith leading to salvation.

I ask you, can a Mormon accurately represent your beliefs to someone else? can a non Mormon accurately represent Mormon beliefs to someone else? IMHO anyone who believes the answer to the first questions is No and the Answer to the second is yes is a hypocrite.

[Utah Binger]

How can you recognize a deer hunter with a DUI?

New tag line for the day.

[greyfoxx39]

;)

[JRochelle]

So who took the picture?

[JRochelle]

Hey Delphi!

I’m still here!

[Utah Binger]

So who took the picture?

Someone more sober than me. LOL

[DelphiUser]

I'm a little confused since your post is not addressed to delphi user.

I was very careful in my speech.

How about this? "if you had such a revelation, you would be encouraging others to read it also and know it to be false. Hence your actions are not the same as your word"

Or this "Anyone who thinks I have called them a liar is deluded", or "If you think I am wrong you are." or even "Anti Mormons are often lairs and just don't know it."

This rule often results in wars of obfuscation, which can actually be quite fun for the linguistically gifted, whoever they are, the linguistically challenged however are often frustrated to the point of making gaffes and getting banned. (Run-on sentences help in keeping "it" impersonal.)