What Child Is This? The LDS Christmas Story

Word For The Weary ^ | Sharon Lindbloom

[Old Mountain man]

And what is your church? The Church of What’s Happenin’ Now?

[Old Mountain man]

Well, no answer just smears? What is your choice of church?

[Old Mountain man]

What would you know of context?

[restornu]

Well I was Presbyterian and I knew it was not true 18 years before I heard of the Book of Mormon!

[Alex Murphy]

Do not associate with a man given to anger;
Or go with a hot-tempered man,
Or you will learn his ways
And find a snare for yourself.

- Proverbs 22:24-35

[Colofornian]

And what is your church? The Church of What’s Happenin’ Now?

Well, OMM, I looked over the LDS "list" for references of my Church...which in one at-large way is actually the Church of Jesus Christ of Former-day, Present-day, and Latter-day Saints (the non-Mormons), whose head and living prophet is actually Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). But since I didn't see that title in the multiple-choice options LDS general authorities gave me, it's rather tough to narrow it down.

(Here were my options:)

(A) the COTD Church (The Church of the Devil based upon 1 Nephi 14:10...see below)

1 Nephi 14:10: "And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth."

[Alas, as you can see, 1 Nephi 14: 10 says there are only two churches--and since the LDS regard its own church as "the Lamb church," well, it's not like we've been given this "neutral" title. Nor are we divided in the eyes of Mormons. We are "one" church. As such what difference does it make again as to what "devilish" denomination I am?]

(B) alias COTWOATE (Church of the Whore of All the Earth...another affectionate name courtesy of the same LDS "scriptural" verse cited above)

(C) Also known as TAC according to 1 Nephi 13:34 (That Abominable Church). ["...the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mothers of harlots..." (1 Nephi 13:34)

(D) The COTMOH (Church of the Mother of Harlots ...sounds like the "perfect" church to set up next to some Nevada mustang ranch, eh?)

[I'm sure (B) or (D) are the titles of choice for us among Mormons this Virgin-focused Christmas season, eh? ..but as long as y'all Mormons call us any of these labels w/a "smiley" face, we won't be offended...and we'll continue to think of you as "nice" Mormon neighbors :) ]

Now, if you think any of these actual titles that your leaders have had for our church hurts the overall LDS "PR" image, then you can "tone it down" & refer to my church as "The Evangelical Church of the Dead Tree" [LDS are on record to have said "Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not Protestants, and the Church itself is not a Protestant church. The true Church is not a dead branch broken from a dead tree..."]

If, on the other hand, in case you want to "rev" it up again, as the "prophets" of LDS old did, you could call us "The Church of the Mormon Devil" [Brigham Young said that: "the Christian God is the Mormon's Devil..."--JoD, Vol. 5, p. 331]

Or, as LDS prophet John Taylor described every other church, it's HIHUF--"Hatched in Hell" Universal Fellowship (..."a perfect pack of nonsense...the devil could not invest a better engine to spread his work" [than Christianity]--JoD, vol. 6, p. 167 ["Hatched in hell" were Taylor's exact words...I added the "Universal Fellowship"]

Of course, according to more contemporary LDS apostles (like LDS apostle McConkie), we are about on the same par as "communism...Islam...Buddhism...Modern christianity in all its parts...Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, and Italy under Mussolini." [McConkie said this in the context of answering his own question: "What is the church of the devil in our day, and where is the seat of her power?...It is all of the systems both Christian and non-Christian, that perverted the pure and perfect gospel..."] Source: The Millennial Messiah, pp. 54-55 I've left out other "niceties" of what we've been labeled (Protestant and Catholic alike).

Of all these titles, I think I prefer the only unoffensive title in that bunch assigned to us by LDS prophets and general authorities--that being The (Evangelical) Church of the Dead Tree, for what is the cross but a "dead tree?"

"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God." (1 Cor. 1:18)

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." (Gal. 6:14)

Therefore, I am not ashamed to be associated with The Church of the Dead Tree--for it is the gospel (the "good news"). The "good news" is not an elaborate "system" of every belief under the Mormon sun that a 12-year-old LDS "deacon" is supposed to know before he dies. It's not every law, commandment, ordinance, precept, etc. in the LDS "scriptures;" it is simple trusting in/knowing the true God and the true Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; [LDS note: It doesn't say to "everyone that worketh" or "everyone that obeyeth"]]; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16)

Signed

Ex-Proud but current member of the Church of the Dead Tree, where the blood of my Savior died for my pride, for my flesh, for my guilt, for any actions intended to "change" a Divine Mind who already knows everything about me and my heart...and yet, surprisingly, doesn't love me any less.

[MHGinTN]

You have a way with words. Selah

[Grig]

Mitt must be doing very, very well in the polls judging by all the inaccurate, inflammatory crap being posted about Mormonism.

If you want a look at how Mormons portray of the Christmas story go here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nUm4KwH3Aww

[fproy2222]

Another Church of the Racist South! I can remember the era when a congregation would sell their building and move for miles because their neighborhood was changing races and they refused to go to church with black folks. Good job! Great heritage for you to brag about!

That was in Atlanta, by the way.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

I lived through it in Mississippi before finding God still advised us through a prophet today.

[Old Mountain man]

Congratulations! I ask you a simple question and you cannot answer. You should change your name to bravo sierra artist. Do you even attend a church or do you simply live to attack those of us who do?

[Old Mountain man]

I left the baptists behind many years before I became a mormon.

[Old Mountain man]

Yes, sir. And you had best not find a segregated congregation amongst us because that is so obviously wrong. Of course, we have always had black members.

[greyfoxx39]

[greyfoxx39]

FIP ping to 148

Therefore, I am not ashamed to be associated with The Church of the Dead Tree--for it is the gospel (the "good news"). The "good news" is not an elaborate "system" of every belief under the Mormon sun that a 12-year-old LDS "deacon" is supposed to know before he dies. It's not every law, commandment, ordinance, precept, etc. in the LDS "scriptures;" it is simple trusting in/knowing the true God and the true Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; [LDS note: It doesn't say to "everyone that worketh" or "everyone that obeyeth"]]; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16)

Signed

Ex-Proud but current member of the Church of the Dead Tree, where the blood of my Savior died for my pride, for my flesh, for my guilt, for any actions intended to "change" a Divine Mind who already knows everything about me and my heart...and yet, surprisingly, doesn't love me any less.

Bravo!..Henceforth when challenged as to my church membership by apologists, I shall be proud to claim to belong to "The Church of the Dead Tree".

[Colofornian]

Congratulations! I ask you a simple question and you cannot answer. You should change your name to bravo sierra artist. Do you even attend a church or do you simply live to attack those of us who do?

I did answer. I answered as your prophets & general authorities have described us. They have not cared to check us out very closely, except for a denomination or two. (Joseph Smith attended a Methodist membership class with his wife the year after his baby died...1827, I believe...3 yrs. pre-Book of Mormon & multiple years post first vision). Instead, they have preferred to lump us together as one, which for the most part, is fine with me, since Jesus himself defines his church as one.

Do you even attend a church...

Do I worship with other Christians? (Yes, evangelical ones)

Does the Bible talk about assembling together (Yes, Book of Hebrews); Does it talk about "attending church?" (no)

May I suggest you zero in & do a study on the 3 common NT words for "church?" Ekklesia (Greek), an assembly of people called out of the world; the body of Christ; the temple of the Holy Ghost--a temple not made with human hands.

Why? Because

(a) LDS tend to substitute buildings--temples made with human hands in place of the REAL thing (people as temples of the Holy Ghost);

(b) The "body" is not a religious organization, it's a living organism;

(c) "ekklesia" describes people, not an institutional structure.

No Christian is an island or a church unto himself, so "no" I don't go "solo" re: worshipping, praying, studying, fellowshipping.

[SkyPilot]

And no one will do a greater work than Jesus until the advent of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Oh good grief.

35 But take care that you not be led astray. For the time will come when much that is believed and taught about the cleansing power of Christ's blood will be such utter nonsense and so palpably false that to believe it will be to lose your salvation. In that day many will believe or pretend to believe that if we confess Christ with our lips and avow that we accept Him as our personal Savior, we will thereby be saved. They will say that His blood, without any other act than mere belief, makes us clean.36 Be not deceived. Each of you will have to work very hard to qualify for your eternal potential."

Ugghhhh....

[Osage Orange]

There is nothing to deny at no time was the leaders of the Church Races even Birgham Young, many like to to miss quote his words, but he never was a races.

Believe what you shall. But you are wrong.

BTW, do you just alert the mods to everything now?

[Osage Orange]

Of course, we have always had black members.

Now..that's a tall tale, OMM.

ALWAYS???

Baloney!!

ROFLOL!!!