You’d would have thought the reference to “hatefest” had to do with the constant early barrage on this thread against Christians. But, no, it didn’t seem to be coming from that direction.
The finger-pointing started with a line or two from “devotional” itself (which no one has yet to address). Then EverOnward accused non-Mormons of “assaulting and maligning” Mormons in post #10 when that wasn’t the topic of the “devotional.” Spiff seconded this comment in post #13. By post #17, Tortdog was calling folks “bigots.” By #21, Sandude was calling even voters who saw Romney as “qualified” yet voted for a more favored candidate as “bigots.” By post #33 tracer was accusing of others in past threads of engaging in a “hatefest.” By post #44, Tortdog was calling folks “the worst of the right.”
By post #52, P-Marlowe rightfully said: So the thread turned from one of a legitimate LDS devotional to a religious right and Free Republic bashing session at your prompting.
From the article: This belief distinguishes Latter-day Saints from many OTHER Christian denominations that teach that salvation is given to all who simply believe and confess that Jesus is the Christ.
Even minus all the poster rhetoric and the moderator determining that the above comments were open for rebuttal, this comment on the article was “game” for rebuttal from the get-go. (Notice that little word “other” slipped in)…So LDS are “other” Christians? (Is that like polygamous fundamentalist Mormons are “other” Mormons?)
People who argue that a person’s religion disqualifies him from running for the presidency is a religious bigot. It’s not my definition. It’s the dictionary’s. [Tortdog]
The very dictionary definition you’ve used once before Tort would qualify Moonies, Jehovah’s Witnesses and fundamentalist Mormons among others with aberrant beliefs to claim “Christianity” as home base. You might as well start claiming that all “New Age” groups are Hindu because they share common beliefs. Are you now going to say that Mormons are “Jews” because of shared common beliefs…plus other claimed overlaps?
We have Jews, and we have Jews for Jesus (Messianic Christians). But what if we had a third group: Jews for the Mormon Jesus? (Do you think either the Jews would be very happy if Jews for the Mormon Jesus claimed to be Jews just like them?...Or the Jews for Jesus folks would be happy in the same way if Jews for the Mormon Jesus also claimed to be Christians?)
Tell you what. Why don't you just start a Jews for the Mormon Jesus group. Be sure you alert every single major Jewish group...tell them that this group will make a special point of baptizing dead Jews...and inform the various Jews for Jesus types of groups. Put out one BIG press release saying: "The Mormon Jesus was Jewish. The key characters in the Book of Mormon were Jewish. We call all Non-Mormons 'Gentiles.' We call ourselves 'Zion.' We're Jews, too...So we are Mormon-Christian Jews."