| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
|
Locked on 07/12/2009 6:01:45 AM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
Locked. |
Posted on 05/08/2008 5:04:47 PM PDT by Grig
I am posting this on behalf of many LDS freepers. They will post their own 'signature' to this in the comments below. --- Some of you have noticed lately a lot of LDS (ie: Mormon) threads here on FR. I'm going to tell you why.
For many years there have been several active LDS freepers here. We post to all the forums on relevant issues, and were happy to have a site where conservative values were so openly welcomed.
Those conservative values include faith in God, and freedom of religion. We fully respect the rights of all posters to express their opinions and views on religious matters, even when people choose to use those rights to express criticism of our own faith. We also support the ideas embodied in FR rules against religion bashing. There is no need for hostility and there should be no room for bigotry on FR. Every religion has it's miracles and mysteries. Every faith has things in it that are not or can not be proven, and things that run contrary to what secular science would have us believe. Someone mature and confident in their own faith generally doesn't feel the need to belittle the faith of others.
We have, to the best of our ability, conducted ourselves with civility and dignity. We do not feel that that respect has been returned by some posters (putting it mildly).
When Mormon missionaries were murdered, the moderators were kept busy pulling jubilant posts off the thread. When Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home, we contended for months with posters who appeared to be motivated by religious bigotry doing all they could to smear the family and accuse the father. Several posters openly admitted their religious motivation in opposing Mitt Romney and confessed that no matter how conservative any Mormon was, they would never vote for one for President of the USA. When the Pope died, I don't think any Mormon poster posted anything unkind, yet the thread about the passing of our President recently needed many comments removed.
Nearly every thread having any connection with Mormons, or Utah winds up being hijacked by anti-Mormon activists who copy and paste the same false accusations over and over even when it has been clearly and factually pointed out to them on multiple occasions that they are bearing false witness against our faith. Everything possible is done by these activists to make FR a hostile place for Mormons, and for at least some of them, bashing Mormonism is all they do here. Their most recent project is trying to blur the fact that the polygamous FLDS is a separate and distinct religion from ours, just as Lutherans are a separate and distinct religion from Catholicism.
In our opinion, such poster do a great disservice to FR and to their fellow freepers by spreading disinformation and promoting hostility towards a people known for walking the walk of conservative values.
Why the moderators here don't see the behavior of these anti-Mormon activists as religion bashing is a mystery to us, but it is the moderators call to make and we respect their right to do so. That doesn't mean we have to be passive however. We have all spent many hours refuting the accusations leveled at our faith, but these wind up buried deep in a flood of comments, effectively shouting us down.
Recently some of us have decided to take a more proactive approach. Rather than try to wrestle the pig into taking a bath, we are just going to hose it down. We will actively define our faith here rather than just respond to accusations.
So expect to see lots of Mormon threads, now and for as long as we see fit to keep posting them (although probably not as many as there are Catholic threads). They will be about our basic doctrines and responses to common accusations. If you want to know what our faith is about, read the articles we post. We will post them as open threads and I encourage you to compare the difference in tone and spirit between what we post and what our critics say.
Ah!
The culprit’s NAME is revealed!
Or a NEW one; either!
I wanted you to know I’m withdrawing that sentence. It is not what I meant, nor what I believe, and I apologize.
And so long as the moderators allow you to continue, I will assume that the purpose of this board IS partly to drive a large conservative population away from the political fight.
That is not what I meant, nor is it what I believe about this board. I apologize for the words I posted, and publicly denounce them.
You may feel free to either delete the referenced post, or leave it for historical reference. Sometimes re-reading your posts can be helpful.
I’m guessing though you wouldn’t mind if an LDS member annoyed people enough that they wouldn’t believe anything about the LDS faith.
Whereas I am guessing you would prefer if the people reading Elsie’s posts would both believe them, and accept their truth, and be turned from their ways.
Without getting into the religious argument any more than I have already, I will say that I have no interest in helping freepers to be persuaded about LDS theology.
As to any other “annoyance”, I think there are plenty of non-mormons already complaining about it, and my voice added to it would be meaningless.
Watch it with that Rambler
The MittNittWitts will have screaming and fainting spells any moment now...
Rambler = Romney...
Hmm...Would love to see the words from ya..."In my opinion, a conservative family home should not have as one of its venues targeted proselytising.
Fine opinion, that is moot when certain groups, religions, or cults defy you. Once that happens, it is "Game On" - and you are either a participant, or a spectator. The Mormons that show up at your door in their white shirts and out of date ties will attempt to pursued. Fine with me. Any group that wants to try and convince others of its legitimacy is allowed under the First Amendment, and even here on FR (a Private website supported by member contributions) - open debate is what we are all about.
Good post, Sky. "Game On" indeed.
First, I’m a member of the PCA denomination. Second, I do not believe that I am to denounce unprompted the errors of every religion constantly. Maybe I am, but in the world I live in, there are many things we seem to be called to do, and I do not feel I am supposed to drop it all to attack people who don’t believe properly. I know for example if I do that at work, I will be fired.
Third, I am not defending the Mormon faith. I am arguing that, from the perspective of a political discussion group, and the conservative movement, we should not be using our forum to attack other people’s beliefs.
And maybe I am saying that while it is our place to expound the Gospel, and to spread the good news, it is not our place to declare that individuals, especially those we d not know personally, aren’t Christian. It is speculation, and God’s chosen are not up for speculation.
I think you’d have to follow the subthreads I’m a part of all the way back to make sense of this.
My summary though is: Free Republic is a political conservative forum, not the place to save Mormons. The only reason LDS people are posting here (THIS IS A GENERALIZATION) is because they are our partners in conservative action. To abuse that association by constantly attacking them for their faith is I think inappropriate.
If they make a claim about their faith being BETTER than another, certainly they have asked for rebuttal.
I’m not the one nobling trying to save the Mormons. I’m trying my best to pretend there is no religion discussed here. I want to talk politics.
If you follow the thread back, you will see that I acted on the assumption that the poster was trying to save Mormons. The poster responded that they wanted to annoy them.
So now I am noting that I believe SOME of the other freepers ARE trying to save them, not ridicule them.
I don’t think this is the place to do so, but at least I udnerstand that some people will feel that God’s call to save the lost is more important than using FR to rally the conservatives together in a common cause — and therefore they will use the threads to try to save Mormons.
As to the first quote, I have apologized for that and withdrawn and denounced it. It is not what I think, and not what I meant. I apologize to you for it as well.
PCA denomination
____________________________________________
Great ....
Have I got a question for you...
The false prophet Joseph Smith claimed that he told his mother he had found that Presbyterianism is not true...
What did he mean by that statement ???
What is not true about your denomination ???
I’ve already found it, thanks.
This has gotten me into trouble more than once!
>From the Christian point of veiw, you are STILL in trouble!
____
Your group Attitude reminds me of the way Cinderella step sisters also felt entitled to Prince!
Yet the Prince choose Cinderella!:)
Joseph Smith himself said that your faith is not true. Think about that. Everything you are supposed to love and be thankful to God about, is "not true."
"I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true." - Joseph Smith
If your God is not worth defending Charles, what is? Is He pleased by your efforts?
Second, I do not believe that I am to denounce unprompted the errors of every religion constantly.
Jesus Christ, whom your PCA church loves, was not afraid to rebuke false errors.
Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"
Mark 12: 18-27
Another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, " Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead."
Matthew 8:21-22
I am arguing that, from the perspective of a political discussion group, and the conservative movement, we should not be using our forum to attack other people’s beliefs.
What is more important to you Charles? Politics, or people's souls?
My summary though is: Free Republic is a political conservative forum, not the place to save Mormons.
BS. Any forum to reach the lost or wayward is soil for Christ to plant His seed of truth and save those going to Hell.
There are Religion and News forums on FR and ideas are exchanged here on Islam, Christianity, and numerous religions. Politics and Religion are inherently bound together in this world.
Don't you know this?
You are not the arbiter of what can, and what cannot be discussed on FR - stop trying.
If you really are a soldier of Christ, you need to look inward and ask if you really are fighting for Him.
You pious 'christians' are ALWAYS trying to make a link were there is NONE!
Like trying to tar the wonderful LDS group, based in SLC with the same brush used on the Flds, based in Eldorado, TX!
--MormonDude(OUR old polygamy was a LOT better than THEIR present polygamy!)
We GET this!
You've said it over and over and over and over.
But we are not trying to get you to finally be quiet about it.
I guess that since it's Jim's forum; he gets to make the rules.
He ALLOWS it, so, there's not much 'arguing' that EITHER side can do to change it.
Pray for Jim, for his MS is causing many side issues with his health - many quite serious.
Your group's ARROGANCE reminds me of ...
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
Kick em' in the groin for Jesus.
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.