Why so many LDS threads?

08-May-2008 | Grig

[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.

[DManA]

References for what? Care to answer my question?

[Monkey Face]

For a sky pilot, that was a pretty low blow. Obviously, you took it personally. Shame on you.

[sevenbak]

References from the bible that Jesus and the Father are one in substance.

And yes, I do believe you are a Christian, even if you don’t reciprocate.

[Mr Rogers]

All the Mormon threads do for me is annoy the hell out of me. I don’t read FR so I can be inundated with threads about any religion.

You’re not winning friends this way.

[AppyPappy]

But the question remains: What do you believe? Do you beleve in the Trinity?

Mormons are not Trinitarian and Protestants are Trinitarians. Therefore, Protestants do not view the Mormon church as Christian. That’s why we don’t accept their baptisms.

It doesn’t mean they are bad, just wrong in our eyes. The Baptists think the Presbyterians are wrong for baptizing babies. It’s fine. We still get along.

[AppyPappy]

“All the Mormon threads do for me is annoy the hell out of me. “

Are you forced to read them?

[sevenbak]

Yeah, the ol McConkie book that was pulled from the shelves by the first presidency as non doctrinal. Here's what President Lee wrote concerning the specific issue shortly after the book came out.

 

January 2, 1969

Bruce Bracken
Logan, Utah 84321

Dear Brother Bracken:

We are very much concerned that some of our Church teachers seem to be obsessed of the idea of teaching doctrine which cannot be substantiated and making comments beyond what the Lord has actually said.

You asked about the Immaculate Conception of the birth of the Savior. Never have I talked about "sexual intercourse" between Deity and the mother of the Savior. If teachers were wise in speaking of this matter about which the Lord has said but very little, they would rest their discussion on this subject with merely the words which are recorded on this subject by Luke 1:34-35:

"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

Remember that that being who brought about the Immaculate Conception was a divine personage. We need not question his method to accomplish his purposes. Perhaps we would do well to remember the words of Isaiah 55:8-9:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For us the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Let the Lord rest His case with this declaration and wait until he sees fit to tell us more.

 

Sincerely Yours

Harold B. Lee

[bonfire]

Love the last line!

[DManA]

I’ll provide you references from the HOLY BIBLE, Genesis to Revelation if you provide me with references from the HOLY BIBLE, Genesis to Revelation that Jesus visited North America.

[AppyPappy]

Joh 10:30 MKJV
(30) I and the Father are one!

[sevenbak]

You got that right Bro!

[AppyPappy]

1Jn 5:7 MKJV
(7) For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.

[sevenbak]

Yeah, I always imagine some 12 headed monster with 24 hands and 24 feet. Those Apostles surely were one in substance.

John 17:21
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me

[DManA]

Thank you. The topic is WHAT we believe, not why we believe it. That is why I did not supply a verse. But that is an excellent reference.

[Mr Rogers]

I get tired of scanning past them. I think they are inappropriate for FR - not my website, so FR can run them if they want, but I don’t respect the people posting them.

I spent 8 years living in Utah. I’ve heard far more about LDS beliefs than I care to know.

[sevenbak]

Since it was your claim that our scriptures say otherwise, I am surprised you didn’t provide a reference.

[AppyPappy]

So do you see Jesus as A god rather than THE God.

[sevenbak]

One thing at a time. Why are you skipping around? The gauntlet was thrown, so let’s discuss this issue.

I repeat, where is the scriptures does it say that Jesus and the Father are one in substance??

[DManA]

As I explained to AppyPappy, the subject is WHAT we believe, not why we believe it. Christians have believed that Jesus is one with the Father since the beginning. Mormons do not. The point is that we are separate and unique religions because we disagree on fundamental doctrine.

[sevenbak]

Changing the subject?

But I will answer your question.

John 10: 16
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.