Posted on 09/29/2010 3:05:05 PM PDT by zippythepinhead
Atheists and agnostics know more about major world religions than many people of faith, while Mormons can answer more Bible questions than their Catholic and mainline Protestant counterparts.
Those are among the somewhat startling conclusions about religious literacy in America the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life drew after surveying 3,412 Americans.
Some of the multiple-choice questions were relatively simple: Where was Jesus born and who led the exodus from Egypt? What religion was Mother Teresa, what day does the Jewish Sabbath begin and what is the name of Islam’s holy book?
Others were more obscure: What is Indonesia’s dominant religion? Which Christians teach that salvation comes through faith alone?
About half the Protestants (53 percent) couldn’t correctly identify Martin Luther as the person whose writings and actions inspired the Protestant Reformation. Fewer than half of Americans (47 percent) knew the Dalai Lama is Buddhist and only 38 percent correctly associated Vishnu and Shiva with Hinduism.
John Morehead, director of the Western Institute for Intercultural Studies in Salt Lake City, had already noted religious illiteracy in the general population as well as in the evangelical community. But he did not expect Mormons to top them in their biblical fluency.
“Mormons tend to emphasize Mormon scriptures like the Book of Mormon rather than the Bible in their devotional life,” Morehead said in an e-mail.
Even some LDS scholars were surprised to find Mormons at the top.
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
Put our religion to "The Test"Let's see, links to scriptures in the Bible, Scriptures in the Book of Mormon, offers of a free Book of Mormon, and a Free Bible, and my words of testimony that Jesus is God.
"The Test" is simple, you can't believe what I say, for I may be wrong, you can't believe what Mormon detractors say for again they might be wrong, or lying. So who can we trust? We can trust the Bible, we can trust God, for God is "a God of truth and canst not lie."
The test is contained in First John 4:1-31 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.We are supposed to look for Gods messages by trying the spirits, and we will know which is of God because it will testify of Jesus. I have tried the Spirits to know if they would testify of Jesus and the Book of Mormon, and I have received an answer, yes the Book of Mormon is of God and Jesus is the Christ, my Savior, my Lord, my God. I wish that everyone could have this experience, thus, I offer to all a Free Book of Mormon and if you don't already have one, a Free Bible Too. I invite you to cut through all the yea and nay arguments with a simple prayer, I invite you to come unto Jesus Christ my master. The formula is simple, Get a Book of Mormon, Get a Bible. Read both, pray about both, ask God to testify of Jesus and ask God to reveal errors for what they are, and truth for what it is and listen for God's response. The response should contain a testimony of Jesus, or it may not be from God.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
There may be those who will encourage you not to pray, they will use various methods to do this, I used to list the many scriptures from the Bible that command us to pray, but I am now only going to quote from the Book of Mormon: Second Nephi 32:88 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.The Bible teaches man to Pray, the Book of Mormon teaches men to pray, anyone who teaches something else is not of God.
Friends, brethren, beware of those who teach that God will not answer a sincere prayer from the heart. Seek God. Seek to do good continually, Do good to those who persecute you and despitefully use you. In the end you will in no wise lose your reward for seeking to follow the scriptures.
Amen.
Eternal Progression Data:
http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/etimplications.htm
The Mormon doctrine of eternal progression teaches that God the Father was once a man, who progressed to Godhood through obedience to certain laws and ordinances. Part of this obedience involved getting married to a woman ("The Heavenly Mother"), who gives birth to God’s spirit children, who are sent to earth to inhabit bodies of flesh and bone. These spirit children, if they are Mormons, remain obedient to the laws of the Mormon Church, and are married in the Mormon temple, have the potential to become gods themselves. They will produce spirit children and rule their own planet. This process is then repeated.
The logical implications of this are as follows:
--The present God the Father and Heavenly Mother would themselves have had a Heavenly Father and Mother in existence before them, and they a Heavenly Father and Mother before them, and so on and so fourth. Indeed, not only does this logically follow through in Mormon theology, but many LDS leaders have specifically taught that the present God and Father had a Father above Him, and He above Him, etc. 1
--God the Father would have had to worship and pray to His God and Father as we do to Him.
--If the present God and Father of this planet is worshipped and prayed to by His spirit children, and if Mormon males hope to become gods in the same way, their spirit children would likewise pray to and worship them!
[At this point it is worth bearing in mind that the Bible says nothing about an infinite number of god’s past and god’s to come. On the contrary, Isaiah 43:10 is very clear when God states: "Before me no God was formed and neither will there be one after me." There was no god before God and there will certainly be no gods after Him. He is "the God of gods" (Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:2; Dan. 2:4, 11:36). That is to say, although there are certainly so called "gods" in existence (1 Cor. 8:5), they are not true God by nature (Gal. 4:8). There is only one true God (John 17:3). ]
--If temple marriage is essential to becoming a god, as Mormons claim, then God the Father would likewise have been required to be married in a temple. Of course, there is nothing at all about this in the Bible.
--Jesus would have to have been married in a temple, otherwise He could not have been exalted and become a god (Christians believe He was always God, and not a god, but The God.). There is nothing at all in the Bible about Jesus being married in a temple, or even married outside a temple. Indeed, the Biblical temples were not even used for temple marriage, but for purification rites, and animal sacrifices.
--Some LDS leaders have not only taught that Jesus was married, but that He was a polygamist! 2
--If families are to be sealed in the temple as a family unit, to be a "family forever", what if one of those family members does not remain obedient to the Mormon faith? How can they remain together as a family, if some members of that family are disobedient?
--Bill McKeever of Mormonism Researched Ministry makes an interesting observation about eternal families. He asks how it can be that a Mormon family can stay together forever in eternity if, for example, the children of that family go on to become gods themselves and rule their own planets? Those family members could not be together if they are each ruling their own planets.
Footnotes
1. "We were begotten by our Father in Heaven; the person of our Father in Heaven was begotten on a previous heavenly world by His Father; and again, He was begotten by a still more ancient Father; and so on, from generation to generation, ... we wonder in our minds, how far back the genealogy extends, and how the first world was formed, and the first father was begotten" (Mormon leader, Orson Pratt, The Seer, p.132).
"Some people are troubled over the statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith.... The matter that seems such a mystery is the statement that our Father in heaven at one time passed through a life and death and is an exalted man. This is one of the mysteries.... The Prophet taught that our Father had a Father and so on. Is not this a reasonable thought, especially when we remember that the promises are made to us that we may become like him?" (Momron leader, Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp.10, 12).
2."Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana of Galilee...We say it was Jesus Christ who was married, to be brought into relation whereby he could see his seed [children] before he was crucified (Momron leader, Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 82).
"There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and on a careful reading of that transaction, it will be discovered that non less a person that Jesus Christ was married on that occasion. If he was never married, his intimacy with Mary and Martha an the other Mary also whom Jesus loved, must have been highly unbecoming and improper to say the best of it." (Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 259).
"In the Church councils, it was spoken of: "Joseph F. Smith_ He spoke upon the marriage in Cana of Galilee. He thought Jesus was the bridegroom and Mary and Martha the brides."(Journal of Wilford Woodruff, Momron leader, July 22, 1883).
"The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were Mormons (Momron leader, Jedediah Grant, Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 346). "One thing is certain, that there were several holy women that great loved Jesus, such as Mary and Martha her sister, and Mary Magdalene; and Jesus greatly loved them and associated with the much; and when he arose from the dead, instead of first showing himself to his chosen witnesses, the Apostles, He appeared first to these women, or at least to one of them--namely, Mary Magdalene. Now, it would be very natural for a husband in the resurrection to appear first to his own dear wives, and afterwards show himself to his other friends. If all the acts of Jesus were written, we no doubt should learn that these beloved women were his wives." (Momron leader, Orson Pratt, The Seer, p. 159).
More to follow …
LOL, sources are not that hard to follow AND if they are misquoted why not swarm to it. Sorry Du, pretty lame and lazy - and it does not refute the fact that your prophets and apostles made those demeaning statements.
Look at what you are doing to my post. I state that we are Christians and therefore cannot be denigrating Christianity, your post is all about thanking me for confirming my support for denigration.
I'm not doing anything to your post DU. Infact, if any, you are the one 'doing'. Lurkers will go here to see the origional statement and see that Du is saying NOTHING about being mormons being "Christian", or for that matter the link to his other post. Come on DU, you can do better than that.
As for the JOD being canonized, it wasn't, period.
But we are not discussing a matter of canon per say as I noted in my prior. What ARE the facts are that your prophets and apostles have said about CHRISTIANITY and directly bear regarding your statement -
The important question is: What does it do to a man's soul to denigrate another man's faith?
Again DU, you duck the issue by trying to say these men were not speaking 'as a prophet' (that is fodder for another day). But they are in grand open display acting in the VERY way you accused ejonesie22, svcw and other non-mormons of behaiving.
How do you answer YOUR prophets statements DU? Do you sustain them? Really not a hard question to answer if you are going to be honest about it one way of another.
As for your demand that I either confirm or deny their words, I do not intend to do either, the spirit guides and I don't propose to guide you.
LOL, thanks DU, thats probably the best example of duck and run I've seen in a while. Don't need your confirmation of their words - they are available to all to read in the JoD and MD. Their context is not in doubt - they are openly attacking Christianity in their sermons, speeches and writings. What I do hold you to is the integrity to say whether or not you sustain them in those words. Will you show the lurkers out there whether or not you agree and sustain their views/teachings regarding Christianity or not. Giving you a second opportunity to set the record straight on whether you support and sustain YOUR prophets and apostles statements
Just about every post you write...has multiple me's, I's, my's, and mines"...LOL!! You are hoot dude.
Hey..DU...I've a question that I've yet to get an answer to.
Was Brigham Young a bigot and a racist? Yes or no.
Simple question, simple answer. What say you?
ROTFL...THIS in a post stating, "With anti's who want to say they are right because they outnumber us it's always appropriate."
And this, "Is it playing the victim to continue to post against an uphill battle of many antis"
and this, "We don't complain about the numbers arrayed against us, we boast of the victories of our Lord and express thanks that he has made us equal to our foes though they be many and we be few.
You can lead a mormon to the Truth...but you can’t make them think.
Huh?
We OUTNUMBER YOU?
I thought we were a mere Gideon handful, not lapping like dogs.
With anti's who ARE right because they rightly divide the Word of GTRUTH.
Will we ever give simple answers to simple questions without calling our audience SIMPLE? Again; No.
The MORMON one?
Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages,which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort,I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws,and to use my influence with the members of the Churchover which I preside to have them do likewise.Wilford Woodruff
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.September 24th, 1890
Grey,
Ironically, MANY people get the identical answer:
Mormonism is a false religion, a perversion of Christianity
mixed with almost every heresy the Church condemned -
and strikingly similar to the lie of Satan in the Garden
of Eden.
I warn all that the reason mormon cultists ask you to
“pray” about the book of mormon is to take you OFF the
ground of objective truth and put you onto the subjective
ground of feelings as the basis of truth.
It can be no other way for them. Mormonism is a cult
based on feelings, backed up by feelings.
No facts. No evidence. No logical basis.
Beware the cultist who tells you to pray when God has already spoken. He didn’t stutter. Flee demonic heresies.
Are there mormon cultists on this thread? There sure are.
Their condemnation is just.
ampu
Well said, pretty much sums up any points I would make...
A slow motion train wreck in progress.
Hum...
Bad news somewhere?
The Internet is the World Wide Web...
Maybe the hopes pinned on the overseas market are not panning out...
Too much information out there, the bane of cults of every stripe...
monson’s troop surge is an epic fail.
THX1138
Never stopped before...
Rather funny actaully...
Good post...
There are plenty of testimonies....from ex-mormon's..that tell the story..that once they questioned the BOM, and told their bishop or leader's..they were told to not question. They were told to go back, and re-think their error's. Exactly like DU had done on this forum.
I find it sad that there are "Ex-mormon's for Jesus" folk....that have been ran out of business, run out of friendships, and defamed and bad mouthed. When the only thing they did...was question mormonism.
http://www.exmormonsforjesus.org/moreinfo4.html
Why isn't there a group called Ex-Christians for Jesus?
That's a tell...in my book.
http://www.exmormonsforjesus.org/moreinfo4.html
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