“Christians berate The Book of Mormon and insist they only trust the Bible.
Might I suggest that The Rapture,the Trinity, The Nicean Creed, Baptism by sprinkling, and the Catholic books of the Apocrypha, and many other practices of Christians are not Biblical. I wonder how many Christians ever really read the New Testament.
Most agree that Mormons are good people. The Savior said, an evil tree cannot produce good fruit.
When reading Matthew 7:16-20, it is important to read the context. I suggest reading at least 10 verses before and after.
In this instance, we are being warned of false Prophets and so it is entirely appropriate when speaking about the false prophets of Mormonism.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
What were the “fruits” of the ‘prophet’ Joseph Smith. Bank fraud, polygamy, violations of freedom of the press. This false prophet started a cult that absolutely devalued Christ and his work through the atonement, and turned Him into a petty god, who died to allow one to work towards becoming another petty god in the great system of godheads.
Indeed! By their fruits you will recognize them!
Once you do that the rest comes together rather nicely.
Would Billion $$ Shopping Malls, Million $$ Newspapers, Giant $$$ Cattle Ranches..and Million $$ Hawaiian Hotels...count as good fruit? I can list more.....
What about the love of money? Does that ring a bell with you?
How many people have joined the mormon church...and then exited, after really finding out what's going on there? Would they be considered "good fruit" or "bad fruit"?
“Might I suggest that The Rapture,the Trinity, The Nicean Creed, Baptism by sprinkling, and the Catholic books of the Apocrypha, and many other practices of Christians are not Biblical.”
You certainly might suggest it! But then, from your posts
I might suggest that you typed that while wearing magic
underwear. Lurkers should know that. It calls into question
your ability to speak about what is Biblical.
I would also point out that there is more evidence to support every one of the things you attempt to call into question than for mormonism, which sadly only has feelings to support its wild claims.
“Most agree that Mormons are good people. The Savior said, an evil tree cannot produce good fruit.”
Self-produced works in pursuit of “worthiness” do not please God. He has already condemned them. They aren’t good fruit. They are plastic fruit.
That same New Testament that you claim Christians don’t read much reveals the Gospel of the Grace of God, apart from the Law and apart from works. Will you accept it alone and put aside your plastic works?
best,
ampu
(#1) (Ya better believe if you're auditioning for godhood, that you'll have an external reputation for being "good" to some extent...and, BTW, so did the Pharisees -- even with Jesus: ...unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. -- Matt. 5:20)
(#2) (Surely you've heard a game-show buzzer over some two-part Q where the participants missed one of the Q's...well, the irony is that as you paraphrased one remark by Jesus, in the previous sentence you 100% contradicted one of His observations!!!)
Sorry, lawsone...Jesus of the Bible did NOT share this presumption of yours:
He said: "'Why do you call me good?' Jesus answered. 'No one is good--except God alone.'" (Mark 10:18).
Jesus wasn't saying He wasn't good; but He was addressing the misguided presumption behind the comment.
Jesus levels the playing field before the cross by undercutting any spiritual pride that presumes we don't Him as our great physician ("It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick...For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."--Mt 9:12)
Jesus is for the person who understands the cancerous diagnosis of sin.
We're all spiritually unhealthy and depraved -- including your "good" Mormons OR our supposed "good" Christians! [Depraved doesn't mean being as bad as we can be; it's just no part of our being is untouched by sin]. Yet that doesn't pre-empt people from accomplishing good works.
Some folks do good works and give the credit for those works to God the Holy Spirit working through them;
Some folks do outwardly good works and assume the credit for themselves, stealing God's glory. Theft of God's glory thereby defeats any act otherwise qualifying itself as "good"...
...And it leads us directly back to #1 above -- auditioning for godhood with good works is self-defeating!
(#3) Finally...Earlier this year I spent a LOT of time investigating just about ALL of the references to "Laws" emphasized by the Mormon church on Lds.org. Since then, I've made this challenged a couple times, and in light of your FReeper moniker, I offer it again:
I dare any Mormon to attempt to list every law emphasized by Lds.org!!! (Or even most of them!)
Now, indeed none of us knows all the laws within our home towns, let alone state & fed laws & codes, etc. But, you see, our eternal salvation isn't determined by such knowledge and/or ignorance.
That can't be said of perfectionistic Mormonism. Mormons' very acceleration up the ladder to Kolob is entirely dependent upon not only knowing all the laws, but obeying them!
Yet if 0% or 0.1% of Mormons actually know ALL the laws they're expected to honor, how is keeping them possible? And if then keeping them all is impossible, how are they supposed to be "saved after all they can do?" (2 Nephi 25:23).
And where is acclaimed "godhood" even a potential reality?
(It's time to drop the "temple-access-gets-you-godhood" Mormon program like a time-share vacation resort you can never schedule when you're actually available!)
OH, btw...
My #3 aspect of my last comment was especially relevant in light of your comment above:
(#3) Earlier this year I spent a LOT of time investigating just about ALL of the references to "Laws" emphasized by the Mormon church on Lds.org. Since then, I've made this challenged a couple times, and in light of your FReeper moniker, I offer it again:
I dare any Mormon to attempt to list every law emphasized by Lds.org!!! (Or even most of them!)
Now, indeed none of us knows all the laws within our home towns, let alone state & fed laws & codes, etc. But, you see, our eternal salvation isn't determined by such knowledge and/or ignorance.
That can't be said of perfectionistic Mormonism. Mormons' very acceleration up the ladder to Kolob is entirely dependent upon not only knowing all the laws, but obeying them!
Yet if 0% or 0.1% of Mormons actually know ALL the laws they're expected to honor, how is keeping them possible? And if then keeping them all is impossible, how are they supposed to be "saved after all they can do?" (2 Nephi 25:23).
And where is acclaimed "godhood" even a potential reality?
(It's time to drop the "temple-access-gets-you-godhood" Mormon program like a time-share vacation resort you can never schedule when you're actually available!)
I wonder how many MORMONs ever really read the various things taught by their chosen religious organization?
Things that seem to have NEVER been UN-taught!