Posted on 12/11/2010 11:46:45 AM PST by delacoert
In our conversations with Mormons we are bound to test what they believe about key issues and how they stand on things we might have heard about Mormonism. It pays to know that it is easy for a Mormon, on the pretext of giving you “milk before meat”, or simply because they don’t know their own faith very well, to be disingenuous in their answers. Here are a few typical “answers” on key subjects: “We believe in the same God as you. ‘We believe in God the eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost’(Mormon First Article of Faith)” “Of course we trust and believe in the Bible” This, again, is a disingenuous answer. The Eighth Article of faith of Mormonism declares: “We are Christians and respect other Christian denominations. We would never attack other churches as some attack us.” The Book of Mormon however declares: “All their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘the draw near with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.’” (Joseph Smith History, 1:19) It seems Mormonism “doesn’t play well with others” despite their protestations to the contrary. “Of course Mormons aren’t polygamists. We renounced polygamy in the nineteenth century and those who practice it today have nothing to do with us.” It seems that the polygamist groups currently denounced and disowned by SLC Mormons are just keeping the practice warm for the day when all Mormons return to the principle. Meanwhile it is not uncommon for a SLC Mormon male to be “sealed” to more than one wife in the next life while practicing monogamy in this. It does seem less than honest to deny liability when the very texts that teach polygamy still form an integral part of Mormon “Scripture”. There is a curious irony in the fact that the familiar SLC Mormons have much in common with breakaway polygamist groups and yet they deny any family connections, instead trying at every turn to associate with the Evangelical Christian Church, with which Mormons have nothing in common. GOD
Although it has the appearance of a Trinitarian confession this does not come close to what Mormons believe about God. Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of Mormonism, said:
"God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man…It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God…and that he was once a man like us…and you have got to learn to be Gods yourselves…the same as all Gods before you." (King Follett Discourse) THE BIBLE
"We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God"
The Bible is the only book of Scripture in Mormonism that is regarded as unreliable and its content is only respected so far as it appears to confirm the Mormon message. The message of Mormonism, such as their teaching on the nature of God, is brought to the Bible and if the Bible does not agree then it is the Bible that is considered wanting. While the Book of Mormon is considered the book of the restoration the Bible is regarded as the book of the apostasy. OTHER CHURCHES
"Behold, there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth" (1 Nephi 14:10)
There doesn’t appear to be any room for “other denominations” here and it might be worthwhile asking a Mormon which church they think you belong to. Certainly, anyone who has studied Mormonism knows that it is founded on harsh and uncompromising attacks on other churches. In his official history Joseph Smith uncompromisingly declared that God said of other churches: POLYGAMY
Two things worthy of note:
1. Polygamy is still an integral part of Mormon Scripture. Mormons might argue that the practice of circumcision is part of Christian Scripture but is no longer practised. This is comparing apples and oranges because circumcision was a mark of the Old Covenant, which was superseded by baptism under the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. Polygamy, however, is taught as an eternal principle and regarded as the order of heaven. It is described as the “new and everlasting covenant”:
"And again, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant…they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation. Then shall they be gods." (D&C 132)
The reference to Mormons becoming gods by the “new and everlasting covenant” is instructive in light of what we have already seen of the teaching that men become gods. While the familiar Salt Lake City Mormons do not currently practise polygamy, it seems it will be reinstated, if not in this life then in glory.
really?
I’ve been wondering if I’m not on the government internet hit list. Certain pages are going off the charts, I think they’re looking for reasons.
My site is not that well known, but I get so many hits from the Middle East, Arab Emirates, my exposure of Islam in the textbooks and Clinton’s part in it along with the state department...I know they don’t like me.
I hope that’s not why you got hung up. Thanks for letting me know.
and btw, if I am, you know they’re gunning for reasons to hit freerepublic. This is an awesome site.
>>> Gee, yet another Mormon-bashing thread. Can you feel the hate?
I wonder how Mormans would react to a “New” prophet allegedly originating from Morman ranks who claimed that he saw God while on a camping trip, and that God told him that Mormonism had lost it’s way and had become an ABOMINATION before Him, and further directed this new prophet to re-discover the gold plates and write the book of mormon again from scratch.
What if this new book of mormon then proceeded to describe abomination after abomination committed by the previous mormon believers including Joseph Smith, and then established a new order which teaches doctrines completely contrary to traditional mormon beliefs?
Then.... If the traditional mormons do react by attacking the claims of the new prophet, should the new prophet call it “religion bashing”???
Who is bashing who here? The BOM IS the epitome of religion bashing and worse... it is the hijacking of a religion (or faith) as well.
If Joseph Smith had spun a completely different yarn that did not involve traditional Christianity at all, that would be one thing. What he did do is another.
Thanks Gourmet. :)
As a youngster, my first impression of Mormons was that they were similar in practice to the Amish. At least the adults.
Most of the Mormon kids I knew were anything BUT the angels their parents thought they had.
Jen -
Mormon Jesus is a created being, elder brother (literally) to humans as well as brother to satan. The mormon Jesus is not God the Son, He is but one of a plethora of ‘gods’ in the mormon pantheon of gods. The mormon Jesus cannot save one from their sins - mormons must become sinless before the grace of Jesus can be applied.
There are many more things many mormons believe about Jesus that are more disputed but the above are clear - the Jesus of mormonism is not the same as Christianity.
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NO
I haven’t seen Mormons bash the Bible, is that true? I haven’t seen it. If so, the leaders will have a lot of ‘splainin to do.
Bottom line, do Mormons believe Jesus died and rose again in payment for our sins? Because I believe if the foundation is Christ, and God knows the hearts, then any leader of any denomination is going to be in trouble for misdirecting the flock, but the flock will still be His if they put their trust in Christ.
What is there about the Mormon church that denies the glory and power of Jesus Christ?
The rest just sounds like noise to me, like battling over speaking in tongues or a thousand different other differences between denominations.
I think only God and His angels are qualified to separate the wheat from the tares, no?
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No angel would presume to do the work of God...
The angels worship the LORD Jesus Christ...
They dont surplant Him in His right to be Judge...
whoah, they don’t believe Christ died for their sins and He rose again?
serious?
if that’s true then I’m backing outta this fight, ducking out the door ————————>
I did not know that
Since you are entering into discussions here on the Religion forum you might want to notice the cautions about being "thin-skinned" and "making it personal".
Just so you understand, I object to being called a bigot on the Religion forum. It is an epithet that makes things personal.
I wonder how Mormans would react to a “New” prophet allegedly originating from Morman ranks who claimed that he saw God while on a camping trip, and that God told him that Mormonism had lost it’s way and had become an ABOMINATION before Him, and further directed this new prophet to re-discover the gold plates and write the book of mormon again from scratch.
What if this new book of mormon then proceeded to describe abomination after abomination committed by the previous mormon believers including Joseph Smith, and then established a new order which teaches doctrines completely contrary to traditional mormon beliefs?
Then.... If the traditional mormons do react by attacking the claims of the new prophet, should the new prophet call it “religion bashing”???
Who is bashing who here? The BOM IS the epitome of religion bashing and worse... it is the hijacking of a religion (or faith) as well.
If Joseph Smith had spun a completely different yarn that did not involve traditional Christianity at all, that would be one thing. What he did do is another.
Thanks!
I disagree.
Truths are at the foundation of organized religion. Truths that are the concepts on how to live a 'Christian' life. That the 'details' are argued over (and have since the beginning of time) and that different 'people' have different 'versions' is unavoidable.
It's the CONCEPTS that are important, and while they are fairly obvious, they seem to be the hardest thing to understand and follow.
With all due respect, I’m pretty sure the Bible says He sends His angels out to separate the wheat from the tares. I’ll look it up but I’m real sure it’s there
do Mormons believe Jesus died and rose again in payment for our sins?
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No
They believe their mormon jesus just sweated in tghe Garden of Gethsemanee...
Sccording to the mormons the Cross ha=s noithing to do with what they call “atonement”...
They also believe that the blood their mormon jesus (who was just once a man) is not strong enough to cover sin
(or pay for their sins...
They have to save themselves and their ancestors through necro water baptism...
(Thats what the multi million dollar mormon temples are built for...)
ancestor worship....
Well, they are going to have to get in line with the Muslims.
>>> I haven’t seen Mormons bash the Bible, is that true? I haven’t seen it. If so, the leaders will have a lot of ‘splainin to do.
They don’t need to when their cannon of scripture does such an excellent job of it alone.
When a Mormon stands up and declares that he/she believes Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the BOM is the word of God, they are stating emphatically that EVERYTHING in the BOM is true... You cannot have it both ways. If you stand behind Joseph Smith, you stand behind everything he said or wrote in the name of God... and if what he wrote did not come from God, that leaves you with the ruler of this world as your deity.
That's the way Mormons paint Him and Joseph Smith in a couple famous paintings that I've seen, but not any of the famous paintings of Christ by Christian artists. 
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