The Only True and Living Church [Mormon]

LDS New Era Magazine ^ | August, 2011 | Elder Dallin H. Oaks

[greyfoxx39]

The Only True and Living Church

By Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From an address delivered on June 25, 2010, at a seminar for new mission presidents.

What does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church?

Our first responsibility and purpose is to testify of Jesus Christ to a world that suffers to know of His divine mission. As my response to that great responsibility, I will speak about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the only true and living Church. In doing so I know I speak against the powerful tide of what is called “political correctness.”

The fashionable opinion of this age is that all churches are true. In truth, the idea that all churches are the same is the doctrine of the anti-Christ, illustrated by the Book of Mormon account of Korihor (see Alma 30). That account was given to teach us a vital lesson in our day.

A revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831, soon after the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke of those who had been given “power to lay the foundation of this church.” The Lord then referred to the Church as “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased” (D&C 1:30).

Because of this declaration of the Lord, we refer to this, His Church—our Church—as the “only true Church.” Sometimes we do this in a way that gives great offense to people who belong to other churches or who subscribe to other philosophies. But God has not taught us anything that should cause us to feel superior to other people. Certainly all churches and philosophies have elements of truth in them, some more than others. Certainly God loves all of His children. And certainly His gospel plan is for all of His children, all according to His own timetable.

So what does it mean that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church?

Three features—(1) fulness of doctrine, (2) power of the priesthood, and (3) testimony of Jesus Christ—explain why God has declared and why we as His servants maintain that this is the only true and living Church upon the face of the whole earth.

1. Fulness of Doctrine

When Jesus Christ was upon the earth, He taught the fulness of His doctrine, which is the plan that our Heavenly Father has outlined for the eternal progress of His children. Later, many of these gospel truths were lost through being diluted by the principles or philosophies then prevailing in the world where Christianity was preached and through the manipulations of political leaders. We call this loss of the fulness of truth the Apostasy.

Many church denominations or philosophies that exist in the world today contain, in greater or lesser measure, truths revealed by God in earlier days, along with a mixture of the philosophies or manipulations of men. We believe that most religious leaders and followers are sincere believers who love God and understand and serve Him to the best of their abilities. We are indebted to the men and women who kept the light of faith and learning alive through the centuries to the present day. We want all who investigate our church from other churches or systems of belief to retain everything they have that is good and to come and see how we can add to their understanding of truth and to their happiness as they follow it.

Because so much had been lost in the Apostasy, it was necessary that the Lord restore the fulness of His doctrine. That began with what we call Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ begins with the assurance that we lived as spirits before we came to this earth. It affirms that this mortal life has a purpose. It teaches that our highest aspiration is to become like our heavenly parents. We do this by qualifying for the glorified celestial condition and relationships that are called exaltation or eternal life, which will empower us to perpetuate our family relationships throughout eternity.

The doctrine of Jesus Christ, understood in its fulness, is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become. This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions; an accumulation of right choices; and continuing repentance. “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). This is made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and by obedience to the laws and ordinances of His gospel.

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is comprehensive, universal, merciful, and true. Following the necessary experience of mortal life, all sons and daughters of God will be resurrected and go to a kingdom of glory more wonderful than any mortals can comprehend. With only a few exceptions, even the very wicked will ultimately go to a marvelous—though lesser—kingdom of glory. All of this will occur because of God’s great love for His children, and it is all made possible because of the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, “who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands” (D&C 76:43).

2. Power of the Priesthood

The second and absolutely essential characteristic of the “only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” is priesthood authority.

The Bible is clear that priesthood authority is necessary and that this authority had to be conferred by the laying on of hands by those who held it. Priesthood authority did not come from a desire to serve or from reading the scriptures. When that priesthood authority was lost through apostasy, it had to be restored by those resurrected beings who had held it in mortality and who were sent to confer it. That happened as part of the Restoration of the gospel, and that priesthood authority, together with the keys necessary to direct its operations, are in this Church and no other.

As a result of our having the power of the priesthood, the leaders and duly authorized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are empowered to perform the required priesthood ordinances, such as baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the administration of the sacrament.

The keys of the priesthood, held by our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and every other prophet and President of the Church, entitle him to revelation in behalf of the entire Church. This Church is “living” because we have prophets who continue to give us the word of the Lord that is needed for our time.

3. Testimony of Jesus Christ

The third reason why we are the only true Church is that we have the revealed truth about the nature of God and our relationship to Him, and we therefore have a unique testimony of Jesus Christ. Significantly, our belief in the nature of God is what distinguishes us from the formal creeds of most Christian denominations.

The Articles of Faith, our only formal declaration of belief, begin as follows: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.” We have this belief in the Godhead in common with the rest of Christianity, but to us it means something different than to most. We maintain that these three members of the Godhead are three separate and distinct beings and that God the Father is not a spirit but a glorified being with a tangible body, as is His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. Though separate in identity, They are one in purpose.

Joseph Smith’s First Vision showed that the prevailing concepts of the nature of God and the Godhead were untrue and could not lead their adherents to the destiny God desired for them (see Joseph Smith—History 1:17–19). A subsequent outpouring of modern revelation clarified the significance of this fundamental truth and also gave us the Book of Mormon. This new book of scripture is a second witness of Christ. It affirms the biblical prophecies and teachings of the nature and mission of Christ. It enlarges our understanding of His gospel and His teachings during His earthly ministry. It also provides many teachings by which we may know the truth of these things.

We are not grounded in the wisdom of the world or the philosophies of men—however traditional or respected they may be. Our testimony of Jesus Christ is based on the revelations of God to His prophets and to us individually. (See 1 Corinthians 2:1–5; 2 Nephi 28:26.)

So what does our testimony of Jesus Christ cause us to affirm?

Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God, the Eternal Father. He is the Creator of this world. Through His incomparable mortal ministry, He is our teacher. Because of His Resurrection, all who have ever lived will be raised from the dead. He is the Savior, whose atoning sacrifice paid for the sin of Adam and opened the door for us to be forgiven of our personal sins so that we can be cleansed to return to the presence of God, our Eternal Father. This is the central message of the prophets of all ages.

I solemnly affirm my testimony of Jesus Christ and the truth of His gospel. He lives, and His gospel is true. He is the Light and Life of the World (see D&C 34:2). He is the Way to immortality and eternal life (see John 14:6). To me, the miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is incomprehensible. But the Holy Ghost has given me a witness of its truthfulness, and I can rejoice that I can spend my life in proclaiming it.

Priesthood authority had to be restored by those resurrected beings who had held it in mortality. That priesthood authority, together with the keys necessary to direct its operations, are in this Church and no other.

We are not grounded in the wisdom of the world or the philosophies of men. Our testimony of Jesus Christ is based on the revelations of God to His prophets and to us individually.

[Elendur]

Come back later... ;^)
///
hehe !

...as for Mormons, i simply don’t understand, why they believe that God chose a man convicted in New York,
of being an actual con-man, who told his own wife God was going to punish HER, if she didn’t accept his being with other women, and who killed 2 men while breaking out of jail.
not to mention, the archaelogical claims in their books,
which have been utterly refuted by every branch of science.

=
i also agree with:
“And a couple of BELIEVERS in this stuff actually want us to vote for them as President of the United States of America!!”
///
but Islam is 1,000,000 times worse than LDS. We need a President who truly understands the threat of Islam.
at least Mormons like Glenn Beck do.
...i will never vote for someone who praises “the religion of peace”, makes HALAL laws and Gulen schools, and quotes approvingly from the Quran.

Islam (with Sharia) is the greatest danger, to the very existence of America. Not LDS.
We need a President who KNOWS this, like Colonel Allen West.

[Tennessee Nana]

But God has not taught us anything that should cause us to feel superior to other people
__________________________________________

Gee I wonder where it comes from then...

Oh noez...

Doctrines of men ???

[laweeks]

I’m so sick and tired of the mormons trying to call themselves Christians when they’re nowhere close to being Christians.

Just some minor issues become major on the surface:

1. Do they still believe that Jesus Christ in NOT THE ONLY GOD?
2. Do they still believe that Joseph Smith, Jr., will be sitting when we die with Jesus to determine whether we go to heaven or not?
3. Do they still believe in this nutty planet Kolob?
4. Do they still believe that the Native American Indians were descendants of the Jews when ALL DNA TESTS INDICATE THAT THEY HAVE MORE IN COMMON WITH THE ASIANS AND HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON WITH THE JEWS.
5. Do they still believe that there were metals, horses, chariots, cows, and numerous plants indigenous only to the Western World being used in Central America?
6. Do they still believe that there was an incredibly large war with tens, if not thousands, of Indians killed in Northern New York on the Hill Comora (or whatever) where they’ve found absolutely no trace of any such battle?
7. (the list continues)

How they can possibly look the other way at these huge goofy beliefs and call themselves Christian is beyond me.

[ForAmerica]

You got that right. Personally, I think most Christians just have know idea what mormonISM actually is.

You are absolutely correct, evangelicals ask why do I talk to Mormons all the time? If they have to ask they have no clue.

That's when I get a chance to teach them about Mormonism and as a black man I also let them know what the early leaders had to say about blacks and the priesthood.

[Tennessee Nana]

Certainly all churches and philosophies have elements of truth in them, some more than others.
_______________________________________________

Oh dear

there goes the neighborhood...

Bro Joe must be spinning...

I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were abomination in His sight; that those professors were all corrupt (Joseph Smith, Pearl of great price, vs. 17-19).

[Georgia Girl 2]

I think the US govt classifies Mormanism as a cult. Thats what my fiancee’ told me and he is seldom wrong.

[ForAmerica]

Merely out of curiosity, would you include the Catholic Church in that definition?

Not speaking for him, but I would. There is too much weight on tradition and not enough on the scriptures. Which most of their tradition can't be found in the bible. Like...

Mary is the mother of God, Mary is born without original sin, purgatory, Jesus being the only child of Mary, confession and etc..

[Tennessee Nana]

Mormonism is NOT Christianity

The foul practice of polygamy is not part of Christianity..

Idol worship of the pagan Joey Smith is not part of Christianity...

Multiple gods are not part of Christianity...

A non-virgin Mary is not part of Christianity...

Only males going to Heaven is not part of Christianity...

Males becoming gods is not part of Christianity...

Males ruling their own planet is not part of Christianity...

A priesthood system as practiced by the mormons is not part of Christianity

Women as sex slaves in a harem is not part of Christianity...

Women having babies forever is not part of Christianity...

Women being called from their graves by husbands who decide the woman’s fate is not part of Christianity...

Degradation of women through adultery and so called “celestial marriage” is not part of Christianity...

Three levels of Heaven is not part of Christianity

Sex in Heaven is not part of Christianity…

Men marrying their mother-in-law is not part of Christianity…

Men marrying their daughter-in-law is not part of Christianity..

Men marrying their wife’s sister is not part of Christianity

Special underwear are not part of Christianity..

Special ceremony clothes are not part of Christianity…

Joey Smith deciding who gets into Heaven is not part of Christianity...

Joey Smith as the savior is not part of Christianity...

Recognizing and worshipping the blasphemous Joey Smith is not part of Christianty...

Dead dunking is not part of Christianity...

The idol on top of the mormon temples is not part of Christianity...

The mormon temples are not part of Christianity...

Gathering in “zion” whether its in Missouri or Utah is not part of Christianity...

The return of the mormon jesus to Missouri is not part of Christianity...

The belief that the garden of Eden was in Missouri is not part of Christianity...

People living on the sun and the moon is not part of Christianity...

The belief that the mormon jesus visited Central America is not part of Christianity...

Freemasonry as practiced by the mormons is not part of Christianity...

Endowments are not part of Christianity...

The book of mormon is not part of Christianity

The tall tales of Joey Smith are not part of Christianity

Mythical ancient civilizations in Central America are not part of Christianity

The so called “visions” and false prophecies of Joey Smith are not part of Christianity

The mormon Mary having sex with one of the mormon gods is not part of Christianity...

The absence of a cross on a building is not part of Christianity

Pagan and Freemasonry symbols on a building are not part of Christianity

“Going through the temple” is not part of Christianity...

The denial that Jesus is God is not part of Christianity...

The denial that the Holy Ghost is God is not part of Christianity...

The denial of the Trinity is not part of Christianity...

The belief that the mormon god was once a man is not part of Christianity

The belief that the mormon god was a polygamist is not part of Christianity...

The belief that the mormon jesus was a polygamist is not part of Christianity...

The belief that monogamy...one man, one woman...is prostitution is not part of Christianity...

The belief that David went to Hell forever is not part of Christianity.

The belief that David will not be in Heaven is not part of Christianity….

Paying tithes to be saved is not part of Christianity......

Works to be saved is not part of Christianity

Being a member of the mormon corporation is not part of Christianity...

The mormon jesus sweating in the Garden of Gethsemane for “atonement” is not part of Christianity...

The white horse prophecy is not part of Christianity..

The insulting, degrading, blasphemous false religion of mormonism is not Christianity...

I have never stopped MORMONS from practicing their own religion..

They are free to do so...

I do however state once again for the record...

Mormonism is NOT Christianity...

[Publius Maximus]

...God the Father is not a spirit but a glorified being with a tangible body, as is His resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. Though separate in identity...

Compare to:

"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth." John 4:24

and

"I and my Father are one." John 10:30

[SkyDancer]

You have to hand it to the guy, he really created some legacy

[IWONDR]

You are aware of the First Council of Nicaea/Nicene Creed [325]and the First Council of Constantinople [381]?

So a group of Christian believers of various denominations got together to come to some agreement as to who God the Father was and who Jesus was.

From Wikipedia:

“...One purpose of the council was to resolve disagreements arising from within the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to God the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was the literal son of God or was he a figurative son, like the other “Sons of God” in the Bible. St. Alexander of Alexandria and Athanasius claimed to take the first position; the popular presbyter Arius, from whom the term Arianism comes, is said to have taken the second. The council decided against the Arians overwhelmingly (of the estimated 250–318 attendees, all but two voted against Arius...”

My take is likewise, Joseph Smith, a former Methodist, decided after a “vision” what his perception of the trinity was; and that became the basis for the Mormon’s beliefs. One man versus a group of men deciding the nature of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

[greyfoxx39]

Islam (with Sharia) is the greatest danger, to the very existence of America. Not LDS.

Perhaps you aren't aware of the close ties of mormonism and islam?

I ran a search at mormontimes.com on the word "muslim" with the following results:

I ran a search at mormontimes.com on the word "muslim" with the following results:

Daniel Peterson is a professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic at Brigham Young University and currently serves as editor-in-chief of Brigham Young University’s Middle Eastern Texts Initiative. He is a member of the executive council of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at BYU and is the author of several books including Abraham Divided: An LDS Perspective on the Middle East and the critically acclaimed Muhammad: Prophet of God from Wm B. Eerdman’s Publishing.

HERE

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16673/LDS-church-gymnasium-open-for-Muslim-worship-services?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

LDS church gymnasium open for Muslim worship services

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon church on Old Highway 94 in St. Charles,

provides space every Friday in its gymnasium for Muslims to spread their prayer rugs and worship." (August 24, 2010)

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/631/BYU-publishes-classic-text-written-by-Islamic-philosopher?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

BYU publishes classic text written by Islamic philosopher

"The publication of Avicenna's work is "an acknowledgment of the great contributions Arabic and Islamic civilization have made to the world,"

Daniel C. Peterson said. "It is an expression of respect for Muslim tradition on the part of Latter-day Saints."

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/17289/Mormons-Muslims-get-along-by-creating-books-not-destroying-them?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

Mormons, Muslims get along by creating books, not destroying them

"The threat by Pastor Terry Jones to burn the Qur'an was all over the news. What if, instead of destroying Muslim books,

we were actually to create them, by translating the classic works of the Islamic golden age into English?

"That is the project Dan Peterson, a professor of Arabic at Brigham Young University has been engaged in for more than a decade,

a project that has built tremendous goodwill and resulted in many lasting friendships between Muslims and those of the Mormon faith.

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/17020/McKay-Coppins-Why-I-defend-Muslims?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

McKay Coppins: Why I defend Muslims

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16943/Muslim-Day-of-Dignity-observed-in-Baltimore?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

Muslim 'Day of Dignity' observed in Baltimore

"The Mormon Church donated some of the school supplies and all of the hygiene kits. While interfaith charity efforts are not uncommon,

the Muslim-Mormon team catches some people by surprise, Amin said."

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/16942/Orange-County-Calif-Muslims-Mormons-break-fast?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queueOrange

Orange County, Calif., Muslims, Mormons break fast (Sept. 7, 2010)

http://www.mormontimes.com/article/353/Make-LDS-part-of-Mideast-solution-rabbi-suggests?s_cid=search_queue&utm_source=search_queue

Make LDS part of Mideast solution, rabbi suggests

""If the (Quorum of the) Twelve were to approach the United States government and say,

'We really feel that the religious dimension should be engaged in any kind of process to seek a way

to bring about peace in the Holy Land' ... I think that would be very helpful," Rabbi David Rosen told an audience at BYU."

[tarotsailor]

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS:
BELIEFS THAT FOSTER SILENCE AND COVERUPS OF CHILD ABUSE

Let me begin by saying that I am not a member of the LDS Church and that I have drawn the following conclusions based on reported cases, based on interviews of lawyers who represent victims, and by reading LDS materials, including the Doctrine and Covenants and the Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual. If I do get any of the following principles wrong, I welcome correction from LDS leadership.

LDS texts establish beliefs and practices that operate to keep child sex abuse secret, in the same way that the Catholic Church’s principles have done so. First, as with the Roman Catholic Church, one of the LDS’s central beliefs is in keeping the public image of the Church pure. According to LDS’s Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, “it is our great mission to be a standard to all the world. . .” Achieving that goal, the manual teaches, requires measures that “safeguard the purity, integrity, and good name . . . or moral influence of the Church[.]” When one of the missions of a church is to be a moral example for the world, and to protect its “good name,” the incentive to prevent the appearance of tarnishment is powerful, as it has been in both the Catholic and Mormon traditions. This means that the institution will work hard to keep the damning information inside the organization and away from outsiders.

The interests of the child sex abuse victim are persistently demoted beneath the goals of the organization and its leadership. Just as Catholic bishops have been directed for decades, if not centuries, not to cooperate with civil authorities in clergy child sex abuse case (at least until last Sunday, when the Holy See issued a statement that bishops should report cases to the authorities if civil law requires), so too Mormon leaders are discouraged from cooperating with authorities in cases involving abuse. They are not supposed to testify in abuse cases involving their own members (unless the Church itself is implicated), and they must confer with their Office of Legal Services or the Area Presidency before talking to civil authorities. In other words, there must be a pause between learning of the horror of abuse and picking up the phone to involve the authorities. Moreover, they are not supposed to persuade victims to testify (or not to testify) against LDS members.

In addition, while there is no hierarchy, in the sense of a monarchy, within LDS, its leadership is made up of “prophets,” who “speak[] for God.” Indeed, when they speak, it is as though they are God. (That would include potential Presidential nominee Mitt Romney.) And believers are expected to be completely obedient to the prophets. If they are, it is taught, then blessings will flow. Like the Catholic bishops, then, the LDS leaders have impressive power to persuade believers to put the interests of the organization ahead of the victims.

LDS’s Troubling Precepts Relating to the Reporting of Child Sex Abuse

While Mormon doctrine, like Catholic doctrine, includes a general proposition holding that members should obey the law, there is no requirement within Mormon doctrine that reports about abuse must be made to the authorities.

Rather, the LDS system is constructed so that abuse stays internal, victims have no escape route, and perpetrators can have a field day. Church leaders are supposed to be “sensitive” to victims, but the primary focus is on how to handle the perpetrator: Doctrine requires that the perpetrator must be disciplined within the Church, but later may be given full membership status or readmitted.

Like the Catholic Church, the Mormons have followed a pattern of merely urging counseling for perpetrators within their own system. Leaders and bishops are directed to call LDS Social Services, so that counseling will be “in harmony with gospel principles.”

The strongest suggestion within LDS doctrine regarding reporting abuse to civil authorities requires urging an abuser to turn him or herself in: If a bishop or stake president learns of a “member’s abusive activities,” he “should urge the member to report these activities to the appropriate government authorities.” But of course, the abuser has every incentive not to make such a report.

There is no requirement within the Catholic Church that child sex abuse must be reported routinely. The Vatican’s new rule is simply that bishops should report abuse if the law makes such reporting mandatory; it is not a requirement that abuse be reported in each instance. The same principle holds in the Mormon universe: There is an implicit acquiescence to the reporting of abuse to the authorities by the leadership if the law of the state at issue includes mandatory reporting, but only then, and LDS has worked hard in the states to ensure that this requirement is narrowly interpreted for churches.

When reporting does occur, the leader is required to “encourage the [abusing] member to secure qualified legal advice.” The same is not said about a victim.

The Confessional Exception to States’ Clergy Abuse Reporting Requirements

In Utah, clergy are required to report abuse unless it is obtained during a “confession.” Utah Code Ann. § 62A-4a-403 (2009). The same is true in Arizona, Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 13-3620 (LexisNexis 2009); Oregon, Or. Rev. Stat. § 419B.010 (2007) (incorporating by reference the clergy-penitent privilege at Or. Rev. Stat. § 40.260 (2007)); and California, Cal. Penal Code § 11166(d) (Deering 2009).

Yet the states differ as to how broadly or narrowly they interpret the term “confession” when it appears within these laws. The LDS Church and other religious groups have repeatedly argued that most clergy communications satisfy the “confession” exception to the requirement to report.

That argument succeeded in Utah, Montana, and Washington, but not in California, which has held that “In order for a statement to be privileged, it must satisfy all of the conceptual requirements of a penitential communication: (1) it must be intended to be in confidence; (2) it must be made to a member of the clergy who in the course of his or her religious discipline or practice is authorized or accustomed to hear such communications; and (3) such member of the clergy has a duty under the discipline or tenets of the church, religious denomination or organization to keep such communications secret.”

LDS, Like the Catholic Church, Must Change Its System So that Child Sex Abuse Is Reported to Civil Authorities

Thus, the LDS Church has created essentially the same opaque system that the Catholic Church has employed when it comes to child sex abuse. While the polygamy, child brides, and sex abuse endemic to the polygamous sects are not permitted or encouraged by LDS, the structure of the organization, the importance of its self-image as a leader of virtue in the world, and its intent to protect the Church from liability have, together, yielded a cycle of abuse that is not at all unlike that which has been widely documented in the Roman Catholic Church.

So is there serious abuse in the LDS Church? Absolutely. Why don’t we know more about it? Because of the Church’s internal beliefs, rules, and the acquiescence of its believers – just like in the case of the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, the laws and precedents in Utah have served to cover it up very effectively. If there is one state in the United States that is anathema to lawyers representing child sex abuse victims because the odds of success are so low, it is Utah.

Those on the outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are in the same position outsiders were in with respect to the Roman Catholic Church and clergy abuse before 2002, when the Boston Globe broke the cover story. I have no doubt that what I am saying will provoke defensive and even angry responses. I also know, having dealt with the Catholic Bishops for as long as I have, that there will be powerful temptations to attack me personally. So be it. But I sincerely hope it will also lead to real reforms that result in sunshine on dangerous practices and a reordering of priorities that will put their own vulnerable children atop the list of priorities.

Part 1 of 2 Written by Marci A. Hamilton

[MeganC]

So Mormonism is ‘The One True Church’ and they want us to recognize them? Why? They obviously don’t recognize us.

[Patton@Bastogne]

.


Nice try ...

"Great presentation", though ...


.

[greyfoxx39]

You are aware of the First Council of Nicaea/Nicene Creed [325]and the First Council of Constantinople [381]?

This comparison has been debunked numerous times on these mormon threads.

I'm sure someone will bring their research here.

Wiki is not the most respected source.

[glorgau]

YAMT

[greyfoxx39]

Thanks for bumping the thread.