Mormonism, Cults, and Christianity (Is Mormonism a Cult, or is it simply not Christian?)

Jews did not believe that God would come to Earth as a man and Jesus, as a Jew, would have considered such a belief as blasphemy.

Jesus wasn't just a "Jew", he is the Son of God. He healed on the sabbath; he called God his Father; he call himself the Messiah; he permitted others to call him Messiah; he forgave sins; he allowed the rich young ruler to call him "good", although Jesus said only God is good; one can be saved by believing on God or believing on the Son of man -- take your pick, they're the same God; John the Baptist called him "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world"; when Jesus comes [again] he will gather his elect (all saints) from the four corners of the earth (see Matthew 24:31, Mark 13:17, Revelation 7:1).

...and the realization that he had failed must have been overwhelming.

Not so fast. The rescue of his elect -- doesn't sound like failure to me.

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54 -- quoting Isaiah 25:8)

Today is the accepted time; today is the day for salvation.

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:25,26)

I was giving the contemporaneous explanation of why Jesus called to “the Father” from the Cross. Keep in mind, you are convoluting unwritten text (the Christian Gospel) with already written Jewish scripture. At the time of Jesus death, Messiah had no other connotation other than the Jewish one. There was no “son of god”, or forgiving sins, or lamb of God. All of that was blasphemy. That was all written afterwards to retrofit the failure of Jesus fulfilling the Messianiac prophecies.

Read the “Old Testament” and stop at the end of Malachi. The requirements for the Jewish Messiah are pretty clear but the basics are clear. The Jewish Messiah is a mortal man. Period. End of story.

Take care.

I guess if someone claimed that Mac Aroni guided the translation of the Bible they might take it more seriously.

- - - - -
LOL! They might at that.

Here are a couple of quotes for you from LDS leaders (I can find you more) and their ‘articles of faith’, and current LDS still believe this. Every once in awhile you will get one that says ‘we believe the Bible’ but they are being deceptive, because they know (and are not telling) is the caveat ‘as far as it is translated correctly’ but they can’t explain that statement when pressed either.

... who, in his right mind, could, for one moment, suppose the Bible in its present form to be a perfect guide? Who knows that even one verse of the whole Bible has escaped pollution so as to convey the same sense now that it did in the original.”

- Apostle Orson Pratt, “The Bible and Tradition, without Further Revelation, an insufficient Guide,” Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon – No. 3, December 1, 1850, p. 47; see Abanes, One Nation Under Gods, p. 383-384

...the Book of Mormon remains secure, unchanged and unchangeable, ...But with the Bible it was not and is not so....it was once in the sole and exclusive care and custody of an abominable organization [Christianity], founded by the devil himself, likened prophetically unto a great whore, whose great aim and purpose was to destroy the souls of men in the name of religion. In these hands it ceased to be the book it once was.”

- Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, The Joseph Smith Translation, pp. 12, 13

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. - 8th article of faith

They teach he bore sin in the Garden, not on the Cross and didn’t need to die for sin... “Christ sweat blood in the garden so we can earn our own salvation through our works and membership in the Mormon church”.

First of all, thanks for your helpful remarks. I will use this information in sharing the gospel with my Mormon friends and coworkers.

(For my benefit) allow me to address this error of "bearing sin in the Garden" and "Christ sweating blood." First, Jesus did not sweat blood. The Bible reads:

And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:44)

as it were indicates that this is a simile. It's doesn't mean he in fact sweated blood. Secondaly, Jesus had to die. The Lamb of God, as John refers to him (John 1:29), was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). His death on the cross was foreordained. And without the shedding of blood (the death of the victim) there is no remission of sin.

Saying, this is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without the shedding of blood is no remission. It was necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:20-26)

As to their other heresy: We also have to ‘pay him back’ in order to return to God the Father and earn exaltation (individual salvation and godhood).

Jesus' sacrifice, and his alone, was necessary and sufficient.

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12-14)

We know that a man is not justified before God by the works of the law in any capacity, but by faith in Jesus Christ. "for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16b) Those who believe that it is by works will stand before God at the great white throne of judgment, expecting to be saved by their works, either in whole or in part, and will be greatly disappointed.

please study the anabaptist movement a little more, of course they rejected the Nicene Creed. the Nicene Creed states the Church “acknowledges one baptism for the forgiveness of sins”
the anabaptists believed no one understood what baptism was for 16 centuries. The Church has always taught and believed baptism was for the remission of sins and receiving the Holy Spirit as Peter preached in Acts 2. The Church has also always taught that infants were to be baptized since they were sinners and the Apostles baptized infants.
the anabaptists rejected all of this historical, orthodox Christian doctrine and began teaching baptism was not for the remission of sins, it was merely a symbolic action of the salvation which has already occurred. they also rejected infant baptism.
so if you want to believe that no one understood baptism for 16 centuries and that the Church was apostate by the Nicean Council, you go ahead.
i choose to believe the Holy Spirit preserves the Church from teaching error, and it is indded the “pillar of truth”.

How hopeless for mankind, if this were true. But the Messiah is not just a man. It is not the end of the story! The last two verses of Malachi, the last book of the OT:

5 Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 6 And he shall turn the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5,6)

Verses from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke showing the clear continuation and answer of God:

7* And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8* But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9* But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10* For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11* Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12* And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13* For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14* And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. (Matthew 11:7-14)

3* And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; 4* As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (see Isaiah 40:3) 5* Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:3-7)

When Jesus began his earthly ministry he quoted Isaiah 61:1-2a, with Isaiah 42:7.

17* And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18* The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20* And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.(Luke 4:17-21)

Nothing is convoluted, but rather a straightforward continuation of God's working and longsuffering to reconcile sinful man to himself.

Magritte, there is no sweeter love than the love of Jesus Christ. He lived, died and arose to make it possible for us to enjoy his unspeakable riches. This is the desire of God who sent his Son: "That everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life." (John 6:40) Be a faithful son of Abraham and come to him. Now is the acceptable time.

Take care.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.