Posted on 01/28/2012 9:20:46 AM PST by pinochet
Almost all Christian denominations can be traced to 3 main traditions - the Catholic, the Protestant, and the Eastern Orthodox traditions. All three traditions are based on the Bible. Mormonism is a religion that has a heritage that is very different from traditional Christianity, and is based on the Book of Mormon.
The theological differences that separate a Baptist from a Catholic, are not the same as those which separate a Baptist from a Mormon, or a Catholic from a Mormon. In a dispute between a Baptist and a Catholic, they will argue over whether Church tradition prevails over scripture on some issues, and on whether salvation is by faith alone, or a combination of faith and works. The main argument will focus on how they interpret the Bibilical verse, James 2:17, which notes "Faith without works is dead".
But Mormonism doctrines involve stuff that is completely incomprehensible to Christians. It is not just the fact that Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith was a polygamist, like the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. I will grant you that Joseph Smith was not as violent as Muhammad. But Mormons have this crazy doctrine that Jesus visited America, and that some Native Americans are the lost tribes of Israel.
They also have secret ceremonies in Mormon temples, in which they perform wierd rituals and ceremonies, such as one creepy ritual called "naked touching". Non-mormons are never allowed to attend those secret Mormon ceremonies, and only a minority of Mormons - those in good standing with the church, are allowed to witness the strange ceremonies. One is also required to wear special undergarments as part of the faith. Here is a description on "naked touching" by ex-Mormons: http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon366.htm
Many of us have met individual Mormons, and admired them and their families. They are a model religious minority like Hindus from India. Hindu immigrants in America are hard working, law-abiding, and their children do well in school. But we cannot get over the fact that Hinduism is a really strange religion with multiple gods and goddesses, and strange cultural practises such as viewing cows as holy animals. Some Hindu gods like Shiva, Hanuman, Ganesha, and Kali, are really weird creatures. I have always viewed Mormons as a nice pro-family people, but with a religion as strange as Hinduism.
Joseph Smith's career was just as colorful as that of Karenga. Smith began his career as a magician and fortune teller, and he claimed he could tell the future by staring at a Crystal Ball. In 1826, he was tried and convicted of fraud. The success of his Mormon religion, makes him the most successful conman in American history. I wonder whether, 100 years from today - will Maulana Karenga be honored and respected as a founder of a major world religion?
If Prophet Muhammad could do it, and if Joseph Smith could do it, then why can't Maulana Karenga? If, in the future, Karenga's supporters become a majority in one state, and are able to elect a Governor, two Senators, and several Congressmen, wouldn't they become "respectable"?
A brief biography of Joseph Smith: http://www.mindspring.com/~renewal/JosephSmith.html
Possibly.
To me and many others, it's much stranger.
You can tell me all about horse worship.
Note, Hinduism has at its core a whole series of ancient stories that seem to have their roots in the pre-Abrahamic traditions reflected in the Old Testament.
To a degree it's not strange at all.
Axelrod, is that you stirring the pot on this website?
Go back to your CPUSA blog.
The full anti-Mormon stuff hasn’t even started yet...and probably won’t until he has the nomination. Think it’s a coincidence that there’s a Broadway play just now about the “silly” religion?
Couple that with “vulture capitalism” and his “let’s play nice with Obama” at the debates...Romney’s toast.
Next year at this time we’ll be saying...”why didn’t we just nominate a conservative?”
Mormonism is a cult religion. Basically, one has to purchase salvation through the elders of the church.
Mormonism is definitely NOT aChristian sect! ala Jesus and Lucifer were brothers, Mormon armor, spirit babies, lamanites, goal of becoming God, temple molestation, Mountain Meadows Massacre, etc. But I have lived in predominantly Mormon communities out wEST. tHEY ARE ALMOST UNIFORMLY CONSERVATIVE, PRO-aMERICA, pRO-FAMILY GOOD-HEARTED PEOPLE. i GUESS THEY ARE BORN INTO it and don’t know anybetter.
Oh, no, Hindus only have 350 million gods and goddesses.Mormonism has an infinite number - with more made all the time. They have an annual Spring Fling at Kolob Beach.
Of course you’re not the only one, otherwise you wouldn’t have posted this here.
Good people, weird theology.
Why does this make me think of the kettle calling the pot strange? (or something like that}
Let's go read the Book of Revelation and then we can really talk about strangeness.
Are we a nation of religious tolerance or do we sanctify only Christianity? Anyone practicing a different religion isn’t worth a crap?
Is America a La Cosa Nostra for Christians?
Shall I tell my Buddhist wife that she’s unacceptable to Americans because of her Buddhist beliefs?
My mother was Pentacostal. That’s a cult. Her whole day was spent worrying about ‘the church’, putting everything second to the ‘pastor’. That church also liked to empty your pockets in the name of God.
Compared to Obama? Naaahhh!
The anti-Mormon bigots on FR make me ashamed of FR. Why don’t we focus on Obama and his failures, and Romney and his liberal ideas, and the destruction such ideas have wrought on this country rather than the pros and cons of Mormonism?
I’ve always thought of it as a mixture of Islam, Mason occultism, with a little pagan mythology, Jewish romanticism and gnosticism mixed together, but that might be giving too much credit to Joseph Smith who began his flim-flamming by staring at rocks in his hat.
In your post to me, you put the above quote in Italics, as if I said it - I didn't.
The exception being islam. That is just some pure evil shiite.
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