Some of the anti-Mormon sentiment expressed on these threads reminds me of that aunt.
Well, Bill, perhaps you could actually POINT OUT what you are vaguely alluding to; so we'll be able to understand the way your mind works.
Please show any anti-mormon posts.
I can show you many anti-mormonISM posts, however.
Suggestion, learn about mormonISM before you defend it.
How much do you know about Mormonism and the micromanagement the Mormon church has over its members lives?
How much do you know about their beliefs? How much do you know about the Bible?
Before you accuse us of being ‘anti-mormons’ rather than against the cult of Mormonism, please do your research, they are NOT as they appear.
Some well researched and documented sites are:
www.utlm.org
www.mrm.org
www.irr.org/mit
www.mormonoutreach.org
For a glimpse into the damage Mormonism does to people read some of the exit stories here.
www.exmormon.org
I have many Mormon friends whom I care about very much, I love them enough to tell them the truth their own church hides and lies to them about.
Ya know, Protect the Bill of Rights, Joseph Smith had a "revelation" that John the Apostle would never die. See Lds "scripture" -- Doctrines & Covenants 7...with further explanation below the asterisk line, for those so interested.
Some -- including some Mormons -- have surmised that the apostle John is still walkin' around the earth.
Let's just humor Mormon "scriptures" for a moment & say, "Yup, John is still walking around the earth today." And, furthermore, let's just say you happened to go into a coffee shop tomorrow, and saw this white-haired very old gentlemen speaking with a pristine voice...a guy referenced by the one at the same booth as "John."
And, let's say you heard the following two statements:
Statement #1: "I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. ANY SUCH PERSON is the deceiver and THE ANTICHRIST."
Statement #2: "Who is the liar? It is WHOEVER denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is THE ANTICHRIST—denying the Father and the Son."
Now, perhaps if you heard such a convo, you'd conclude: "Boy, 'the views of' this self-righteous, crotchety old miser 'aren't shared by many.' He's 'a minority of one'."
But, even if we don't take Joseph Smith's word that John is alive on this planet, all I did with these two statements above is to quote him...1 John 2:22 and 2 John verse 7.
What am I saying here?
(a) It's common for us all -- myself included -- to have an over-reaction to the word "anti-christ" -- because the apostle John simply defined it to mean, "somebody who is AGAINST Christ."
(b) Beyond that...please show us where on this thread ANYBODY has actually referenced ANYBODY else as "the anti-Christ."
Protect the Bill of Rights...what you have done is to set up a straw man -- attack it -- when nobody here has postulated what you're attacking.
If you have kids, go teach them what "straw man" means as a debate tactic...then tell them how you tried it online this time (today)...and how it was shot down. (It'll be a good educational lesson for them; and hey, nothing wrong with ALL of us -- myself included -- getting reality checks from time to time...we can all become a bit more humble)
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For a further explanation of Mormon "scriptures"/teachings that the apostle John supposedly never died, allow me to cite Mormonism Research Ministry:
...it is taught very clearly in section seven of the Doctrine and Covenants that the Apostle John is still alive somewhere on the earth. The introduction to section seven states, "The revelation is the translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by himself." Joseph Smith claims that when John was asked by the Lord what he desired, John responded by saying, "Lord, give me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee" (vs.2). To this the Lord supposedly said, "Because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people." The LDS Church, however, maintains that John made a personal appearance to Joseph Smith sometime around 1830. Joseph Smith claimed the Apostle John (as well as Peter and James) appeared to him and Oliver Cowdery and bestowed upon them the Melchizedek priesthood. Just when this took place is not exactly known although LDS historians insist that it had to have taken place after Smith claimed to have seen John the Baptist on May 15, 1829. Mormon historian B.H. Roberts estimates that it took place sometime between May 15, 1829 and April of 1830. Not only is the time in which John made his appearance a matter of debate, but the manner in which John appeared also seems to be one of confusion among LDS leaders. Tenth LDS Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith states that Peter and James appeared as resurrected beings, but John is not so described. He wrote, "There is a statement in the Gospel of John, written of his gospel account, which intimates that the Lord gave him power to remain until the second coming. There is a revelation in the Doctrines and Covenants, Section 7, which confirms this thought" (Answers to Gospel Questions 3:93)...Mormon Apostle Bruce McConkie denied that John was resurrected. Rather, he claimed that John appeared as a translated being. McConkie wrote, "At that appearance, Peter and James were resurrected beings; John was translated." (Mormon Doctrine, pg. 572).
Source: The Great Apostasy and Restoration
So...two Lds "prophets" -- Joseph Smith and Joseph Fielding Smith, coupled with a Mormon "apostle" (McConkie) all taught that the apostle never died.
Since three Nephite disciples from Book of Mormon times also supposedly never died...the above link asks the Question: "How could a universal apostasy -- as Mormon teaching claims -- occurred if four men with priesthood authority were still on the earth? Why was there a need for a 'restoration' if the authority/gatekeepers of the true faith never became 100% lost?"