Mormonism Obsessed with Christ

First Things ^ | February 14, 2012 | Stephen H. Webb

[C19fan]

Mocking Mormonism is one of the last frontiers of verbal lawlessness to be untouched by the vigilante powers of political correctness. What other group is ridiculed equally by Christians and secularists—and not just any kind of Christian or secularist but the most fervent and hard core? Fervent Christians see in Mormonism a mirror distorting their own faith, reflecting an image strangely recognizable yet recognizably strange. Hard-core secularists think Mormonism is the best example of the strangeness and danger inherent in all religious belief. Deriding Mormonism pulls off the neat trick of making the devout and the godless feel as if they are on the same side.

[C19fan]

The Jesus Mormons claim to love is not the Jesus of the Bible and elaborated by 2,000 years of doctrine and theology.

[Manic_Episode]

Obsessed with Jesus=good

Obsessed with Smith=bad

[Da Coyote]

Mormons are not our problem.

Muslims are our problem.

One question: if you could eliminate Mohammed or Smith from history, which would you pick in order to save millions of lives?

[faucetman]

“by adding the Book of Mormon to the Bible—and that makes it much less than Christianity as well. Nevertheless, the fact that Mormonism adds to the traditional Christian story

does not necessarily mean that it detracts from Christianity to the point of denying it altogether.”

OH YES IT DOES!

Revelation 22:
18 For[i] I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add[j] to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away[k] his part from the Book[l] of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

[blueunicorn6]

“Mocking Mormonism” is “verbal lawlessness”? Wow. You normally don’t see that kind of pomposity outside of hollywood.

“The mormon court has found you guilty of verbal lawlessness. Your sentence is to listen to two mormon missionaries for an hour.”

“I beg for mercy! Please execute me instead!”

[matthew fuller]

Mormons are less obsessed with worshiping Christ than becoming Christ.

[Boogieman]

You know, I agree with you that you can’t just add your own “gospel” to the Bible and then call yourself Christian. However, that verse you cite is a pet peeve of mine because it’s so often misused in these circumstances. It doesn’t say anything about adding to the Bible, because the “book of prophecy” it is referring to is only the Revelation of John, not the Old or New Testaments. The New Testament wasn’t even collected as one volume at that point, so reading the verse in that context is nonsensical.

[Hawthorn]

>> this book <<

How can we know if this term refers to the whole Bible? Or just to the Book of Revelation?

[DaxtonBrown]

“verbal lawlessness”. No 1st Amendment for You!

[OldNavyVet]

History tells us that various civilizations explain God in varying ways, each explanation varying from others in various ways; and humans fight over said variations … in varying ways.
Personally, I think that some power exists out there that is beyond man’s comprehension, and that humans fighting over said power is not in that power’s interests.
Deo gratias

[SZonian]

I always get a kick out of secularists riding to the mormon's rescue.

First, islam isn't claiming to be a complete restoration of Christianity like mormonism. Mormonism claims that ALL of Christianity was lost, that we're all apostates, Whores of Babylon, that Christ lied.

They claim that God and Jesus visited JS in a secret grove claiming all of this and more. Again, claiming that God lied when He said that upon His return, the WHOLE world would know, He wouldn't meet in secret with some 15 or whatever year old conman and thief.

Second, islam is known for what it is, mormonism otoh has done a very fine job of disguising just what it's really all about. That one's salvation has to be EARNED, but one never will truly know it it's been earned because they have to do all of this "work" and then hope that when they get to heaven, the mormon christ will decide to "pay off any balance owed".

Third, islam at least, minimally recognizes the divinity of Christ, where mormonism otoh, relegates Christ to just another man, who was conceived through physical relations.

Fourth, the mormon christ, upon his resurrection, is a murderous savage, not a loving redeemer. He's an OT style judge, slaughtering millions of people and destroying around 16 cities. See:

3 Nephi 8

3 Nephi 9

Lastly, mormonism deceives its followers into minimizing the saving grace of Christ. They teach and perform pagan rituals in their temples, claiming that without those rituals, there is no exaltation. Without exaltation, there is no dwelling in the presence of the mormon god and no chance to become a god themselves to rule over their planet, engaged in eternal, celestial polygamous sex in order to populate said planet.

Sorry, but mormonism is a problem, it's a problem for any right believing Christian who sees the danger posed to one's soul by mormonism. The teachings and doctrines are insidiously hidden, to deceive. Islam is what it is, any fool who becomes a muslim knows exactly what they're getting into. Mormonism is a "milk before meat" religion, hides most of the unpalatable aspects until one is firmly committed.

[1malumprohibitum]

Couldn’t it be both?

[Turtlepower]

“Muslims are our problem.”

False teaching is a bigger problem to me because it has eternal consequences. Anytime someone exposes false teachings, whether it’s mormonism or islam, with the goal of bringing others to a saving knowledge of the Biblical Jesus Christ it should be applauded....

Not sure why you have a problem with that.

[FatherofFive]

If anyone adds to these things, God will add[j] to him the plagues

So I guess we should have stopped at Deuteronomy?

"You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deut 4:2

[FatherofFive]

One question: if you could eliminate Mohammed or Smith from history, which would you pick in order to save millions of lives?

A question I often ponder.

My short list is
1. Mohamed
2. Hitler
3. Ted Kennedy

[Vigilanteman]

I’m old enough to remember a time that it was considered equally chic and fashionable to hate Roman Catholics. It is basically the same crowd with a different target.

[greyfoxx39]

From the article:

Mormons are so materialistic that they insist that the same unchanging laws govern both the natural and the supernatural. They also deny the virgin birth, since their materialism leads them to speculate that Jesus is literally begotten by the immortal Father rather than conceived by the Holy Spirit.

By treating the spiritual as a dimension of the material, Smith overcomes every trace of dualism between this world and the next. Matter is perfectible because it is one of the perfections of the divine. Even heaven is merely another kind of galaxy, far away but not radically different from planet earth. For Mormons, our natural loyalties and loves have an eternal significance, which is why marriages will be preserved in heaven. Our bodies are literally temples of the divine, which is why Mormons wear sacred garments underneath regular clothing.

This should not be taken lightly. The Mormon metaphysic calls for the revision of nearly every Christian belief. Still, not all heresies are equally perilous. If Gnosticism is the paradigmatic modern temptation—spiritualizing Jesus by turning him into a subjective experience—Mormonism runs in the exact opposite direction. If you had to choose between a Jesus whose body is eternal and a Jesus whose divinity is trivial (as in many modern theological portraits), I hope it would be an easy choice.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“The Mormon metaphysic calls for the revision of nearly every Christian belief”.

Yet mormons demand that Christians accept them as Christian. What’s wrong with this picture?

[greyfoxx39]

Islam is what it is, any fool who becomes a muslim knows exactly what they're getting into. Mormonism is a "milk before meat" religion, hides most of the unpalatable aspects until one is firmly committed.

Excellent point.

[SkyDancer]

If Romney becomes the front runner and the nominee then the darkness of Mormonism and all that it entails will be brought to light for everyone to see. Romney’s nomination could be the death knell of Mormonism.