Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: All
From the letter-to-the-editor: Mormons reject the Christian belief that Jesus is uncreated and eternal. In contrast, Mormons assert that Jesus is a created being.

Yes...the Mormon Jesus was apparently a "creature" of some sorts before He was a 'Creator.' Mormonism claims that we all essentially started off as some sort of "spirit-goo" or "intelligence-goo"...Joseph Smith came up with this on May 6, 1833 in a "revelation":

"Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence...was not created or made, neither indeed can be...man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element [are] inseparably connected..." (Lds Doctrine & Covenants 93:29,33)

Hence...nobody is more or less eternal than the Mormon jesus or the Mormon gods!

In contrast, the Bible assigns Jesus as being the Creator of All Things & All Beings -- whereas the Mormon "Jesus" is Simply a spirit Creature who then "evolved" as an offspring of Kolobian parents.

Compare that to the Jesus of the Bible Who created ALL things--including all angels...including even Lucifer (see Heb 1; John 1; Col. 1:16; see even D&C 93:9-10).

The Mormon Jesus is a 'Saved Being': "Christ is a saved being” (lds "apostle" McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3, p 257)

“Modern revelation speaks of our Lord as he that ‘ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth‘ (D&C 88:6). Christ's rise to the throne of exaltation was preceded by his descent below all things. Only by submitting to the powers of demons and death and hell could he, in the resurrection, serve as our exemplar of a saved being... (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 234)

Please also see...
* McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 238 where he said the Mormon "jesus" "Needs salvation...Came to earth to work out His own salvation)
* McConkie, "The Seven Deadly Heresies,' in Speeches of the Year, 1980 [Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1981] p. 78 where he said: "There was only one perfect being, the Lord Jesus. If men had to be perfect and live all of the law strictly, wholly, and completely, there would be only one saved person in eternity." [cited in Come, Follow Me: Melchizedek Priesthood Personal Study Guide 1983 (1983) p. 72

Sorry...not even close...the real Christ did not need to "work out His own salvation" as Lds apostles teach; in fact, He is THE Savior of the world: And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be THE Savior of the world. (1 John 4:14; cf. John 4:42).

2 posted on 02/15/2012 5:10:07 AM PST by Colofornian
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: Colofornian
Herbert W. Armstrong created another "non trinitarian" sort of Christian church (His father had been a Quaker and you get that sort of thing with them if you dig deep enough).

He called it The World Wide Church Of God. Later, after his death, various church administrators regularized their beliefs along more traditional Christian lines and it is now called Grace Communion International (GCI).

They actually weren't the first such group to do that. We have the case of NUMEROUS Mormon groups without any affiliation to Latter Day Saints returning to their foundations in Christianity ~ goes on all the time. Some of them keep the Mormon titles for church officers, but many don't.

Then there's the far older Apostolic Charismatic Church of the First Born ~ just all over the West. Numbers of their congregations are easily confounded with Mormons ~ but for others the consumption of peyote sets them apart from just about everybody except Native American Religion (which has had a crossover membership situation with COTFB for years and years).

Some of the COTFB actually use the Book of Mormon, but they reject the Doctrines and Covenants as well as any authority over doctrine claimed by the LDS. Others never use the Book of Mormon but frequently have readily verified genealogies that show their close relationship to many Mormons.

Since most of the COTFB don't believe in doctors they have North America's highest infant mortality rate. Consequently they attract the attention of coroners and sheriffs ~ and downstream, frequently, doctors when outsiders try to save their infants and young children.

These guys make LDS Mormons look like ordinary folk in comparison. Their graveyards range from those with no markings at all to those that look medieval ~ packed tightly with monuments to infants who died early.

Things are looking up. The crowd who moved to Alaska in the 1920s and 1930s appear to have followed the path of the Worldwide Church of God and actually come around to Christian Orthodoxy to the degree they don't even know what their Great Great grandparents were up to (particularly the serial polygamy ~ they just don't understand why GGrandpa had 5 wives for instance).

So, yes, it can be done. Someday the LDS will wake up, set down that book, and turn into Methodists (or something like that).

8 posted on 02/15/2012 6:05:38 AM PST by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies ]

To: Colofornian
Pat Waldron asserts that Mormons are Christians and offers these reasons:
 
First, Mormons call themselves "The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints."
Second, Mormon temples contain pictures of Jesus.
Third, the Mormon choir will "bring tears to your eyes, if you are a Christian."
And, fourth, Mormons are nice people.
 
WHEREAS:
 
 
ELSIE asserts that FLDS folks are Mormons and offers these reasons:
 
First, FLDS folks call themselves "The FUNDAMENTALIST Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints."
Second, FLDS folks temples contain pictures of Jesus.
Third, the Mormon Tabernacle choir will "bring tears to your eyes, EVEN if you are a Christian."
And, fourth, FLDS folks are nice people; and actually FOLLOW mormon SCRIPTURE found in D&C 132!

26 posted on 02/15/2012 10:22:42 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies ]

To: Colofornian
... that FLDS folks are Mormons ...


Media Letter   
26 June 2008 — Salt Lake City  (http://newsroom.lds.org/additional-resource/media-letter)

*The following is a letter from Elder Lance B. Wickman, General Counsel of the Church to publishers of major newspapers, TV stations and magazines. It was sent out on Tuesday, June 24, 2008.




Recent events have focused the media spotlight on a polygamous sect near San Angelo, Texas, calling itself the “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.” As you probably know, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has absolutely no affiliation with this polygamous sect. Decades ago, the founders of that sect rejected the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were excommunicated, and then started their own religion. To the best of our knowledge, no one at the Texas compound has ever been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Unfortunately, however, some of the media coverage of the recent events in Texas has caused members of the public to confuse the doctrines and members of that group and our church. We have received numerous inquiries from confused members of the public who, by listening to less than careful media reports, have come to a grave misunderstanding about our respective doctrines and faith. Based on these media reports many have erroneously concluded that there is some affiliation between the two – or even worse, that they are one and the same.

Over the years, in a careful effort to distinguish itself, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has gone to significant lengths to protect its rights in the name of the church and related matters. Specifically, we have obtained registrations for the name “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” “Mormon,” “Book of Mormon” and related trade and service marks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and corresponding agencies in a significant number of foreign countries.

We are confident that you are committed to avoiding misleading statements that cause unwarranted confusion and that may disparage or infringe the intellectual property rights discussed above. Accordingly, we respectfully request the following:

  1. As reflected in the AP Style Guide, we ask that you and your organization refrain from referring to members of that polygamous sect as “fundamentalist Mormons” or “fundamentalist” members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  2. We ask that, when reporting about this Texas-based polygamous sect or any other polygamous group, you avoid either explicitly or implicitly any inference that these groups are affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  3. On those occasions when it may be necessary in your reporting to refer to the historical practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that you make very clear that the Church does not condone the practice of polygamy and that it has been forbidden in the Church for over one hundred years. Moreover, we absolutely condemn arranged or forced “marriages” of underage girls to anyone under any circumstances.

Stated simply, we would like to be known and recognized for whom we are and what we believe, and not be inaccurately associated with beliefs and practices that we condemn in the strongest terms. We would be grateful if you could circulate or copy this letter to your editorial staff and to your legal counsel.

We thank you for your consideration of these important matters.

Sincerely,

Lance B. Wickman

General Counsel

27 posted on 02/15/2012 10:24:06 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson