I respectfully disagree with your sentiments. On a planet of 6 billion people, I cannot be bothered to ensure I object to whatever practices are being carried out by believers of other faiths. Is my failure to call out some tribal ritual in central Africa jeopardizing my salvation? I would rather focus my attentions on calling out the true enemies of God, who are themselves focused on killing me and my brethren. Those who are focused on ensuring my salvation get a better shake.
Well, IF you are a Christian -- and you don't or won't object to what other groups that also label themselves as "Christian" ... then, hey, please show some consistency there...
If you're real name, for example, is John Doe Bird...and somebody regularly goes online pretending to be John Doe Bird and slanders do and misrepresents you and makes you look like a fool, then hey, I guess you can't be "bothered" to clarify that on your behalf.
We can just let them represent you as you.
Mr. Bird, ya better believe that when counterfeit high denominational bills "represent" themselves as the real deal, than vested interests who have a role in protecting the authentic from the counterfeit take all kinds of time-consuming & $-consuming ways to protect those interests!
What? You're advice to them is, "On a planet of 6 billion people, you cannot be bothered to ensure I object to whatever counterfeit practices are being carried out by counterfeiters"????
(I think vested interests would consider your proposal as worthy of a certain bin)
Thank God some people in this world can multi-task!
I don't know anything about you...but ya know, we as Christians take our cultural cue from a certain "Lord" named Jesus Christ. (Who are we to follow when it comes to setting cultural priorities? Jesus and the apostle Paul? or a poster named Mr. Bird?)
Here's Jesus:
"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:4-5)
So does Jesus say, "fear the Muslims or terrorists?" (No)
Does Jesus say "fear those who can kill your bodies?" (No)
Instead, does He say to exercise fear of the One who has authority to cast somebody into hell? (Yes)
So, indeed, our "fear" is on behalf of those who are placing their eternal spiritual lives at risk.
Those who are focused on ensuring my salvation get a better shake
Salvation from what, per Mormonism? Well, the founding vision of Mormonism was to take a "scorched earth" approach to worldwide christianity...an attempt to build a foundation on the spiritual graveyard of Christianity.
Joseph Smith knew that unless he could play scorched-earth religious politics, and get Christianity 100% out of the way, that no "restoration" was necessary. He would be irrelevant. Superflous. So he needed to bury Christianity in its entirety.
Does the following 1820s original vision of Joseph Smith, which a later generation of Mormons converted into Lds "scripture," sound like Kum Ba Yah hugging and embracing of Christians?
18 My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. 19 I was answered that I must join NONE of them, for they were ALL wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that ALL their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were ALL corrupt... (Joseph Smith - History, vv. 18-19, Pearl of Great Price)
So, Lds created a huge division in the religious community in the 1830s by labeling all Christians apostates...by calling 100% of our creeds an "abomination" to their god...and by saying we were 100% wrong and unjoinable as churches...all the while calling our leaders/teachers and/or professing believers 100% "corrupt."
Then they decided to spread that slander worldwide with over 100 different translations of that "scripture" and they've literally sent out a million missionaries to discuss our so-called complete apostasy thru the generations. Finally, as the apostle Paul was leaving the church of Ephesus, he warned them with this high-priority alert:
"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears." (Acts 20:29-31)
Paul's cultural priority? (Defend against the false disciples who will proselytize the flock and draw away men unto themselves!)
Tell me something, Mr. Bird: If you did something tearfully night and day for three years, do you think it's rather important? So what? We're just to conclude, "Oh, the man who contributed a good chunk to the New Testament -- what does he know about cultural priorities?"
This isn’t Africa, the leading republican candidate for President conducts these secret rituals of converting our loved ones to his cult after their deaths.
I would say that it makes sense for conservatives to discuss this aspect of Bishop Mitt Romney as we desperately try to figure out what makes him tick, and why he is obsessed with becoming President, and head of the GOP.