You’re welcome to believe however you like. If voting for a so-called “protestant” would violate your conscience, would you do it anyway to get a desired political outcome? If so, wouldn’t that be like telling God you don’t really trust him? That’s what it would be to me, and that’s why Mitt won’t get my vote. The ends do not justify the means.
BTW, “protest-ant” was not a term those Christians took on of their own accord. It was a term of derision applied to them by their opponents in the Catholic church to discredit them through ridicule. Alinsky-before-Alinsky. Kill the messenger. Pay no attention to the message. Luther never wanted to leave the RC Church. He just wanted it to get back to its Augustinian roots. I have a lot of respect for the contributions of RC thinkers and believers. I’m a natural law guy to the core. I’d be RC today if it weren’t for a host of post-patristic doctrinal accretions that have no basis in Scripture.
But at least we both see the same God. Mormonism isn’t even referenced to the God of Abraham. More kinship to the Babylonian pantheon (multiplicity of gods).
See, as people always say here at FR, words have meaning. There is a very respectable argument that you and I are both Christians. Mormonism cannot make a rational argument to that effect. And that’s fine. The Constitution allows them to run for office, as much as any Christian or Buddhist or Pagan.
That does not mean I have to ignore the fact that they have no proper doctrinal or historical claim to the term “Christian.” Nor must I shut off the “faith” part of my brain when I enter the voting booth. I am a free American and I am empowered by both natural law and the First Amendment to use whatever criteria I see fit in choosing who to vote or not vote for. So are you.
Ok genius. Now tell us how “liberation theology” qualifies as Christian.
Originally Luther did not want to leave the RC church.
However there was a point in which he saw he had to because reform was impossible. If anything they dug into their heretical positions more solidly than ever.
But we are told that the truth of the Word of God will cause this to occur in some people. Others it will break through. Due to the unique characters and free will of different people. That doesn’t mean the approach isn’t valid or doesn’t do what it is intended to do. Or that they aren’t beyond hope of reaching with a different approach.
Well said!