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Guess Who?
Mormon Reasearch Ministry ^ | Mormon Reasearch Ministry

Posted on 11/14/2012 10:44:44 PM PST by reaganaut

Members of the LDS Church are familiar with the charge that Mormonism isn't a Christian faith. They hear it often enough, but they really don't understand why people think that. "We are Christians," Mormon President Gordon B. Hinckley insisted. "We have the name of Jesus Christ right in the name of our Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We follow Christ. We worship Him. We love Him. He is the center of all we do"("Inspirational Thoughts," Liahona, June 1999, 3; 2 Nephi 25:24-29).

In the summer of 2005 we asked Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois to take a quiz we called "Guess Who?" The quiz consisted of 15 relatively recent statements made by LDS leaders; we asked the participants to see if they could determine who their Church leaders were talking about. We invite you to take the same quiz. The answers will be at the end; see if you can do this without scrolling down for the answers.

His teachings "are the foundation of our faith. Everything we have is a lengthened shadow of [him]."

"I pray we may learn from his example, that we might incorporate into our lives the great principles which he so beautifully taught; that we ourselves might emulate him;..."

"I honor and revere [his] name... I delight to hear it; I love it. I love his doctrine... I am his witness."

"He died for those he loved. He reigns in the realms above."

"The more I learn of him, the more I love and revere him."

"I look to him. I love him. I seek to follow him."

"He not only gave us joy, happiness and opportunity here, but also a great hope in the life to come."

"Today, this Sabbath day, in many thousands of congregations, perhaps as many as twenty-one thousand, in many areas of the earth, our people have sung or will sing the praises of [him]."

"Of noble seed, of heavenly birth, he came to bless the sons of earth."

He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."

"Church members are interested in learning more about [him] because they love him and they love the gospel he brought forth."

"How great indeed is our debt to him. ...Great is his glory,... We stand in reverence before him... Let us not forget him. Let not his memory be forgotten in the celebration of Christmas."

"...and he shall stand in due time on the earth, in the flesh, and fulfill that to which he is appointed."

"The light, provided to the world by [him], illuminates the confusion, clarifies the principles of the gospel, and helps lead men and women to their own eternal reward, if they will but endure to the end."

The "work that has been carried out by President Young and his brethren [of the Twelve] has been in accordance with the plans, and designs, and Spirit, and instructions of [him]."

How did you do?

If you thought these statements were about Jesus—the One Mormons claim to worship and adore, the One they say is the center of all they do—you are incorrect. In each statement above, the speaker was talking about Joseph Smith.

Quotes with References

His teachings "are the foundation of our faith. Everything we have is a lengthened shadow of [him]." (15th President Gordon B. Hinckley, Church News, 3/19/2005, p.3.)

"I pray we may learn from his example, that we might incorporate into our lives the great principles which he so beautifully taught; that we ourselves might emulate him;..." (Thomas Monson (First Presidency), Ensign, 6/1994, p.7.)

"I honor and revere [his] name... I delight to hear it; I love it. I love his doctrine... I am his witness." (2nd President Brigham Young, quoted in Ensign, 1/1996, p.7.)

"He died for those he loved. He reigns in the realms above." (3rd President John Taylor, Hymns #296, "The Seer, Joseph, The Seer." While this hymn was written in the 18th century, it is still in use as evidenced by its performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the 175th Semi-Annual General Conference of the LDS Church in October, 2005.)

"The more I learn of him, the more I love and revere him." (Apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin, Church News, 2/19/2005, p.5.)

"I look to him. I love him. I seek to follow him." (15th Gordon B. Hinckley, Church News, 12/13/2003, p.3.)

"He not only gave us joy, happiness and opportunity here, but also a great hope in the life to come." (Apostle L. Tom Perry, Church News, 7/3/1993, p.4.)

"Today, this Sabbath day, in many thousands of congregations, perhaps as many as twenty-one thousand, in many areas of the earth, our people have sung or will sing the praises of [him]." (15th President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 9/1994, p.62.)

"Of noble seed, of heavenly birth, he came to bless the sons of earth." (John Taylor, Hymns #296, "The Seer, Joseph, The Seer.")

He was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." (BYU Professor Robert Millet, Ensign, 9/1994, p.19.)

"Church members are interested in learning more about [him] because they love him and they love the gospel he brought forth." (LDS Church Historian Glen M. Leonard, Church News, 12/6/1997, p.4.)

"How great indeed is our debt to him. ...Great is his glory,... We stand in reverence before him... Let us not forget him. Let not his memory be forgotten in the celebration of Christmas." (15th President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 12/1997, p.2.)

"...and he shall stand in due time on the earth, in the flesh, and fulfill that to which he is appointed." (Church News, 7/19/1994, p.5.)

"The light, provided to the world by [him], illuminates the confusion, clarifies the principles of the gospel, and helps lead men and women to their own eternal reward, if they will but endure to the end." (Church News, 12/13/1997, p.16.)

The "work that has been carried out by President Young and his brethren [of the Twelve] has been in accordance with the plans, and designs, and Spirit, and instructions of [him]." (George A. Smith (First Presidency), quoted in Church News, 12/20/1997, p.7.)


TOPICS: Apologetics; Charismatic Christian; Evangelical Christian; History; Mainline Protestant; Ministry/Outreach; Other Christian; Religion & Politics; Worship
KEYWORDS: inman; mormon
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To: chris37
I know you will, as I have known you to do for sometime now, and I will speak out against you.
221 posted on 11/15/2012 1:26:55 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: chris37
I think mankind is utterly insane.

I'm beginning to see why...

222 posted on 11/15/2012 1:27:56 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: SENTINEL
Just back off son, it's under control here.

Ah HA!!!

I was right!

I wuz right!!

I was RIGHT!!!

--Chris38(YOU ARE ALL inSanE!!!!)












223 posted on 11/15/2012 1:30:33 PM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: chris37
>>Because the default settings of the website make it so.<<

ROFL! The default settings of the web site cause you to post here? Really?

224 posted on 11/15/2012 1:34:10 PM PST by CynicalBear
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To: chris37; daniel1212; All
I do not believe that ANYONE knows or has ever known why we are here, how we got here, or what our purpose is if any [Chris37, Post #51]

So...the ONLY person in the world who absolutely "knows" that there isn't anything ultimate to "know" purpose & origins wise is Chris...because he has ruled on what EVERY person who has ever lived "knows"...

Yet...

I do not believe that my belief system is some type of universal law... [Chris37, Post #57]

So, first he presumes to speak out universally on what people "know" -- including all people in history...and then he tells us with a straight face that these kinds of beliefs aren't "universal," after all...

Is Chris ever going to get some kind of consistent coherent belief system, and stop contradicting himself????

225 posted on 11/15/2012 1:38:08 PM PST by Colofornian (“...those outside the Church who say Lds do not believe in the traditional Christ. No I don't."-GH)
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To: CynicalBear; chris37
>>Because the default settings of the website make it so.<<

ROFL! The default settings of the web site cause you to post here? Really?
Indeed!!

226 posted on 11/15/2012 1:44:38 PM PST by Godzilla (3/7/77)
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To: Elsie

;-)


227 posted on 11/15/2012 1:48:07 PM PST by SENTINEL (I lie, I cheat, I steal, I communize, I sacrifice unborn babies, I'm Harry Reid and I'm a mormon)
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To: chris37

Well at least you admit you aren’t a Christian. Thank you for that.

It’s your eternity...


228 posted on 11/15/2012 1:49:12 PM PST by reaganaut (Kyrie eleison...Christe eleison...Kyrie eleison)
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To: Salvation; caww; presently no screen name

If you can get past the hijack attempts you might be interested in these quotes about Joseph Smith in the OP.


229 posted on 11/15/2012 1:51:26 PM PST by reaganaut (Kyrie eleison...Christe eleison...Kyrie eleison)
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To: chris37

Nope. Look at the side bar and just double click on news/activism.......and wala no religion forum.
So simple so very simple.....


230 posted on 11/15/2012 1:51:26 PM PST by svcw (Why is one cell on another planet considered life, and in the womb it is not.)
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To: Elsie

You need to try to find that on your old posts (google) and put it together again. I’ve been looking for those pics as well.

See, I can delegate. ;)


231 posted on 11/15/2012 1:54:45 PM PST by reaganaut (Kyrie eleison...Christe eleison...Kyrie eleison)
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To: Elsie

Still not as creepy as the statue of Smith with an erection.


232 posted on 11/15/2012 1:55:53 PM PST by reaganaut (Kyrie eleison...Christe eleison...Kyrie eleison)
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To: reaganaut

No way...........eeewwwwww gross


233 posted on 11/15/2012 2:02:28 PM PST by svcw (Why is one cell on another planet considered life, and in the womb it is not.)
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To: Godzilla; chris37
Sharing the Gospel is not the same as attacking people with it. [Chris37]

That is something you wouldn't know much about huh? Yet you called that religion and doctrine. Do you really know what you believe - your statements waffle severely. [Godzilla]

The pitiable thing is that Chris seemingly has no convictions worth defending...no central core...emptiness

Whereas for us, that gospel Chris references was worth defending by the apostle Paul --..I am put here for the defense of the gospel (apostle Paul, Phillippians 1:16) -- just as its worth our defense!

234 posted on 11/15/2012 2:09:45 PM PST by Colofornian (“...those outside the Church who say Lds do not believe in the traditional Christ. No I don't."-GH)
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To: chris37
I think mankind is utterly insane.

Do you exclude yourself from that statement.

Is everybody crazy but you?

235 posted on 11/15/2012 2:12:10 PM PST by Holly_P
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To: reaganaut

In LDS meeting houses, they have pictures of Joseph Smith, a picture of Jesus (that looks A LOT like Joseph Smith
_________________________________________

The Mormon jesus usually has BLUE eyes and light brown hair and looks very European pale skin and all...

and looks like the prissy runway model Joseph Smith...


236 posted on 11/15/2012 2:21:08 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: metmom

Were our 1st Amendment rights of Freedom of Speech attacked ???


237 posted on 11/15/2012 2:25:44 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: chris37
Because the default settings of the website make it so.

Right click on an open area of your desk top or lap top, select "New", on the sub menu that opens select "short cut", copy and paste the U.R.L. of "News/Activism" and you will have created a short cut to nothing but News/Activism. When you open F.R., use that short cut exclusively to do so.

Then you won't be forced to even see any Religion Forum titles, ever again, much less be forced to click on one.

238 posted on 11/15/2012 2:26:35 PM PST by Holly_P
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To: TigersEye
Who is it that turns away from the truth and ridicules those who try to bring it up?

0bama Zombies. That was an easy one.

But yet you come to these threads to ridicule and offer no facts to what the article states.

239 posted on 11/15/2012 2:31:59 PM PST by dragonblustar (Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
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To: chris37
Is there some requirment that I must be a Mormon basher to post on free republic or something?

Is that what you think is going on?

Have you ever read any of the articles that have been posted?

240 posted on 11/15/2012 2:37:56 PM PST by dragonblustar (Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
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