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.)
Additionally, there is the LDS hymn about Joseph "Praise to the Man" (lyrics below) and the BYU nativity for Joseph Smith.
"Praise to the Man" (in current LDS hymnbook and sung often in most wards)
1. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah! Jesus anointed “that Prophet and Seer”— Blessed to open the last dispensation; Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.
Refrain. Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven! Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain; Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren; Death cannot conquer the hero again.
2. Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr, Honored and blest be his ever great name! Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins; Stain Illinois, while the earth lauds his fame.
3. Great is his glory, and endless his Priesthood, Ever and ever the keys he will hold; Faithful and true he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the Prophets of old.
4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven; Earth must atone for the blood of that man; Wake up the world for the conflict of justice; Millions shall know “brother Joseph” again.
Thank goodness we didnt get a nasty mormon businessman elected. Now we get four more years of a communist muslim who wants to kill the babies that survive abortions.
Nice work to the ones that voted for nutty 3rd parties or stayed home.
I did not think the FR Pro Obama people would be back so soon. I guess we should tell them Romney lost already.
Don’t know what’s more awesome, the continued rule of the Chicago Marxist, or the continued cut-and-paste anti-Mormon spam at FR.
0bama Zombie say: “0bama good. 0bama not Mormon. Long live 0bama!”
I must admit, I’m pretty surprised by the thing I know that many Mormons don’t, or so they claim.
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Don’t be. Most LDS have no clue what their church teaches or if they do, they lie about it.
Did you see Romney’s name anywhere in my post? No. This has nothing to do with Romney so get over it.
I have been posting articles against Mormonism LONG before Romney ran the LAST time. Check my signup date.
BTW, my state wasn’t a swing state so don’t blame me for Romney’s failure of a campaign.
First of all this is the RELIGION FORUM, if you don’t like it -leave.
Second, I know no one on here who is pro Obama or voted for him.
Third, this post has NOTHING to do with Romney. Stop trying to hijack the thread.
For the last time this has NOTHING to do with Romney and everything to do with Joseph Smith.
we needed to elect Romney, some of you voted for the bammey girlie man,and now you want to make the rest of us feel better by this constant demeaning of Mitt....
its very infantile...
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I would have posted this even if Romney won. It’s the truth about Mormonism and that needs to be told.
The reason I didn’t post it sooner, was someone had just sent me the link.
It is all very tiresome. Even on the Religion threads......I know you never get tired. Well, have at it.
Well, at least we have a mormon Senate majority leader Harry Reid, so it is not a total loss. s/
As long as there are Mormons, I’ll be speaking the truth about them. I don’t want others fooled like I was.
Here’s a “flame” from me to you.
The word “implicit” does not have an “e” on the end of it.
(Have another drink!)
You must believe exaclty as I do, or you will burn in HEEEEEEIIIIILLLLLLUH!
You must follow these rules exactly, and shun all those other rules, or you will burn in HEEEEEEEIIIIILLLLLLUH!
You know what, reaganaut? Religion sucks, and people are control freaks. Why don’t you believe whatever makes you feel better and let others do the same.
This is all so uninteresting!
Mormons do not believe in the Trinity. Thus, they cannot believe that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Second Person of the Trinity. Thus, they are not orthodox Christians.
A much more interesting question is: How many mainline or even evangelical Protestants don’t believe that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Second Person of the Trinity?
Here’s a “flame” from me to you.
The word “implicit” does not have an “e” on the end of it.
(Have another drink!)
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Make it a doublee!! ;)
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