Posted on 03/23/2013 4:02:29 PM PDT by Colofornian
SNIP
The position that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth is fundamental. Perhaps it would be more convenient and palatable and popular if we were to avoid it; nevertheless, we are under a sacred obligation and a sacred trust to hold to it. It is not merely an admission; it is a positive declaration. It is so fundamental that we cannot yield on this point.
Now to those who think us uncharitable, we say that it was not devised by us; it was declared by Him, for he gave commandments to the early brethren, and I quote:
“… to lay the foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.” (D&C 1:30.)
SNIP I bear witness that he is a prophet of God. I have a witness that Jesus is the Christ. He lives. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church upon the face of this earth, of which I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Excerpt) Read more at lds.org ...
From the message/article: The position that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth is fundamental...It is so fundamental that we cannot yield on this point.
"Elder" Packer then cites Lds "scripture" -- something that doesn't allow Mormons to "fudge" so easily on Packer's point: ...the ONLY true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.” (D&C 1:30.)
Then "Elder" Packer finishes off his piece with the Mormon testimonial "kicker": I bear witness that he is a prophet of God. I have a witness that Jesus is the Christ. He lives. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the ONLY true and living church upon the face of this earth, of which I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Snapshot of Joseph Smith’s Slanderous Invectives vs. Christian Sects |
Mormon Source[Note: Most of these are Mormon ‘scriptures'. In fact, First three rows below are Lds 'scripture' & therefore cannot be rug-swept any more than a Jew might try to take three commandments off of the very tablets of stone Moses brought down from the mountain] |
| “...which of all the sects was right… must join NONE of them, for they were ALL WRONG… those professors were ALL CORRUPT…” | Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price |
| ...“which of all the sects was right…ALL their CREEDS were an ABOMINATION in his sight…they teach for doctrines the commandments of MEN…” | Joseph Smith – History vv. 18-19. – Lds "scripture" Pearl of Great Price |
| Mormon church the only ‘Christ-sanctioned’ church on earth: “…the foundation of this [Mormon] church…the ONLY true and living church on the face of the whole earth” [Obvious ‘scorched earth’ implication: All other churches are false and dead] | Lds “scripture” Doctrines & Covenants 1:30 |
| Direct question asked of Joseph Smith: 'Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?" Answer from Lds "prophet" Joseph Smith: 'Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness." | Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 119 [Not “scripture” – but still publicly spoken by the Mormon ‘living prophet’ and published by a later Mormon ‘living prophet,’ Joseph Fielding Smith – via a publisher owned by the Mormon church – Deseret News Press, 1938] |
| “In 1952…the first official proselyting plan was sent to missionaries throughout the world…It included seven missionary discussions that emphasized…[four topics, one of them being]…THE APOSTASY and Restoration…” [This makes it 60 years that Mormon church missionaries, now numbering 55,000, have formally emphasized in its training & door to door saturation a priority in bashing the worldwide Christian church as “apostates” (100% AWOL)] | Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints p. 116, 1996 |
The lds THX 1138 march continues........
How is that "Intolerance?" If it is the True Church then it is ipso facto the only such or are there many conflicting truths? Is truth then merely a relative term that describes nothing fixed? By this standard anyone who believes he knows the truth is INTOLERANT!
Placemarker
The Catholic Church taught the same thing when I was growing up.
At least the nuns that taught me did-—it was mentioned over,and over,and over.
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Well, allow me to cite Jesus Himself, as found in John 10:16:
16 I have OTHER sheep that are NOT of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
The Mormon claim is essentially that there are no other sheep in any other "sheep pen."
Conformity is the mormon way...their way or the highway.
Diversity alone (apartness) is the world's way...their way of "tolerance preaching" or the highway.
But God Himself is Diversity (Father, Son, Spirit) within Unity -- one God.
The true church is Diversity (multiple denominations) within Unity -- one Body of Christ.
(Thanks for asking)
Wow. Eighteen centuries after Jesus Christ established His church, He decided to re-invent it through some Smith guy.
Whatever.
Just like fourteen centuries after God established His religion, He decided to re-invent it through some guy...
That is a lucid, logical argument. You are correct. Logically, there can be only one truth that corresponds to reality. Once the laws of logic are equally applied to LDS and orthodox Christianity, one is found wanting, to the point that it can be easily eliminated as the church by light of Scripture. Once the laws of logic are applied, here is what is found concerning the two (I added Islam because LDS follows the same model):
Islam doctrinal model: Bible has revelation, but the advent of the Quran (and other writings), they trump previously known and held divine revelation; additional revelation or interpretation can be announced by a closed group of scholars. In Islam's case, such religious rulings can be limited to regional in scope, and can be withdrawn.
LDS doctrinal model: Bible has revelation, but with the advent of the book of Mormon (and other writings), they trump previously known and held divine revelation; additional revelation or interpretation can be announced by a closed group of scholars.
Christian model: Bible is the only Scripture, there is no further revelation to men, (apart from individual revelation given by the Holy Spirit; which never comes in conflict with Scripture); there is no closed group of scholars dictating biblical interpretation: all theologians can be challenged by anyone in the church-- yes, even the lowliest believing janitor.
Silly...
Tweeting only came in Reforned Egyptian in those days...
Joey Smith had to retweet in Elizabethan English...
Why Elizabethan English in 1829, 200 years after and when it was no longer used in speech or written communication ???
because it was the language of the prophets...
Thou shalt know a prophet by his use of thee tongue of the prophet Shakespeare...Monson 43:167
and it cameth tooth passeth...
How does believing one knows the truth make one intolerant? That is the question. It is saying that if I believe you to be in error then I am ipso facto intolerant. Tolerance means to allow the tolerated person to live and to participate in society, not to accept the tolerated person’s ideas as being as valid as one’s own. If you are labeling the LDS as “intolerant” then it is because you don’t agree with them because I don’t think you think they must be killed.
Sounds like one of those monotheistic belief systems. The upstart and intolerant newcomers. Polytheists and pantheists are not impressed.
That does not speak to the meaning of “intolerant” and is wrongheaded as well. Jesus was telling his Jewish disciples that his ministry was not limited to the Jews.
I agree with you, as I stated. Your use of the laws of logic are sound. But to expand on what you said, there is only one truth. Truth is exclusive. If we say something is true, then all other possibilities are false.
(Yeah, in some of Smith's several "versions" of this "first vision" of unnamed entities appearing to Smith..."versions" all written more than a dozen years after the alleged "visitations"...he's 14 yo...other times he's 16 yo...like he couldn't remember...
Imagine that.
Unnamed entities appearing to a pimply-faced 14 yo boy...and you stake 10%+ of your lifetime investment on it...+ your very eternal life...
The Church of Christ taught that to me when I was growing up. I remember when Pat Boone strayed from that belief and embraced the Charismatic Movement. We were told he was going to hell.
Later I heard a joke about St. Peter giving someone a tour of heaven. As they walked by a closed door he said “Shh, that’s where the Church of Christ are. Thet think they’re the only ones here.”
And when Jesus says in John 10:16 that "They too will listen to my voice..." He is describing sheep of another stripe.
Just as the Pharisees were intolerant toward the Samaritans, and Jesus used a parable of the Good Samaritan to get their attention to their intolerance of all Samaritans, and just as Paul had to have it out with Peter (Cephas) over Jewish intolerance to the Gentiles, so it's been with the Mormons.
That does not speak to the meaning of “intolerant” and is wrongheaded as well.
Sure it was intolerance -- just like some of the Jews were intolerant toward Gentiles being grafted into God's people:
Look at Galatians 2: They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along. 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
'Twas outright hypocrisy, as Paul says. 'Twas intolerance on the part of Peter. 'Twas wrongheaded on the part of Peter.
Look, in marriage, to be "true" to one and only is indeed exclusive.
And, truth disseminated is "locked in"...but truth on the receiving side is not often as "boundary-ized" as we present it.
We want to carefully codify it. And too oft limit to who's receiving it -- and of greater import, receiving Him who is truth: Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6)
Iow, Jesus Himself is the Personal Living Truth; and His relationships extend beyond who we want to carefully hermetically seal them around.
Jesus is the Living Truth, the Living Way -- the exclusive Way to the Father. Yet He also said: 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (John 5)
Iow, some people relate only to the Bible -- failing to realize the Bible simply points to Christ as a current living relationship lived out 24/7 (see John 17:3).
They wind up aborting this process about "truth" -- relating to pieces of paper -- vs. the Living Truth, Jesus Christ.
Truth as propositions are indeed "Fixed." And Christ Himself doesn't change. Just don't pretend that your "beat" on Christ as The Living Truth is so precisely "fixed" that we are able to "rule out" who some of His people are -- or will be.
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