Further, the Book of Mormon mentions that there are “save two churches only.” The CHurch of God and the church of the devil (all those that oppose the church of God) It doesn’t single out any specific church, let alone Catholicism.
And if you’re going to play that game, do you want me to pull out how many Protest leaders have called the Catholic Church the great whore of all the earth, found in Revelations?
Obviously the Catholic Church is working with the Mormons on a great many issues facing our society. They seem to not be as offended with the Mormons as you want them to be.
That last line of Ripliancum's is uproariously funny!!!
HaHhahhahahahahaha!!!!!
:) (HUGE GRIN on my face!)
This is tantamount to somebody saying:
...The Book of Mormon mentions that there are “save two political parties only.” The Republicans and the party of the devil. Why, this doesn’t single out any specific party -- like the Democrats -- does it?
This just doesn't even pass the straight-face test!!!
Give it up, Rip!!!
Per Mormonism Research Ministry:
Contention:
"One BYU professor explained, “Since whoever does not belong to ‘the church of the Lamb of God’ belongs to ‘the church of the devil,’ as Nephi announced, then all systems of worship outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be classified as ‘the church of the devil’ by Nephi’s definition”
(Kent B. Jackson, “‘Watch and Remember’: The New Testament and the Great Apostasy,” John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks, eds., By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990, 1:87).
"Therefore, the question must be asked: If someone disagrees with Mormonism, are they aligned with the church of the Lamb of God or the Church of the Devil? After all, there are only "two churches."
Well, the answer is quite plain -- especially when we have books honoring Hugh Nibley citing a BYU prof labeling "...ALL systems of worship outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be classified as ‘the church of the devil’ by Nephi’s definition."
This statement has NEVER been recanted by Mormon church leadership!
Lds "apostle" Bruce R. McConkie stated:
"The church of the devil is the world; it is all the carnality and evil to which fallen man is heir; it is every unholy and wicked practice; it is every false religion, every supposed system of salvation which does not actually save and exalt man in the highest heaven of the celestial world. It is EVERY CHURCH except the true church, whether parading under a Christian or a pagan banner." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:551)
Now I predict that Ripliancum and/or other Lds posters will attempt to say "this isn't official church-sanctioned" teaching.
If so, then why do we still have Lds.org -- the official Mormon Church Web site -- still sanctioning Volume 3 of McConkie's New Testament Doctrinal Commentary?
(They initially sanctioned it back in 1974 in its official New Era publication)...and still retain it as its official stance these almost 40 years later!)
If you want to see for youself, then go here:
“FYI: For Your Information,” New Era, Feb 1974, 44–46 -- published by the LDS Church: Sub-headline: 'Doctrinal New Testament Commentary Vol. 3 By Bruce R. McConkie Bookcraft, 595 pp., $7.50'
Volume 3 is precisely sanctioned -- the source of the above Lds "apostle" citation! )
Orson Pratt sure did!
Got any quotes from any 'real' Mormon leaders that denounce his statement?
BY specifically called out HIS churches members here:
"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned;
and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given,
and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.
Brigham Young - JoD 3:266 (July 14, 1855)
A pair of the BYU "Religious Education" program profs (the Religious Education" division being one of the two BYU sponsors of the Notre Dame event) include Joseph Fielding McConkie (son of Bruce McConkie) & Robert L. Millet.
Joseph Fielding McConkie died in October. Millet, as one of those Mormon leaders on the forefront of "dialogue" with some Evangelicals & others -- would seemingly be more consistent in attempting to use "diplomatic" ecumenical overtures.
But alas, Mormons on the "inside" who've read their stuff written for Mormons themselves, know otherwise.
An example is the 1987 Bookcraft book, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Millet & Joseph Fielding McConkie.
When you turn to their commentary on 1 Nephi 14:10 -- the verse Ripliancum concedes above -- that there's ONLY either "the church of the devil" or what they construe as the one true (Mormon) church...it makes for interesting reading:
Continuing Millet/ JF McConkie citation:
"The doctrine of one true church is as offensive to much of the Christian world today as was the testimony of Christ anciently that he was 'the way, the truth, and the life.'" (p. 109)
On p. 111, these BYU profs who've snookered individuals like Fuller Seminary prof Richard Mouw, added this comment about the "character" Nephi:
"He likewise witnessed the great and abominable church in two separate time periods: the period following the New Testament era, wherein the mother of harlots would essentially be apostate Christianity; and its rise in the last days to global status."
So here you have a supposed "diplomatic" Millet & yet another McConkie calling early Christianity "abominable" (a word meaning "putrid") & it being "the mother of harlots." [More on Mormon accusations of harlotry next post]
These profs reiterate on p. 337 that those who are "part of that great and abominable church--ALL CHURCHES save that of the Lamb (1 Nephi 14:10)..."
Mormons don't like to say to your face that you belong to an "abominable church"...but they readily read that in their "diet" of Mormon-leader commentaries!
ALL: What is Ripliancum citing from here within the Book of Mormon?
”And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.” (1 Nephi 14:10-11)
And verse 12 reads: ”...their dominions upon the face of the earth were small because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.” (1 Nephi 14:12)
So there you have it: If you "belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God" (the Mormon church),
THEN you apparently "belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth."
Why Mormon leaders & grassroots Lds might as well come right out & say what their Joseph Smith-in-a-hat recitations came up with -- that we belong to (or descended from) Mother of Abominations Catholic Church, or Whore of All the Earth Catholic Church!
Smith laced 1 & 2 Nephi with such derogatory accusations:
* "abominable church...whore of all the earth" (2 Nephi 28:18);
* "whore of all the earth" (2 Nephi 10:16)
* “And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.” (1 Nephi 14:13)
* ”And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth. And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things.” (1 Nephi 14:15-16)
* ”And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel.” (1 Nephi 14:17)
* “And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.” (1 Nephi 22:13)
* ”And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.” (1 Nephi 22:14)
We see 1 Nephi 13, 1 Nephi 14, and 1 Nephi 22 popping up the term “abomination” or “abominable” at least eight times! As previously shown, 1 Nephi 14:9-10 says there are only two churches: The church of the Lamb & the Church of the Devil. In the opinion of Mormon leaders, the church of the devil ("abominable church...whose foundation is the devil"-- 1 Nephi 14:9) – is the great non-Mormon church that branched out into Protestantism.
The King James-era word "abomination" is used repetitively to describe this non-Mormon church.
--1 Nephi 13:6 & 2 Nephi 6:12 both call it a "great & abominable church."
--D&C 29:21 references it as an "abominable church" &
--D&C 88:94 calls it a "great church, the mother of abominations"
[Also, see references above to "whore...of all the earth."]
--1 Nephi 13:32 accuses this church of censorship: "parts of the gospel kept back by that abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:32).
No wonder then that 19th century Lds leaders derived such slash-and-burn understandings of both the Catholic & Protestant churches!
The 3rd Lds "prophet" -- John Taylor -- described it this way:
And: "We have already proved in the previous numbers of this series that immediately after the first century the whole earth became corrupted by the great "Mother of Harlots," that apostasy and wickedness succeeded Christianity, that for the want of new revelation, all legal succession to the apostleship was discontinued that the gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit ceased and that the Church was no longer to be found on the earth: this being the case, all nations must have been destitute of the everlasting gospel for many generations - not destitute of its history as it was once preached and enjoyed but destitute of its blessings, of its powers, of its gifts, of its priesthood, of its ordinances administered by legal authority" (Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon, No.6 (1851), pg.82).
No wonder McConkie wrote what he did in the 1958 version of Mormon Doctrine...he was simply regurgitating Joseph Smith's BoM claims!