Posted on 05/15/2018 9:44:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Early Monday morning, ahead of the ceremony officially moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney took to Twitter to savage Pastor Robert Jeffress, who was slated to offer a prayer at the ceremony.
"Robert Jeffress says 'you can’t be saved by being a Jew,' and 'Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell,'" Romney tweeted. "He’s said the same about Islam. Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem."
Robert Jeffress says “you can’t be saved by being a Jew,“ and “Mormonism is a heresy from the pit of hell.” He’s said the same about Islam. Such a religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 14, 2018 In other words, Romney, who ardently courted evangelicals when he ran for president, is upset because a Christian pastor had the audacity to affirm the orthodox and widely held Christian belief that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
An hour later Jeffress shot back on Twitter. "Historic Christianity has taught for 2,000 years that salvation is through faith in Christ alone." he wrote. "The fact that I, along with tens of millions of evangelical Christians around the world, continue to espouse that belief, is neither bigoted nor newsworthy."
Historic Christianity has taught for 2,000 years that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. The fact that I, along with tens of millions of evangelical Christians around the world, continue to espouse that belief, is neither bigoted nor newsworthy.
— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) May 14, 2018 The tweets, of course, set off a media firestorm as the MSM and enemies of Christianity (but I repeat myself) jumped at the opportunity to denigrate orthodox biblical Christianity.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell shot out of the box with this:
Jeffress speaking at this event? Have they no shame? Anti Semitic, anti Mormon..anti Muslim...can anyone @StateDept explain? https://t.co/WWuMhioulX
— Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) May 14, 2018 Later in the day, at least two reporters at the White House briefing, glomming onto Romney's slur, demanded to know why a bigot was invited to give the prayer. Here's one exchange between a White House reporter and deputy press secretary Raj Shah (who, incidentally, ran opposition research for Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign):
Deputy Press Sec. on controversial religious figures tied to Trump administration, including Pastor Jeffress, who gave blessing at Jerusalem embassy opening:
"Those specific views...if they're accurate reflections of what was said, wouldn't be embraced by this White House." pic.twitter.com/LHOlyXt4XR
— ABC News (@ABC) May 14, 2018 Shah told reporters that he hadn't heard Jeffress' remarks, but added, "Those aren't remarks the president believes." (I'll leave it for readers to decide what that says about Trump's professed Christian faith.)
"Do you think it's regrettable that people with these views are involved with the American government?" one reporter sneered, implying that Christians perhaps ought to be purged from government jobs.
Shah reiterated that the comments "wouldn't be embraced by this White House."
While I'm no fan of Jeffress (I'm of the old-school belief that men called to be pastors ought to focus on their calling to shepherd the flock God has entrusted to them), he has every right to publically proclaim that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone—and he's not a bigot or anti-Semite for saying so. As Jeffress said, there's nothing newsworthy about a Christian uttering Christian things. He's merely echoing what Jesus taught, after all.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." Likewise, the Apostle Peter, whom we're told in Acts was "filled with the holy spirit," told Annas the Jewish high priest, "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” [Emphasis added]
Not Moses, not Abraham, not Joseph Smith. Through Jesus alone can men can be reconciled to God, according to the Bible.
It shouldn't be controversial in the least that Jeffress has made statements completely consistent with Christian beliefs through the ages. The fact that Christians believe this does not make them hateful bigots. Indeed, that would violate another critical command of Jesus: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
I get that Mitt Romney's feelings may be hurt by Christians who refuse to welcome Mormons into the tent of Christian orthodoxy (or maybe he's just trying to drum up Mormon votes for his flailing Senate campaign... it's hard to tell with him). But as a Mormon, Romney, of all people, should be well aware of the dangers of religious persecution. And he is, after all, a practitioner of a faith that makes a host of propositional truth claims about, among other things, who's in and who's out with God. It's not for nothing that they have 70,000 missionaries around the world tasked with gaining new converts for the church. As a matter of fact, many Jews object to the Mormon practice of baptizing their dead. Maybe Romney ought to get his own house in order before he throws stones at Christians.
We can have a debate about whether someone who holds to a faith other than Judaism should have been the one to give that prayer in Jerusalem today, but what business was it, really, of Mitt Romney's? That was for Israeli officials to decide, and they seemed to be perfectly fine with it—including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And President Trump's Jewish daughter and son-in-law also didn't seem to mind it. Aside from the Trump sycophantism—Jeffress cant' seem to help himself—it was actually a pretty good prayer.
It's important to understand what's being implied—even demanded—by Romney and the forces on the left who are dripping with contempt for Jeffress' sincerely held religious beliefs. Their message is clear: Biblically faithful Christians should no longer be permitted to speak their truth in the public marketplace of ideas—especially if they have some association with the government. The beliefs that Jeffress and other like him espouse are so hateful—so beyond the pale—that they must be suppressed... even criminalized under hate crime statutes.
If it's not clear to you yet that biblically faithful Christians are quickly becoming the "other" in American life, you must have been living in a cave for the last few years. The left (including Hillary Clinton) likes to push the notion that Americans have "freedom of worship," which is not nearly the same thing as the freedom of religion envisioned by our nation's founders and articulated in the Bill of Rights. The distinction, in their minds, has to do with whether certain beliefs and practices ought to be banned from the public square and kept under wraps in churches. If they get their way, Christian expressions that conflict with the progressive orthodoxy—including and especially those that involve sexual morality—will soon be banned as hate speech. American Christians may soon find themselves unemployable, unable to run a business, and maybe even thrown in jail for their beliefs.
Shame on Mitt Romney for joining with the real bigots and perpetuating the myth that faithful Christians are evil.
This from a guy who wears Magic Underwear..................
This tells you who Romney considers his base to be. And it clearly isn’t conservatives or Christians.
Romney is truly scum. McCain and Romney were two of the worst GOP candidates in history. If Romney gets in as Hatch’s replacement, I have no doubt he will be the new McCain.
How is Mormonism not 19th Century Scientology?
Christianity is extreme in that it is a narrow way to Heaven. One must be a follower of Christ, and only Christ, to gain Heaven.
Because people who force their wife to wear funny underwear aren’t bigoted extremists?
Do Mormons think Baptists go to heaven?
Mittens Romney is an influential member of a major cult, Mormonism. His spiritual discernment is therefore fed from the father of lies. Just keep that in mind as he speaks, and remember, liars often drip honey from their putrifacted lips.
RE: Do Mormons think Baptists go to heaven?
Mormons who read this can correct me, but I understand it,
In Mormon Theology, there are three degrees of glory (alternatively, kingdoms of glory) which are the ultimate, eternal dwelling place for nearly all who lived on earth after they are resurrected from the spirit world.
According to Founder Joseph Smith’s vision, all humans will be resurrected and at the Final Judgment will be assigned to one of three degrees of glory, called the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom.
A small number of individuals who commit the unpardonable sin will not receive a kingdom of glory, but will be banished to outer darkness with Satan where they will be “sons of Perdition”.
So, the answer to your question is “yes”. But it will be in assigned “kingdoms”.
I know a few very wonderful Christian people who lived through the nightmare of Mormonism. Now that I’ve said that, it was the Church of Later Day Saints....is that the Mormons? lol - I get confused.
Which makes it exactly in line with most other religions.
They didn’t sue everyone who dares to question that they’re a religion?
But it is!
Apparently mitt and God are not on good terms.
IOW a different Gospel than the one given.
It wasn’t Jeffers that said: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father but by Me. It was Jesus, Jeffers is just believing and confirming it. Is Mitt calling Jesus a bigot? Seriously, Mitt?
I still firmly believe that the ONLY reason Romney did not win in 2012 is many Christian people just could not press the button for a mormon.
As St Paul said...Galatians 1
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is NOT another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an ANGEL FROM HEAVEN, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
In talking with some young mormons, they do not even know those verses are in the Bible.
For the record, I DID vote for Romney as I wanted Obama out!
Should this be a call to “The Flying Imans” of FR repute?
No. Christianity and Islam for instance are vastly different as are Christianity and Hinduism.
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