Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mormons Aren't Christians (Columnist also calls Luther a heretic)
Dallas Morning News ^ | 12/16/07 | Rod Dreher

Posted on 12/16/2007 11:15:52 PM PST by Mobile Vulgus

Mormons aren't Christians ...

... and other thoughts on religion and politics sure to get your blood boiling

Herewith, my views on religion and the politics of the present moment, with something to offend just about everyone:

1. Mormons aren't Christians. I don't mean that as a criticism, only as a descriptive phrase. When Mormons claim Jesus Christ as their savior, there's no reason to doubt their sincerity and good will, or even to deny that they are in some way followers of Christ. Yet Mormonism rejects foundational doctrines of traditional Christian orthodoxy, such that it is impossible to reconcile with normative Christianity.

2. Anyway, the Latter-day Saints church teaches that all other Christian churches are apostate. A heretic is someone who rejects one or more doctrines of religion, but an apostate is someone who has rejected the religion entirely. How is it, exactly, that you can get mad when people you regard as apostates consider you to be ... apostate? How does that work?

3. Theologically, this is a big deal. But politically, so what? Mormons vote like Southern Baptists and come down on the same side of most issues of public morality like conservative Christians do. If you're a socially conservative lawmaker, wouldn't you rather have a Mormon in your legislative foxhole than a Kennedy-style cafeteria Catholic or progressive mainline Protestant? I'm no Romney fan, but is there really no meaningful political difference between Good-Mormon Mitt and Bad-Catholic Rudy, to say nothing of Liberal-Protestant Hillary?

4. There are plenty of good reasons for conservative Christians not to vote for Mr. Romney, but his religious beliefs are not among them. Do Christians want to be in the position of rejecting a candidate whose political views and moral values they agree with, solely because they don't like his religion?

(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christians; dreher; mittromney; mormons
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 321-340341-360361-380 ... 441-449 next last
To: Elsie
Your early leaders sure wrote thinks that seem to go against what you've written here.

Duh THINGS!

(Hey!! IT was SPELLED right!)

341 posted on 12/18/2007 4:11:09 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 317 | View Replies]

To: Rock&RollRepublican

There is a lot of confusion on this. Mormons are Christians but the Mormon church is not considered Christian by the rest of the Christian church because the LDS church is not Trinitarian.


342 posted on 12/18/2007 4:11:47 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 337 | View Replies]

To: donna
Mitt believes that his wife cannot rise to heaven unless he, Mitt, calls her up by her secret name that only he and she knows.

Catholics believe people are flying around in Pergatory.

Which is a notion totally made up by Priests (or the Pope) and devoid of anything spoken about in the Bible.

Yet I love all Catholics dearly as Brothers in Christianity. And in fact married a Catholic, and have children by a Catholic, and grandkids by a Catholic grandson in law.

Get over your anti-Mormon diatribe already.

343 posted on 12/18/2007 4:11:59 AM PST by Edit35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Rock&RollRepublican
Mitt believes that his wife cannot rise to heaven unless he, Mitt, calls her up by her secret name that only he and she knows.

Uhhh....your lack of a rebuttal makes it sound like this scenario is true which it is not.

344 posted on 12/18/2007 4:13:49 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 343 | View Replies]

To: Prospero
We all die alone, facing the Throne, so to speak, without our orthodoxies, but assessed by what we did with so great a gift, the knowledge imparted to us.

Amen!

Alone, but with ONE on my side Who has given His life to defend me; lowly me!; from the accusations of the Devil.

345 posted on 12/18/2007 4:13:53 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 321 | View Replies]

To: Elsie; Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Which ones are you thinking of?

Ignore this - you've already answered. Thanks!

346 posted on 12/18/2007 4:16:05 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 333 | View Replies]

To: AppyPappy
Mormons are Christians but the Mormon church is not considered Christian by the rest of the Christian church because the LDS church is not Trinitarian.

That's is a mere drop in the bucket, a distration that's been amplified by the LDS organization to draw attention from the things that are REALLY un-CHRISTIAN!

347 posted on 12/18/2007 4:18:57 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 342 | View Replies]

To: Rock&RollRepublican
Catholics believe people are flying around in Pergatory.

While...

Mormons believe people are going to get another chance after death, so that is why they get baptized for dead folks in their secret Oops! - SACRED Temple Rites®.

348 posted on 12/18/2007 4:21:59 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 343 | View Replies]

To: DelphiUser
We do not believe what you are saying we believe, and if you have any honor you will apologize for spreading misinformation about us.

What about the cases where you DO believe what we are saying you believe despite your protestations to the contrary?

Will YOU show any honor by apologizing for spreading misinformation?

349 posted on 12/18/2007 4:23:35 AM PST by Frumanchu (Life is too short to argue with liars)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 305 | View Replies]

To: Elsie
I ask the lurkers, "If you want to know about Chevy truck PROBLEMS do you go to a CHEVY salesmen, or to Consumer Reports?"

Thanks for that, I now need a new keyboard.

350 posted on 12/18/2007 4:25:29 AM PST by Gamecock (Aaron had what every megachurch pastor craves: a huge crowd, they gave freely, and lively worship.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 335 | View Replies]

To: Elsie

didn’t have time to read your post...

... because I have to pray first to Saint Kalufa and Saint Kevoca to resurrect my lost animals....

and then I must go to a Confessional Booth to tell a virgin male adult about my seven Mortal sins (which ones are they again?)...

after which I burn some incense blessings for my dear late Aunt Mabel who is still flying around in the netherworld of Pergatory awaiting word from Pope John Paul II to issue a decree on what she must do....

Oh, and I forgot, I am out of Holy Water to sprinkle on my new Rosary Beads, so I can say 100 Hail Marys on my way to the store to get some fish to eat this Friday.

Now, where’s my Catholic Bible again, the one with those extra books.


Will you Mormon haters just get over yourself already.


351 posted on 12/18/2007 4:38:45 AM PST by Edit35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 348 | View Replies]

To: AppyPappy

sorry, didn’t have time to read your post...

.. because I was praying to Saint Kalufa and Saint Kevoca to resurrect my lost animals....

...and then I must go to a Confessional Booth to tell a virgin male adult about my seven Mortal sins (which ones are they again?)...

..after I burn some incense blessings for my dear late Aunt Mabel who is still flying around in the netherworld of Pergatory awaiting word from some INFALLIBLE Pope to issue a decree on what she must do....

Oh, and I forgot, I am out of Holy Water to sprinkle on my new Rosary Beads, so I can say 100 Hail Marys on my way to the store to get some fish to eat this Friday.

Now, where’s my Catholic Bible again, the one with those extra books.


Of course I’m being facetious. I love dearly all Catholics as Brothers in Christ.

Will the Mormon haters just get over themselves already.


352 posted on 12/18/2007 4:45:55 AM PST by Edit35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 344 | View Replies]

To: BackInBlack
“If God saves you, why the “need” for a Bible, or a computer or dinner?”

Because there are things God wants to do through us. I’m not judging the Catholic church for mediating the relationship with God; I’m simply observing it. You can’t honestly argue that there isn’t some institutional mediation going on there.

Then every church mediates its members' relationship with God, not just the Catholics, given that definition. Every church has a leadership. The older the church the more established and hierarchical it becomes. And every time someone disagrees with that leadership there seems to be a point when either they are forced out or leave. That is why there "has" to be 1,000 flavors of Christianity, i.e., so many different denominations; often broken down to one single group or church building. It really is a shame, arguing about every meaningless nuance between grown men who are saved followers of Christ the Redeemer.

I think Jesus weeps every time someone starts a new Church because they couldn't abide the old one, rather than stay and work through the disagreements.

353 posted on 12/18/2007 4:52:23 AM PST by Alas Babylon!
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 295 | View Replies]

To: DelphiUser

“God is completely sovereign over all his creations and that includes this universe, what are you smoking?”

Stop parsing words and being deceptive! in Christianity God is the only god of the Universe (thats everything) Mormons believe there are other planets out there under the purview of other Gods (Think Hellenistic but on a bigger scale). If youre a good mormon someday youll have your own planet over which to be sovereign.

“Yes, they are serious points, sovereignty I just dealt with,”

If you call deceptive half truths dealing with something ok..

“It’s not our fault the majority followed Constantine (a pagan) into believing in a corrupted version of the Godhead that is now called the Trinity.”

Say what you want but Constantine did not alter the old testament to fit his world view by adding chapters. Nor did he massacre the origional greek of the new testament letters.

`I am in the the Father and he is in me`


354 posted on 12/18/2007 4:56:26 AM PST by N3WBI3 (Ah, arrogance and stupidity all in the same package. How efficient of you. -- Londo Mollari)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 304 | View Replies]

To: Rock&RollRepublican
Of course I’m being facetious.

So are the Mormon haters. I would ease up on Purgatory. You guys actually believe you can baptize people after they are dead. It sounds virtually the same.

Some of the new Emergent churches are actually adopting some of the beliefs of the Catholics and Mormons on the Afterlife.

355 posted on 12/18/2007 5:00:06 AM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 352 | View Replies]

To: Rock&RollRepublican

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have to hate someone to think that they have bad judgment and thus should not be president.

I’m no feminazi, but I’m not voting for a grown man who believes women are unequal before god.


356 posted on 12/18/2007 5:25:44 AM PST by donna (Obama on cocaine: "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 352 | View Replies]

To: maine-iac7

Mere belief in the teachings of Jesus may make you a “Christian,” whatever that means, but it does not make you a disciple of Christ, nor does that make you a lover of God, nor does that entitle you to enter the Kingdom. Our God is a living God, not a god of mere teachings. God will judge us by what we do, not merely by what we think or say.

“Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Mt 22:29

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Mt 7:21-24

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Mt 22:36-40

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’
‘Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.’
Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’
Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me?’
He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’” John 21:15-19

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Cor 5:10

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.” The Rev 20:12-13

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” The Rev 22:12-13


357 posted on 12/18/2007 5:30:21 AM PST by naturalized ("The time has come," He said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 199 | View Replies]

To: BackInBlack

“A case could be made that Catholics are pope- or church-centered, rather than Christ-centered, since they mediate their relationship with God through the church bureaucracy. But the same could not be said about Lutherans, Methodists, and various Calvinists. The founders of those strands of Christian thought put the emphasis (to varying degrees) on Christ himself.

I myself wouldn’t call Catholics non-Christians, by the way.”

You better not. Which Christian Church came first in history, Catholicism which was and is the original Church of Jesus Christ from the very beginning or the various offshoots that broke off (considered heretical in its day) from that original Catholic Church. So how could you say the various religious offshoots have any more credibility than the Catholic Church in belief? As far as I can tell, what the Catholic Church believes and teaches is the authentic Church, and everything that came after is a reinterpretation of the original faith, or a bastardization of it, depending on the religious sect that broke off from the Mother Church. As Martin Luther himself said upon his deathbed, and I paraphrase, any milkmaid can now start a religion. So, who has the real truth when it comes to Christianity, the original religion contemporaneous to Christ’s life, or the various offshoots that sprung from it much later in history? This ought to get your juices flowing.


358 posted on 12/18/2007 5:44:46 AM PST by flaglady47 (Thinking out loud while grinding teeth in political frustration)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 45 | View Replies]

To: DelphiUser
John 20: 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Note that none of this makes any sense to someone who believes the trinity for their basic understanding of God is wrong and that is why Joseph smith was told the other Christian churches were teaching abominations.

I would be interested in hearing your reasoning, which appears to be based on an archaic mis-translation.

359 posted on 12/18/2007 5:54:16 AM PST by naturalized ("The time has come," He said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 205 | View Replies]

To: maine-iac7
Wisdom comes before understanding

Indeed. I pray the Mormons will come to wisdom and gain understanding.

360 posted on 12/18/2007 6:24:43 AM PST by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 226 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 321-340341-360361-380 ... 441-449 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson