Posted on 07/20/2008 9:36:13 PM PDT by Graybeard58
Mormons focus on accessible, social aspects of their religion. Although the Mormon system of doctrine is genuinely attractive to many of its members, many have argued that the primary "glue" of Mormonism is the heritage, culture, and family ties, not the doctrine and theology.
In other words, the typical allegiance to the Mormon organization primarily stems from something other than doctrinal concerns. The average Mormon sitting in a pew does not care how or why their religion works, they only care that it works for them.
They are not concerned with the real character of Joseph Smith or how the LDS scriptures coincide with biblical teachings. A common element often overlooked when Christians share their faith with Latter-day Saints is that many Mormons are not Mormon merely for doctrinal reasons. This view of not being concerned with theology is considered to be atheological. If a person does not care about their theology, they miss the importance of rooting their entire life in the true knowledge of God and a coherent, rational, theological worldview.
A person's relationship with God is built on the foundation of what one believes about God and what it means to be right with God. This is the most important determining factor in shaping the way a person lives.
An atheological person does not seriously reflect on their own foundational worldview assumptions (e.g., what is truth, who is God, does this matter?), nor do they see how doing so would be relevant to everyday life.
South Park, a fictional, satirical cartoon, depicted a Mormon named "Gary" with the following words:
"Look, maybe us Mormons do believe in crazy stories that make absolutely no sense. And maybe Joseph Smith did make it all up. But I have a great life and a great family and I have the Book of Mormon to thank for that. The truth is, I don’t care if Joseph Smith made it all up. Because what the church teaches now is loving your family, being nice and helping people. And even though people in this town might think that’s stupid, I still choose to believe in it."
Grey Echols, a Mormon, writes the following in a review of By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus:
"This is a well written book which manages to not push an 'anti-Mormon' agenda. However as an LDS I do not think others should read it. Why? Because it could destroy your faith in the church. I am not trying to be clever. If you enjoy all of the good things the church has brought into your life, do you care where it came from?
No other church has so short a history that it can be examined so closely by science. Otherwise we would find that they are all created on the backs of con-artist. I am willing to bet every religion was founded by a fraud. So who cares. Does religion bring us together? Does it bond a nation, a town, a family? If so then let it be.
The truth is fleeting, and life is short. If believing in Santa makes children smile then believing in God makes adults smile. When children find out Santa isn't real, you kill a certain spark you can never get back. When you expose a church as a fraud, you kill a little spark in all of us."
It is always good to have “scripture” customized to your mortal desires on this earth, then anything goes, and it is good...
____________________________________________
It is always good to WRITE “scripture” customized to your mortal desires on this earth, then anything goes, and it is good...
You dismiss all the people that lived around the world for almost 6000 years. How many millions upon millions upon millions of humans lived and died in ignorance of God -according to you- because they had no contact with the people around Palestine.
____________________________________________________
5 BILLION people in the world and mormonism has only “reached” 13 MILLION ???
How many billions upon billions upon billions of humans lived and died in ignorance of God -according to you- because they had no contact with the people around Salt Lake City ?????
You better get busy...
people in your religion
_____________________________________________
Yes, Christianity and mormonism are not the same religion...
Amos 8:9 - 12
9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Isaiah 55:6-11
6. Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11. so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
were there different statements for each year?
It is always good to B>IGNORE “scripture” when your mortal desires on this earth want something else and it is good...
It sure works for us!!
--FundyMormonDude(And... I don't have to pick up my dirty socks.)
No, Grasshopper..you have used those Holy Scriptures out of context...
That passage in Amos is not about the day Jesus suffered and died on the Cross..
You need to start reading and studying the Bible for your self...
Let’s look at the verses around those you mined for your mormon talking points...
Starting in the 7th Chapter of Amos...
Amo 7:15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
Amo 7:16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not [thy word] against the house of Isaac.
Amo 7:17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
Amo 8:1 Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.
Amo 8:2 And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more.
Amo 8:3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: [there shall be] many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast [them] forth with silence.
Amo 8:4 ¶ Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
Amo 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
Amo 8:6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; [yea], and sell the refuse of the wheat?
Amo 8:7 ¶ The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
Amo 8:8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as [by] the flood of Egypt.
Amo 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
Amo 8:10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only [son], and the end thereof as a bitter day.
Amo 8:11 ¶ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Amo 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find [it].
Amo 8:13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.
Amo 8:14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.
Good morning Elsie
:)
He saw one personage, then he saw two. He saw an angel...or was it many angels. He was in his bedroom....he was in a sacred "grove." His story changed to suit his audience, and it changed often.
LDS members do believe in a deity, so cannot be labelled athiestic
______________________________________
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
His story changed to suit his audience, and it changed often.
___________________________________________
What a politician...
Joseph Smith starting running for POTUS years before 1844...
Obviously, according to certain FReepers, Mitt is to fulfill that dream that was cut off by the dastardly "martyrdom" of the prophet, and to "consecrate all he has or ever will have" (including the presidency) to the "building up of Zion upon the earth".
Folks would do well to remember this.
What else do you think lies behind the total fanaticism evidenced by some Mittbots? One wonders if after that goal is attained, will the goal shift to becoming "king of the world" as it did with Smith?
You show some signs of understanding when you said this:
From the time of Adam down to Jesus Christ, every prophet on the earth had one priority; to testify of the coming Savior. Regardless of what parts of their record we have today...during their time on the earth...they taught the people of the coming Christ.
The promise of the coming Savior is the scripture that was fulfilled.
That is very true, and Christ came, the prophecy, the scripture was fulfilled.
What you miss, and understandably so, is that when the Word was made flesh, it changed the nature of our relationship with God. It went form a group plan to an individual one, a one on one relationship through his son.
So we ourselves are now a living scripture, a living testament to God's never ending love for his children. it is expressed in word and deed, in a life lived in his love. We no longer need the dictated words passed into us from prophets and sages, we can listen directly. There are other things that can be said about "new scriptures" but that is for another time.
Think again about God's plan, about the very words you said, about a Prophecy fulfilled. God sacrificed his son for us, to feel our pain, bear our burden. It is very simple, a very direct plan for salvation, one that needs no further elaboration. It is understandable that can be hard to grasp, it seems there should indeed be more, more complication, more steps for salvation, something else must be coming that was left out. After all God is a all powerful, (or in the case of your movement, a pretty powerful) entity, certainly things should be more complicated...
But they are not.
Just ask L Ron Hubbard...
1. They had the origional testamony of Adam and Noah.
2. They also have God's word of His testamony above and beyond the Hebrews -
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them.
20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
And that is still happening in the case of the mormon church today -
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
This is a gaping hole in the theology of "dark age" Christianity.
No, only the black hole around the planet Kolob.
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.