Posted on 03/16/2009 6:19:18 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
"God exists, and he's American" is the judgment of Dr. Milton Glass, fictional nuclear physicist from the acclaimed Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons comic Watchmen, when he learns that Jon Osterman, has come back from the dead. Osterman disputes Glass's judgment, but the new deity's protest rings as hollow as his promise of fealty to his first girlfriend.
In the story, Osterman dies in a freak lab accident that is the stuff of countless superhero origin stories. It utterly obliterates his body but leaves his mind intact and powerful. Osterman then re-creates himself from scratch. He is not just reborn but transfigured and renamed, as the world's oddest crime fighter: Dr. Manhattan. By the end of the tale, Manhattan even talks of Osterman as a different person.
Obviously, Dr. Manhattan looks different. He has the skin of a Smurf, the body of a Greek god. He crackles with energy and can manipulate other matter with the same ease that he reconstructed himself. Less obviously: His changed perceptions bracket him off from the rest of mankind. He can see things at the molecular level but is puzzled by basic human emotions and conventions. His women complain that they can't connect with him and he often walks around in his rebirthday suit. He perceives time differently as well -- the future and the past run together.
Dr. Manhattan is clearly a sort of god. After the mystery at the heart of Watchmen is resolved, he professes a newfound fondness for human life and muses, "perhaps I'll create some" -- elsewhere in the universe. But what sort of a god is he?
Enter: irony. One group that is not likely to come out in great numbers to see the new film Watchmen is members in good standing of the
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Then why did Jesus get baptized?
Good one.
Well, for one thing, God’s not a her. Secondly, I believe God works through us to accomplish His purposes on earth. I don’t know if that’s what you mean. I talk to God as well land He talks to me.
Nothing like making "hosing the pigs" official, huh?
I believe God uses us to fulfill His purposes and in that way I suppose He would ‘need us,’ but I’m not sure this meaning is the same as his.
The Bible, dear Bill, was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Mormon bible was written under the inspiration of a deluded man. Who are you going to believe?
Only one man was perfect, Jesus Christ. His Word is inspired by the Holy Spirit so it is to be believed, not a book written by a man who was a false prophet.
You've made several assumptions which may – or may not – be so. One, is that Lds have been “inside the flock” to begin with as once-upon-a-time true sheep.
The apostle Paul and Jesus addressed that not all donning the doorsteps of church facilities are to be categorized as "sheep":
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31)
Some "sheep" are simply "grievous wolves" who speek "perverse" (literally twisted) things. Listen, LDS engaging in massive polygamy; labeling black skin a "curse,"; labeling Adam as "god," labeling god as a spiritually evolved man, encouraging men to atone for their own sins via shedding of their own blood, etc. etc. etc...these have ALL been twisted things that wolflike disciples have used to "draw men after them."
Essentially, Paul was echoing Jesus:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:15-23)
Not every “Lord-caller” is going to enter heaven (Mt. 7:21). Unlike the false gospel of the alleged “pre-existence,” Jesus counters this impression among the religionists of His day by calling the Pharisees "children of Satan" in John 8:41,44 and ones he ”never knew” in Mt. 7:23. Lds basically shove this back into Jesus' face, and say to Him, “No Jesus you were wrong to call the Pharisees as of sons of 'your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.'” (John 8:44).
And: "What? Jesus? Did you forget? Why, we were all spirit bros in the pre-existence! And how come you told them you never knew them? Did you forget coming down Mary's birth canal that we were all spirit bros back then?"
Sorry, but the apostle Paul 5 TIMES said we need to be “adopted” as His children! (Rom. 8:15,23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5). The apostle John says God gives us the "right" – the Greek word is exousia -- the authority to BECOME the sons of God. (John 1:12) We BECOME his sons; we are not automatic sons of the pre-existence!
As for your many of your last 1/2-day old comments about interpretive comments that you say are either of...
...love
...hate
...evil
...insulting
...wrong
...and mockery
...would you please explain how “loving” and not "insulting" it is to send 60,000+ missionaries and countless Ward-based people and countless media resources calling us...
...“apostate”
...“wrong”
...“corrupt”
...100% putrid creed-wise???
...and to be taking such a million-missionary, world-wide initiative for the past 180 years to do so??? As compared to a few dozen for a bit over a decade of FREERepublic???
Don't you and other Lds make a “mockery” of our beliefs to say ALL of our creeds are an abomination to God? (I've never said every LDS belief is putrid!)
You wondered about the mention of Him or His Gospel in post #26:
Well, I testify that Jesus' blood was powerful enough not only to atone for Adam's sin, but mine. I have his rich blood streak running over every part of my sinful body, my sinful mind, my sinful soul, my sinful spirit. I am drenched in His blood; saturated in it; bathed in it. It cleanses me entirely of all past sins, my present sins, and every sin I'll commit (or action I'll fail to responsibly commit) because I entrust that His blood is sufficient for me.
His blood,
His mercy,
His grace
...makes me "worthy"--tho the fact that He went to the cross for me shows my ultimate value.
Like any heir, I'm an heir by His death and His gift to me...NOT an heir based upon...
...my works,
...my obedience,
...my self-promotional worthiness,
...my commandment-keeping,
...my bishop-graded temple recommend,
...my Word-of-wisdom keeping,
...my exaltation checklist,
...who I marry,
...if I marry,
...and all the other plural "My-s" I can ever list--as if my life was to center on...
...me
...or as if all my good works were primarily or unconsciously done to boomerang back on my bootstraps to kick me into divinity...
...rather than simply to love the One I serve.
In case you’re trying to make it look like I’m lying about the date I first joined FR, my old screen name was gregwest, which happens to be my real name. You’re welcome to check my conservative bona fides on the old account if you like.
Angry? LOL, look up the term ‘projection’ in a psych text.
Very Conservative.
And he left because of the so called venom being spewed because of Mitt, who as running as a “conservative” candidate for the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, not the LDS.
I mean I blow off the hyperbole that I see even from our own folks about the whole “running as a Mormon to facilitate the what ever LDS goals are to take over the US” because I think it is a bit much, a little over board. There was more than enough to reject Romney on before even looking at the whole LDS piece anyways.
Indeed that is how I got involved in all of this, I started opposing Mitt on politics alone, but after seeing what went on here at FR, I knew there was something to how his sycophants were acting. This is argument over the LDS and its' "ways" is what I found after he dropped out and I had time to look.
Anyways, I read this guy who has come here as “Defender of the Faith” for the LDS and he talks of the failure of the US and the rise a the Mormon vision of, well I don't know what taking its place and I am struck wondering if I am the naive one...
You have already received answers from other posters on this question.
And just to add if you read your Bible you will find out.
Almost as good at the founder of the Church of England, eh?
Good ole Henry the Axe!
CONSERVATIVE BONA FIDES?
You are kidding right?
I don't care if you joined the day the first FR server went on line, you talk of the ultimate failure of the United States and you want us to look at your “Conservative" bona fides?
WOW!!!!!
The Pope was awakened one morning by an aide exclaiming that he had both bad news and good news for him. Which would he prefer to hear first?
The good news, of course. "Well, Your Holiness, Jesus has returned to Earth today and would like to talk to you on the phone."
The Pope's response is "That's such wonderful news for the entire world. How could there be any bad news today?"
To which, the aide responded, "He's calling collect from Salt Lake City."
(No offense is intended towards either Mormons or Catholics. I just found this to be quite humorous.)
I thought it was pretty funny, too.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH
Another day, another dolt...
I'm always a bit hesitant to post jokes that some people may find offensive. I really meant it when I said that I intended no offense. I can only hope that the joke will be taken in good humor.
Don’t worry, most LDS folks have a great sense of humor. Watch out for Calvinists around here, though.
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