Posted on 06/17/2010 6:28:06 PM PDT by Colofornian
Utah death-row inmate Ronnie Lee Gardner is set to be executed by a firing squad on Friday. Thirty-five states allow the death penalty, but death by firing squad remains an option only in Utah.
SNIP
Every detail of April 2, 1985, is burned into her memory. Gardner was in court on a murder charge when he tried to escape. An accomplice slipped him a gun, and he shot and killed an attorney and also severely wounded George "Nick" Kirk, who was a bailiff. Kirk didn't die, but VelDean Kirk says he wasn't the same active, cheerful man anymore. She says his final years were marked by excruciating pain and depression from a sedentary life.
His daughter, Tami Stewart, feels sorry for Gardner, but she can't forgive him. She imagines him in the death chamber. "He's going to feel that fear that he put into every one of those men. He's done. We've given him more than enough," Stewart says.
Gardner did get one choice: how he would die. In court, after being told he'd exhausted his appeals, the 49-year-old made his preference known.
"I would like the firing squad, please," he told the court...
...Utah's last firing-squad execution 14 years ago attracted more than 150 news crews from across the globe. They were interested in one thing: the method of execution.
SNIP
Utah historian Will Bagley says the reason this method of execution exists is rooted in Utah's history as a Mormon sanctuary. "I think we need to be honest about it. We have the last firing squads in the country as a legacy of Mormon theology," Bagley says.
Some early Mormon leaders believed in blood atonement for the most egregious sins. "To atone for those, Jesus' blood didn't count. You had to shed your own blood," Bagley says.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
It has been explained numerous times despite efforts of saying it hasn't by the LDS contingent and their interesting allies. If we did not care about Mormons as individuals we would just let them waltz blithely through the gates of hell.
As it is there are two issues.
One the fact that the LDS or "MormonISM" maligns and slanders Christ and his mission, promotes a Polytheistic belief system wrapped in fictional stories and the machinations of con men posing as “prophets” and demands to be recognized as a Christian faith and playing off to those who will listen that they are the “restored” better version of a 2000 year old tradition. Christians are called to defend the savior and the faith from such treachery and attacks.
The second issue is the fact that there are some very good if not misguided folk trapped in the LDS cult. Certainly there are the enablers and handlers but there is a larger number of just plain deceived folk or even more interesting those who seem to be in denial or passive acknowledgment that there are “issues” but for societal or finical reason don't leave.
Sadly these folks have souls that are in peril because there is no “half way kinda sorta” Christian. Worse their money and work supports the efforts of the evil one who guides the hands of the LDS leadership and has since day one.
Breaking people from the active grasps of a cult can require various levels of efforts, and there are many times that very smart people have “sold” themselves on the correctness of their position despite have minds that can easily understand and see that the facts don't align with the “realities” of their beliefs. It has always amazed me how many smart folks can go off on a tangent when it comes to the spiritual world. Explains things such as the very smart Mormons (the ones who are not the enabling types) as well as why so many brilliant minds are Atheists.
The truth is easy to obtain, to not help the lost get there by any means is a sin and a denial of the calling, and the most bigoted and hateful thing a human being can do to another. Love the deceived soul, fight against and hate the organization, the tool of the Evil One, that guides them away from the light.
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
• • •
21 ¶ 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.
• • •
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
ST MATTHEW
ROMANS
CHAPTER 14
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
mormonic verses placemarker
Now that is fast typing.
yeah and got a warning for it too. humph.
In that case, YOU owe ME money. ;)
warning ?
Thank you for your excellent post proving that the LDS have absolutely NO concept of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The only covenant I have with Jesus is to follow Him, to believe in Him and to let HIM change me.
The rest of what you claim is needed tells Jesus that His suffering and death wasn’t enough, you need ‘more’ you need to ‘do your part’.
That is really sad, resty.
Hey resty, are you worthy? Really?
These have been answered over and over.
I always find if fascinating when LDSers say some document, statement or charge was “answered” and as proof that the issue(s) in question was answered successfully point to LDS sources.
How about an acknowledgment from the person making the charge or asking the question.
You can ask me if 2+2=4 and I can say “no, you are wrong, your sources are inaccurate”. You can then press the question and I can say “I answered you already, the debate is closed”.
Of course I would still be wrong, but as far as I was concerned the question was answered and I can tell all those listening I answered you.
The check is in the mail.
I don’t take counsel from a fool who is afraid to exercise faith!
I know...the academic in me just screams when I see things unsourced.
Where do you get the authority to judge “not being able to walk the walk and recent those of us who at least try to practice the things the Lord shows us”??
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Good catch. I missed that.
Resty, why do you assume I was ‘not able to walk the walk’??
I was a good, faithful, TBM ‘temple worthy’ Mormon. Being Mormon is easy. They control every aspect of your life and thought.
Being a Christian saved by grace - that’s is humbling and hard.
For the lurkers, it is a standard (and baseless) accusation that people leave the LDS because they could not live the ‘high standards’. For most, that is not true in the least
Yes but to what purpose is a mormon quoting Christian scripture from the Christian Bible ???
and not sourcing any of it either...
wasnt there a civil law suit in the threads yesterday about sourcing ???
You really don’t have a clue do you.
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No, he doesn’t. But what else would you expect from Geraldo Rivera? He’s still burned that Al Capone’s safe was empty.
The prisoner chose the method of execution becaues of his belief in blood atonement based upon the LDS teachings of the past and the current lay theology of many members.
Good.
And good riddance, however he went.
I don’t take counsel from a fool who is afraid to exercise faith!
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Excuse me? Why would you assume I would be afraid to ‘exercise faith’. I exercise faith often, but I also know God gave us brains and he expects us to use them.
The only covenant I have with Jesus is to follow Him, to believe in Him and to let HIM change me.
The rest of what you claim is needed tells Jesus that His suffering and death wasn’t enough, you need ‘more’ you need to ‘do your part’.
Hey resty, are you worthy? Really?
I’m not afraid to go in front of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ with my behavior with respect to Mormons. Unlike you, Jesus can actually read my heart and He knows that I don’t hate Mormons and that I love His glorious Gospel so much that I can’t stand by and watch the perversion of it by Mormonism.
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AMEN!
Apparently Geraldo has no such love, but I don’t hate him. I just feel sorry for him.
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