Posted on 11/28/2012 6:00:38 PM PST by Colofornian
http://www.lds.org/church/news/mormonor ... c?lang=eng
How about being straight up and saying that Mormons put on costumes and chant rituals in secret buildings that only 10% of gross earnings paid as "tithes" allow entrance?
Mormonism wants people to think they are normal that they are just Christians like everyone else. Each year they get rid of more and more of their embarrassing doctrines - or doctrines that aren't politically correct anymore. Apologist attack dogs fight any critics on technicalities.
Mormonism has one thing that works for them - and that is the funneling of cash from members to the Cult coffers. This is done through mandatory tithe. And in order to make this tithe work - and make the member believe in the Cult enough to pay - they have to have the secret temple ceremonies. You have to put a ton of make believe in there.
Stephen R. Donaldson is one of my favorite authors. In one of his series of books he explained how a great and noble group of leaders were slowly corrupted through the centuries by simple infiltration of ideas. The ideas changed the group slowly until they went from helping people to human sacrifices. The new leaders of the group knew what was going on - but they surrounded themselves with those who only had faith - not knowledge. Those who had faith were much stronger because they were driven by the new cult. Those who held faith were much easier to control.
Pondering the story Donaldson had written I saw the same manifested in the Cult of Mormonism. If you have members who are so convinced you are the one and only true Cult, they will not hesitate to open their pocketbooks and hand over everything. Mormonism needs this kind of special, secret, garment wearing, new name, pay lay ale - in order to keep the tithes flowing. If the cat is out of the bag, the tithing will stop.
So the reality is there is a certain point where Mormonism must stop moving towards Christianity - it has to because money is ultimately the top priority of the Cult. Money - Power - Control.
Look at all the recovery boards right now - even the NOM boards. What is the #1 topic right now because of upcoming December? Tithing. Tithing. Tithing. Oh and don't forget tithing. Sign up for tithing settlement. And don't forget to sign up for tithing settlement.
“All of our messaging is focused on helping people understand that Mormons are Christian,”
Naw, Mormonism isn't a Christian church. It's a secretive Cult with very cultish practices and it has to stay that way - or go broke.
Still posting.
What is it you are seeking. It has to be something that cause you to do this to yourself...
Ouch...
Benjamin or Mosiah
mother of God or the mother of the son of god
white or pure
"yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable" or no?
Just to point out a few. These are not spelling, punctuation and verse/chapter headings errors/changes.
The mormons at mormonthink said it best -
If the source for the text of the Book of Mormon was channeled through such an otherworldly medium and painstakingly double-checked at each dictation pause, why would there be a need for repeated revisions over the last 150 years beyond the obvious spelling and punctuation corrections that would naturally occur through the re-editing process? One would presume that text which was supposedly divinely communicated via visual format through the seer stone and then repeated twice prior to acceptance would be sufficient to ensure the accuracy of the words being conveyed via divine communication.
The power of 'god' is pretty weak to permit this level of error.
There are many - most common is Textus receptus (sp). We have ms fragments all the way now to the first century and within decades of Jesus' life.
Oh??
“Thank you for example of anti Mormon/anti MormonISM dog pile tactics”
Amazingly, I’ve never seen a dog pile. Nor any Biblical truth from a mormon on FR.
Never "anti's". The link I just gave you, in which one here spoke of how the archeological evidence proves the BoM to be balderdash, was from a Catholic. There goes that "never" modifier, right out the window...
There are more than a few Catholics among us here who are quite strongly anti-Protestant going beyond anti-"ism" at times...
As far as theology goes, I can't count how many times Martin Luther and John Calvin have been blamed for most all of the various sins of present-day Western culture. Even the existence of Mormonism itself, is blamed much on those two.
Things are tough all over, matey.
Since you have previously claimed the doctrine of the Trinity to be in error, and in some other post saying it was where apostasy began(?), those same Catholics would proclaim such heretical. I have seen it repeated here recently among some of our Catholic friends, that to deny the Trinity means one isn't actually Christian. Though I possibly might not go so far myself with it, many of them have in no uncertain terms.
I do find the present comparison interesting;
You agreed with this description as being accurate...
Break the laws of physics? It is left for the reader to guess as to what is meant by that. This "three physical presences" suggests a mode of thinking, as it points towards certain details of Mormon theology [deliberately kept mostly hidden].
First could be the older Mormon teaching "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be", right? That was how Snow put it, following Smith's foundational "King Follet Discourse"
According to Joseph Smith;
God the father was once a man on this earth. Smith clarified he wasn't talking about Jesus, when he said was once a man. And that we can become like God. As "a" God. As God once was (a man). Later development or explanation of the theology included such idea as --- If we do all that we can do, and don't sin...therefore qualifying one to become and be a God, in the Celestial.
Getting there by our good works seems key.
Another thing related to your agreed upon, accurate description of Mormon belief, "three physical presences", makes the Spirit of the Lord into a physical being...according to Mormon theology.
I don't blame Mormons from running from portions of their own church's theology. May they ever continue to do so, as full light of examination is placed upon certain foundational teachings of that particular religion.
Interesting post, thanks.
I know Jim Robinson really hurt you Saundra for the life of me I do not understand him he has even said he has not spent much time searching and studying the scripture I know even those of us who have don’t know everything only the Lord knows that and continues to reveal things to his children that earnestly strive to understand Him more.
Matt 7
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
6 ¶Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 ¶Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13 ¶Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 ¶Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
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.
22 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?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 ¶Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
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:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
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Oy vey. This is Jim's site, and he has made his position very clear. It is not for us to demand that he do otherwise.
Why would you quote from something, according to your articles of faith is flawed and incorrect?
I love the symbol of the cross, because I am a Christian.
You shun the cross but wear a masonic compass and square and on your underwear.
I celebrate the rescuing sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, you belittle him by claiming the ability to work your way to heaven with phariseeical secret handshakes, endless genealogies, death oaths and oil annointings.
Your founders LOATHED Christianity, the cross and Christians, and spoke of it often.
You are quick to claim the authority of bibilical prophets and priests, yet BOTH quick to mock things that MORMONISM CORRUPTED as CORRUPT, AND simultaneously ignoring the "corrected" version of the bible "retranslated" by FLDS/LDS "Prophet" Joe Smith.
***It only takes a few days for the FR mormons to start defaming the Bible. ***
When missionaries visited my home years ago it only took two minutes before they started defaming the bible, and they started with Judas again.
I pointed out that Judas hanged himself in an area where suicides often took place, on a cliff over a field(Purchased by the Temple priests with the 30 pieces of silver.. Jewish law required him to be cut down before sundown and the body probably fell to the field and burst open.
But then, it didn’t even faze them as they continued with their spiel.
John 1
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
You have the right to your religion, but you do not have the right to demand that others acknowledge its validity.
Upon what authority are you assuming all these "books" were 100% inspired and that God wanted them included in the Bible?
What? Just because they are cited in another book of Scripture?
* The apostle Paul references a letter to the Corinthians prior to 1 Corinthians (see 1 Cor. 5:9). It doesn't mean that the previous letter wasn't authoritative from an apostle; it simply could mean that God for some reason didn't want it included in the canon.
After all, DU, be consistent: How many talks have been given by Lds "prophets" and "apostles" -- just even from their General Conferences' messages -- that have wound up in Doctrine & Covenants? How does the number "zero" sound to you, DU?
And you lambast Christians for not updating God's "revelations"???
ALL: Keep in mind that...
...Joseph Smith's first vision found in the Pearl of Great Price Mormon “scripture” wasn't determined as “official scripture” until 1875...almost 40 years after the fact...
...and Brigham Young's D&C 136 didn't become “official” Mormon “scripture” until 74 years after the fact (1921)...
...Joseph F. Smith's D&C 138 didn't become “official” Mormon “scripture” until 62 years after the fact (1981).
For some reason, it takes the Mormon church between 40-74 years to determine if the Holy Ghost actually spoke thru one of its “prophets”...yet they keep promising a huge benefit is a “living prophet” who is on “real time” between God and man...if God's message can't be “officially” confirmed until 40-74 years after the fact, what do they do in the interim?
****************
Other "references" found in the Bible...
* Paul references in Col. 4:16 a "letter from Laodicea." A fraudulent "letter from Laodicea" turned up in the 4th century, but no scholars reference it as authentic...and though the early church fathers make over 36,000 New Testament citations, including every book and almost every verse in the New Testament, no epistle of the Laodiceans is cited by them.
I mean, c'mon, DU...Jesus did many other things not recorded in the Gospels -- John says that in John 20:31; 21:25...just because we don't have an exhaustive comprehensive explanation of everything Jesus did in His public life, doesn't mean the four Gospels are "incomplete"...does it???
And again, I appeal to your consistency...or rather, your lack of it...
* I suppose now that you're going to tell us, DU, that just because Paul cited pagan poets (see Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12) that they are "missing" books of the Bible, too, eh?
* Yes, the book of Jude cites the Book of Enoch; that doesn't mean that the Book of Enoch has 100% truth; or 100% accuracy; or that 100% of it was divinely inspired. Sure, there was a truth in Enoch's book for Jude to deem worthy of it as authentic. That doesn't give 100% of the content an endorsement that it was to be in the Bible...anymore than if a General Authority positively cites C.S. Lewis in a message that future Mormons want to plant in the D&C, that C.S. Lewis should then be considered as a "missing chapter" of the D&C!!!
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