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Whether or not the Catholics or Mormons practice a “true” Christianity is a non argument.

Luckily; I do not have to judge their hearts; but I DO have to post some FACTS!

What Joseph Smith Means to Us (From: various sources )

"He (Joseph Smith) is the man through whom God has spoken... yet I would not like to call him a savior, though in a certain capacity he was a god to us, and is to the nations of the earth, and will continue to be."

- Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 8:321

"You call us fools; but the day will be, gentlemen and ladies, whether you belong to this Church or not, when you will prize brother Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Living God, and look upon him as a god..."

- Herber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses 5:88

"If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him [Joseph Smith]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him [Joseph Smith]"

- (as quoted in 1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142)

There is "no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God"

- Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190

"I tell you, Joseph holds the keys, and none of us can get into the celestial kingdom without passing by him. We have not got rid of him, but he stands there as the sentinel, holding the keys of the kingdom of God; and there are many of them beside him. I tell you, if we get past those who have mingled with us, and know us best, and have a right to know us best, probably we can pass all other sentinels as far as it is necessary, or as far as we may desire. But I tell you, the pinch will be with those that have mingled with us, stood next to us, weighed our spirits, tried us, and proven us: there will be a pinch, in my view, to get past them. The others, perhaps, will say, If brother Joseph is satisfied with you, you may pass. If it is all right with him, it is all right with me. Then if Joseph shall say to a man, or if brother Brigham say to a man, I forgive you your sins, "Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them;" if you who have suffered and felt the weight of transgression—if you have generosity enough to forgive the sinner, I will forgive him: you cannot have more generosity than I have. I have given you power to forgive sins, and when the Lord gives a gift, he does not take it back again."

- Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.154-155

"It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men.... If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation,"

- Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 396, 670

They succeeded in killing Joseph, but he had finished his work.

He was a servant of God, and gave us the Book of Mormon.

He said the Bible was right in the main, but, through the translators and others, many precious portions were suppressed, and several other portions were wrongly translated; and now his testimony is in force, for he has sealed it with his blood.

As I have frequently told them, no man in this dispensation will enter the courts of heaven, without the approbation of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jun.

Who has made this so?

Have I?

Have this people?

Have the world?

No; but the Lord Jehovah has decreed it.

If I ever pass into the heavenly courts, it will be by the consent of the Prophet Joseph.

If you ever pass through the gates into the Holy City, you will do so upon his certificate that you are worthy to pass.

Can you pass without his inspection?

No; neither can any person in this dispensation, which is the dispensation of the fulness of times.

In this generation, and in all the generations that are to come, everyone will have to undergo the scrutiny of this Prophet.

They say that they killed Joseph, and they will yet come with their hats under their arms and bend to him; but what good will it do them, unless they repent?

They can come in a certain way and find favor, but will they?

Brigham Young,

--JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, vol. 8, p. 224

Most Catholics I know and certainly Mormons too love the Lord Jesus Christ and do what they believe is right to try to follow Him. It is hard to fault someone for truly trying to please The Lord. Catholics don't worship the Pope and Mormons don't Worship Joseph Smith. You may bring all the out of context 150 year old quotes you like but they are mostly irrelevant to what Catholics and Mormons actually believe and how they act.

Catholics do revere the Pope and Mormons do revere Joseph Smith. To Catholics not accepting the Pope is to not accept the doctrines of The Church, while that may not seem a big deal to us it is a big deal to them because the doctrines of The Church include the Godhood of Jesus Christ and what we now call the Apostles Creed.

The same is true in the Mormon Church. If you don't accept Joseph Smith then you can't accept a portion of the doctrines of the LDS Church because he first promulgated them. There are doctrines of The LDS that if not accepted then in the eyes of That Church you can't be saved into the highest heaven.

When we enter the next life or at sometime after that we will likely see all truth and learn if the Universal Church is after all the Church Peter led or some other. We will find if the Mormon Church is the re-institution of that Church that Peter led or some other. We will learn whether the doctrine of Transubstantiation is real or silliness.

There is much then we will learn and we will likely learn that what really mattered in this life is whether or not we followed Jesus Christ to the best of our ability.

The Pope could be evil but it doesn't make the Catholics evil. Joseph Smith could be evil but it doesn't make the LDS evil.

Barack Obama is evil but it doesn't mean that Americans are evil. One more parting thought, it is the Catholics who brought us what we have of the Gospel, it is they who nurtured it through the many centuries. If there is a protestant religion it is only Catholicism lite. Mormonism makes more of your argument of the dead Catholic Church than you do. The Mormons believe you can't take a part of a dead church and bring the whole of it back to life, they believe that a new church had to be started without using the ashes of the old. Active Catholics and Mormons on the whole are the salt of the earth. They are the very best of people and the very best of Christian Love. More power to them. They may not believe what I believe but then again I may not believe what they believe except that we all love Jesus and Him being raised from the dead so that we too may be raised from the dead to live with Him forever.