Why does Mormonism want to be Associated with Christianity?

[Rescued One]

No.

At least some Mormons are.


“People tell us, ‘You don’t believe in one God; you believe in three Gods.’ And the answer is, ‘Yes, we do.’ If that is polytheism then we are.” (“150-Year- Old Debate: Are Mormons `Really Christian’? San Francisco Chronicle, April 8, 1996).


One Mormon said, "“I worship God the Father in his proper role as the Father. I worship Christ in his proper role as the creator, the redeemer, and mediator to the Father. I worship the Holy Ghost in his proper role as the testator of truth, and comforter.”

 

[TheBarrd]

So, should we Mormons accept that we're seeing Christianity at its best in this forum, seeing as how we're outsiders?

To see Christianity at it's best one must look at Jesus Christ.
No, not the exalted man...the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

 

[TheBarrd]

So, should we Mormons accept that we're seeing Christianity at its best in this forum, seeing as how we're outsiders?

To see Christianity at it's best one must look at Jesus Christ.
No, not the exalted man...the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

 

[TasteForTruth]

Which one of these is God, then, and which two are not God:

Heavenly Father/Jehovah

Jesus Christ

Holy Spirit

??

Heavenly Father is God, who made #Jesus Christ "God" and the Holy Ghost "God." And as all three are united in the accomplishment of Heavenly Father's plan, they are one God.

 

[TheBarrd]

LOL, so it's a case of "Welcome to the Christian debate forum; check your Christian conduct at the door."

Jesus had some unkind things to say to people who had perverted the faith that God had given to the Israelites, as I recall.
He didn't seem to care much for folks who did such things then...and it is highly unlikely that He has since changed His mind.
We believe with all of our hearts that the notion that God was once a man is, at the very least, a perversion of our faith given to us by the Lord, Himself, if not actual blasphemy.
Perhaps defending our Christianity from those who would introduce this teaching is "Christian conduct".
I guess it depends upon your point of view.

 

[TasteForTruth]

At least some Mormons are.


“People tell us, ‘You don’t believe in one God; you believe in three Gods.’ And the answer is, ‘Yes, we do.’ If that is polytheism then we are.” (“150-Year- Old Debate: Are Mormons `Really Christian’? San Francisco Chronicle, April 8, 1996).

The confused ones, yes.

One Mormon said, "“I worship God the Father in his proper role as the Father. I worship Christ in his proper role as the creator, the redeemer, and mediator to the Father. I worship the Holy Ghost in his proper role as the testator of truth, and comforter.”

This needn't be improper by default. It just depends on what the speaker understands about the nature of his worship.

 

[TasteForTruth]

Jesus had some unkind things to say to people who had perverted the faith that God had given to the Israelites, as I recall.
He didn't seem to care much for folks who did such things then...and it is highly unlikely that He has since changed His mind.
We believe with all of our hearts that the notion that God was once a man is, at the very least, a perversion of our faith given to us by the Lord, Himself, if not actual blasphemy.
Perhaps defending our Christianity from those who would introduce this teaching is "Christian conduct".
I guess it depends upon your point of view.

I think it depends on methods more than point of view. I don't recall Jesus saying anything unkind to anyone.

 

[TasteForTruth]

To see Christianity at it's best one must look at Jesus Christ.

Indeed, but Jesus cautioned his disciples that they must comport themselves well, or others wouldn't believe on Him. Inversely, anyway.

No, not the exalted man...the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

I thought we agreed that it was unnecessary to continue ramming down the "my Jesus, your Jesus" thing down each other's throats...

Or were you concerned that I'd already forgotten your position from a few hours ago?

 

[TasteForTruth]

Explain them then.

They say that there is no God and no Savior for Israel apart from Jehovah, and that Jehovah will honor His covenant with Israel, respectively.

 

[TasteForTruth]

Is this error?

No, it is truth.

 

[Rescued One]

Which one of these is God, then, and which two are not God:

Heavenly Father/Jehovah

Jesus Christ

Holy Spirit

??

Mormonism teaches:

Heavenly Father/Elohim

Jesus Christ/Jehovah

Holy Ghost


D. God is the Supreme Being in the universe.
1. God the Father is greater than all (see Ephesians 4:6; John 10:29).
2. As the Supreme Being, God the Father should be the object of our love and worship (see D&C 18:40; 20:29; Joshua 22:5; Mark 12:30; D&C 4:2; Luke 4:8).
3. God created all things through His Son (see Hebrews 1:1–2; Moses 1:32–33; 2:1).
E. The Father presides over the Godhead.
1. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are the members of the Godhead (see Articles of Faith 1:1; 1 John 5:7; Alma 11:44).
2. Each member of the Godhead is physically separate and distinct from the others (see D&C 130:22; Matthew 3:16–17; Acts 7:55–56).
3. The members of the Godhead are united in Their attributes, power, and purpose (see John 17:20–21; D&C 20:28; 35:2; 2 Nephi 31:21; 3 Nephi 11:27).
4. The Father is the supreme member of the Godhead (see John 14:26, 28, 31; 2 Nephi 31:7, 12; 3 Nephi 28:11).

Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, Chapter 3


.......................................................................................................

B. God is the father of all mankind.
1. ■ “God the Eternal Father, whom we designate by the exalted name-title ‘Elohim,’ is the literal Parent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and of the spirits of the human race” (“The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve,” in James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 466).
“If you concede that we are His children, you must allow that God is our Father” (Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Oct. 1984, 82; or Ensign, Nov. 1984, 66–67).
■ “God made man in his own image and certainly he made woman in the image of his wife-partner” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 25).
C. God is perfect in His person, character, and attributes.
D. God is the Supreme Being in the universe.
E. The Father presides over the Godhead.
Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, Chapter 3
lds.org


■ “Everlasting covenant was made between three personages before the organization of this earth, and relates to their dispensation of things to men on the earth; these personages, according to Abraham’s record, are called God the first, the Creator; God the second, the Redeemer; and God the third, the witness or Testator” (Smith, Teachings, 190).
Doctrines of the Gospel Student Manual, Chapter 3

 

[katerinah1947]

I think it depends on methods more than point of view. I don't recall Jesus saying anything unkind to anyone.

Hi,
Please. I am not attacking. I am not. Did you know this is in the Bible and has some very accurate, but seemingly unkind words. It depends on your point of view. Jesus was being accurate.
I am not taking sides, as it appears you are willing and capable, of looking at both sides.
LOVE,
...Katie., .... .

Matthew 23 New International Version (NIV)

A Warning Against Hypocrisy
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[c]”

Footnotes:

Matthew 23:5 That is, boxes containing Scripture verses, worn on forehead and arm
Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.
Matthew 23:39 Psalm 118:26
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

LOVE,
...Katerina., .... .

 

[TasteForTruth]

Hi,
Please. I am not attacking. I am not. Did you know this is in the Bible and has some very accurate, but seemingly unkind words. It depends on your point of view. Jesus was being accurate.
I am not taking sides, as it appears you are willing and capable, of looking at both sides.
LOVE,
...Katie., .... .

Yes, I am aware of the verses you cited. They were not unkind words. They were strong words. True words. Even pitiful words.

God is kind, not unkind. With perfection. That's my view, anyway.

 

[Rescued One]

The confused ones, yes.


This needn't be improper by default. It just depends on what the speaker understands about the nature of his worship.

Why would Mormon leaders and professors be confused about who Mormons worship?

 

[TasteForTruth]

Why would Mormon leaders and professors be confused about who Mormons worship?

No one is perfect.

 

[Rescued One]

Katerina,

I was never impressed with these verses:

Doctrine and Covenants 24
3 Magnify thine office; and after thou hast sowed thy fields and secured them, go speedily unto the church which is in Colesville, Fayette, and Manchester, and they shall support thee; and I will bless them both spiritually and temporally;

4 But if they receive thee not, I will send upon them a cursing instead of a blessing.

5 And thou shalt continue in calling upon God in my name, and writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter, and expounding all scriptures unto the church.

6 And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write, and they shall hear it, or I will send unto them a cursing instead of a blessing.

 

[drstevej]

No one is perfect.

Can a burning bosom be wrong?

 

[Rescued One]

No one is perfect.

No one has to be perfect. Christians are expected to know who they worship. Mormons must be listening to different spirits if they don't agree about who they should worship.

 

[Rescued One]

Can a burning bosom be wrong?

It can be painful.

 

[katerinah1947]

Yes, I am aware of the verses you cited. They were not unkind words. They were strong words. True words. Even pitiful words.

God is kind, not unkind. With perfection. That's my view, anyway.

Hi,
I did not know you knew that was there. I am impressed now yet again by you. You actually know what those words were, strong, true, and you said even pitiful.
That shows a deep understanding. I am pleased with you on this. Being not God, I need to preface this next part.
I have not read, where and how you might have been, or have definitely been slighted, or insulted, or demeaned. It is a lack of capacity in me. I cannot remember in this post everything that is said. I just have my little corner of the world so to speak, that I know of.
Yet, is it not possible the others are using strong, true words on some people here. If I was a scribe or a Pharasee in those days, and maybe I was one long enough to believe in my ways, forgetting when and where I accepted those ways, I would be terribly uspet at being called a hypocrite, let alone a brood of vipers.
I am asking, not telling. Can you see how others here, and even you may think of them that they are hypocrites and a brood of vipers to you? Can it not be the central isssue here, is beieving rather in those who taught you, than in the objective?????
LOVE,
...Katherina., .... .