- Apr 30, 2013
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Thanks, your comment is a great example of an issue that I was having trouble organizing and expressing: it isn't only the items of faith that distinguish religions but also the IMPORTANCE given to those items. For example, BEHAVIORALLY there is almost no difference between a earnest Christian and an earnest Mormon. Why is behavior a SUPERFICIAL similarity? Many religions would view behavior as fundamental.
The demons Jesus exorcises in the gospels apparently know his full identity, but that knowing this doesn't make the demons reconciled with God. Paul in the Book of Romans speaks of gentiles who instinctively know and seek to obey the fundamentals of God's Law without knowing anything about Judaism and can be reconciled with God in spite of their ignorance.
Of course speaking of behavior as the fundamental trait of religion raises red flags for Christians who do not want to forget that their salvation is an undeserved gift from Jesus. However, the behavior desired by God is not necessarily perfect obedience to the letter of some law code. Rather, the behavior is to recognize that you desperately need to be reconciled with God to be complete, and that this reconciliation is worth far more than anything you might need to pay.
Behavior does matter, but not because it justifies us before God. But that still doesn't mean we don't have the right to distinguish heresy from truth, and insist upon orthodox doctrine.
My church allows women and gays to be called as ministers, Mormons do not. My religion does not support discrimination, Mormons are notorious for pressuring governments to do so. Our beliefs about God make differences, because theology shapes anthropology.
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