Recent content by Alma

As opposed to being in the creeds? Alma

Hentenza, perhaps you should look at the sig line in my message to what Brigham Young claimed was the basis for our soteriology. Ask a hundred Mormons if they concur with Young's statement and I suspect you'll get a hundred affirmative responses. Ask another hundred Mormons if they agree with...

We don't baptize for the dead children who died before the age of eight. There is no need because they are alive in Christ. Alma

Actually, they don't ban members from drinking coffee. Mormons have what's known as a "Word of Wisdom" where they're expected to avoid tobacco, alcohol, recreational drugs and coffee and tea. Mormons who drink tea or coffee aren't banned. I'm wondering how you get that they're "fools" because...

Yes, that's called the great apostasy. Certainly Paul ordained others to the priesthood, but a bishop can't ordain his replacement. Only apostles can do that. Once there were no more apostles, no one had the authority to delegate priesthood ordinations. If there hadn't been an apostasy, there...

I’m a little disconcerted that you call someone a “legitimate Christian pastor.” It does imply a bias I hadn’t previously noticed. If you look into the Christian world you’ll find lots of competing interpretations to scripture. You’ll also find very persuasive people who can pretty much...

It's a pretty detailed subject and I should probably begin with a couple of comments. First, there are lots of quotes by Brigham Young that fundamentalists like to cite--there are lots of others they don't want to hear. Similarly, members of the Church don't like to hear those quoted by...

No it can’t, Steve, because the fundamentalists have been cut off from the Church. The Lord promised in section 85, that “And they who are of the High Priesthood, whose names are not found written in the book of the law, or that are found to have apostatized, or to have been cut off...

I don’t think that is an applicable situation. It’s true that the Sanhedrin was a legal body in Jerusalem; but they recognized that the most they could do was threaten the apostles against preaching. We’re in a different situation now since Joseph Smith also taught that “We believe in being...

You’re almost there. In section 131 is says “the new and everlasting covenant of marriage” and so in this instance it refers specifically to marriage. However, without the qualifier, I think you’ll find that invariably when the prophets refer to “the new and...

Forgive me, I misspoke. Certainly the centrality of the Plan of Salvation was the birth, death and resurrection of Christ; but included in that plan was redemption of God's children from death and hell. I was referring to a pivotal portion of that from an LDS perspective. Alma

They didn’t need to have such specific language given to them because it isn’t one law or one commandment that brings salvation. It is faithful obedience to whatever God requires—whether it’s preaching as He directs or building a temple or living United Order or not...

Your citation of that statement attributed to John Taylor is really unfortunate, Steve. Although I have encountered it before, I hadn't given it much thought; but when I read it in your message, it didn't seem to ring "true." The first thing that gave me pause was John Taylor calling the rest of...