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The only thing that separates the denominations is manmade--it does not come from God.
OK, but what makes you confident that your perspective is of God and not your human "manmade" interpretation? In short, you are preaching that the LDS are wrong, but you only base such assertions on your "manmade" construct of your assumed correct interpretation of the Bible.
[quote=SergeantL;2200302]Urban, Brigham Young and Joseph Smith made one point very clear. Nothing should be accepted unless one has prayed and gained a testimony of the truthfulness of its content, and that includes the Church's standard works, such as the Book of Mormon. We all must form our own personal testimonies; we must—not—depend on the testimony of others.
Next, I would also like to address the book Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie, which is so often cited as the authoritative source regarding the beliefs and practices of the LDS faith. President McConkie was a member of the Twelve Apostles. This is the same position any of the Apostles in the time of Christ would have held. One does not get much higher in the Church than the Twelve Apostles other than the First Presidency or President.
When he wrote Mormon Doctrine in 1958, the resulting uproar was fairly significant. The First Presidency disagreed with its content and so stated. It also recommended that it not be republished, because it contained so many errors. Now, I don’t expect anyone to believe me, so I have included two websites that prove I am writing the truth, and neither site is LDS to the best of my knowledge.
Yes, one can still find the book. I—think—some publisher(s) do continue to print copies of the book to this day, but as you can see, it is—not—an accurate reflection of LDS doctrine. It does, however, contain a significant amount of valuable and accurate information, and I have used those portions as a starting point when conducting scripture research.
In closing, I can’t answer your question directly, Urban, other than to say that each member must be diligent in his or her homework to find the truth.
Bruce R. McConkie's "Mormon Doctrine": An Embarrassment to the LDS Church and Officially Repudiated [quote]
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You wrote:
Alleged Racism in the Mormon Church-Any Truth to that statement?
This is #36 I believe in that thread:
Next, Mormon Doctrine was written by Bruce McConkie, who was a member of the Church, but was not writing for the Church and his book contains much of his own speculation.His works are full of holes and not supported by Church doctrine. I have found at least ten subjects in his work that are clearly contradicted by Church Canon.
I repeat; and expand somewhat. Unless something is contained in Church Canon, it is not a religious belief. LDS Canon consists of the KJV Bible, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses, and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Urban, Brigham Young and Joseph Smith made one point very clear. Nothing should be accepted unless one has prayed and gained a testimony of the truthfulness of its content, and that includes the Church's standard works, such as the Book of Mormon. We all must form our own personal testimonies; we must—not—depend on the testimony of others.
I don’t know how old you were when you were associated with the Church, but I will assume you held the Priesthood office of Elder. I will also assume you recall discussions during Elder’s Quorum meetings. I have heard statements from those giving the weekly lessons that I know are not correct or at least I disagree with their perspective. This leads to discussion and debate. Frequently there is no resolution. As an example, we do not allow woman to hold the Priesthood. Some members of my former Group believed this practice was wrong and were vocal about their feelings.
Next, I would also like to address the book Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie, which is so often cited as the authoritative source regarding the beliefs and practices of the LDS faith. President McConkie was a member of the Twelve Apostles. This is the same position any of the Apostles in the time of Christ would have held. One does not get much higher in the Church than the Twelve Apostles other than the First Presidency or President. When he wrote Mormon Doctrine in 1958, the resulting uproar was fairly significant. The First Presidency disagreed with its content and so stated. It also recommended that it not be republished, because it contained so many errors. Now, I don’t expect anyone to believe me, so I have included two websites that prove I am writing the truth, and neither site is LDS to the best of my knowledge.
Yes, one can still find the book. I—think—some publisher(s) do continue to print copies of the book to this day, but as you can see, it is—not—an accurate reflection of LDS doctrine. It does, however, contain a significant amount of valuable and accurate information, and I have used those portions as a starting point when conducting scripture research.
In closing, I can’t answer your question directly, Urban, other than to say that each member must be diligent in his or her homework to find the truth.
Sergeant, you are right about these things. I remember being in the Elders Quorum and hearing some of the other gentlemen comment about the validity of what the teacher was presenting sometimes. They were older men who had been in the church much longer than I was and I thought it strange that they would comment the way they did. I wondered why they would have doubts about what was considered canon. One of the senior fellows, who was a seventy at the time, explained to me pretty much what you explained in your 1st and 2nd paragraphs.
Regarding Mr. McConkie, I happened upon the sites that you mentioned last night and read them completely. It is only now that I learned of what happened because no one at the time I was reading his book made me aware of that situation. There were a lot of folks I knew who simply accepted the book because it was a church publication, so it must be a good thing.
Thanks Sergeant for clearing this up. You made some good points here that all of us can use to help us in our daily walk.
And now seems like an appropriate time to bring this up ... especially for the non-Mormon faction ... and I would suspect that it will bring a few enquiries which I hope the Sarge and others will field ...
but it might be important to note ... especially for those who have decided that theirs is the proper church to attend on non-sabbath Sunday ...
The LDS (Mormon) Church - rightfully called "The Church of Jesus Christ/Latter Day Saints" was originally called by a couple of different names.
Now, you might be very surprised as to when it went by these names - but suffice it to say, for purposes of my post that:
One of those names was "The Church of God".
Enjoy ... and Max Pacem.
Looks like alot of mis information on both sides. Marks said its a cult. On what grounds.Preterist quotes from Isaiah but doesnt quote it all. I think the Mormons have a Articles of Faith that they believe in. Look at it and see what they believe in. A good part prob study harded than others of their faith, But most religionns do this too. Not understanding their faith doesnt make them bad!!
Regarding Mr. McConkie, I happened upon the sites that you mentioned last night and read them completely. It is only now that I learned of what happened because no one at the time I was reading his book made me aware of that situation. There were a lot of folks I knew who simply accepted the book because it was a church publication, so it must be a good thing.
We have had our differences, but I do want to apologize to you for that damn book. I wish the Church would make a yearly announcement that the contents are suspect and the book does not accurately reflect Church beliefs. We who have been in the Church for a long time carry the memories of past events, but we forget to pass them on. To this day, I still can’t believe Brother McConkie wrote some of the things he did. Even a primary child would know certain assertions were contrary to known doctrines. I will say this much; at least the Church didn’t try to change anything in what could have appeared to be a cover up or a censure of Elder McConkie. We have taken it on the chin for years, because the incorrect contents have been used against us by our detractors.
Let's discuss this mysterious religion and what they really believe. Let's chat. I throw out the first question. Do Mormons believe in polytheism? The belief of more than one God.
It doesn't matter; Let God do the judging unless you are in the Mormon Church
According to the word of God, we should all believe in the same thing. I think that you intended this thread to be on the Religion&Philosophy forum. But anyway.
Welcome to the Christianity forum
We have had our differences, but I do want to apologize to you for that damn book.
We have had our differences Sergeant, but I prefer to think of them as being in the past and see this as an opportunity for us to move forward. And no need to apologize for something you didn't write. Thanks for understanding.
If you want to know what mormons truly believe, study their doctrine as taught by leaders of their church. Here is an article about Mormons and Christianity:
It is your responsibility to educate yourself first and then make a decision.
Last edited by ph12; 12-11-2007 at 04:14 PM..
Reason: Fix link
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Mormons are Christians
