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ALL Christian denominations believe that you should join their particular denomination, as they believe it to be the most correct. Some merely have larger missionary programs than others, and differing priorities. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spends a lot of time proselytizing non-Christians, unaffiliated, and disaffected Christians. You will find that the vast majority of people who convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are either non-Christian, unaffiliated, or disaffected. In developed countries, very few join because they were approached by missionaries.
Bovine excrement, to quote a popular R&S phrase.
The Episcopal Church does not for certain, and neither do some others.
Even the late Billy Graham, an ordained preacher in a denomination whose members often DO proclaim its way to be the only way, encouraged at his rallies Catholics to go their priests, other protestants to go to their ministers and pastors, etc.
Just like following Muhammad instead of Jesus is perfectly fine for Muslims, but it doesn't work for me.
I don't think that's accurate. I don't think any Muslims consider themselves to be following Muhammad "instead" of Jesus, since Jesus (Isa) is their most important prophet and like Christians, they await his return. It might be more accurate to say "following Muhammad's perceptions/writings about Jesus". As I'm sure you are aware, they don't believe Jesus to be God or to have been crucified and resurrected, as much of Christianity does.
Muhammad is their most important prophet.
Quote:
Quote:
The Profession of Faith. A Muslim is one who proclaims (shahada, witness or testimony): “There is no god but the God [Allah] and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” This acknowledgment of and commitment to Allah and His Prophet is the rather simple means by which a person professes his or her faith and becomes a Muslim, and a testimony that is given throughout the day when the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer. It affirms Islam’s absolute monotheism, an unshakable and uncompromising faith in the oneness or unity (tawhid) of God. As such, it also serves as a reminder to the faithful that polytheism, the association of anything else with God, is forbidden and is the one unforgivable sin:
God does not forgive anyone for associating something with Him, while He does forgive whomever He wishes to for anything else. Anyone who gives God associates [partners] has invented an awful sin. (4:48)
The second part of the confession of faith is the affirmation of Muhammad as the messenger of God, the last and final prophet, who serves as a model for the Muslim community. Molding individuals into an Islamic society requires activities that recall, reinforce, and realize the word of God and the example of the Prophet. The praxis orientation of Islam is witnessed by the remaining four pillars or duties.
I've never once seen a Methodist come to my door to convert me. Not sure where you live that it's common. Just doesn't happen in my area.
My ex was a SDA, and even though she was so involved in her religion (major reason we divorced, me being the atheist), I've never heard any SDA going door to door.
Boy do the SDA ever hate Catholics though. And JW's. Oh, and ignore Baptists as some weird cult. Seriously.
We had a wonderful Muslim moderator on this forum who would have been able to give us a more comprehensive answer, but sadly, he is facing his final days and he is not available to us. I might do a search a bit later when I have more time and see if he ever addressed this.
Shahadah
"There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger."
This is the basic statement of the Islamic faith: anyone who cannot recite this wholeheartedly is not a Muslim.
When a Muslim recites this they proclaim:
That Allah is the only God, and that Muhammad is his prophet
That they personally accept this as true
That they will obey all the commitments of Islam in their life
The Shahadah is the first of the Five Pillars of Islam.
We had a wonderful Muslim moderator on this forum who would have been able to give us a more comprehensive answer, but sadly, he is facing his final days and he is not available to us. I might do a search a bit later when I have more time and see if he ever addressed this.
Yes Old Woodrow Li (He has only ever showed annoyance when i didn't write it LI) is a remarkable convert - learned Quranic Arabic - the lot.
Mormons believe in a God that rules over only this planet, that there are multiple Gods, and in fact they can be Gods over their own planet someday if they do whatever is required to get to that point. That is not the same God that other Christians believe in. There is no other sect that is not monotheistic. I am not arguing that means they are not Christian, I am just answering your question.
jencam, this is for you:
Deification (i.e. "Eternal Progression" in LDS parlance) was clearly taught in the early days of Christianity -- not by random heretical sects, but by noted Church fathers:
Irenaeus: “If the Word became a man, it was so men may become gods. Do we cast blame on Him (God) because we were not made gods from the beginning, but were at first created merely as men, and then later as gods?”
Clement: “The Word of God became a man so that you might learn from a man how to become a god.”
Saint Justin: "[Men are] deemed worthy of becoming gods and of having power to become sons of the highest.”
Athanasius: “The Word was made flesh in order that we might be enabled to be made gods. He became man that we might be made divine.”
Augustine: “But He that justifies also deifies, for by justifying he makes sons of God. For he has given them power to become the sons of God. If then we have been made sons of God, we have also been made gods.”
In much more recent years, the noted Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis, said, “The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him – for we can prevent Him, if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said."
I think all of these individuals believed in the same God you do, since you claim to believe in the God of the Bible, as did they.
Deification (i.e. Eternal Progression in LDS parlance) was clearly taught in the early days of Christianity -- by noted Church fathers, none of whom were considered to be heretics by the Christian populace of their day:
Irenaeus: “If the Word became a man, it was so men may become gods.”
Irenaeus: “Do we cast blame on Him (God) because we were not made gods from the beginning, but were at first created merely as men, and then later as gods?”
Clement: “The Word of God became a man so that you might learn from a man how to become a god.”
Saint Justin: "[Men are] deemed worthy of becoming gods and of having power to become sons of the highest.”
Athanasius: “The Word was made flesh in order that we might be enabled to be made gods. He became man that we might be made divine.”
Augustine: “But He that justifies also deifies, for by justifying he makes sons of God. For he has given them power to become the sons of God. If then we have been made sons of God, we have also been made gods.”
In much more recent years, the noted Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis, said, “The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him – for we can prevent Him, if we choose – He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said."
I think all of these individuals believed in the same God you do, since you claim to believe in the God of the Bible, as did they.
Do you have a source for any of those quotes other than an LDS site?
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