Mormonism Becomes Mainstream
It would almost seem appropriate for this blog entry to start out like a joke,"So these two Preachers walk into a store...."
Except for the fact that the punchline is anything but humorous.
The punchline was this "Just like the Worldwide Church of God, the Mormons are about to join mainline Christianity."
For those of you unfamiler with Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God's conversion to orthodoxy, I would suggest you read The Liberation of the Worldwide Church of God. This would help you understand where I am coming from.
However, that is a huge leap to apply this same "ascent" to orthodoxy for the LDS church. Allow me to review the funamentals of the Christian Faith.
1. The Verbal, Plenary, Inspiration of Scripture
2. The Trinity
3. The Virgin Birth of Christ
4. The Deity of Christ
5. The Literal Death Burial and Resurrection of Christ
6. The Substitutionary Atoment of Christ
7. The Second Coming of Christ
In order for the LDS Church to enter Orthodoxy, one would except them to fall in line with these 7 pillars of the Christian Faith. In my opinion this would be impossible. These are the views of Mormons on the above fundamentals
1. In Regards to the Scriptures:
Quote:
| “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” |
- Introduction to the book of Mormon
2. Of Course all of their beliefs are interconnected (or interdisconnected as the case might be. But their view of exaltation is wrappted up in their belief re. the Trinity.
Quote:
| "Mormonism" affirms its unqualified belief in the Godhead as the Holy Trinity, comprising Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; each of the three a separate and individual personage; the Father and the Son each a personage of spirit and of immortalized body; the Holy Ghost a personage of spirit. The unity of the Godhead is accepted in the literal fulness of scriptural declaration--that the three are one in purpose, plan and method, alike in all their Godly attributes; one in their divine omniscience and omnipotence; yet as separate and distinct in their personality as are any three inhabitants of earth. "Mormonism" claims that scriptures declaring the oneness of the Trinity admit of this interpretation; that such indeed is the natural interpretation; and that the conception is in accord with reason. |
From James E. Talmage The Story of Mormonism
3. Orson Pratt, one of the Mormon prophets, made this statement:
Quote:
| The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father: we use the term lawful Wife, because it would be blasphemous in the highest degree to say that He overshadowed her or begat the Savior unlawfully. |
4. The LDS Church has little problem with the Deity of Christ, as long as they can define it. They believe Deity to be the chief end of all men. However, in dealing with the deity of Jesus, a past President of the LDS Church had this to say:
Quote:
| Among the spirit children of Elohim the firstborn was and is Jehovah or Jesus Christ to whom all others are juniors..." |
-Joseph Fielding Smith
Jesus was a spirit being who was exalted to Godhood in his pre-mortal days. He is not God from eternity past, in the Mormon construct of Theology.
5. Mormons do not have a struggle with this pillar. The Problem is that their Jesus is not fully divine. Therefore, His dying, burial, and resurrection, do not carry full salvation. We must "work to become worthy". His death was not enough.
6. The Above blends into this next point regarding the Substitutionary Atonment. But His Blood was not enough according to Brigham Young, 2nd President of the LDS Church. He said:
Quote:
| "There is not a man or woman who violates the covenants made with their God, that will not be required to pay the debt. The blood of Christ will never wipe that out, your own blood must atone for it; and the judgments of the Almighty will come, sooner or later, and every man and woman will have to atone for breaking their covenants" |
-Desert News
Joseph Fielding Smith built upon Young's Doctrine. This is evident here:
Quote:
| Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that man may commit, that they will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore, their only hope is to have their own blood shed to atone as far as possible, in their behalf... In pursuance of and in harmony with this scriptural doctrine, which has been the righteous law from the days of Adam to the present time, the founders of Utah incorporated in the laws of the Territory provisions for the capital punishment of those who willfully shed the blood of their fellow men. This law, which is now the law of the state, granted unto the condemned murderer the privilege of choosing for himself whether he die by hanging, or whether he be shot, and thus have his blood shed in harmony with the law of God; and thus atone, so far as it is in his power to atone, for the death of his victim. Almost without exception the condemned party chooses the latter death" |
7. Finally, The Second Coming. I have not studied this one out sufficently but I did find this online article from a ministry that I trust Click Here These folks make an interesting point.
To sum up, in order for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to come into mainstream Christianity, very simply, they must leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In my opinion, there is no way to redeem this corrupt, cultic, system of belief.
Posted On Apr 25, 2006 at 4:51 PM
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