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To: AnalogReigns

>>Mormonism like any other non-Christian religion

Who made you the arbiter of my soul?

Why do you sit in judgment on millions of people?

Jesus Christ is my judge and you are not Jesus Christ.

Jesus specifically commanded for his followers not to judge others.


154 posted on 04/05/2007 10:28:38 PM PDT by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: DelphiUser
>>Mormonism like any other non-Christian religion

Who made you the arbiter of my soul?

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matt. 5:1-5)

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.(2 Peter 1:16)

I am not "the arbiter of your soul," and never claimed to be. However, the idea that Christians should never use their powers of critical thinking and yes, judgment (or GOOD judgment) otherwise known as common sense, is one of the worst perversions of holy scripture common today.

There's the full passage above, part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Note, in comparing the the "log" and the "speck" Jesus didn't say ignore them, rather He said for the judgmental person to remove the log first...then to "see clearly." What does this mean? To never make any judgments or decisions? That would be the death of any Christian beliefs at all--as all of us must make decisions on what is true and what to believe.

No. Think of the context. Jesus was preaching to people who, while following a definitely, without-question, God-revealed religion, had gone bad. How? Through a loveless legalistic following after law, that is doing good things, as the basis of their salvation. Read the gospels...what exactly was wrong the the Pharisees of the day?

They knew God's word (and it was definitely God's word...no questionable revelations to questionable persons of questionable character) and they FOLLOWED it, with all their might. But what was wrong? There was no faith in this, and they were trusting not God, and His mercy, but their own goodness for their salvation. The looked at God as a paymaster...someone who, when they died would OWE it to them, due to their good deeds, to let them into heaven.

Such an attitude is not that of biblical faith. God owes us nothing but death--as Jesus' death proved. However, just as God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, chose to raise Jesus from the grave, so too the Trinity chose, before all time, to grant us mercy--through faith Jesus Christ, and His good works. Such a faith allows us to freely live a life of good deeds...NOT seeking to EARN God's favor, rather, doing good for the sake of love.

The 2nd verse shows that St. Peter knew of some religions based on "cleverly devised myths," and Christianity was based on solid eyewitnesses. It is the carefully considered judgment (based on good judgment, or common sense, not the bad legalistic "judgmentalism" condemned by Jesus) of the thinkers of ALL major Christian groups--we whose distinct beliefs go back for many hundreds of years, all the way back to the eyewitnesses who wrote the scriptures, not to the 1830s--that LDS doctrine is so far from the Bible, with its own new bible-contradicting "revelation," that it is no longer Christianity. Christians of all kinds share in common beliefs about the Trinity, the nature of Jesus, human nature, heaven and hell, the atonement, marriage etc. etc. all of which in Mormon doctrine are fundamentally different from all other Christian groups. So either, all other Churches are "an abomination" as polygamist J. Smith (30+ wives?) said, and your 175 year old group is right, or, Christianity is right. A burning feeling inside doesn't matter... It cannot go both ways.

As to your soul? You are responsible for your own choices.

176 posted on 04/06/2007 7:17:42 AM PDT by AnalogReigns
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