("Nice" to see, Jesus has to compete with Joseph Smith and Thomas Monson)
From the column: This doesn’t always work. I have sometimes sat in a F&T meeting where minutes and minutes pass by before someone gets up and bears their testimony. An unspoken tension builds during these intervals. Ward members keep their eyes directed to the floor or thumb through scriptures with great interest. The Bishopric paste smiles on their faces that don’t reach the eyes. When someone finally gets up and walks slowly to the podium, there are no audible sighs of relief but five pounds of pressure leaves the air.
All: These are tense places to be. Not fun. (You don't want to be here)
From the column: Decades ago, a bishop in my ward delivered a speech on the “proper testimony.” It didn’t occur to me at the time how ridiculous it was to set rules for what is defined to be a spontaneous outpouring of the spirit so for a long time most of my testimonies were rote recitations of the veracity of The Book of Mormon, the LDS Church, the living prophet with references to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
Yup. The Mormon church is just one big "testimony" wrapped around its various "prophets" and their distinctive BoM. (And how "nice" it is that "proper" testimonies have been drilled into their heads, brainwash-wise...wouldn't want the Spirit to quench anything and gush forth something "improper")
From the column: ...mixed with a conscious effort to muster a determined belief in the Gospel, Thomas Monson, and Joseph Smith, are quite poignant.
Even the challenged among them, to whom the columnist is referencing here, have learned by rote from others that their "beliefs" center around their "prophets" like Monson & Smith, ones who continually usurp the focus of Jesus/God.
“and bearing their testimonies as to the truth of the LDS
Church, Jesus Christ’s divinity, the Gospel, The Book of
Mormon, the Bible, Joseph Smith...”
I’m going to step forward, quietly, and testify that the
LDS Church is really a collection of every heresy condemned
by the Christian Church over the past 2,000 years. It is a
henotheistic religion (believes in thousands, millions,
billions or trillions of gods, but claims to worship the 4
mormon earth gods).
The mormon gospel is the opposite of Christ’s Gospel of
Grace. Following the mormon path to becoming a god
guarantees you will not follow the Gospel of Grace.
Jesus is God, has always been God and is neither created
nor made - unlike the mormon jesus, who is a created spirit
being.
Finally, a brief testimony of the mormonic verses and the
purported author, Joseph Smith...
The mormonic verses are a demonic manifestation that
perverts everything about Christianity. Joseph Smith, con
man, horndog and vile person is not only not a prophet, he
is as far from a Biblical prophet as can be.
This is my true testimony. Thank you.
ampu
If anyone is really curious and/or desires to know the truth of these matters, to know what the Mormons REALLY believe, don't take the word of the Apologist OR those of us exposing the lies and heretical doctrine of the LDS, read it for yourself, see who is being honest and forthright.
These are MORMON web sites, not the sites of those exposing the LDS, though ironically these tend to be the BEST sites for such purposes...
http://scriptures.lds.org/
http://www.lds.org
http://www.fairlds.org/
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Main_Page
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/index.html
http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDS_Intro.shtml
http://www.answeringantimormons.com/index.htm
http://promormon.blogspot.com/