I often get questions about what Mormons really believe. So, rather than respond in a political blog, I've started a discussion board where it's easy to interact with people who've been taught that Mormons have horns. :-)
Join me and others on my free "Ask a Mormon" discussion board:
http://www.mormonsites.org/forum/
.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Exposing the Mormons - Flexing Southern Muscle
Was Mitt Romney's campaign affected by Mormon bashing in the media and on the web? Romney's a Mormon, everyone knows that. What's the real truth about the Mormons anyway?
When Romney's campaign was in full swing posts 'exposing' the Mormons clogged campaign blogs and comments. Anti-Mormon messages morphed out of nowhere like mushrooms after a rain storm. LDS authorities seemed astonished at the intensity of the criticism.
Did the writers of those posts believe that elections should be swayed by which church a presidential candidate attends? Or were they zealously trying to win converts for their own church by attacking the beliefs of others?
In America, with the exception of Jews and Muslims it's probably true that most god-fearing citizens, including the Mormons, believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. And they believe so strongly that they would rather die than deny that belief!
Grassroots people living the way Jesus taught are the real strength of America - if their good works are not infrequent and hidden under a bushel.
But in political blogs shouldn't we be discussing who is best qualified for the highest TEMPORAL office in the nation - instead of who would make the best pastor or bishop, or which church is right?
Disagreements about points of religious doctrine will probably always exist as long as there are humans on this planet. Such discussion more properly belongs on 'apologetic' sites such as FAIR http://www.fairlds.org/ and others that seek to address misunderstandings about THEIR OWN doctrinal beliefs rather than to attack the beliefs of other Americans.
I think it's best to leave to the terrorists the attempt to force others to believe one's own way. It's the terrorists who are trying to force Americans to live under one state religion - theirs!
It seems obvious that the official media of any church is the best qualified source of information about that church's beliefs and practices. Why should anyone look to the Baptists or Catholics to learn the truth about the Mormons - or vice versa?
Here's a quote from the Mormon's canonical Articles of Faith:
"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1
That doesn't seem like much of a threat to me...
For those who think their pastors should be focusing on teaching them more about their own church's doctrine, and how to live kinder, happier, service-oriented Christ-filled lives, instead of bashing the members of other churches, the real truth about the Mormons is publicly exposed online, at their own official websites.
Once the truth about the Mormons is widely known, zealous members of other churches may never again so blindly follow the urgings of biased pastors to publicly bash the beliefs of others.
Maybe then there'd be peace among the god-fearing. And America would be a city on a hill beckoning brightly to all who love freedom and the right to choose who to worship and when.
Here are some of the official Mormon websites:
http://www.mormon.org/ - what Mormons believe.
http://www.lds.org/ - main website.
http://www.familysearch.org/ - genealogy, family roots.
http://www.providentliving.org/ - health, budgets, preparedness.
http://fatherwork.byu.edu/ - ideas for fathers.
http://www.josephsmith.net/ - about Joseph Smith.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1 - articles of faith.
http://fairlds.org/ - apologetics.
Permission is granted to anyone who values freedom of religion and separation of church and state to freely copy and distribute this article.
Visit my new blog: http://mittromney.townhall.com/
When Romney's campaign was in full swing posts 'exposing' the Mormons clogged campaign blogs and comments. Anti-Mormon messages morphed out of nowhere like mushrooms after a rain storm. LDS authorities seemed astonished at the intensity of the criticism.
Did the writers of those posts believe that elections should be swayed by which church a presidential candidate attends? Or were they zealously trying to win converts for their own church by attacking the beliefs of others?
In America, with the exception of Jews and Muslims it's probably true that most god-fearing citizens, including the Mormons, believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. And they believe so strongly that they would rather die than deny that belief!
Grassroots people living the way Jesus taught are the real strength of America - if their good works are not infrequent and hidden under a bushel.
But in political blogs shouldn't we be discussing who is best qualified for the highest TEMPORAL office in the nation - instead of who would make the best pastor or bishop, or which church is right?
Disagreements about points of religious doctrine will probably always exist as long as there are humans on this planet. Such discussion more properly belongs on 'apologetic' sites such as FAIR http://www.fairlds.org/ and others that seek to address misunderstandings about THEIR OWN doctrinal beliefs rather than to attack the beliefs of other Americans.
I think it's best to leave to the terrorists the attempt to force others to believe one's own way. It's the terrorists who are trying to force Americans to live under one state religion - theirs!
It seems obvious that the official media of any church is the best qualified source of information about that church's beliefs and practices. Why should anyone look to the Baptists or Catholics to learn the truth about the Mormons - or vice versa?
Here's a quote from the Mormon's canonical Articles of Faith:
"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1
That doesn't seem like much of a threat to me...
For those who think their pastors should be focusing on teaching them more about their own church's doctrine, and how to live kinder, happier, service-oriented Christ-filled lives, instead of bashing the members of other churches, the real truth about the Mormons is publicly exposed online, at their own official websites.
Once the truth about the Mormons is widely known, zealous members of other churches may never again so blindly follow the urgings of biased pastors to publicly bash the beliefs of others.
Maybe then there'd be peace among the god-fearing. And America would be a city on a hill beckoning brightly to all who love freedom and the right to choose who to worship and when.
Here are some of the official Mormon websites:
http://www.mormon.org/ - what Mormons believe.
http://www.lds.org/ - main website.
http://www.familysearch.org/ - genealogy, family roots.
http://www.providentliving.org/ - health, budgets, preparedness.
http://fatherwork.byu.edu/ - ideas for fathers.
http://www.josephsmith.net/ - about Joseph Smith.
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/a_of_f/1 - articles of faith.
http://fairlds.org/ - apologetics.
Permission is granted to anyone who values freedom of religion and separation of church and state to freely copy and distribute this article.
Visit my new blog: http://mittromney.townhall.com/
Friday, February 8, 2008
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