Jenda

Hi Jenda, you've been gone awhile, welcome back! Could you define for me "mainstream Christianity" and "liberal protestantism", cause I'm guessing you see them differently. M. Thanks! Mainstream Christianity still sees sin as sin, and while we can accept the sinner, we don't accept the sin. Homosexuality, fornication, adultery, etc., are still sins, and should not be tolerated. We are to encourage the sinner to repent. Liberal Protestantism, OTOH, takes an I'm Okay, You're Okay approach to everything, and not just tolerates, but encourages sinful lifestyles. That is where you see homosexual unions being performed, active homosexuals allowed into the priesthood, etc. (Both of which take place in the CoC.)

Probably not. On the other hand, perhaps similar to the Worldwide Church of God (formerly led by Herbert W. Armstrong) they seem to be moving towards a more mainstream Christianity. I'm guessing that is why I included them. Well, I suppose it could appear that way. But they are bypassing mainstream Christianity and heading straight for liberal protestantism. IMO, a step away from Christianity.

Well. It depends on if they choose to be baptized by someone in the LDS church, since the rules of Celestial glory require LDS baptism. If that is the case, then my answer is NO. If we go by the evangelical belief that heaven is open to all born again believers, then my answer is YES. But Ray, me thinks Prof. Robinson was speaking of Assemblies of God, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Evangelical Free, Salvation Army, Christian Missionary Alliance, Nazarene, Church of God, Church of Christ, Community of Christ, Seventh Day Adventist, etc. Do you think these kinds of evangelicals will be numerous in the Celestial Kingdom? Just out of curiosity, prisonchaplain, do you consider the Community of Christ "evangelical" since they still profess belief in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants?

bump

I had thought you were still in Utah, too, LT. :) I will keep you all in my prayers.

Oh Jenda, That is so nice of you to want to use your training to help these people. As I have mentioned before I think that our husbands are somewhat alike. If you have all of the arrangements made before he gets home and things are easy for him that you might have a better chance. Let us know how things turn out and Good Luck. :) ← I talked to my friend at the Red Cross, and the soonest that they are scheduling the classes I need to take is Sept 20th, which seems like ages away. Why are they waiting so long???????? I could get cold feet by then.

I know you are not here to see this, but be safe, Outshined. I have a friend who is the director of the Red Cross chapter here, and I am going to talk to her today to see if they need more medical help, and I am a nurse. It will be a couple of days before I could go, but I am sure that they will still need the help in the middle of next week. I just feel helpless sitting up here away from it all, and I am not working, so once my husband gets home from this trip, I want to go. (He will probably put up a fuss, but I still am going to try. )

If I get a vote on this, I say yes, and hopefully you will change your vote to: Investigating Mormonism to see if it is the right church for you You don't object to me having a little hope, do you? :) And btw, I still find it hard to fathom how someone who once saw the beauty in the Book of Mormon can outright reject it later, but I do know it happens. Just seems strange, is all. ← :) Outright rejection might be a bit harsh of a statement. There are still some beautiful passages in it, and whoever wrote it, wrote, at least, some of it under inspiration, I just no longer accept it as scripture. Thanks for your concern, Ray. 'Tis much appreciated. :)

1. Name? Dawn 2. Age? 49 3. Where born/ Live now? born in Baltimore, MD, now live in central NY 4. Who do you live with? my husband and two daughters 5. Any pets? 2.5 dogs and a few fish 6. Occupation/ school/ otherwise? RN, but not working presently 7. Place you’d most like to visit? the Holy Land 8. Favorite Book? Harry Potter books 9. Favorite Movie? Star Wars (the original one) 10. Favorite Band and/or Song? Three Dog Night (does that date me, or what?) One is the Loneliest Number 11. Favorite Food/ Drink? sushi 12. Favorite Forum Pal(s)? I'll go with Ray's answer cuz if I forget anyone, their feelings would be terribly hurt. Right, Snow?

Uh, yeah, you forgot to mention ME!!! (while mentioning some people who don’t even post anymore, I might add)Come on now, tell me you love me or I’ll never be able to recover. ← I am sure it is not an oversight, she just expects that everyone assumes you are too well liked to be needing to be put on some list. The rest of us needed it badly. ← At the risk of sounding like somebody on TV: Jesus loves you and so do I. ← Okay, why don't these emoticons work? (I'm reporting this post) ← edited: hmmmm........don't work for me, either.

Jenda, I better not let my wife see your avatar. She is head over heals for that pirate and thinks he is about the hottest thing on earth except for that other guy that I can't remember his name. Paul O ← You know, Paul, I can't get rid of this avatar without taking a poll of all the women on this site. I think they would run me out of town on a rail if I did. B)

Hi Jenda. How are you? {If this is who I think you are. :) } ← Yeah, it's who you think it is. :thinking.idea: I'm good! How are you? Glad to see you back. I hope some of the old crew come back and help pick it up around here.

Two months ago God led me out of the restoration. Now I am nothing special. Just someone who believes in Jesus but hasn't formulated any other belief system to use as a label. I guess you could say I am non-denominational.

Can I change my answer as I am no longer RLDS? :unsure.dontknow:

Hey, Paul. Book looks good! Stop back in when you got a chance!

I like it, but it will take some getting used to!

I remember you. We were wondering about a year ago what happened to ya.

I'm glad to see there are some areas in which we agree, Ray! B)

I agree that we each often define words to suit our purpose and put our own interpretation to a passage of scripture to attain the theology we want, however if we look at those words in the context they were given with the definitions they were meant to have, often there can't be more than one interpretation.And I agree wholeheartedly that not everyone will be saved. In fact, I offer just the opposite. That there are those God has chosen from the foundation of the world to be saved. And those chosen (and only those chosen) will hear His voice and be saved. And because they have been chosen by God, they cannot fall away.

Ray, here are some scriptures that show that the Father choses us, and that He protects those whom He chooses so that they remain His.John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are]. Ephesians 1:1-2,13 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, [sealing with the Holy Spirit of promise is the guarantee of the security of salvation] John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Jenda,Would you agree that we can do something to effect our salvation if God were to tell us we must do something to effect our salvation? Or in other words, isn’t God telling us that we can do something to effect our salvation by telling us that we must Repent from our sins and have Faith in Him? I think so, and if we do not do those things that God has told us to do (and it is within our power to choose not to follow that counsel), then in effect we have chosen not to accept salvation. Nor would God emulate those qualities of God if He were found in form as a man, as evidenced by Jesus Christ Himself. But if God were to share His glory with us, by seating us on thrones on the right hand of Jesus Christ, then and only then would it be within our right to exercise the power of God, as far as He had shared His jealousy, sovereignty, and majesty with us.Btw, I’m not attacking you personally, I’m simply sharing what I see to be some fallacies in your statement, which I hope will only effect a considerate response. Ray, those are the fruits of a regenerated heart. God commands us to do things, not because it will affect our salvation but because those attributes demonstrate the fact that God has taken up residence in us.If we have been regenerated, we will repent from our sins because we can't bear to be separated from God. That's why He calls us to repent. And repentence is for our benefit, to strengthen our relationship with God, not so that God forgives us. We are forgiven for all our sins (past, present and future) when we are regenerated. Once we are regenerated, God promises us that we will always remain His. We cannot choose anything in this matter. If God has chosen us, and He is sovereign, how can we be powerful enough to work against His will?

It is my belief that they are (almost) equally important. If we have not been chosen and received the gift of the Holy Spirit witnessing to us of God's love and saving grace and giving us the faith to believe, then everything we do is suspect. Why are we doing it? What do we hope to gain from it? Working for our salvation only puts us back at square one because we can do nothing to effect our salvation.So it is as important to believe in God's grace as it is to be gracious. It is as important to believe in God's love as it is to love others, etc. We should not emulate His jealousy, His sovereignty, His majesty, etc.

I am slowly going to count backwards from 10. And when I reach 1, you will be completely asleep, but you will be able to hear my voice and do whatever I ask you to do.10 . 9 . 8 . 7 . 6 . 5 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1 You are now asleep. When you awake, you will declare that women will be ordained into the priesthood on all levels. When I snap my fingers, you will awake and remember none of this conversation. *snap* You are awake, Brother Hinkley

It’s impossible to “teach the Bible” without teaching doctrine, so I think you meant you simply want to go someplace where all they do is “read” the Bible. But what would be the point of going somewhere where all they do is “read” the Bible when you can read the Bible all by yourself at home? Are you thinking you might want to associate with a group of people who read the Bible when they get together? And in such associations do you imagine you would want to “talk” to those people who are members of that church, perhaps talking about what you heard while someone “read” the Bible? And by so doing wouldn’t you and they be spreading doctrine concerning the Bible? If you want to associate with a group of people for religious purposes, you have 3 choices: 1) Associate with people with the same religious beliefs you have, 2) Associate with people that can teach you more than you currently accept, or 3) Form your own church that only associates with people who will conform to your beliefs. And btw, even though it does make me a little sad to hear that you have lost your testimony concerning certain things that you once believed were true, I am hopeful that you are simply taking another step in your journey toward a perfect knowledge of the truth. But of course, each step is always up to you because God is always there for you. It's good to have you back, Ray. I have always appreciated your remarks. :) Like I said to Jason in the above post, there are levels of doctrine, and while the Bible does carry it's own significant amount of doctrine, most churches add their own spin to it. The reason I chose a non-denominational church is because I don't know what I believe, and I don't want some denomination telling me what I should believe. The non-denoms. tend to preach and teach the literal words right off the page. While some of the ministers might have personal beliefs about things like the elect or the path to salvation, etc., they try to keep their opinions to themselves and just teach the scriptures and let us decide on our own what we feel led to believe by the HS. Thanks for your encouragement. It means a lot!

At present, I don't belong to any church. I have gone to a local non-denominational church a couple of times, but since I only left the RLDS church a month ago, I don't really have any set theology I believe in at present, and I just want to go hear the Bible taught without all the doctrinal "stuff". Jenda, You should realize that the Bible was written with "all the doctrinal stuff" in mind. It is doctrine. That's the problem. I technically agree with what you said, Jason, but there are levels of doctrinal "stuff", and I was talking about the doctrinal "stuff" that was added to the already doctrinalized "stuff".