Irishcolleen

For me it wasn't easy at all. I am a control freak with trust issues. I get scared of failure when I am not the one making things happen. Group projects are hell for me because I don't like to depend on anyone. Learning to trust God is something I do on a daily basis. Dying to self and trusting God was/is the hardest ting I have ever done/am doing. I have trusted Him for my salvation and I am working on trusting His will for my life everyday. BTW, I do like your analogy. It does work better than the bridge, even if we differ on the details of how we get up.

That's where the difference is. We believe if we yell for help in the pit the Lord lifts us up, instead of throwing a rope. Another analogy I have seen is we across a great chasm. We can't build a bridge long enough to cross the chasm. So, Christ is the bridge between the side we are on and eternal life. We simply believe the the bridge will hold and cross it (faith). If I am understanding LDS doctrine as you have explained it, Christ would give you what you need to build the bridge across instead of being the bridge.

I believe that salvation is by faith alone, (Eph 2:8-9). The Bible says there is none righteous and that all our works are filthy rags. God's standard of righteousness is perfect holiness, in actions, thought and our hearts. The only one who has met that standard is Christ. That is why He was the only one who could be a sacrifice to pay for our sin. The only righteousness I have is what has been imputed to me through Christ (Phil 3:9, Gal. 2:16). If salvation was by works, God would owe it to me based on my performance. It would be wages, not a gift (Rom 11:6). This does not mean I thinks works are unimportant. Works are more effective at leading people to Christ that words. My faith without works will produce nothing- essentially dead, not reproducing, not growing, not working. My works are motivated out of love for God (most of the time. I am far from perfect and sometimes my works are based on selfish motives), rather than a desire to secure my position in heaven. Christians who are not maintaining works are an unhappy lot. I think they are like the type that hang out in anti-mormon web sites picking fights with the LDS. They just want to argue instead of showing their faith. They are so consumed with being right that they forget to be righteous. As to whether people are heretics who think works are needed for salvation- well, I'll leave that one up to God. He is the only one who knows the heart. I have heard Mormons that clearly have a testimony of faith in Christ and I have seen confused Baptists trying to earn their standing before God and vice/versa. All I can say is that Christ completely changed my life, my heart, my soul. I know how He has saved me and I will be eternally grateful for how He has worked in my life.

One good thing about the LDS religion is that they emphasize modesty without pushing to the extreme of frumpiness. Most LDS women dress in a very classy manner from what I have seen. When a Baptist preacher teaches on modesty it seems guaranteed that many of the ladies will take to wearing denim jumpers and turtlenecks. Ugh!!! My girls frequent LDS owned clothing stores online because they are modest and pretty.

I think differences in our terminology can cause confusion when we try to communicate theology. To an evangelical, salvation and eternal life go hand in hand and are referred to as the same thing. In regards to universal salvation, my thinking on this came from LDS.org's Gospel Topics section on Salvation: An Evangelical does not consider this (saved from physical death) to be "salvation". Being resurrected to eternal torment in the lake of fire is not considered a "gift" to us. I'm not saying this to disparage your beliefs. I'm just trying to point out the differences in our theology so we have a better understanding of where each of us is coming from.

I am glad God does not reveal everything about the hereafter. I think it would be like opening a birthday present before my birthday. What I do know is that God's creation on earth is pretty amazing, even if it is marred by sin. I practically hyperventilate we we drive in the mountains, when I see waves crashing, and when I see the fall trees. Playing under a waterfall or just in a river (favorite Virginia pastimes) makes me squeal like an excited little kid. 1 Cor 2:9 says, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." So, I know it's going to be amazing! I just have to wait to open it!

All people will be resurrected. But the saved and the righteous from the OT, and those who are saved during the tribulation will be resurrected to eternal life in the presence of God. They have their names written in the book of life. Unbelievers will be resurrected and as their names are not found in the book of life, they will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. That is why we don't believe in universal salvation. We believe that resurrection and eternal life are different things.

I believe that Jesus has always been God (part of the Triune God) from the beginning. There was never a time when He wasn't God. He was pre-incarnate, incarnate and resurrected in a glorified body. Here is a useful article from an evangelical perspective: http://www.valleybible.net/AdultEducation/ClassNotes/TheologySurvey/Christ/PreincarnateChrist.pdf

"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory," 1 Cor 15:53-54 Christ's physical body, which was subject to death, put on the imperishable and immortal aspects of the spiritual body. It is a spiritual, immoral body- it can't die again, it can walk through walls, it can instantly appear in one place and then another. Yet it can still eat and Christ's has the wounds from the nail prints as a reminder of the gift He gave us. I don't think this represents a change in an unchangeable God, because the OT has several accounts of the pre-incarnate Christ appearing, such as in Daniel 3:25. If it was just Spirit, and physical body was left behind, there wouldn't have been victory over death, resurrection and hope. One day we will be resurrected in a immortal, imperishable body like Christ's. I imagine I might spend the first few "days" of eternity walking through walls just for the novelty of it. :)

You almost sound Evangelical! :)

Glad she remained pure before marriage, but eew! The idea of giving anyone a certificate saying they looked up may privates and what they found is just too much information- and especially weird to share it with dear old dad.

We used to give out tracts with Halloween candy. Big candy bars, because if you are going to leave a tract with Halloween candy, it had better be big. Now, where we live in VA, there are few sidewalks and even fewer streetlights. SO most people go to fall fests or trunk or treating. Our church had a great Fall-fest with bouncy houses, games, hayrides and a bonfire. It was so much fun! Even for the adults!

I'm not a Mormon, so maybe it's wrong for me to post here. But, it seems garments are hot and uncomfortable. Wouldn't a necklace you wore all the time be just as good of a reminder of covenants than undergarments? If you need to wear them to be "in good standing" does that ever make you feel resentful? I don't think I could stand it. But then, if the "girls" were smaller, I'd probably go braless.

Ok, you just blew my mind. I never knew that. Now I'm ready for Jeopardy! :)

Which, for both of us is sad. If anyone knew what God has given them they would embrace and not reject Him. Today I needed encouragement for a job interview. While I was praying for God for assurance, I got a wonderful answer to prayer. The sunlight hit the diamond in my engagement ring and it reflected a perfect heart right by me in the car. (the stone is heart shaped) I have only seen the reflection being distorted. It was like God was telling me He loved me. How can people reject Him???

Like I said, it was an imperfect analogy. Your explanation explains your belief well- Satan is a creation intended to have a body, but didn't get one because of rebellion. We'll have to discuss angels at a different time. It is interesting to learn about the differences and similarities.

I am sorry you experienced that. It was very wrong. Hatred is not a good tool for evangelizing and they will answer to God. Not all Christians are like that.

Yeah, that is a very good explanation. It does seem to say that Satan is "cut from the same cloth" as Christ- which would offend Evangelicals. We Evangelicals want to be like God, but tend to get huffy when anyone suggests they can "be gods". To us it seems to dishonor God. But, to the LDS, it speaks of eternal promise.

Why? What did you figure out about the positions?

Out of curiosity, do the LDS distinguish between being a creator and a father? In my Baptist experience, I would say the Father created Satan, an angel who fell because of rebellion. And I would say Christ is the Father's begotton son- He calls Him Son, He was given a body like ours,etc... Kinda like, I created a crocheted sweater, but it is a creation, not a child. Not a perfect analogy, but best I can come up with.

Well, I think faith, like, love is word of action. You can know your gifts honor God and do it happily without feeling all warm and fuzzy about it. We act in love when we truly love- even without "romantic" feelings. We can act in faith without feeling we are overcome by any emotion. Not everything has to be a experience with deep emotional reactions in order for you to have a testimony of it.

2 Corinthians 9 says, "6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" So to me the question is, what can we give cheerfully? Will God honor giving that is done without a willing heart? Does giving that is treated like a mandatory payment please God compared with giving that is an expression of love and gratitude? We should gladly give. God gave His only begotten Son to be a sacrifice for our sin. We can never repay what our sin cost. So, out of gratitude we should give generously and sacrificially with a willing heart. If we can't give cheerfully we need to examine ourselves to see why not. Is it that we have a legitimate financial need that means we can't give over a certain amount? Is it that our priorities are out of whack? Is it that our relationship with God is lacking?

When we lived in Illinois we had a very dignified and modest Sunday school teacher. it was kinda funny, because whenever there was a hint of sex in the weekly curriculum, he would say he was sick and ask my husband to teach the class. Whenever people saw my husband at the podium they knew the lesson was about sex. My hubby did end up teaching the classes on Song of Solomon, which we believe picture the love of Christ for the church, God's love for Israel (as Prison chap. said) as well marital love.

I have been taking an income tax course. There are a few mistakes that are common. I wanted to share this one because so many people get tripped up by it, according to the IRS. Thousands of filers miss out on all the education tax credits they are eligible for! This is because IRS Form 8863 is poorly worded. Line 23 seems to say (but it doesn't) that if your child has taken the American Opportunity Credit or the Hope Credit in the past four years they are not eligible to take it again. The American Opportunity Credit (AOC) can be taken for 4 years as long as the student is an undergrad. The form says "any 4 years" not "any of the 4 years". Understanding this can save you hundreds of dollars.

Lupus is an auto-immune disease. We lupies tend to make antibodies to our own DNA and fun stuff like that. Praise God, I have about a mild case as can be had, so it's not too debilitating. Right now I just have a bad rash under my nose and my wrist in a splint because of bad inflammation. The only time mine was life threatening was during my pregnancies. Most of the time it is a non-issue as long as I take care of myself. I did spend too many days at the beach this summer and I am paying for it. I kinda think it was worth it though. :)