"It's time Christians started including Latter-day Saints"


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Another two big thing to mention here--

1)   LDS Christians don't really have the phrase "in communion with" -- we acknowledge other Christians as being Christian, but object to another-denomination Christian leading Sacrament Meeting and acknowledge differences in doctrine as being important with a correct/incorrect answer.  An LDS Christian is a special Christian-- an 'upgraded' type, so to say. 

Catholics are fairly similar in that regard.

But if you're coming from a Protestant standpoint (especially a non-liturgical one or "just a Christian" one), they don't have that sub-set mindset.  To be acknowledged as a Christian is commonly to be in communion with-- theoretically your answers are just as valid and you could just as well lead Sunday Services and teach your beliefs from the pulpit.  And that's terrifying!  Because LDS Christians aren't Baptist Christians.  Or Methodist Christians, etc.  It's a MUCH scarier step for them to open that door than us.

 

2) Also from an LDS Christian standpoint, the word "Christian" doesn't equate that person being automatically saved (or not, given post-mortal missionary work).  Other denominations will link the two directly, hence putting more pressure on them to be picky on who's called what. 

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18 hours ago, Mores said:

You're talking to the guy who came to an LDS board, claims to be LDS, and declared that "faith in Christ" is not required for exaltation.  I don't know what world he comes from.

Indeed...  People seem to be missing the fact that declaring (aka preaching) Christ is an action.  I am use to it when I discuss Faith vs Works with non members having to tell them that "Accepting Christ" is a "Work" and a very important important piece of evidence of ones Christianity or lack thereof, but I find it surprising that I seem to have to explicitly tell people here.

The very first step for filtering Christians has to be "Do they accept Christ?"  People who do not clearly have no desire to be considered as such and should be respected.

It is after that important self selection that I think actions speak louder and are more important then word or dogma.  The scriptures say "Who knows the master whom they have not served?" and "By there fruits you shall know them."  Not "Do they believe in the Trinity or the Godhead?"

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1 hour ago, estradling75 said:

It is after that important self selection that I think actions speak louder and are more important then word or dogma.  The scriptures say "Who knows the master whom they have not served?" and "By there fruits you shall know them."  Not "Do they believe in the Trinity or the Godhead?"

Here's a story about someone who had "strange ideas and beliefs" but was actually a good example of a Saint.  May we all strive to be that person.

Mainstream Christians may consider us weird.  But mainstream culture (including all Christians) tend to have a good impression of us generally (53% positive). 

So, perhaps they find our doctrines and beliefs annoying.  But they tend to think of us more favorably as Christ-like than they think of us as Christian.  Unfortunately, some of this "Mormons are so nice" meme is often tainted by those who believe we have an ulterior motive (conversion).

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  • 3 weeks later...

One problem I have always had with those that believe that the Trinity is a litmus test is that it goes directly against what I read in the Bible.  The Lord never said...unless you believe in the Trinity and come unto me, you shall be saved...ever.

The basic message is to believe in Christ, to believe he is God, and to believe he can and has saved you from sin.  Then, you need to follow him and his commandments.

It never says you have to have an intricate knowledge and understanding of who he is, his background, and relationship to everything else. 

You acknowledge him and that you are his follower and follow him.  That can be interpreted in many different ways, but in the end, you simply take on his name and follow his commandments and as per the Bible, you'd be a Christian.

Thus, this twisting of his words seems to be counter to the entire Christian scatology that many Christian denominations claim to follow.  Instead, it seems more like they are eschewing the Biblical statement to avoid judging (lest they be judged with the same judgment...especially at judgment day) and making their OWN call on who is or is not Christian.  A very scary position to take I would think.

I would say we may be the Church, and the only and true one (as we claim)...HOWEVER...I would say that any who accept Christ and consider themselves Christian and follow his commandments and teachings are Christian.  It does not matter the denomination and it does not matter how much more than that they know or do not know.  If they do their best to follow what they know of his teachings because they believe in him...they are Christian.

It seems sad that there are those out there that do NOT follow the Bible on this, even as they claim to believe in the Bible or to follow it as their authority.

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/16/2019 at 5:30 PM, MrShorty said:

https://broadview.org/its-time-christians-start-including-latter-day-saints/?fbclid=IwAR2A9PteT9jN5epVRhGee0NfRE_sFJVcszRXw2uNMFDjmpFrFfnHCixlH-A

The author claims to be a former president of the Canadian Council of Churches, and simply argues that "[The Mormons] should be welcomed to walk alongside the rest of us." The comments section certainly shows that not all agree with Rev. Christie. I guess it just shows that, while there are the counter-cult minsitries and individuals like Dr. Jeffress out there, there are also many who are more welcoming. The belief that Mormons aren't Christian is not universal.

This is absolutely correct.... and I have good reason to believe that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada as well as the State of Maine are in a position to do something about all this rapidly..........

based on the geography that G-d understood well long before any of us were even conceived.........

 


"If average ocean levels rose by eight to ten cms (3 or 4 inches) could high tide...
... rise by one meter in the Isthmus of Chignecto in Nova Scotia, Canada?


This question is logical because the geography of Canada's Bay of Fundy produces the world's highest tides. In my part of Nova Scotia in Guysborough County there is very little funnelling of tidal waters......... so high tide is only about one to one point five meters above low tide.

In the eastern area of the Bay of Fundy high tide levels are up by ten to fifteen meters."

https://www.bayoffundy.com/about/highest-tides/

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On 8/19/2019 at 10:55 PM, JohnsonJones said:

One problem I have always had with those that believe that the Trinity is a litmus test is that it goes directly against what I read in the Bible.  The Lord never said...unless you believe in the Trinity and come unto me, you shall be saved...ever.

The basic message is to believe in Christ, to believe he is God, and to believe he can and has saved you from sin.  Then, you need to follow him and his commandments.

It never says you have to have an intricate knowledge and understanding of who he is, his background, and relationship to everything else. 

You acknowledge him and that you are his follower and follow him.  That can be interpreted in many different ways, but in the end, you simply take on his name and follow his commandments and as per the Bible, you'd be a Christian.

Thus, this twisting of his words seems to be counter to the entire Christian scatology that many Christian denominations claim to follow.  Instead, it seems more like they are eschewing the Biblical statement to avoid judging (lest they be judged with the same judgment...especially at judgment day) and making their OWN call on who is or is not Christian.  A very scary position to take I would think.

I would say we may be the Church, and the only and true one (as we claim)...HOWEVER...I would say that any who accept Christ and consider themselves Christian and follow his commandments and teachings are Christian.  It does not matter the denomination and it does not matter how much more than that they know or do not know.  If they do their best to follow what they know of his teachings because they believe in him...they are Christian.

It seems sad that there are those out there that do NOT follow the Bible on this, even as they claim to believe in the Bible or to follow it as their authority.

The mainstream churches fear you.......

Latter day Saints for many reasons.... you tend to be highly motivated whereas a more lukewarm attitude prevails in most denominations.

For example if ChristianForums  .com did not classify you as non-Christians..... you could rapidly dominate every discussion there........

 

I have a suggestion for you...... Just call  yourselves "Christians" when you join the forum....... and you will be free to post anywhere there......

 

I stuck up for you Latter day Saints in several discussions and got Warnings each time that I did that.......... The blessings though have been awesome........  it is better to risk being kicked out of denominational Christianity than to be accepted as being in the middle of it......

Edited by DennisTate
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  • 1 month later...
On 7/16/2019 at 5:30 PM, MrShorty said:

https://broadview.org/its-time-christians-start-including-latter-day-saints/?fbclid=IwAR2A9PteT9jN5epVRhGee0NfRE_sFJVcszRXw2uNMFDjmpFrFfnHCixlH-A

The author claims to be a former president of the Canadian Council of Churches, and simply argues that "[The Mormons] should be welcomed to walk alongside the rest of us." The comments section certainly shows that not all agree with Rev. Christie. I guess it just shows that, while there are the counter-cult minsitries and individuals like Dr. Jeffress out there, there are also many who are more welcoming. The belief that Mormons aren't Christian is not universal.

I thank you all for your prayers because as you can guess from my posts I've been wondering

where G-d is leading me at this time?

I now feel powerfully that when we move to the area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada I need to

connect with a Jewish synagogue to see if I would be welcomed to attend as a Noahide or perhaps I could even become

a full fledged Prostylite to Judaism.

I have something in my mind that could grab the attention of the vast majority of Christians and Jews if 

you are interested.

Here is some background information:

 

and.....

 

 

 

Again I thank you for your prayers because if.............  Latter day Saints were to initiate 

a seven year plan for films in cooperation with the nation of Israel that would give the Orthodox Jewish community

a Jerusalem Third Temple and or an Ezekiel Temple complex..... free of charge to the Jewish people but.........

 

there is the matter of a seven years treaty and / or film production agreement that needs to be worked out..............

IF the State of Utah and / or the Latter day Saints will come up with a treaty with Israel the blessings that will flow will be 

astonishing but.....  the vast majority of Christians will understand the whole thing in the wrong way... due to our lack of faith and

our excess of fear?????

 

I am about to send a link to this comment to two Jewish Rabbi online friends of mine and add some details because right now my

mind is kind of reeling at the possible implications of all this?  I do think that some of you will wish to send this up through the LDS

chain of command toward the top because the potential in this is shocking!

 

Edited by DennisTate
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I made the following statement to two Orthodox Jewish Rabbi's to attempt to get discussion going on this:

"Over these past several months a plan is coming together in my mind that should set the stage for your Jerusalem Third Temple and / or your Ezekiel chapter forty to forty eight temple complex. I believe that the USA State of Utah is in a unique position to assist due to the fact that Latter day Saints would tend to take the near death experience account of Rabbi Alon Anava very, very, very seriously."

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Here are several critical pieces of information that you need to know.......

The Jerusalem Third Temple must be controlled by Orthodox Jewish Rabbi's and Orthodox Jewish Levites......

not by any Christians.  Everything done there must fit perfectly with Ezekiel chapter forty to forty eight and every word

written or spoken by Moses in the first five books of the Jewish Bible. 

We Christians have essentially zero background in the Jewish rituals...... and we must stay out of Jewish matters like that......

but..... we can set the stage artistically by making an agreement regarding a series of films..... likely many series of films because the

rebuilding of the Jerusalem Third Temple complex will draw the attention of the entire world.  

I believe that the Jewish people have much to do before the fulfillment of Zechariah 14 is even possible.......

I as a Christian plead guilty to having in the past been far too fearful of a possible anti-Christ person to such an extent that my fear was 

delaying the true fulfillment of Zechariah 14 and Exzekiel chapter 47 which is really the hope of the whole world!

 

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"Then fifteen year old Israeli near death experiencer Natan back in 2015 was shown that there was a seven year plan in motion and 2022 would be a huge year!"

Israeli Teen Returns from 15 Minutes of Clinical Death with Spiritual Messages Concerning the Coming Redemption

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think this whole debate can be summed up as follows.   I will use latter day saints as the title of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because that is our title.

Latter-day Saints:   "We're Christians"

Non LDS Christians:   "No, you're not".

Latter-day Saints:   "Yes, we are".

Latter-day Saints:    "Don't call us Mormons"

FLDS (or any offshoots of our religion):     "We're Mormons".

Latter-day Saints:   "No you're not".   

FLDS:   "Yes we are; plus you said people can't call you Mormons anymore, so they can call us Mormons".

Latter-day Saints:   "No, you can't call yourselves Mormons either".

Did I miss anything?  

 

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11 hours ago, Scott said:

I think this whole debate can be summed up as follows.   I will use latter day saints as the title of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because that is our title.

Latter-day Saints:   "We're Christians"

Non LDS Christians:   "No, you're not".

Latter-day Saints:   "Yes, we are".

Latter-day Saints:    "Don't call us Mormons"

FLDS (or any offshoots of our religion):     "We're Mormons".

Latter-day Saints:   "No you're not".   

FLDS:   "Yes we are; plus you said people can't call you Mormons anymore, so they can call us Mormons".

Latter-day Saints:   "No, you can't call yourselves Mormons either".

Did I miss anything?  

 

 

I have a suggestion for you Latter day Saints based on a specific situation that I've observed myself.......

 

There are large Christian discussion forums where IF you sign up and term yourself a Latter day Saint you will be

restricted from posting in most forums on the larger forum BUT...... if you simply call yourself a "Christian" or a "Christian seeker" or

something like that you will be able to post in all forums.

 

In my opinion.... I do hope that many of you will sign up on these forums and use it as an open door because I have some discussions going that

I believe can alter the future of the USA in a positive manner.

In my opinion LDS film production companies could do something with the following theory BECAUSE I am 99.9 percent certain that 

the two who I mention here would NOT treat Latter day Saints like they are treated on those forums who persecute Latter day Saints!

 

"I think i may be in the process of being given something of a spiritual gift????"

Quote

This morning for hour after hour I was hit very powerfully with the idea that Dr. Kevin Zadai has some sort of "Solomon" calling or mantle or destiny on his life?????

That led to my thinking that Evangelist Jesse DuPlantis, (pardon my spelling)..... has some sort of King DAvid calling on his life........
due to his having been shown somehow that Dr. Kevin Zadai was his spiritual son????

The possible implications of this at this time are huge......... and I am wondering if there is anybody here who has been hit with a similar impression regarding these two rather famous Christian leaders???? ..... (Reply 130)....  :

But being blessed by our Creator with wealth one month..... and being content in a situation of relative lack in the following month are not ideas that are mutually exclusive.

I am thinking of a variation on the challenge that I think might well be worthy of Mr. DuPlantis..... "Unified Field Theory of Modern World Problems" combined with a "Great Wealth Transfer.".... founded on an Alternative Theory on Stabilization of the Climate by New Mexico Biologist and coach Carl Cantrell....... put to the citizens of four nations, the USA, Canada, Israel and Australia.

Australia has lots of desert but so does California and Israel.

Israel has amazing technology and Carl Cantrell has a theory based partly on Isaiah 35
that ties all of this together.
 

Global Warming II by Carl Cantrell

 

..... (Reply #130) ....

 

But being blessed by our Creator with wealth one month..... and being content in a situation of relative lack in the following month are not ideas that are mutually exclusive.

I am thinking of a variation on the challenge that I think might well be worthy of Mr. DuPlantis..... "Unified Field Theory of Modern World Problems" combined with a "Great Wealth Transfer.".... founded on an Alternative Theory on Stabilization of the Climate by New Mexico Biologist and coach Carl Cantrell....... put to the citizens of four nations, the USA, Canada, Israel and Australia.

Australia has lots of desert but so does California and Israel.

Israel has amazing technology and Carl Cantrell has a theory based partly on Isaiah 35
that ties all of this together.
 

Global Warming II by Carl Cantrell

 

Quote

Global Warming II by Carl Cantrell

So how is our problem of continental drying causing global warming? It all has to do with vegetation and sunlight. When sun light hits a plant, it causes a process which we call photosynthesis where the energy from the sun light creates oxygen for us to breath, water for us to drink, and is stored as sugar for plants and animals to use. When the same sun light hits the soil, all of its energy turns into heat and is radiated back into the atmosphere, carried away by running surface water such as rain fall, is carried away to other areas by our winds, and diffuses down into the soil towards the earth's crust. All of this warms our planet increasing its average temperature.

Therefore, the less vegetation you have on the planet, the more sunlight is being turned into heat and the warmer the planet becomes. This is very critical because warmer and dryer winds dry out other land areas faster decreasing the vegetation on those land areas. Less humidity in the air also reflects less sun light back out into space so that more sun light strikes the earth and more heat is generated.

The truth is that you can do more to decrease global warming by just reducing the average temperature for the Sahara Desert by one or two degrees than if we humans completely quit using fossil fuels and returned to the cave.

So, how would you start working to resolve this problem? Easy, cool the deserts and get some vegetation growing on them as soon as possible. But the method is much more complex than that. You have to use the prevailing trade winds in relation to the deserts to get the best results as quickly as possible and it will be extremely expensive.

Then we build desalination plants along the coast near these water sheds and pipe water to the tops or ridges of the water sheds

This will do a number of things. First, it will increase the moisture in the desert soil so that it will develop water tables and water will begin to run in the streams. This water will increase the amount of vegetation in the area and decrease the amount of heat being generated by sun light cooling the watered area and all areas down wind of the watered area. As more available water evaporates, it will cool the air and reflect more sun light back out into space cooling the area even more. Cooler and more humid air will have less of a heating effect on areas down wind and will reflect more sun light back into space in those areas cooling areas we won't be watering yet. Cooler and more humid air will also have less of a warming effect on our seas and oceans.

Rain water running off of cooler soil will decrease the heating effect on our oceans and our planet crusts which will decrease catastrophic storm activities for other areas and seismic activity for the entire planet. Also, returning more ocean water to the surface and aquifers of our continents will lower the sea levels providing more usable land for us to farm and build on.

With cooler desert areas and increasing vegetation, less water will evaporate from our deserts increasing the amount of surface water even more and increasing the amount of vegetation and animal life by huge amounts because deserts currently take up more than 20% of our land surface. Populations will be able to spread out and there will be less competition for existing land areas.

This strategy has to be done in steps with the first step being to begin slowing the rate at which our global warming is increasing. We need to focus on that until we have brought it to a point to where the temperature is not increasing any more and is reasonably stable. While we are doing this, we need to come to a global consensus of just how cool we want to cool our planet down to. If we cool it down too much, we will begin to have devastatingly harsh winters in large populated areas and even cause an ice age to set in.

Then we begin cooling the planet down to a point which will be most beneficial for all countries or the planet as a whole. We need to gradually bring the temperature down because there may be a lag effect in which the planet will continue cooling after we stop increasing our efforts to cool it off more. We may even want to stop cooling the planet once or twice before we reach our targeted temperatures to see if there is a lag effect


We need to start working on this as soon as possible because, if the planet reaches a point to where it is warming faster than our technology can possibly stop or reverse this warming trend, then our planet is lost and all life will cease to exist on this planet within a relatively short period of time. We will need to start with the largest and hottest deserts because cooling them will have the greatest benefit in the least time (Global Warming II by biologist Carl Cantrell).

 

 

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On 11/20/2019 at 1:33 PM, DennisTate said:

"Then fifteen year old Israeli near death experiencer Natan back in 2015 was shown that there was a seven year plan in motion and 2022 would be a huge year!"

Israeli Teen Returns from 15 Minutes of Clinical Death with Spiritual Messages Concerning the Coming Redemption

 

OK.... my apologies if my idea is somewhat offensive but this young Israeli man Natan foresaw some

strange things happening by the year 2022......

He saw something of a Ezekiel 39 war.... but I strongly suspect that chapter 5 of Dannion Brinkley's

book Saved By The Light may have been an actual series of events in non-linear time......

that already happened.... and were not a prediction for the future like is given by Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel or

the Minor Prophets????

So.... how about Latter day Saints from seventy nations gather in Israel and calling for the Jewish people to

rebuild their Jerusalem Third Temple and /or their Ezekiel 40 to Ezekiel 48 temple complex so that.....

Ezekiel 47 could come to pass......

because in my opinion the literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 47 sets in motion a series of events that can restore 

rain in due season in Israel and in surrounding nations that allow Jews and Noahides to travel freely to Jerusalem to

observe the Festival of Tabernacles?!?!

 

You can read the predictions for a future given in Dannion's book here:

 

https://www.alamongordo.com/Prophecies_of_Dannion_Brinkley.html

 

Here is just one of them:

 

BOX 12: Technology & Virus

The 11th box was gone & I was into the 12th box. Its visions addressed an important event in the distant future, the decade of the 90's (remember, this was 1975), when many of the great changes would take place. In this box, I watched as a biological engineer from the Middle East found a way to alter DNA & create a biological virus that would be used in the manufacture of computer chips. This discovery allowed for huge strides in science & technology. Japan, China, & other countries of the Pacific Rim experienced boom times as a result of this discovery & became powers of incredible magnitude. Computer chips produced from this process found their way into virtually every form of technology, from cars & airplanes to vacuum cleaners & blenders.

Before the turn of the century, this man was among the richest in the world, so rich that he had a stranglehold on the world economy. Still the world welcomed him, since the computer chips he had designed somehow put the world on an even keel. Gradually, he succumbed to his own power. He began to think of himself as a deity & insisted on greater control of the world. With that extra control, he began to rule the world.

His method of rule was unique. Everyone in the world was mandated by law to have one of his computer chips inserted underneath his or her skin. This chip contained all of an individual's personal information. If a government agency wanted to know something, all it had to do was scan your chip with a special device. By doing so, it could discover everything about you, from where you worked & lived to your medical records & even what kind of illnesses you might get in the future.

There was an even more sinister side to this chip. A person's lifetime could be limited by programming this chip to dissolve & kill him with the viral substance it was made from. Lifetimes were controlled like this to avoid the cost that growing old places on the government. It was also used as a means of eliminating people with chronic illnesses that put a drain on the medical system. People who refused to have chips implanted in their bodies roamed as outcasts. They could not be employed & were denied government services." (Dannion Brinkley, Saved By The Light, chapter 5)

 

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You Latter day Saints are in a position to call attention to how anti-Semitic Christianity has been over these past three centuries......

I would suggest researching anti-Semitism by the various denominations of Christianity as it manifested in 1939 when the nine hundred and seven

Jewish refugees on the M. S. St. Louis were turned away from Miami, Florida and then from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

 

If you are willing to attempt to the best of your ability to carry this burden... you will get some persecution but....

many eyes will be opened....

and many will come to regret how we treated the First Nations peoples of the USA and Canada as well.

 

The following discussion is on a secular political forum where Latter day Saints can post freely:

My challenge to Miracle Channel..... and Lethbridge, Alberta.

... print up a Miracle Channel Volunteerism Hour... or Dollar.... and offer to use it to finance films set in Canada's past. I would suggest 1939 to get things started.  

So immediately.... Miracle Channel Hours or Dollars can be used to pay for air time on your channel. I would suggest at a one hundred percent level in at least some cases. 

 

....

JohnnyCanuck...... I want you to begin to think of you.... yourself.... as an actor.....
playing the role of yourself in a series of semi-reality science fiction films set partly
in the 1930's or '40's or '50's or '60's or '70's or '80's?

When I campaigned for the office of Municipal Councillor in 2016 I met the programmer who has
created:


https://civil.money/about

The era of Alberta Premier Bible Bill Aberhardt gives your channel a open door and an advantage over most other Canadian towns and cities.

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  • 1 month later...
On 7/16/2019 at 5:30 PM, MrShorty said:

https://broadview.org/its-time-christians-start-including-latter-day-saints/?fbclid=IwAR2A9PteT9jN5epVRhGee0NfRE_sFJVcszRXw2uNMFDjmpFrFfnHCixlH-A

The author claims to be a former president of the Canadian Council of Churches, and simply argues that "[The Mormons] should be welcomed to walk alongside the rest of us." The comments section certainly shows that not all agree with Rev. Christie. I guess it just shows that, while there are the counter-cult minsitries and individuals like Dr. Jeffress out there, there are also many who are more welcoming. The belief that Mormons aren't Christian is not universal.

 

 

After the fifty three minute mark in this audio there are details on Mrs. Marilyn Braxton who prayed.... and her husband Dean Braxton came back after flatlining for an hour and forty five minutes.  It seems to me that if a Latter day Saint documentary film company did a film on her........and perhaps a hospital in Utah attempted to put together a reality film starring her and her husband and they meet with patients in Utah who would like to be prayed for by her......... in order to come back from an operation......... then I think that Mrs.and Mr. Braxton could assist you to reverse the situation with Christian Scribes and Pharisees lying and saying that you are not Christians.  You could fit a whole bunch of LDS reality film or documentary film actors into the films somehow and voila......... you have been invited into perhaps millions of homes all across the USA and frankly the world????

 

 

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On ‎7‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 8:44 AM, Mores said:

Mainstream Christians may consider us weird.  But mainstream culture (including all Christians) tend to have a good impression of us generally (53% positive). 

So, perhaps they find our doctrines and beliefs annoying.  But they tend to think of us more favorably as Christ-like than they think of us as Christian.  Unfortunately, some of this "Mormons are so nice" meme is often tainted by those who believe we have an ulterior motive (conversion).

Most 'mainstream' Christians do indeed have a good impression of LDS. You don't drink, smoke, gamble or chew...not even coffee or tea! You don't cuss, tend to present as sharp, intelligent and hardworking. Further, the alleged ulterior motive is one all Christians share. We DO want to see souls converted--certainly to Jesus. Joining my specific church would be icing on the cake.

Doctrines and beliefs are another matter. 'Annoying' just doesn't describe it (except for the coffee/tea ban--that is annoying :hmmm:). It used to be (in Joseph Smith's day, for example) that believers in predestination (Reformed churches, Presbyterians, Calvinists, etc.) questioned the salvation of us free-will folk (Methodists, Wesleyan, etc.). After all, we did not seem to properly understand God's sovereignty and power. Adventists were also suspect as late as the 1960s, as many argued that they did not teach salvation by faith (insisting on observance of Old Testament laws related to the Sabbath). Boundary-marking/keeping has decreased rapidly, but LDS teachings about the nature of God/humanity and salvation are all very difficult for Protestants and Catholics.

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On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 6:55 PM, JohnsonJones said:

One problem I have always had with those that believe that the Trinity is a litmus test is that it goes directly against what I read in the Bible.  The Lord never said...unless you believe in the Trinity and come unto me, you shall be saved...ever.

The basic message is to believe in Christ, to believe he is God, and to believe he can and has saved you from sin.  Then, you need to follow him and his commandments.

The whole dilemma over how God can be one and three at the same time was not a concern for first-century Christians--certainly not for Jesus. He did address the issue of his day:  Was Messiah to be a human general-king or a suffering Savior, God's Son incarnate? Jewish leadership stridently opposed this most esoteric claim--this most intricate proposition--that God might have a Son who would come to earth in human flesh. This was also a discussion about God's nature. So, sure, it can be argued that Jesus did not directly list the Trinity as a belief required for inclusion in his kingdom. He did establish the precedent that God's nature was on the table as a crucial topic of discussion.

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Guest MormonGator
1 hour ago, prisonchaplain said:

Most 'mainstream' Christians do indeed have a good impression of LDS. You don't drink, smoke, gamble or chew...not even coffee or tea! You don't cuss, tend to present as sharp, intelligent and hardworking. Further, the alleged ulterior motive is one all Christians share. We DO want to see souls converted--certainly to Jesus. Joining my specific church would be icing on the cake.

Doctrines and beliefs are another matter. 'Annoying' just doesn't describe it (except for the coffee/tea ban--that is annoying :hmmm:). It used to be (in Joseph Smith's day, for example) that believers in predestination (Reformed churches, Presbyterians, Calvinists, etc.) questioned the salvation of us free-will folk (Methodists, Wesleyan, etc.). After all, we did not seem to properly understand God's sovereignty and power. Adventists were also suspect as late as the 1960s, as many argued that they did not teach salvation by faith (insisting on observance of Old Testament laws related to the Sabbath). Boundary-marking/keeping has decreased rapidly, but LDS teachings about the nature of God/humanity and salvation are all very difficult for Protestants and Catholics.

As the world gets more and more secular and more hostile to Christian beliefs, I think "mainstream" Christianity will be more accepting and tolerant of the LDS faith. 

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1 hour ago, prisonchaplain said:

Doctrines and beliefs are another matter. 'Annoying' just doesn't describe it (except for the coffee/tea ban--that is annoying :hmmm:). It used to be (in Joseph Smith's day, for example) that believers in predestination (Reformed churches, Presbyterians, Calvinists, etc.) questioned the salvation of us free-will folk (Methodists, Wesleyan, etc.). After all, we did not seem to properly understand God's sovereignty and power. Adventists were also suspect as late as the 1960s, as many argued that they did not teach salvation by faith (insisting on observance of Old Testament laws related to the Sabbath). Boundary-marking/keeping has decreased rapidly, but LDS teachings about the nature of God/humanity and salvation are all very difficult for Protestants and Catholics.

We can be friends while disagreeing and keeping precious things precious.  

I can have major problems with another person's / group's beliefs and still acknowledge their relationship with our mutual Savior Jesus Christ.  

I can also acknowledge major difference in beliefs without feeling like my beliefs are being threatened. 

And I don't think that I'm special in that regard.  Many people from all walks of life are likewise capable and do so with majesty. 

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Guest MormonGator
7 minutes ago, Jane_Doe said:

And I don't think that I'm special in that regard

You actually are. I know of many people who give lip service to what you said, but then are only friends with those who think the same way they do on all the issues. Political or religious. 

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Just now, MormonGator said:

You actually are. I know of many people who give lip service to what you said, but then are only friends with those who think the same way they do on all the issues. Political or religious. 

Ah, give other persons a little more credit MG!  :P

True, many people only want to hang out with folks that will echo their own thoughts.  But many others aren't like that.

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