1 month ago-2 points(+0/-0/-2Score on mirror)2 children
RE The Law of Moses -- reading the Book of Mormon, which documents a heretic branch of ancient Israelites from 600 BC who had to leave for fear of their lives, it is clear that ANYONE who thinks the Law of Moses will save them from their sins is utterly ridiculous and all but Satanic.
(RE "heretic" -- the prophet Lehi, a contemporary of Jeremiah, and most likely one of his many associates, taught that the Messiah would come to redeem Israel, and for that, the people of Jerusalem tried to kill him. He was teaching the truth, which was the ancient religion that his ancestors taught and practiced. The people in Jerusalem had perverted that. The people who gave us the Bible were the descendants of these idol-worshipers. Thus, Lehi is a "heretic" according to them. Remember, a "heretic" is anyone who doesn't conform with the predominant religion, which around 600 BC, was what got Jerusalem destroyed and scattered.)
When you read the Book of Mormon, you get an ancient perspective about Jesus Christ AKA The Messiah AKA the God of Israel that totally disarms the judaizers and the followers of judaism. Judaism is NOT a continuation of an ancient religion practiced by Moses. It is, in fact, a derived religion that ignores key aspects of the religion of Moses, perverts others, and twists the rest into the exact opposite of what it originally meant. The Book of Mormon thus restores the reader to a correct understanding of what the OT was supposed to mean and how it was supposed to be read, which SUPPORTS how the NT re-interprets the OT that they had. Furthermore, it clarifies critical doctrines such as salvation, grace, resurrection, and the nature of God to prevent modern-day perversions of Christianity.
1 month ago-2 points(+0/-0/-2Score on mirror)1 child
More lies about my religion.
Who told you this? Your pastor?
Why does no one refute the truth of our history or the contents of the Book of Mormon or the actual things we actually believe? Why do they make up lies about us?
1 month ago-1 points(+0/-0/-1Score on mirror)1 child
> Is Jesus Christ the Son of God?
Yes. It states that plainly in the Bible and Book of Mormon multiple times.
> Are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit three persons in one?
One God, but not one being. Homoousis is a false idea that came from Greek ideas about the nature of God that are not found in the Bible.
Let me try to make it simple: If you read the Bible literally, and try to place every verse in context, the only interpretation that makes any sense in both the Old and New Testaments is that (a) there are multiple divine beings and (b) God the Father and Jesus Christ are two of them. The Holy Ghost is mentioned in the Bible but it isn't very explicit about whether it is a Spirit coming out of God or a separate being.
My assertion is in agreement with the analysis by multiple scholarly trinitarians who repeat the the key elements of the doctrine of the trinity is NOT found in the text of the Bible, but is a later addition. NONE of the earliest Christians (1st Century) believed in the Trinity like you do, ESPECIALLY the authors of the New Testament. It wasn't until MUCH later (100s of years) that it even became a concept.
You are free to read the Bible and read the words closely, being very careful not to insert your own ideas into the text but allowing the authors to speak in their own voice.
The Book of Mormon teaches these things very clearly, and does so from the beginning in an Old Testament context. If you read the Book of Mormon and Bible together it becomes abundantly clear what the Biblical authors were saying and you can see how the New Testament and Old Testament are in complete agreement, albeit they use different terms and language to described the same thing. In short, the Book of Mormon unlocks an understanding of the Bible that makes it make EVEN MORE sense than it did before.
1 month ago1 point(+0/-0/+1Score on mirror)1 child
Hi there, I think I asked you before or maybe another person from your church but could you please direct me to a good chapter on the Synagogue of Satan/modern "jews" in the book of Mormon? I don't have a copy anymore, is it available online? Or any other tl;dr chapters/books that other Christians might want to know? To illustrate your assertion above? For example, I would tell someone who never read the Bible to try Luke, then Matthew, head over to Genesis, etc etc. Thanks!
RE Synagogue of Satan: Nephi's vision (1 Nephi 11-14? 15?) mentions the "Great and Abominable Church." I think the word "church" isn't quite the best word. Maybe "congregation" or "body" or "nation" might be better. Anyway, in his vision he describes what the Great and Abominable Church is, who is a member, and how it operates, and how it is stopped by Jesus Christ. (NOTE WELL: We do NOT believe that the Catholic Church is the Great and Abominable Church. We have never taught this. When people try to teach it, we refute it. The definition is VERY CLEAR in the text of the Book of Mormon.)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/devil?lang=eng (See the bottom part RE "The Church of the Devil.")
My recommendation if you want to read about the secret combinations / gadianton robbers read these in order:
* Nephi's Vision (1 Nephi 11-15)
* The Book of Helaman -- this is where the Gadianton Robbers are introduced.
* The Books of 3rd & 4th Nephi -- Gadiantion Robbers overtake the government and Jesus is born in Jerusalem. Jesus visits the people in America and establishes his kingdom, overthrowing the Gadianton Robbers temporarily.
* The Book of Ether -- The people in the Book of Ether were initially good people, but due to corruption, greed and pride eventually brought back Cain's Secret Combinations which lead to the entire nation being destroyed.
* The Books of Mormon and Moroni detail how the Nephites were destroyed by Secret Combinations, and warns our generation about them and directs us how to protect ourselves from them.
1 month ago1 point(+0/-0/+1Score on mirror)1 child
Thank you very much, this is just what I was looking for. I've been on the ancient American civilization train for a while, but it's becoming a dead end. Then I heard that your Church has an explanation but there was no one to ask. I met some missionaries but I already love Jesus and the 73 books we have in the Catholic Bible so not really their target audience. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction, I'm looking forward to my new reading assignment. Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you.
1 month ago1 point(+0/-0/+1Score on mirror)1 child
I appreciate it.
Keep in mind, I know of Christians who have accepted the Book of Mormon as inspired scripture while rejecting Joseph Smith and the claims of the LDS church.
I feel like I can speak for the entire LDS church in saying I'm fine with that. We only want to help people follow Jesus Christ, and if Jesus leads you into another church or a different path, praise God for it. We don't expect to be the only "saved" people, not by a long shot. If we're right, we're all going to heaven together as disciples of Christ.
I tried to write a long response to this but hit a button and it got deleted. I just wanted to say that Matthew 7:16 is how I feel about the LDS- you have much to be admired in our sad, broken and increasingly degenerate world. The greater Church, all of us, are under serious attack and not everyone is holding fast. It encourages me to see strong healthy families with faith and conviction such as found in LDS. And as a Catholic, it is painful to see my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ slandered. Basically all of Romans 14 addresses our differences and I wish we could all turn against our common enemy instead of in-fighting. Also I love Biblical Apocrypha especially when it relates to missing pieces from our canon. Even just the beginning of this Book is fascinating, can't wait to see how this lines up with forbidden archaeology.
(RE "heretic" -- the prophet Lehi, a contemporary of Jeremiah, and most likely one of his many associates, taught that the Messiah would come to redeem Israel, and for that, the people of Jerusalem tried to kill him. He was teaching the truth, which was the ancient religion that his ancestors taught and practiced. The people in Jerusalem had perverted that. The people who gave us the Bible were the descendants of these idol-worshipers. Thus, Lehi is a "heretic" according to them. Remember, a "heretic" is anyone who doesn't conform with the predominant religion, which around 600 BC, was what got Jerusalem destroyed and scattered.)
When you read the Book of Mormon, you get an ancient perspective about Jesus Christ AKA The Messiah AKA the God of Israel that totally disarms the judaizers and the followers of judaism. Judaism is NOT a continuation of an ancient religion practiced by Moses. It is, in fact, a derived religion that ignores key aspects of the religion of Moses, perverts others, and twists the rest into the exact opposite of what it originally meant. The Book of Mormon thus restores the reader to a correct understanding of what the OT was supposed to mean and how it was supposed to be read, which SUPPORTS how the NT re-interprets the OT that they had. Furthermore, it clarifies critical doctrines such as salvation, grace, resurrection, and the nature of God to prevent modern-day perversions of Christianity.
Who told you this? Your pastor?
Why does no one refute the truth of our history or the contents of the Book of Mormon or the actual things we actually believe? Why do they make up lies about us?
Are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit three persons in one?
Yes. It states that plainly in the Bible and Book of Mormon multiple times.
> Are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit three persons in one?
One God, but not one being. Homoousis is a false idea that came from Greek ideas about the nature of God that are not found in the Bible.
Let me try to make it simple: If you read the Bible literally, and try to place every verse in context, the only interpretation that makes any sense in both the Old and New Testaments is that (a) there are multiple divine beings and (b) God the Father and Jesus Christ are two of them. The Holy Ghost is mentioned in the Bible but it isn't very explicit about whether it is a Spirit coming out of God or a separate being.
My assertion is in agreement with the analysis by multiple scholarly trinitarians who repeat the the key elements of the doctrine of the trinity is NOT found in the text of the Bible, but is a later addition. NONE of the earliest Christians (1st Century) believed in the Trinity like you do, ESPECIALLY the authors of the New Testament. It wasn't until MUCH later (100s of years) that it even became a concept.
You are free to read the Bible and read the words closely, being very careful not to insert your own ideas into the text but allowing the authors to speak in their own voice.
The Book of Mormon teaches these things very clearly, and does so from the beginning in an Old Testament context. If you read the Book of Mormon and Bible together it becomes abundantly clear what the Biblical authors were saying and you can see how the New Testament and Old Testament are in complete agreement, albeit they use different terms and language to described the same thing. In short, the Book of Mormon unlocks an understanding of the Bible that makes it make EVEN MORE sense than it did before.
So ... polytheistic heretic.
Look up "Gadianton Robbers" or "Secret Combinations" in the Book of Mormon. These are mentioned throughout.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/gadianton-robbers?lang=eng
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/secret-combinations?lang=eng
RE Synagogue of Satan: Nephi's vision (1 Nephi 11-14? 15?) mentions the "Great and Abominable Church." I think the word "church" isn't quite the best word. Maybe "congregation" or "body" or "nation" might be better. Anyway, in his vision he describes what the Great and Abominable Church is, who is a member, and how it operates, and how it is stopped by Jesus Christ. (NOTE WELL: We do NOT believe that the Catholic Church is the Great and Abominable Church. We have never taught this. When people try to teach it, we refute it. The definition is VERY CLEAR in the text of the Book of Mormon.)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/devil?lang=eng (See the bottom part RE "The Church of the Devil.")
My recommendation if you want to read about the secret combinations / gadianton robbers read these in order:
* Nephi's Vision (1 Nephi 11-15)
* The Book of Helaman -- this is where the Gadianton Robbers are introduced.
* The Books of 3rd & 4th Nephi -- Gadiantion Robbers overtake the government and Jesus is born in Jerusalem. Jesus visits the people in America and establishes his kingdom, overthrowing the Gadianton Robbers temporarily.
* The Book of Ether -- The people in the Book of Ether were initially good people, but due to corruption, greed and pride eventually brought back Cain's Secret Combinations which lead to the entire nation being destroyed.
* The Books of Mormon and Moroni detail how the Nephites were destroyed by Secret Combinations, and warns our generation about them and directs us how to protect ourselves from them.
Keep in mind, I know of Christians who have accepted the Book of Mormon as inspired scripture while rejecting Joseph Smith and the claims of the LDS church.
I feel like I can speak for the entire LDS church in saying I'm fine with that. We only want to help people follow Jesus Christ, and if Jesus leads you into another church or a different path, praise God for it. We don't expect to be the only "saved" people, not by a long shot. If we're right, we're all going to heaven together as disciples of Christ.