Wednesday, March 13, 2002
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Wednesday, March 13, 2002 |
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Latter-day Saints not forthright about beliefs I'm intrigued by the front that the Mormon Church presents to those who are not members. They are hoping that because they were such good hosts in Salt Lake City that we will welcome the missionaries into our homes the next time they show up on our doorsteps. They want to be viewed as just another Christian denomination, yet they fail to mention the doctrine that separates them from Christianity. Reading through this article tells me nothing of the theology of the Mormon Church. They claim to be just another Christian denomination, yet believe that their Church is the only true one. All others are an abomination (Joseph Smith, History 1:19). The Book of Mormon states, "There are save two Churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, (their Church) and the other is the church of the devil" (my Church). Any attempt to remind them of this fact is viewed as an attack on their church. They deny that the term "polytheistic" accurately describes their theology, yet they believe in a "plurality of gods" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 579). The Olympics were not the "Mormon games," yet Mormon elder Henry B. Eyring said they are seen as the fulfillment of a prophecy (AP article from Jan. 27 Chicago Sun-Times). The Book of Mormon states, "It is by grace we are saved, after all we can do" (2nd Nephi 25:23). The Bible says that grace and works are mutually exclusive (Romans 11:6). When asked by Time magazine in 1997 if the church still teaches that God was once a man, Mormon prophet Gordon B. Hinckley stated, "I don't know that we teach it. I don't know that we emphasize it ... I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don't know a lot about it, and I don't think others know a lot about it" (Time, Aug. 4, 1997, p. 56). The interesting thing about this quote is that Joseph Smith, the founder of the religion, said that knowing that God was once a man is the "first principle of the gospel" (Teachings of the prophet, Joseph Smith, p. 345). I long for the day when the Mormon church is open, honest, forthright and not ashamed of what they believe. Keith Walker keith@evidenceministries.org
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