At least that what seems to have started.
I told Larry a long time ago that Mitt Romney would never be the Republican Candidate. My reasoning was that his Mormon beliefs were going to come back to bite him in the hind end. How can the Christian Right support a candidate for President when he doesn't share their core beliefs?
I've waited and waited for someone to finally take up the mantle and speak out about this quandary. Well, it has finally happened.
Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Tx recently gave a sermon about Romney and who people think they are voting for and who he really is. The local FOX affiliate covered the story here. Interestingly, the good pastor does not tell his congregation to NOT vote for Romney, but he tells them that if they think they are voting for a Christian man, they are wrong.
"Mitt Romney is a Mormon and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Even
though he talks about Jesus as his lord and savior, he is not a
Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. Mormonism is a cult," says Jeffress.
A Cult!
Wow! That should scare off the Harry Potter hating Baptists in Dallas. 'Cause if HP and wizards are evil enough trying to turn our children to Satan, imagine what a Cult attending President is going to do? (Edit: I changed the above paragraph on the suggestion of Larry since HP is not a cult but is the Occult. See his comment for more info.)
Not that I believe it. I just find it interesting that it has already started this early. Let the fun begin.....
Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, Mormons, Cult
I told Larry a long time ago that Mitt Romney would never be the Republican Candidate. My reasoning was that his Mormon beliefs were going to come back to bite him in the hind end. How can the Christian Right support a candidate for President when he doesn't share their core beliefs?
I've waited and waited for someone to finally take up the mantle and speak out about this quandary. Well, it has finally happened.
Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Tx recently gave a sermon about Romney and who people think they are voting for and who he really is. The local FOX affiliate covered the story here. Interestingly, the good pastor does not tell his congregation to NOT vote for Romney, but he tells them that if they think they are voting for a Christian man, they are wrong.
"Mitt Romney is a Mormon and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Even
though he talks about Jesus as his lord and savior, he is not a
Christian. Mormonism is not Christianity. Mormonism is a cult," says Jeffress.
A Cult!
Wow! That should scare off the Harry Potter hating Baptists in Dallas. 'Cause if HP and wizards are evil enough trying to turn our children to Satan, imagine what a Cult attending President is going to do? (Edit: I changed the above paragraph on the suggestion of Larry since HP is not a cult but is the Occult. See his comment for more info.)
Not that I believe it. I just find it interesting that it has already started this early. Let the fun begin.....
Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, Mormons, Cult
Powered by ScribeFire.
Comments
Harry Potter would be considered "Occult" which is very different than a "Cult". "Occult" is the witchcraft, demonic and Satanistic religious views.
A "Cult" is a religion with a some basis in Christianity but does not share the core beliefs like the Divinity of Christ or the Holy Trinity. There is a huge difference.
The latin root of the word refers to words such as clandestine, hidden, and secret. It sometimes means paranormal.
But it doesn't necessarily mean evil, satan, or demonic either... unless you're a poly-theistic Christian. =)
Don't forget, witches didn't make the devil (or Satan), Christians did.
The Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) is often accused by Evangelical pastors of not believing in Christ and, therefore, not being a Christian religion This article helps to clarify such misconceptions by examining early Christianity's comprehension of baptism, the Godhead, the deity of Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
· Baptism: .
Early Christian churches, practiced baptism of youth (not infants) by immersion by the father of the family. The local congregation had a lay ministry. An early Christian Church has been re-constructed at the Israel Museum, and the above can be verified. http://www.imj.org.il/eng/exhibitions/2000/christianity/ancientchurch/structure/index.html
The Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) continues baptism and a lay ministry as taught by Jesus’ Apostles. Early Christians were persecuted for keeping their practices sacred, and prohibiting non-Christians from witnessing them.
· The Trinity: .
A literal reading of the New Testament points to God and Jesus Christ , His Son , being separate , divine beings , united in purpose. . To whom was Jesus praying in Gethsemane, and Who was speaking to Him and his apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration?
The Nicene Creed”s definition of the Trinity was influenced by scribes translating the Greek manuscripts into Latin. The scribes embellished on a passage explaining the Trinity , which is the Catholic and Protestant belief that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The oldest versions of the epistle of 1 John, read: "There are three that bear witness: the Spirit, the water and the blood and these three are one."
Scribes later added "the Father, the Word and the Spirit," and it remained in the epistle when it was translated into English for the King James Version, according to Dr. Bart Ehrman, Chairman of the Religion Department at UNC- Chapel Hill. He no longer believes in the Nicene Trinity. .
Scholars agree that Early Christians believed in an embodied God; it was neo-Platonist influences that later turned Him into a disembodied Spirit. Divinization, narrowing the space between God and humans, was also part of Early Christian belief. St. Athanasius of Alexandria (Eastern Orthodox) wrote, regarding theosis, "The Son of God became man, that we might become God. " . The Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) views the Trinity as three separate divine beings , in accord with the earliest Greek New Testament manuscripts.
· The Deity of Jesus Christ
Mormons hold firmly to the deity of Christ. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS), Jesus is not only the Son of God but also God the Son. Evangelical pollster George Barna found in 2001 that while only 33 percent of American Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists (28 percent of Episcopalians) agreed that Jesus was “without sin”, 70 percent of Mormons believe Jesus was sinless. http://www.adherents.com/misc/BarnaPoll.html
· The Cross and Christ’s Atonement: .
The Cross became popular as a Christian symbol in the Fifth Century A.D. . Members of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) believe the proper Christian symbol is Christ’s resurrection , not his crucifixion on the Cross. Many Mormon chapels feature paintings of the resurrected Christ or His Second Coming. Furthermore, members of the church believe the major part of Christ’s atonement occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane as Christ took upon him the sins of all mankind.
· Definition of “Christian”: .
But Mormons don’t term Catholics and Protestants “non-Christian”. They believe Christ’s atonement applies to all mankind. The dictionary definition of a Christian is “of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ”: All of the above denominations are followers of Christ, and consider him divine, and the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. They all worship the one and only true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and address Him in prayer as prescribed in The Lord’s Prayer.
It’s important to understand the difference between Reformation and Restoration when we consider who might be authentic Christians. . Early Christians had certain rituals which defined a Christian http://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/207/2070037.htm , which members of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) continue today. . If members of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) embrace early Christian theology, they are likely more “Christian” than their detractors.
· The Need for a Restoration of the Christian Church:
The founder of the Baptist Church in America, Roger Williams, just prior to leaving the church he established, said this:
"There is no regularly constituted church of Christ on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking.” (Picturesque America, p. 502.)
Martin Luther had similar thoughts: "Nor can a Christian believer be forced beyond sacred Scriptures,...unless some new and proved revelation should be added; for we are forbidden by divine law to believe except what is proved either through the divine Scriptures or through Manifest revelation."
He also wrote: "I have sought nothing beyond reforming the Church in conformity with the Holy Scriptures. The spiritual powers have been not only corrupted by sin, but absolutely destroyed; so that there is now nothing in them but a depraved reason and a will that is the enemy and opponent of God. I simply say that Christianity has ceased to exist among
those who should have preserved it."
The Lutheran, Baptist and Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) churches recognize an apostasy from early Christianity. The Lutheran and Baptist churches have attempted reform, but Mormonism (and Roger Williams, and perhaps Martin Luther) require inspired restoration, so as to re-establish an unbroken line of authority and apostolic succession.
* * *
· Christ-Like Lives:
The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
1. Attend Religious Services weekly
2. Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life – extremely important
3. Believes in life after death
4. Does not believe in psychics or fortune-tellers 5. Has taught religious education classes
6. Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline
7. Sabbath Observance
8. Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith
9. Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily
10. Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen (very supportive)
11. Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality
LDS Evangelical
1. 71% 55%
2. 52 28
3. 76 62
4. 100 95
5. 42 28
6. 68 22
7. 67 40
8. 72 56
9. 50 19
10. 65 26
11. 84 35
Higher Authority by Stephen White.
So, it was the Christians made up the devil! "Well, isn't that special!"
Interestingly, most of the information on the enitity know as the devil, or the serpent, or Satan, or Lucifer comes from the Old Testament.
Since some Christians, especially evangelicals, like to live & play by OT rules... I figure I could lump it all together.
Jews, Christians... all the same, right? ;)
As I was thinking further about your post, I think that you are mis-representing the issue with the title (I am sure not on purpose). There are a lot of people on the right that really like Romney. Some Christians on the right have an issue with his religious views but not all of them. So when you say the Villainization of Romney by the right, it implies all of the right and not a minority. Just a thought.
Did you know he's a flip-flopper like that Kerry guy? ;)
And (gasp) he spent time in FRANCE (as a missionary). See Mormonism requirements (gotcha covered BOT).
I am glad you like the SNL reference. I was hoping that you would.
That whole Jesus seems to separate Christians and Jews. At least in my mind and those of Jewish faith that I know.
Some members of the left seem to give a hoot or why would Bryan write the article. You appear to be misrepresenting the left.
Give a hoot? No, probably not really. Find it interesting like Dad, sure.
Do I give a hoot about Hillary, Obama, Kucinich, Edwards, Gore and others... sure do.