Are Mormons Christians

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giving something to someone with the expectation of receiving something in return is not the concept of RC charity.

RC charity is giving to those in need because they are in need, noting else, and because by doing so we are following the commands of Jesus Christ.
By this type of charity, the object is to prevent people from becoming more needy, not to give them a way to become less needy. If a person is starving, and you give him/her food, the next step is to give more food when starvation returns. This is the object of food stamps.
 
what did the Good Samaritan of the Gospels receive from the man attacked by robbers and left bloody and beaten in the ditch?
 
By this type of charity, the object is to prevent people from becoming more needy, not to give them a way to become less needy. If a person is starving, and you give him/her food, the next step is to give more food when starvation returns. This is the object of food stamps.
Your view is not Christian
 
giving something to someone with the expectation of receiving something in return is not the concept of RC charity.

RC charity is giving to those in need because they are in need, noting else, and because by doing so we are following the commands of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was a champion of compassion with no strings attached. This, of course, promotes compassionate behavior among his adherents, but it does nothing to enable the poor to become less poor. It is a knee-jerk reaction to the needy. To facilitate the needy becoming less needy, a knee-jerk reaction is too short sighted.
 
Jesus was a champion of compassion with no strings attached. This, of course, promotes compassionate behavior among his adherents, but it does nothing to enable the poor to become less poor. It is a knee-jerk reaction to the needy. To facilitate the needy becoming less needy, a knee-jerk reaction is too short sighted.
Yes, not Christian at all.
 
to nmgauss:

Our community (Pekin IL & Washington IL) was hit by a tornado on Sunday, and there people and organizations providing assistance in every shape and form.

Are all of those people expected to work this help off somehow? Pay for it?

Or should we be humble and thankful, and accept what people are willing to help with?

You tell me which one is right.
Knee-jerk charity is fine as far as it goes. My expectation is that the people of your community are used to productive work. Even if nobody expects anything in return, my guess is that your community will be forever grateful and want to do something in return. Also your community making an effort to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and being aided by outside help will make your community less needy in the future.
 
it does not surprise me that the smithians are critical of Jesus.

the foundation of their faith is the incompetence of Jesus.
 
I like the attitude of the LDS organization toward -]charitable work/-] dealing with the poor. If someone asks for help and doesn’t offer to do something in return, this encourages people to be helpless. Victimhood attracts charities and liberals, and according to some interpretations, if someone enables victimhood, additional victims are likely to appear.

If you give to a needy person and don’t expect that person to be improved in the long run, then it is a waste. It’s like giving money to a drug user. He/she will not be improved by the gift.

If you give money to a needy person who got that way because of poor choices, the gift will just enable that person to continue to make poor choices. Another angle is that if you try to make the recipient feel obligated, they might begin to realize that charity may not be automatic.
One thing wrong with what you’ve written is calling it charity (I fixed that for you) it is not charity if a person is required to work for it.

It’s also judgemental and uncharitable (syn. mean-spirited, unsympathetic, hard-hearted)
 
Knee-jerk charity is fine as far as it goes. My expectation is that the people of your community are used to productive work. Even if nobody expects anything in return, my guess is that your community will be forever grateful and want to do something in return. Also your community making an effort to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and being aided by outside help will make your community less needy in the future.
Less needy in the future? If they are, heaven forbid, hit by tornados again (or any other devastating natural disaster), they will be just as needy as they are today, regardless of how well they “pick themselves up by the bootstraps” today.

As Christians, we are obligated to help those who suffer regardless of who they are or if they will “give something in return”. The Good Samaritan certainly didn’t attach any strings to his charitable giving. He saw a need and filled it without making any demands in return.

If someone who receives charity is called by God to “give something back”, that is between that person and God. It is not our role to make that judgement.
 
Yes, and they knew who God was and that he created everything out of nothing. Mormons follow another god and therefore are not Christians.
It doen’t matter what the people of Antioch believed, they simply invented the word “Christian” to describe the disciples of Christ: “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch”. (Acts 11:26). I can’t find where Jesus said: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye believe that God created everything out of nothing."

I believe in the Jesus that made all things “and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3) However, believing is not what make one a Christian. It is to continue to follow the teachings of Jesus that makes us a Christian:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." (John 8:31)
 
except that no human being lives without sin, meaning that no one live according to Jesus’ word, meaning no one is saved.

that is the logical process of believing that only by living according to Jesus’ word are humans saved.

i know that the above belief is a smithian belief, but that does not change its illogic.
 
It doen’t matter what the people of Antioch believed, they simply invented the word “Christian” to describe the disciples of Christ: “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch”. (Acts 11:26). I can’t find where Jesus said: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye believe that God created everything out of nothing."

I believe in the Jesus that made all things “and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3) However, believing is not what make one a Christian. It is to continue to follow the teachings of Jesus that makes us a Christian:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." (John 8:31)
You can’t be a disciple of someone who you don’t know. Mormonism does not know who Jesus is: John 1:1, John 8:58 and Ex 3:14, John 10:30, Philippians 2:5-8, Ephesians 4:4-6, Colossians 1:15-17 and Genesis 1:1-31, Colossians 2:9, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:1-2 as interpreted by the Catholic Church because it has true apostolic succession since the time of Christ and they were the people at Antioch.
 
It doen’t matter what the people of Antioch believed, they simply invented the word “Christian” to describe the disciples of Christ: “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch”. (Acts 11:26). I can’t find where Jesus said: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye believe that God created everything out of nothing."

I believe in the Jesus that made all things “and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3) However, believing is not what make one a Christian. It is to continue to follow the teachings of Jesus that makes us a Christian:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." (John 8:31)
So, to go back to a question I posed earlier. What did Heavenly Father actually create? We understand that Mormons believe that matter, light, truth, and intelligence are eternal and were not created by Heavenly Father. So what exactly did he create? You often go back to John 1:3 where John tells us “and without him was not anything made that was made”. Well, let’s not forget the first part of that verse which states that “all things were made by Him”. John doesn’t say “all things were made by Him except matter, light, truth and intelligence.” He says ALL things. That includes matter, light, truth, intelligence, and everything in the universe.
You can’t be a disciple of someone who you don’t know. Mormonism does not know who Jesus is: John 1:1, John 8:58 and Ex 3:14, John 10:30, Philippians 2:5-8, Ephesians 4:4-6, Colossians 1:15-17 and Genesis 1:1-31, Colossians 2:9, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:1-2 as interpreted by the Catholic Church because it has true apostolic succession since the time of Christ and they were the people at Antioch.
Exactly. Mormons have no idea who God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit really are. The concept of the True God is foreign to them. They cannot be true disciples of Christ without knowing who Jesus Christ really is.

As I have learned who God really is, I become more and more in awe. The Incarnation is a huge deal. I never got it before. I get it now, even if it is at a very basic level. I am in awe of the True God and that He created the universe. I am in awe that He created me and that He actually loves me. I cannot tell you how joyful I am that I am able to celebrate Christmas for real this year.
 
One thing wrong with what you’ve written is calling it charity (I fixed that for you) it is not charity if a person is required to work for it.

It’s also judgemental and uncharitable (syn. mean-spirited, unsympathetic, hard-hearted)
If you’re going to quote me, don’t edit my quotation. By doing that, you have acted as my superior, of whom I was not aware.

You have accused me of requiring work in return for charity. This is misinterpretation.

It is not mean-spirited if you would appreciate the favor, especially if offered in the spirit of a future pledge. By having an expectation of charity and not doing anything to improve yourself is an insult to the giver. I have heard of people on the dole calling my working father a sucker for working. People who knowingly do hazardous things expecting free rescues in case something goes wrong is an insult to the rescue services.

Before Margaret Thatcher came to power in the UK, being on the dole was considered smart strategy among lazy people. About thirty years ago, I worked with an Englishman who bragged about all the free things his people could take advantage of. Free health care, free university Education, free food, free transportation, free apartments. He had no sense of obligation to his government for providing all these goodies without any need to pay for it.
 
If you’re going to quote me, don’t edit my quotation. By doing that, you have acted as my superior, of whom I was not aware.

You have accused me of requiring work in return for charity. This is misinterpretation.

It is not mean-spirited if you would appreciate the favor, especially if offered in the spirit of a future pledge. By having an expectation of charity and not doing anything to improve yourself is an insult to the giver. I have heard of people on the dole calling my working father a sucker for working. People who knowingly do hazardous things expecting free rescues in case something goes wrong is an insult to the rescue services.

Before Margaret Thatcher came to power in the UK, being on the dole was considered smart strategy among lazy people. About thirty years ago, I worked with an Englishman who bragged about all the free things his people could take advantage of. Free health care, free university Education, free food, free transportation, free apartments. He had no sense of obligation to his government for providing all these goodies without any need to pay for it.
you are confused
 
what is this charity of which we write?

for me, it is a person acting for the well-being of another person without regarding the consequences to oneself.

consequently, the action itself and the actions consequences are not the essence of a charitable act. instead, the essence is the intellectual decision to act and the use of the free will to carry out that intellectual decision so long as the intellectual decision is guided by the well-being of the one who is the object of the action.
 
Mormons have no idea who God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit really are. The concept of the True God is foreign to them. They cannot be true disciples of Christ without knowing who Jesus Christ really is.

As I have learned who God really is, I become more and more in awe. The Incarnation is a huge deal. I never got it before. I get it now, even if it is at a very basic level. I am in awe of the True God and that He created the universe. I am in awe that He created me and that He actually loves me. I cannot tell you how joyful I am that I am able to celebrate Christmas for real this year.
The real sad thing is that Mormonism originally had these beliefs until Joseph Smith led them away.
 
There is a principle in economics of investing in organizations or people likely to thrive. By doing this, you are giving the organization or person an opportunity to grow through its own efforts. Our economy and society are better by this move. The investments are appreciating. And tithing and voluntary donations to churches increases.

However, if you invest in organizations or people that have no hope of thriving (e.g. Blockbuster Video Stores, horse carriage manufacturers, fatherless families where the more kids you have the more food stamps you can have), the economy and society are worse off because of resulting bankruptcies and extra burdens on the rest of us. The investments are depreciating. In areas where once prosperous churches existed, donations and tithes have dropped so low that the churches have had to close. If the people in these areas made better choices, perhaps their churches would still be there.

The same principle can be applied to gifts to people who are not likely to put your gift to good use. If you give money to an alcoholic, he will buy more alcohol. If you give money to a habitual beggar, he will go on begging. Nothing productive comes out of this money.

Productive giving does no good.
 
I was LDS for 5 years and received my endowments, married in the temple and was the Elders Quorum instructor (by way of introduction). It gave me a very in depth look at the LDS Church and its dogma and I eould say that in my belief, the LDS Church is Christian on the surface only. There are far too many strange and un-Christian beliefs buried in the less Mainstream Church documents. But this discussion on Charity makes me laugh at both sides. It isn’t up to you to decide who needs your help or if giving will keep them from wanting to become better. If you truly believed in the judgement of God, you would just give and help as you could and trust that God will inspire them if they need it. It’s nowhere in the Bible where Jesus said “Test the poor and make sure they deserve your help.” Just give what you can and God will reward you with much more than you gave to the poor. What happens if you judge wrong and don’t help someone truly in need? Are you willing to risk that? I’m not.
 
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