No, you never adequately addressed the issue of how there could be “good Christians” (your term) in the world without the divine authority being present in the successors of the Apostles, the bishops and the priests. But, I’m not arguing with you. Rather I am providing a running commentary on your statements, which I feel is important so that the lurkers, some of whom may be thinking about Mormonism, will be more informed.
Nonsense, anybody who reads that thread will know that your questions were more than adequately answered.
That was no gaff. B-XVI knows exactly what he is doing, and I assure you that no public word comes out of his mouth without being carefully weighed for truth and effect. In fact, it was stated by him that his intent is to initiate a dialog that hasn’t previously been undergone. The fruits of this dialog may not be known even in your lifetime, young as you appear to be.
Yea, you said it, and I believed it! If it wasn’t a gaff, why did he have to go to Turkey and pray in the mosque and grovel to the Moslem cleric out there and apologize in order to appease the anger of all the Moslems?
It is interesting, though, that, despite the fact that you get all the details wrong, you still notice the things that the Pope does and says. You know approximately what he said, and you know of trips he’s taken recently.
That was because it was such a big gaff that it made international news. If he hadn’t said anything controversial, nobody would have heard where he had gone and what he had said. President Ahmadi Nejad of Iran has been in the news quite a lot lately for calling to wipe Israel off the map! That doesn’t exactly make him a respectable popular saint, right?
How many non-Mormons, or even Mormons, for that matter, know what Hinckley has said, or trips he’s taken recently?
Oh, an awful lot! You had better not underestimate Hinckley! In a Gallup survey carried out in December 2000, he was ranked among the top twenty most admired figures in the US. He is even better known now. A survey today would put him even higher. He has received numerous awards and honors from various respected institutions. He has been to the White House on several occasions under different US Presidents; and “On June 23, 2004 (Hinckley’s 94th birthday), President George W. Bush awarded Hinckley the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the United States, in a ceremony at the White House. The press release put forth by the White House stated: “Gordon B. Hinckley …] has inspired millions and has led efforts to improve humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and education funding across the globe.”” (Quoted from Wikipedia article.) He has been invited to speak at some of the most respected institutions in the country. This
Speech before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on May 13, 1999 is a typical example. He has written many inspirational books some of which (such as
Standing for Something) have become popular and received wide acclaim not just among LDS. He has appeared in the media, the press, and on radio and television on numerous occasions, and made his presence felt in society, and told the world where he stands on matters of importance to society. He is more widely travelled abroad than any Pope could ever dream of. JP2 was probably the most widely travelled Pope in the Catholic Church. But his travels amount to nothing compared to GBH. He has travelled to practically every nation on earth (some of them more than once), and preached the gospel among them. And what is most remarkable of all, he has achieved all of this through his own merit and accomplishments, nor merely by virtue of the status offered him as the leader of the largest Christian denomination (as the Pope is). And to top it all, he has something that the Pope can never have. He is a mighty prophet of the Lord, in direct communication with Him, possessing the keys of the kingdom of God in all the world.
zerinus
Continued . . . /
