questions about Mormon beliefs

[Monica4316]

Hi

I have a couple questions for those here who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints.

I’m just wondering…

What is your view on Communion? Do you believe in the Eucharist too?

what are the ordinances? Is that like Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Communion? or something else?

Also, this is kind of a silly question but I keep on hearing about it… is it true you have to wear a special type of garment in the temple, and also a special undergarment at all times?

and - please don’t take this the wrong way… not my intent… but why does there seem to be so much secrecy in the Mormon church? Maybe I’m wrong… but why can only Mormons come to the temple, and why learn about the faith in ‘steps’? For example in the Catholic Church, anyone can just pick up the Catechism and learn all there is to know about Catholicism, and can visit Mass just for interest… is there a theological reason for keeping so much hidden?

thanks!

 

[Monica4316]

Also… I saw on another thread…

We believe that the priesthood was lost/taken when the apostles all died without being replaced. A Bishop is NOT an apostle. A bishop, we believe, must recieve his authority to ordain from living apostles; the line of authority cannot be broken.

I’m very confused by this. So a bishop must receive his authority from a living apostle… but the early Church bishops did receive their authority from the Apostles when they were alive. So there was and is Apostolic Succession, and it never stopped… why then do you believe the priesthood was lost?

another question is, why would Jesus not instruct the Apostles on how to ensure Apostolic Succession? (I believe He did, and that it continued all these 2000 years and is continuing now)

the reason I’m asking all this, is because I recently talked to someone I know who is a Mormon. He suggested that I pray about the Book of Mormon to see if it’s true or not. I firmly believe in Catholicism and that this is where God lead me. But I realized there are things about the Mormon church that I’ve never understood… so thought I’d ask here

thanks

 

[Monica4316]

Some info I found (sorry it’s from Wikipedia ) …it seems very different from Catholicism in parts…

Cosmology and theology

According to Richard Bushman, Smith moved in Nauvoo from “a traditional Christian belief in God as pure spirit to a belief in His corporeality.” In other words, Smith declared that God had a body of flesh and bone and taught that “the great principle of happiness consists in having a body.”

Instead of affirming that there was an eternal God who had created matter, Smith taught that matter was eternal and that it was God who had developed through time and space. God only assembled the earth from preexisting materials and then had drawn on "a cohort of spirits from the pool of eternal intelligences to place upon it."Another striking doctrine revealed to Smith was baptism for the dead, an attempt to join “the generation of humanity from start to finish” by bringing "saving ordinances to the millions who had died without their benefits."During the same period, Smith published the Book of Abraham, his translation of what later turned out to be an ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead that he had purchased from a traveling exhibitor in 1835. The Book of Abraham, canonized by the LDS Church after Smith’s death, also emphasized the plurality of gods, pre-mortal existence, and the concept that the earth had been organized out of preexisting matter.

Thus, in sermons and revelations presented late in his life, Smith declared that God the Father and Jesus have physical bodies, that God the Father was once a man just like human mortals,and that mortal men and women may one day become gods and goddesses in the afterlife. Smith taught that human spirits are immutable, and had neither a beginning nor an end.He taught that spirits existed in a pre-mortal life and that the spirits of human beings are composed of a very refined matter. In the afterlife, spirits of properly initiated Latter Day Saints go to a spirit world where they gradually gain the knowledge they need to achieve godhood.Those who died as children, he taught, would automatically rule as gods in the afterlife without ever growing to adulthood.Smith taught that those who achieve godhood or goddess-hood will constitute the highest of three “degrees” within the highest of three heavens. These gods and goddesses would continue to procreate in the eternities.

Smith did not believe in the creation of the universe ex nihilo but rather believed that the earth had been organized from existing matter billions of years before. He believed the earth itself was just one of many inhabited worlds and that God resided near a planet or star called Kolob.

Religious authority and ritual

A Christian primitivist, Smith viewed his original Church of Christ as a restoration of Early Christianity. In the beginning, Smith’s church was established on the authority of religious experience and Smith’s own charisma. At first, the church had little sense of hierarchy, and Smith was only one of many potential prophets. In succeeding years, Smith established himself as sole prophet of the church, and by 1835 he had organized a hierarchy with five co-equal governing bodies, and three types of priesthood: Melchizedek, Aaronic, and Patriarchal. As unfolded by Smith in the mid-1830s, these priesthoods derived their authority from angelic visitations or lineage.

Beginning with the institution of the Melchizedek or High Priesthood in 1831, which Smith viewed as an “endowment” of heavenly power, Smith periodically introduced other Endowments until he elaborated the Nauvoo Endowment in 1842, which contains symbolism similar to freemasonry.Smith thought these endowments were best performed in temples. Also associated with the High Priesthood were the sealing powers of Elijah, which included the power to seal Mormons to their godhood and exaltation,the key to baptism for the dead,and the mechanism whereby priesthood marriages could become eternal.The most important ritual of the sealing power, which Smith called the “fullness of the priesthood,” was the second anointing, which sealed couples to their eternal godhood and virtually guaranteed their salvation.

Smith also extended his authority to church members’ economic lives. For instance, he tried to implement a form of religious communism, called the United Order, requiring Saints to consecrate all their property to the church. After this system proved a conspicuous failure, he instituted a tithing system to support the church.

 

[Monica4316]

Theology of family

Smith gradually unfolded a theology of family relations called the “New and Everlasting Covenant” that superseded all earthly bonds. Smith taught that outside the Covenant, marriages were simply matters of contract, and Mormons outside the Covenant would be mere ministering angels to those within, who would be gods.To enter the Covenant, a man and woman must participate in a “first anointing,” a “sealing” ceremony, and a “second anointing.” When fully sealed into the Covenant, Smith said that no sin nor blasphemy (other than the eternal sin) could keep them from their “exaltation,” that is their godhood in the afterlife.According to Smith, only one person on earth at a time—in this case, Smith—could possess this power of sealing.

Smith taught that the highest exaltation would be achieved through “plural marriage” (polygamy), which was the ultimate manifestation of this New and Everlasting Covenant. Plural marriage allowed an individual to transcend the angelic state and become a god by gaining an “eternal increase” of posterity.Smith taught and practiced this doctrine secretly but always publicly denied it.Nevertheless, Smith taught that once he revealed the doctrine to anyone, failure to practice it would be to risk God’s wrath.

History and eschatology

Smith taught that during a Great Apostasy, the Bible had degenerated from its original inerrant form, and the “abominable church”, led by Satan, had perverted true Christianity. He viewed himself as the latter-day prophet who restored those lost truths via the Book of Mormon.He described the Book of Mormon as a literal "history of the origins of the Indians."These “Lamanites” as Smith called them, were descendants of Israelite tribes who had received their pigmented skin as a curse for sinfulness.Though Smith first identified Mormons as gentiles, after 1832 he taught that Mormons, too, were literal Israelites.

Smith also claimed to have regained lost truths of sacred history through his revelations and revision of the Bible. For example, he taught that the Garden of Eden had been located in Jackson County, Missouri, that Adam had practiced baptism, that the descendants of Cain were “black,” that Enoch had built a city that was taken to heaven, that Egypt was discovered by the daughter of Ham, that the descendants of Ham were denied the Patriarchal Priesthood, that Abraham had discovered astronomical truths by peering into a Urim and Thummim, that King David had been denied his godhood because of his sin, and that John the Apostle would walk the earth until the Second Coming of Jesus.

Looking to the future, Smith declared that he would be an instrument in fulfilling Nebuchadnezzar’s statue vision in the Book of Daniel: that he was the stone that would destroy secular government, which he would then replace with a theocratic Kingdom of God. Smith taught that this political kingdom would be multidenominational and “democratic” so long as the people chose wisely; but there would be no elections. Though Smith was crowned king, Jesus would periodically appear during the Millennium as the ultimate ruler. Following a thousand years of peace, Judgment Day would be followed by a final resurrection, when all humanity would be assigned to one of three heavenly kingdoms.

 

[ParkerD]

Also… I saw on another thread…

I’m very confused by this. So a bishop must receive his authority from a living apostle… but the early Church bishops did receive their authority from the Apostles when they were alive. So there was and is Apostolic Succession, and it never stopped… why then do you believe the priesthood was lost?

another question is, why would Jesus not instruct the Apostles on how to ensure Apostolic Succession? (I believe He did, and that it continued all these 2000 years and is continuing now)

the reason I’m asking all this, is because I recently talked to someone I know who is a Mormon. He suggested that I pray about the Book of Mormon to see if it’s true or not. I firmly believe in Catholicism and that this is where God lead me. But I realized there are things about the Mormon church that I’ve never understood… so thought I’d ask here

thanks

Monica4316,
It is a pretty simple and straightforward thing to read basic LDS doctrines or to read articles by using links on lds.org that are fairly easy to understand. One can even ask questions from links provided there. The article you pulled up on Wikipedia has several items that are incorrect about Joseph Smith. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing” will always be around, and will always devalue truth, and that is easily done on Wikipedia by anyone with an ax to grind, as on these threads by anyone with an ax to grind.

The LDS belief about communion is that bread and water, symbols of the body and blood of Christ (but not through transubstantiation or transmutation), are partaken by each member who is living worthy through being repentant and through having been baptized if they are old enough to be accountable before God for their sins. Communion partaken worthily leads to keeping the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is another ordinance besides baptism by immersion as an ordinance and the communion itself as an ordinance.

LDS sacred clothing is worn just as one can read about sacred clothing worn in the tabernacle of the children of Israel and Solomon’s temple. It is worn to remind the wearer that they have entered into sacred covenants and are to keep those covenants by remaining worthy in the eyes of God. It is not worn “on the outside” to be “seen of men.”

Temple covenants and ordinances are considered so sacred that they should not be talked about in detail outside of an LDS temple, even by members talking with each other, to show reverence to God for the sacredness of a temple which is truly the “house of the Lord”. Yet basic information about those covenants and ordinances are readily available on lds.org by following the links provided.

Apostles had a special role to preserve pure doctrine and to guide the bishops and other leaders always. There was no evidence that the intent was that the apostles would cease to be a function in the church on earth, except that John saw in vision that the church was going to be taken “into the wilderness” for protection from the “dragon” who sought its destruction. John was the last living apostle on the earth after the deaths of Peter, James, Andrew, Paul, and all the other apostles who were called at any point during AD 30 - AD 70. The function of the apostles holding keys to “bind on earth” and “bind in heaven” was never given to the bishops. It has been assumed to have been given to them by those who have reason to assert their own authority, but that transition is not stated in the Bible.

The Book of Mormon is considered an important book of scripture as is the Bible, and that it provides guidance about how the Holy Spirit provides knowledge to individual people rather than just to the church in some general way, through prayer and sincerity and faith and earnest study. But it is a rare thing for a person to read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and feel anything other than confused unless they have read it several times or have already had many questions in their heart about religious subjects that they haven’t felt have been answered adequately, in which case they have a yearning to find answers from God directly. That yearning is just as important as the act of praying. Receiving answers from God is all about sincerity, faith, hope in Christ, and trust and desires to do God’s will in one’s life. You probably already know this, but it sounds like you are very content with your chosen beliefs–which is fine, they lead to much that is good, and lead to reading the Bible which is a very good thing to do, always in sincerity.

Have a wonderful day, and may God’s peace and blessings be with you always.

 

[Jesus_123]

**+ I posted this on another thread . . . thought it might help here . . . **

• … I was raised as a child in the heart of “Mormon” country here in the United States … Though I knew many Mormons as friends in school and our neighborhood . . . their belief system is known to Catholics and Protestants alike essentially as a CULT . . . and it is an immensely large one . . . and their understandings, definitions and usage of the same religious and scriptural words are RADICALLY different . . .

Definition:
Cult - A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.

thefreedictionary.com/cult

1. 
   *]Mormons do not believe in the Trinity . . . God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
   *]Mormon’s do not believe that Jesus is God . . . as well as not believing that He is God Incarnate . . .
   *]When Mormon’s use the word “Christian” it does not relate in any way to ***Jesus Christ known as God Incarnate - Second Person of our Triune God . . . *** that Catholics and Protestant Christians mean when they use the same term . . .
   *]When they use the word “church” . . . they are not referring to the "Bride-of-Christ/Body-of-Christ (God-Incarnate/God-the-Son)
   
   And the above items are just a few of the many major radical differences between the Mormon cult and Christian Catholic and Protestant beliefs … use of words familiar to Catholics and Protestants . . . have radically different meanings based on Mormon doctrinal interpretation . . . below is a portion of an article that contrasts some of these beliefs . . .
   

   The Mormon Jesus – A Theological Debate

   … When answering the charge of whether the Mormons worship a different Jesus than the other Christian denominations, the former head of the Mormon church, Gordon B. Hinckley, stated that THEY DID [worship a different Jesus], but remained firm that he and every other member of the religion he represented were Christians.

   Theologians point to this doctrine to show that the Mormons worship a different Jesus.
   Mormons do not believe in the Trinity.
   The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are believed to be separate personages.
   This is the area where the “Mormon Jesus” differs.
   The Mormons believe that Jesus is a being with his own body, rather than believing that Jesus is God come to Earth in Human form.

   The Mormon View of Jesus and Its Effect on Other Religions

   … Roman Catholics, for example, do not recognize an LDS [MORMON] baptism as valid.

   Resources: “A Mormon Moment.” Kenneth L. Woodward. Newsweek. September 10, 2001.

   mormonism.suite101.com/articl…xzz0HPjjolWf&A

   "Beloved, believe not every spirit,
   but try the spirits whether they are of God:
   because many false prophets
   are gone out into the world."
   John 4:1
   :bible1:
   
   The Mormon’s concept of God and interpretation of Sacred Scripture is radically different from the Catholic/Protestant Christian’s God and Scripture interpretation . . . even their use of the word Christian has a radically different base and meaning than Catholic/Protestant Christian meaning . . .
   
   Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. …
   Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart,
   and with thy whole soul,
   and with thy whole strength."
   Deuteronomy 6:4-5
   :bible1:
   *Careful folks . . . God bless . . . *
   PRAYER TO
   **SAINT MICHAEL
   THE ARCHANGEL **
   
   St. Michael the Archangel,
   defend us in battle.
   Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
   May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
   and do thou,
   O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
   by the power of God,
   thrust into hell Satan,
   and all the evil spirits,
   who prowl about the world
   seeking the ruin of souls.
   Amen.
   
   
   . . . all for Jesus+
   . . . Precious Blood Of Jesus
   . . . in all Its Ancient Power
   . . . cover all who have been in contact
   with this CAF thread+
   ​

 

[ParkerD]

To the general reader:

Mormons believe that Jesus is Immanuel, God the Son, Alpha and Omega, the Word who was the Creator of this earth and Who came to earth and dwelt among us as God with us, the Anointed One who had been promised as the Messiah and Redeemer of mankind. He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

But Mormons do not believe that God the Son and God the Father are the same Person, nor that They will ever be the Same Person, but are distinct Beings each of Whom love us with perfect love. These Two and the Holy Spirit love all of humankind, and earnestly hope that we can learn to love each other with forgiveness in our hearts and seeking to build peace and feelings of brotherhood among humankind. They do not force belief by fear tactics; They invite belief by love.

Have a peaceful day.

 

[BrianH]

What words are said at a Mormon baptism?

 

[ParkerD]

What words are said at a Mormon baptism?

BrianH,
Here are some important points that provide context about the importance of faith, belief, and repentance, then baptism, and it will answer your question about the ordinance of baptism itself:

Doctrine and Covenants 20:17 By these things we know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them;
18 And that he created man, male and female, after his own image and in his own likeness, created he them;
19 And gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him, the only living and true God, and that he should be the only being whom they should worship.
20 But by the transgression of these holy laws man became sensual and devilish, and became fallen man.
21 Wherefore, the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures which have been given of him.
22 He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them.
23 He was crucified, died, and rose again the third day;
24 And ascended into heaven, to sit down on the right hand of the Father, to reign with almighty power according to the will of the Father;
25 That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved—
26 Not only those who believed after he came in the meridian of time, in the flesh, but all those from the beginning, even as many as were before he came, who believed in the words of the holy prophets, who spake as they were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost, who truly testified of him in all things, should have eternal life,
27 As well as those who should come after, who should believe in the gifts and callings of God by the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and of the Son;
28 Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen.
29 And we know that all men must repent and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and worship the Father in his name, and endure in faith on his name to the end, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

37 And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.

72 Baptism is to be administered in the following manner unto all those who repent—
73 The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
74 Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water.

Baptism is followed either that same day or the following day by the ordinance of the gift of the Holy Ghost to the person who was baptized.

 

[AMDGtoo]

Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

IOW, it is by the power of man. (Not by the power of God.) And I suggest that BrianH might want to be very careful here since it sounds like a Trinitarian formula–one that Christians use. However it is not a Trinitarian formula. The LDS do not believe that God is three in one. The LDS teach that there are three separate gods here and the Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bone. IMO folks, need to consider the “concepts” behind the “words”, or they will be (intentionally?) confused.

 

[TheosisM]

But Mormons do not believe that God the Son and God the Father are the same Person, nor that They will ever be the Same Person…

I know that you did not say this, but I just want it to be known that Trinitarians do not believe that the Father and the Son are the same Person. That would be Modalism or Unitarianism, not Trinitarianism.

 

[TheosisM]

IOW, it is by the power of man. (Not by the power of God.) And I suggest that BrianH might want to be very careful here since it sounds like a Trinitarian formula–one that Christians use. However it is not a Trinitarian formula. The LDS do not believe that God is three in one. The LDS teach that there are three separate gods here and the Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bone. IMO folks, need to consider the “concepts” behind the “words”, or they will be (intentionally?) confused.

I agree that it is important to know the concepts behind the words. It is why I always pay attention to Trinity discussions, since many do not understand the concept behind words like “being” and “person”, as used over 1000 years ago when the Trinity doctrine was formally defined.

It is also why I stay away from phrases like “three in one”, since it doesn’t really tell us anything. “Three in one” what? Mormons believe that there are three beings/personages (here “being” and “person” can and are used interchangeably since it is using the modern understanding of such words, where we say things like “human being” and “[human] person” interchangeably) that are one in purpose, intent, love, etc. So they certainly believe in a “three in one” concept, though it of course is not the Trinity. The Trinity is the belief that there are three Persons that are one being (ousia), “being” here used in a more ancient way, since it is specifically translated from the Greek “ousia” (remembering that the Trinity doctrine was not formally defined in English, so we are using translations of the original words). “Being” is also used interchangeably with “essence” or “substance” (from the Latin “substantia”, which in turn was a translation of Greek “ousia”).

I’m sure you knew this already, I just needed to clarify for others.

 

[RebeccaJ]

The simplest way to understand the difference is that LDS are polytheist. They do not believe in One God, but three gods, at least. They also believe in a “heavenly mother”, who is a goddess.

Another important difference is their god they call “God the Father” is a created being, having been created by a previous god, that god being created by another god, and so on and so forth, into an infinite regression of gods creating gods.

Their gods theology includes a “council of gods”. Their scriptures indicate that gods (plural) created the earth.

They employ Christian terms to describe their belief, but as has already been pointed out, the meaning behind these terms is not recognizable by any who believe in, and worship, the Holy Trinity.

 

[dianaiad]

Hi

I have a couple questions for those here who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints.

I’m just wondering…

What is your view on Communion? Do you believe in the Eucharist too?

You have been given several very good answers, Monica. I’ll just chime in because, well…I can.

First, we believe that the “Sacrament” (which is what we call Communion) is the symbol of Jesus’ broken body and His blood, which was shed for us. For us it is a renewal of our baptismal covenants and a time to remember and celebrate His Atonement. Our most important church meeting is called “Sacrament Meeting,” because the taking of the Sacrament is the center, and the true purpose of, that meeting. If we can’t attend any OTHER meetings that week, we try to attend that one.

what are the ordinances? Is that like Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, Communion? or something else?

That’s a good list…Baptism is an ordinance, and so is confirmation. We don’t have confession, but the Sacrament (communion) is an ordinance. Marriage is, and we do specific ordinances in the Temple that we call “Endowments.” Those are basically instructions and promises that we make there.

Also, this is kind of a silly question but I keep on hearing about it… is it true you have to wear a special type of garment in the temple, and also a special undergarment at all times?

Yep, that’s true. Just as many Christians wear crosses to remind themselves of who they are, and just as many Christian clergy wear special collars, habits, clothing…all to remind themselves and others of their faith, so we wear 'the garment." The difference is that we wear the garment next to our skin, under our regular clothing, because the intent is to remind US of who we are. I think that the scapular might be a good comparison, for those who wear that. It too is worn under clothing as a personal reminder.

and - please don’t take this the wrong way… not my intent… but why does there seem to be so much secrecy in the Mormon church?

There really isn’t any. If you want to learn what goes on in the Temple, for instance, you can learn the basics from lds.org…or if you want to see the precise script, it’s on the web. We don’t try to sue anybody or get it removed. However, because we see our Temple experiences as sacred, we don’t talk about it outside Temple walls–even with each other.

I"ve been around awhile, and have talked to a LOT of different people, and I’ve come to really appreciate that there is one place where I can go that no memory of harsh or mocking words can come with me. Even when (as often happens) I have to navigate a gauntlet of anti-Mormons being incredibly disrespectful and profane about my beliefs and practices to enter a Temple, once in there, it’s all peace. It’s the one place that is ours. I appreciate that very much. However, you didn’t make any promises not to talk about it…so you can go look all you want to. Just don’t talk to ME about it.

Maybe I’m wrong… but why can only Mormons come to the temple,

It’s not just 'only Mormons." It’s only worthy Mormons. Not every Mormon can go.

and why learn about the faith in ‘steps’?

For the same reason one can only learn anything in steps. First you need to learn to add two and two before you get hit with calculus…and before you learn about the intricacies of the Catholic idea of transubstantiation, you need to understand who Christ was, and what the Atonement was about.

For example in the Catholic Church, anyone can just pick up the Catechism and learn all there is to know about Catholicism, and can visit Mass just for interest… is there a theological reason for keeping so much hidden?

thanks!

There aren’t any secret books in Mormonism, Monica. I think you have us mixed up with someone else.

 

[PaulDupre]

But Mormons do not believe that God the Son and God the Father are the same Person, nor that They will ever be the Same Person, but are distinct Beings each of Whom love us with perfect love.

Catholics also do not believe that God the Father and God the Son are the same person. But we believe they are, with the Holy Spirit, one in being.

Mormons would do well to learn the difference between persons and beings.

Paul (a former Mormon, now happily Catholic)

 

[lil_flower_luv]

• … I was raised as a child in the heart of “Mormon” country here in the United States … Though I knew many Mormons as friends in school and our neighborhood . . . their belief system is known to Catholics and Protestants alike essentially as a CULT . . . and it is an immensely large one . . . and their understandings, definitions and usage of the same religious and scriptural words are RADICALLY different . . .

1. 
   *]Mormons do not believe in the Trinity . . . God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
   *]Mormon’s do not believe that Jesus is God . . . as well as not believing that He is God Incarnate . . .
   *]When Mormon’s use the word “Christian” it does not relate in any way to ***Jesus Christ known as God Incarnate - Second Person of our Triune God . . . *** that Catholics and Protestant Christians mean when they use the same term . . .
   *]When they use the word “church” . . . they are not referring to the "Bride-of-Christ/Body-of-Christ (God-Incarnate/God-the-Son)
   
   And the above items are just a few of the many major radical differences between the Mormon cult and Christian Catholic and Protestant beliefs … use of words familiar to Catholics and Protestants . . . have radically different meanings based on Mormon doctrinal interpretation . . . below is a portion of an article that contrasts some of these beliefs . . .
   The Mormon’s concept of God and interpretation of Sacred Scripture is radically different from the Catholic/Protestant Christian’s God and Scripture interpretation . . . even their use of the word Christian has a radically different base and meaning than Catholic/Protestant Christian meaning . . .

1. 
   I did not know all of this. Thank you very much for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

 

[adrift]

John was the last living apostle on the earth after the deaths of Peter, James, Andrew, Paul, and all the other apostles who were called at any point during AD 30 - AD 70. The function of the apostles holding keys to “bind on earth” and “bind in heaven” was never given to the bishops. It has been assumed to have been given to them by those who have reason to assert their own authority, but that transition is not stated in the Bible.

It was my understanding that John did not die and that he is still on earth somewhere. Is this correct?

 

[ParkerD]

I did not know all of this. Thank you very much for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

Lil,
Please be aware that several items in that post were incorrect. Thus, the writer of that post acts in a condition of being a “false teacher” which is an unfortunate position to be in, it would seem from the Bible.

 

[ParkerD]

It was my understanding that John did not die and that he is still on earth somewhere. Is this correct?

Adrift,

The apostle John was promised that he could stay on the earth because he wanted to still bring people to a knowledge of Christ instead of being subject to death at a normal age. That promise was to continue until the Second Coming of Christ, which hasn’t happened yet so “yes”, he goes among people in “hidden” places on the earth, among people who do not know that they are being visited by that beloved apostle, but only know that they have been visited by someone who shared a message with them about Christ.

Blessings to you, Adrift.

 

[dianaiad]

I did not know all of this. Thank you very much for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

well, lil_flower, I personally would take all of that with a couple of large salt licks. The man is incorrect about pretty much everything.