tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-334870762024-03-13T00:21:12.698-07:00Graceful Disclosureexploring religious ideas and organizations that keep us from authentic faith and relationshipsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-24578547320616291042018-05-02T07:46:00.000-07:002018-05-02T07:46:28.711-07:00Can We Stop Calling it ‘Jehovah’s Organization’?
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I feel sick to my stomach. And sad. But mostly sick. Well, and sad too. I just read two more articles about men in JW leadership that got away with multiple and repeated sexual abuse of children due largely to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s policy on handling all such incidents internally and not reporting to the police.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>You can read about them <a href="https://www.fvn.no/nyheter/norgeogverden/i/xRWkJp/The-Elder" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2018/mar/02/ticker-watchtower-done-looking-other-way/?templates=desktop" target="_blank">here</a>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbe32xipJRdpb2_w-L45-nr_UIrPqTbVseZkbHVEAihbLHVyAg1rFfSwsiQvYNcHqDCdqQe0ylZI242eSLy3WF7sB1UFCei8DA1grj8hvCVWonna-ayGrEaHE07J0FyWNmqPf/s1600/WT-Sexual-Abuse-News-collage.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1084" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbe32xipJRdpb2_w-L45-nr_UIrPqTbVseZkbHVEAihbLHVyAg1rFfSwsiQvYNcHqDCdqQe0ylZI242eSLy3WF7sB1UFCei8DA1grj8hvCVWonna-ayGrEaHE07J0FyWNmqPf/s640/WT-Sexual-Abuse-News-collage.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JW Sexual Scandal Headline Collage by FVN</td></tr>
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From what I can see this is the tip of the iceberg. These and numerous other articles also detail the WT Society’s failure to provide court ordered documents, cooperate with authorities and take responsibility for their policies. In addition, they have chosen to settle multiple cases out of court for undisclosed sums of money, which would indicate there is truth to the allegations. In one case the Elder was finally caught in the act of sexually abusing a young girl, convicted and jailed. </div>
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As one reviews the cases the leaders of the organization appear to care more about protecting their public image then protecting children, they prioritize hiding sin over repenting, and they seem to value maintaining an image more than coming clean and changing.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This is the way corrupt politicians and corporations operate and is completely counter to the God of the Bible. He is committed to holiness, honesty, integrity and purity.</div>
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What is so sad is that Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to work street corners and neighborhoods offering literature and book studies they claim come from God’s only true religious group, unaware of their organizations history of deception.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Their primary goal is to attract more people who, like themselves, will become first and foremost loyal to ‘Jehovah’s organization.’<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In my experience many, maybe even the majority, of these JWs are sincere and dedicated. Yet their sincerity and loyalty does not keep them from being sincerely wrong and deceived. The most loving thing we can do is offer them the chance to break free from a morally and spiritually corrupt religion so they can turn to Jesus. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<b>Connecting with the JW at your Door</b></div>
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So the next time you have an opportunity to encounter a JW, or walk by one of their literature stands maybe try this, or a variation of this series of questions:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Are you one of Jehovah’s Witnesses? [Yes]</li>
<li>Do you believe Jehovah is a God of holiness, honesty and purity? [Yes]</li>
<li>Do you believe it is right for Christians or those who claim to be followers of Jehovah and his son Jesus Christ to be members of morally impure or corrupt religious or political corporations? [No].</li>
<li>What do you think about the sexual scandal that has impacted the Roman Catholic Church? </li>
<li>What do you think of the idea that the Roman Catholic Church is God's only true religion?</li>
</ul>
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At this point, feel free to find points of agreement with them. Then begin a series of follow-up questions.</div>
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<ul>
<li>May I ask you a favor? [Sure / Yes]</li>
<li>Is your literature published by the Watchtower Society [Yes]</li>
<li>Are you aware that this organization has covered up and enabled sexual abusers with their corporate policies in ways that are similar to what has happened with the Roman Catholic Church?</li>
<li>Does it seem right that an organization that does this sort of thing should associate itself with Jehovah’s name?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>If you are truly loyal to Jehovah God would you please consider doing three things? [Suspicious, what?]</li>
<li>First, investigate these abuse allegations and the Watchtower’s response for yourself.</li>
<li>Second, please stop referring to the Watchtower Society as Jehovah's organization. </li>
<li>Third, take time to read the Bible like a child in a version other than your Bible (the New World Translation). Experience Jehovah’s word without the influence of any organizational literature. Because if it turns out the Watchtower is just another corrupt, performance-based human organization, its Bible interpretations are suspect and quite possible in error.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Don’t you think you’d be better off trusting in God’s Holy Spirit to guide you to see and understand the truth?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I would recommend Paul’s letter to the Romans and John’s Gospel as good places to start.</li>
</ul>
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<li>And again, please, please stop referring to the Watchtower Society as ‘Jehovah’s organization,’ at least until you’ve investigated the matter for yourself.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I think we would both agree that it would be a terrible thing to associate Jehovah’s holy name and character with a morally corrupt organization.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></li>
</ul>
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<li>Thank you so much. Please feel free to come back again if you need a safe place to explore and talk about the truth. </li>
</ul>
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<b>Compassion not Outrage is the Key</b></div>
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The key to being effective with this conversation is leading from a heart that is truly broken and compassionate for the individual JW.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The extent of the Watchtower organization’s involvement in this sexual abuse, as well as its history of false prophecies, manipulation and false doctrine, is often largely unknown to the average JW.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> So if your questions provoke a strong or even hostile response, that is a <i>good</i> sign. It means this matter has touched a nerve and made an impact. Remain calm and patient regardless of the reaction. We must remember that t</span>he Watchtower’s actions <i>should</i> provoke moral outrage, but it is inappropriate and ineffective for us to direct this at the person with whom we are speaking.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are most likely neither aware of the breadth of the scandal nor responsible for it.</div>
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The greater the depth of our love and compassion for people, the deeper the seeds of truth will sink into their heart and mind.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Once planted there, the Holy Spirit can begin a work of conviction that will yield the fruit of repentance and faith.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>We want to come alongside the JW as their friend and ally in their own quest for truth.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-converted-space">Want to study more about the Jehovah's Witness religious system from a biblical perspective? Find more information here: <a href="http://wit.irr.org/" target="_blank">http://wit.irr.org/</a></span></div>
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And as always your comments and follow-up questions are welcome.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-13419125622209616352017-12-20T17:42:00.000-08:002017-12-20T17:42:47.784-08:00How to Respond When Your Faith Gets Blindsided<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, what do we say when we get that “out of the blue” factoid
that claims to slam-dunk our faith? Here are three things you can do to
minimize panic and conflict.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I got a call from a friend the other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’d encountered a challenge to the deity of
Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was something about if you
knew Greek and were familiar with the Septuagint then it was obvious Jesus was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was bothering a friend of his and this was a new assertion to him so he
wanted my take on it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, this was a new one to me too, so I went with my go-to reply when I don’t have an immediate answer: “Let me do some research and get back to
you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<o:p style="font-size: x-large;"> </o:p><i style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Cambria;"><b>Craziness is easy to produce but harder to support.</b></i><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 16px;"> </span></blockquote>
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But it got me thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, in this day of information chaos, fake news, new 'truth' and having
to debunk the debunkers, what does a discerning, wise, even biblical response
to claims that blindside our beliefs look like? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Here are three elements to a discerning, redemptive
response.</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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1) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Don’t directly
engage the controversy.</b> We are under no obligation to immediately answer random jabs at our faith. So it might be best to ignore the main point of the attack, resist the
urge to counter with your favorite Bible verses on the subject, and don’t
debate. Why? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The apostle Paul wrote <i>“And
the Lord’s servant must not quarrel"</i> (2 Tim. 2:24). Immediately countering a
claim without understanding why it’s being brought up is akin to trying to kill
a weed by pulling off one of its leaves; it is fairly ineffective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The issue is way deeper. To
eliminate bad fruit, kill the root. But first you have to find the root. Here’s
how.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Listen and ask
clarifying questions. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
greatly diminish the intended shock factor by minimizing your reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A one-word response like “Fascinating” or
“Intriguing” followed by questions that show you are open to hear more
minimizes the chance for debate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again,
Paul is instructive,<i> “… must not quarrel, but be kind to everyone, able to
teach" </i>(v. 24). Immediate debate only creates a scenario where no one is heard
and no one wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, use questions
like: “Is this really important to you?” “What do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> think about that?” or “Have you been thinking about this a
lot?” Such questions divert the energy and focus of the conversation back to the
questioner without tension or defensiveness and give us an opportunity to learn
more about them, and why this has impacted their thinking and beliefs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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3) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ask for sources. </b>There
are very few unique or new ideas (Solomon would say there is nothing new) so
it’s good to find out where this particular idea came from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Place the burden of proof and validity for
the idea back on them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can they tell you
where this theory or claim originated? Did they look into it themselves? Has
anyone provided a critical evaluation of the idea or assertion? After all, the
bolder and more radical the claim, the greater the need for it to have come
from a credible, reliable source, and the more important it is that it be
backed by sound reason and documentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Craziness is easy to produce but
harder to support.</i> So when someone challenges Christian teachings and beliefs
that have thousands of years of historical validity and attestation – such as
the deity of Jesus – they need to earn the right to have the idea be granted
serious consideration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Often we’ll find the claim had no more weight than
tissue paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some cases the person
presenting the problem has already rejected the belief being attacked by the claim. They
accepted the assertion not because it was well-documented or logical but because it validated an already-held point of view. When we refrain from reacting strongly or defensively we invite the person into a deeper
consideration of the issue, and maybe a critical evaluation of the evidence that
exposes falsehood and points them toward truth. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is turn may open the door for us to encourage the
person to evaluate the weighty and extensive biblical and historical evidence
for the veracity of the point they were attacking. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At the very least, incorporating these three elements into
our response can help defuse a potentially conflictive situation and keep us out
of spiritual panic and drama. None of us have all the answers and we all have limited emotional and social strength. This way we can conserve it for engaging redemptively in the issues and
relationships that matter most. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">For sound, well-documented articles on a variety of spiritual issues <a href="http://bib.irr.org/" target="_blank">visit IRR.org</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-41299031490727292392017-06-13T09:49:00.001-07:002017-06-13T11:14:35.197-07:00When Heroing Hurts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2LFO5VrsW6JpI4A1WT0yej03YScGBwsrey4QPxhHz5gxXLF7eyG4YPuJPyv6L3-tMhKsFWmMoFFcqulg-36OJMINOHtuIE-fQHzFPg4enC1b1-NGofVO8R01hjuEJew65NEF/s1600/Pirates-5-two-heroes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1553" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2LFO5VrsW6JpI4A1WT0yej03YScGBwsrey4QPxhHz5gxXLF7eyG4YPuJPyv6L3-tMhKsFWmMoFFcqulg-36OJMINOHtuIE-fQHzFPg4enC1b1-NGofVO8R01hjuEJew65NEF/s200/Pirates-5-two-heroes.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The stories we love the most have a hero or heroine, or better yet, a hero and a heroine. And its even better if the two of them fall in love. When I read a book or watch a movie I want noble heroes and happy endings.<br />
<br />
But at times when I watch a great hero story, underneath my excitement and joy over good triumphing there is something darker - something that smacks of envy, jealousy, discontent. Why? Because deep down, I wish that hero was me. Something in me longs for that rush of self-satisfaction, the pleasure of "feeling good about me", to know, or at least believe, I came through, I matter, I made a difference, I am valuable and therefore worthy of acceptance, approval, love. But the operative word is always "I." And therein lies the potential relational toxicity.<br />
<br />
Is it wrong to come through, or to want to come through? I don't think so. We were created to be in relationships, to love, help, encourage, protect, care, save even. But why do we want to do it? And what happens if we don't succeed? Those two questions, related to motive and outcome, make all the difference.<br />
<br />
If my primary motivation for entering into another's story is so I can feel good about me, so I can get a hit of the 'hero' drug to calm or dispel my own fear of feeling inadequate, worthless, or insignificant, my 'heroing' has hurt. Instead of being curious and caring I've pried. Instead of being open and invitational I've demanded more details. Instead of listening to a hurting or confused heart, I've rushed to dispense my wisdom and insight. And at the end of it all, instead of being humbled by my own inadequacy in the face of another's deep pain, tragedy or chaos, I've felt proud of how much they shared and how much I was there for them. Or, if it didn't go well from my perspective, if I failed in my heroing, I've felt bummed, frustrated and empty. Tragically, regardless of the outcome, if my motive was me I remained oblivious to how much damage I did and how much I likely hindered the true work of the Holy Spirit.<br />
<br />
I have a reminder on my desk, a small, three-sided piece of engraved marble that I've looked at numerous times while writing this. On one side it has black felt so it doesn't scratch my desk. On a second side it has Colossians 3:17, "Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." On the third side it has this from Mother Teresa:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We can do no great things; only small things with great love."</blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP_n231lqVG5XvZo3mmsQh1CJzJF11tq6rxVKPb-dT56brz6jACbB6fv-MHDzMsEcuVLMVX-hrZEz8gtkCLzDSvU10E11fp44JpZyoVzJKMbwCKevlq38oFfLNnXgt2I-vnei/s1600/IMG_9471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOP_n231lqVG5XvZo3mmsQh1CJzJF11tq6rxVKPb-dT56brz6jACbB6fv-MHDzMsEcuVLMVX-hrZEz8gtkCLzDSvU10E11fp44JpZyoVzJKMbwCKevlq38oFfLNnXgt2I-vnei/s200/IMG_9471.JPG" width="200" /></a>I bought it years ago when I recognized my penchant for wanting to do great things so I could feel good about me. The Holy Spirit used it to prick my ego bubble and remind me that my job is to love and point people to Jesus as the true Hero of everyone's story.<br />
<br />
But man, that selfish desire to be the hero runs deep in me, a dragon that has to be slain over and over again. Gratefully, Jesus has instilled an even deeper desire in my new heart, a desire to embrace my own inadequacy as the necessary starting point for loving well, and to cultivate a mindset that trusts that God is Hero enough, both for me and anyone He brings my way.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-70461694844396225762017-06-09T16:04:00.000-07:002017-06-09T16:04:29.562-07:00<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div class="p1">
<b>3 Reasons Why Mormon Racism Won’t Go Away</b></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
Nearly 40 years after the LDS Church officially removed religious restrictions for its members of African ancestry, Black Mormons are still hearing the N-word—from fellow “temple worthy” Mormons. </div>
<div class="p3">
A recent <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/5371962-155/39-years-later-priesthood-ban-is" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Salt Lake Tribune article by Peggy Fletcher Stack</a> highlighted this and other racial issues within the Mormon Church. These problems persist despite pronouncements from leaders and the publication of an <a href="https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">official essay on Race</a> available on the church website. </div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
The troubling question is “Why”?</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
I think there are three reasons that go to the heart of what’s wrong with Mormon religion today.</div>
<ol class="ol1">
<li class="li3"><i>Mormon leaders have never truly repented of the bigotry and racism endemic to their own religious system.</i></li>
<li class="li3"><i>Mormon leaders have never disavowed their canonized Scriptures used to support and defend their racist policies and practices.</i></li>
<li class="li3"><i>Mormon leaders are more committed to the growth of the organization than they are to the truth of Jesus Christ that can truly transform lives.</i></li>
</ol>
<b style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">1. Mormon leaders have not repented. </b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">To this date, neither the LDS First Presidency nor the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have ever confessed the bigotry and racism practiced and justified in the name of God for what it was and is — an evil, sinful, wrongful, maligning and denigrating treatment of people made in the image of God.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">And there is no way that the statements made by LDS leaders right up to the time the ban was lifted can be construed as anything other than rank racism.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><i style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://mit.irr.org/category/race" target="_blank">Read the statements by Brigham Young and later LDS leaders for yourself.</a></i><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://mit.irr.org/category/race" target="_blank"> </a> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Repentance involves confessing and acknowledging the wrong that has been done, taking responsibility for it and turning and going in the opposite direction because you own the fact that your previous direction was wrong, hurtful and unjustifiable. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Not only have LDS leaders been silent when it comes to owning and repenting of their sin, they have attempted to dodge and minimize the seriousness of their religiously institutionalized racism by justifying it or attempting to deny there was any true corporate racism happening. They have resorted to cherry-picking random historical facts (like Joseph Smith ordaining Elijah Abel) as if that somehow offsets or allows them to now dismiss decades of racist teachings and practices.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span></div>
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<i style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">As long as LDS leaders at the highest level continue to justify or minimize the racism of previous leaders and the organization as a whole, their members will continue to feel justified in their racism.</i><br /><b style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">2. Mormon Scripture still supports racism.</b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">One of the primary reasons prior LDS leaders would not remove the ban, was because they said they </span><i style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">could not </i><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">remove the ban.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">The curse on Blacks as pertaining to the priesthood and the dark skin of other races was God’s doing and was recorded in their Scriptures.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">See for example: </span><a href="http://mit.irr.org/racism-in-book-of-mormon" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><span class="s1"><b>Racism in the Book of Mormon</b></span></a><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">, and </span><a href="http://mit.irr.org/blacks-and-book-of-moses" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><span class="s1"><b>Blacks and the Book of Moses</b></span></a><b style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">. </b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">These Scriptures are still accepted and endorsed as the foundational sources for Mormon religious belief and practice.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Until these sources are disavowed, pronounced false and erroneous, and removed from the Mormon canon, LDS people will find justification for their own racism in them.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Why should they not - they are ‘scripture.’</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><i>Interesting side note:</i></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">If LDS leaders actually believed their own Scriptures contained the express will of God, they would not have felt a need to lift the priesthood restriction.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">They would, to this day, continue to hold to what was taught previously, not caring one whit about public sentiment - valuing more what they understood to be revelation from God than the opinions of men.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">The fact is, LDS leaders have repeatedly changed core doctrines when these became unpopular and threatened the growth or well-being of the organization.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Which brings us to the third reason racism in the LDS Church won’t go away.</span><br /><b style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<b style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">3. Mormon leaders value growth and promotion of the organization over Truth.</b><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">The facts surrounding the lifting of the ban via a press release in June of 1978 indicate the driving force and primary motivation for removing the race restrictions was a desire for growth and greater world-wide expansion. LDS growth in Brazil was greatly hampered by the ban, and it was going to get worse with the opening of a Mormon temple in Sāo Paulo where most of the members who worked on the temple would not be allowed in it.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">The rituals necessary for eternal life would be only available to those completely free of Black blood.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">For similar reasons, LDS work in Africa was nearly non-existent prior to the lifting of the priesthood ban. Since that time Africa has become one of the fastest-growing Mormon regions in the world.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Meanwhile, in the USA, until it was removed, the priesthood restriction on blacks was a growing social blight for the LDS church, hampering its proselytizing and tarnishing its image. The priesthood restriction on blacks had become a social and demographic liability to what LDS leaders valued most - numeric growth and a good public image.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">The commitment on the part of LDS leaders to growth rather than truth has become increasingly obvious over time as LDS leaders have dodged issues like racism, Joseph Smith’s 30+ adulterous relationships, the fraudulent nature of the Book of Abraham, and the multiple, oft-conflicting versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Rather than openly acknowledging and admitting the problems they instead have chosen to go with carefully crafted statements, limited admissions (of what can no longer be denied), and blame-shifting. Their actions resemble far more the damage-control maneuverings of shifty politicians than the transparent, straightforward proclamation of truth that characterizes true prophets.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">In so doing, they send a clear message to their members about what Mormons should value most - protecting the image of the organization and its leaders at all costs, even at the cost of truth itself.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">This in turn creates a religious culture of deception and an increase in unethical behavior. When such behavior is justified for the growth and good of the organization, it is but a small step to then mislead and manipulate the membership as a whole for the greater corporate good.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">Thus, when commitment to truth at all costs is sacrificed to organizational expediency, the caring, loving treatment of “brothers” and “sisters,” those who are fellow members of the group, takes a backseat to the pursuit of personal or corporate agendas, or a person’s own biases and prejudices.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px;">This guarantees the perpetuation of issues like racism rather than their eradication.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>Some Hope for Change?</b></span></span><div class="p3" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
It is encouraging, however to see that some LDS people are recognizing these issues. Stack, in her article quotes Bryndis Roberts, a black Mormon as saying: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
The church's ‘race problem’ is ‘much larger and runs much deeper than most of us would like to admit’ and the source is found ‘in its teachings, its actions and its inactions.’</blockquote>
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The question is, will LDS leaders come to the same conclusion? In order for Mormon racism to truly become a thing of the past, and LDS people to experience internal spiritual transformation, LDS leaders will need to embrace truth and Jesus’ kingdom values over corporate values. Then they will need to take appropriate, repentant and redemptive action no matter what the cost. After all, what does it profit a General Authority to gain the whole corporation and lose his soul? </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-75691751601015342422017-01-09T08:33:00.000-08:002017-01-09T08:33:46.072-08:00When ‘Alarming Truths’ Turn Out to be Sad Falsehoods<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>I can see why it would be hard to stay Mormon these days.</i>
LDS leaders can no longer maintain or indiscriminately promote their carefully
manicured image of the church.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="http://mit.irr.org/category/joseph-smith" style="font-size: 12pt;">Joseph Smith</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> looks less
prophet-like with every new disclosure.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">They
have now made </span><a href="http://mit.irr.org/new-mormon-statement-on-race-and-priesthood" style="font-size: 12pt;">Brigham
Young</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> the scapegoat for decades of racist teachings and practices. The
lies, deception and cover-ups of other LDS leaders involved with polygamy are
an Internet search away. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Even current
LDS </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90EJXrG01O0" style="font-size: 12pt;">Apostle Jeffrey R
Holland</a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is shown to have deliberately misled students at Harvard.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet what is sad is the response of some LDS faithful who
choose to stay. Rather than being grateful for their brothers and sisters who
transition to other churches of historical Christianity, there seems to be a concerted
effort to smear any spiritual alternative to their own Mormon faith. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In doing so they appear willing to ignore
facts and perpetuate falsehood if this will bolster the image of the Mormon
Church. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One example is a recent error-filled blog post titled “The
Alarming Truth Behind Anti-Mormonism.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Posted on Jan 2, 2017 by Dustin Phelps, in just
a matter of days it had been shared over 30k times. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Phelps states his purpose upfront: “to expose what
anti-Mormonism is and what its objectives really are.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much does he get right? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, very little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On closer examination the ‘Alarming Truths’
proposed by Phelps turn out to be little more than sad and quite misleading
falsehoods.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sad Falsehood #1:
There is only one credible alternative to the Restored Gospel – and that
alternative is Atheism<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Despite how much LDS people want to be accepted as 'fellow Christians" by non-Mormons, Phelps appears unwilling to share the Christian label with anyone who chooses to leave the LDS fold. For the Mormon religion there are only two
churches, - itself (the one true church, the church of the Lamb), and the
church of the devil (1 Nephi 14:10). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Phelps builds on the Mormon church’s own foundational
presupposition that it is the only valid spiritual game in town, and makes
several jarringly false statements about why it’s <i>“simply impossible to leave
the Restored Gospel for another version of Christianity without realizing you
have lost so many of its essential elements.”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be that Phelps realizes that if
Joseph was a false prophet then nothing unique to Mormonism is necessarily true?
Is this why he responds to criticism of Mormonism by attacking historic Christianity
and its Scriptures?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He states:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
basically every reason to doubt
Mormonism is a good reason to doubt Christianity. Not enough archaeological
evidence of the Book of Mormon? Feel like some of the archaeological evidence
might contradict the Book of Mormon? The same is true of the Bible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is false and simply a smokescreen to hide the evidence. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The general archaeological reliability of the Bible is
well-established and has been for centuries. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For specific examples and quotes from renown
archaeologists <a href="http://mit.irr.org/bones-stones-and-scriptures-has-archaeology-helped-or-hurt-bible">see
this article</a>. In contrast, the glaring lack of credible Book of Mormon
archaeology is <a href="http://mit.irr.org/category/book-of-mormon/science-ancient-history-and-book-of-mormon">amply
documented.</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Next Phelps addresses another main reason Mormons are
questioning their religious system – Joseph’s polygamy: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Joseph Smith offends Western
sensibility? Not nearly as badly as prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Joshua. A quick gander at the Old Testament shows that Joseph Smith has a
relatively immaculate record (based on Western standards) compared to many of
the prophets who came before him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Again, an audaciously
false statement in light of the historical facts. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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The moral failures of biblical personages are portrayed as
exactly that – moral failures with often far-reaching consequences, and when David,
for example is confronted with his adultery and murder, he immediately repents
and turns from his sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph Smith, on
the other hand, sins repeatedly, lies about it, attempts to cover it up and
hide it and never repents. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile,
leaders of the LDS church have done all they can to hide, minimize and excuse
his behavior. The LDS church cannot have it both ways. Either everything Joseph
said and did regarding his multiple wives and the stories he told them to
convince them to go along with his advances were true or they were not. Either
Joseph was simply and obediently reinstating and following the Old Testament
pattern of polygamy per God’s command (which always involved physically
consummating the relationship – what was the point otherwise), or he was lying
about it and manipulating teenage girls and other men’s wives, and God had
nothing to do with it. As Dr. Rob Bowman has amply documented in his extensive
response to this same article, <a href="http://www.religiousresearcher.org/2017/01/06/the-alarming-truths-of-so-called-anti-mormonism/">Joseph’s
polygamy little resembles the polygamy of the OT</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So it is sheer nonsense to assert as Dustin Phelps does
that: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“And so we find that arguments
against Joseph Smith are really arguments against all the prophets”.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There are numerous and well-documented reasons why the most
logical conclusion in light of what we know of Joseph’s life and character is
that <a href="http://mit.irr.org/why-we-cannot-believe-in-joseph-smith">he
should not be accepted as a true prophet of God</a> – none of which apply to
the prophets and apostles of the Bible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Phelps is dodging the real issues and problems with Joseph’s conduct and
misdirecting his fellow LDS members with false information and false
affirmations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sad Falsehood #2:
Anti-Mormonism isn’t just about getting people to lose faith in our Church,
it’s about getting people to lose faith in God, in Christ, in revelation, in
religion.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is as shameful as
it is sad as it is false.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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For many former Mormons and outreach ministries the goal in
exposing the lies, deceit and false teachings of Mormonism is all about helping
people find the truth – the very thing Jesus said would set them free. There
are thousands of people who have turned from LDS religion to a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ, who love their Heavenly Father more than ever,
who are receiving revelation in the form of daily guidance from the Word of
God, the Holy Spirit of God and the people of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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They have realized that the external ‘goodness’ and ‘niceness’
of being Mormon (and LDS people can be some of the kindest, nicest and
sincerest people you will ever meet) will never remove the guilt, pressure and
ongoing sense of failure they feel when they are honest about how far short
they fall of God’s standard of perfect holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many former Mormons have realized that if
grace is only going to come “after all they can do” they will never get grace,
because no one, anywhere, at any time has ever done ‘all they can do.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So instead they have repented of trying to
earn God’s favor, of working to achieve worthiness, and in humble gratitude
have accepted the double-transfer Jesus died to offer – all their sin, guilt,
failure and falling short are exchanged for Jesus’ perfect righteousness, his
absolute holiness and his totally measuring up to the Father’s standard of
perfection. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The result is a confident and close relationship with God
built on faith and trust in Him, more gratitude in life, more intimacy with
Jesus Christ and more acts of service done from a grateful heart of love in
response to the great gift of grace and mercy they’ve been given. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Hardly the atheism in any of its facets portrayed by Phelps.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, it is true that way too many LDS people when learning
the truth about their religion move toward atheism and agnosticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But their choice to ignore God and his son
Jesus Christ does not make Mormonism true anymore than an abused woman’s choice
to ignore good counsel and get drunk or high now means her abuser is a man of
love and integrity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bad response to a
bad situation does not turn the bad situation good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I would like to suggest that so many former LDS people turn
to "atheism” rather than to Jesus Christ himself because they have been
part of a system that creates practical atheists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not they don’t believe there is a God,
but even as they live as “good Mormons” they’ve never turned to Christ alone
for the answer to their sin problem, nor sought to trust God alone for their
spiritual needs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So many LDS people today have a testimony of Joseph Smith
and the Book of Mormon and of their own good works and a sense of pride at all
they are doing to get mercy they've earned, and grace that comes after all they
can do. But they have never come broken and empty handed, drawn by the Holy
Spirit of God to true faith and repentance, trusting in Christ alone to reconcile
them to God the Father as the one and only God who has existed or ever will
exist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mormonism’s appeal is an appeal to the prideful flesh of
man, adding his own work to the work of Christ, pulling himself up by his own
bootstraps. Such appeals will never bring about the brokenness and humility and
stark recognition of our sinfulness in the presence of an absolutely Holy God
who cannot tolerate even the least amount of sin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So when religious, prideful, self-confident people find:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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a) Their religious source of information to be unreliable
(as has happened in the wake of the 13 Church essays finally admitting what
critics of Joseph and the Mormon system have been decrying for decades)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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b) Their 'spiritual' leaders from Joseph Smith on are little
more than savvy, at times dishonest business men and politicians who strive to
make good PR-based decisions to keep a religious corporation growing, and<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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c) Their temple ceremonies that have cost them 10% of their
income have more to do with freemasonry and occultism than revelation from God,
it is not surprising they would continue to do what they have been doing –
rejecting the grace of God and living independent, self-confident lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Now they are simply doing it without the religious trappings
and social pressure to conform to the religious system called Mormonism – which
is in some ways has helped prepare them for atheism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it – there is no ultimate
transcendent God in Mormonism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
no one single Being who is the First and Primary cause to Whom everyone and
everything in the cosmos is subject. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, the Mormon God is one of an endless progression of
glorified men (and women), working their way to a divine state in order to
create more humans who can likewise progress and continue the cycle. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Even the atonement of Jesus Christ in Mormonism guarantees nothing but a physical resurrection - and everyone gets that regardless of whether they had faith in Christ or outright rejected him. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One more really sad
thing<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A final, telling aspect of this popular LDS blog is that it
reveals a sad facet of Mormon culture. A significant segment of the Mormon
religion is comprised of people who will share and promote information that, at
some level, they probably know or at least sense is wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet because it is ‘faith-promoting’ and
reinforces “I-am-in-the-only-true-church” and distracts them from the internal
unease caused by disturbing facts, they will circulate it amongst themselves.
In so doing they assuredly proclaim to one another the beauty of the emperor’s
new wardrobe while he parades naked and exposed through town. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How much better to break with the crowd and
courageously embrace the truth that God has indeed spoken through his prophets
and apostles. To see that in so doing God has showed us how to spot prophetic imposters
like Joseph Smith, <a href="http://mit.irr.org/biblical-prophets-and-prophet-joseph-smith" target="_blank">something LDS leaders themselves acknowledge</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s not so much about being “anti-Mormon”
as it is being pro-freedom and pro-truth. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Do you want to better understand the truly freeing,
life-transforming gospel of grace found in the love Jesus Christ? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlx11BxF24">Watch this short video </a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or check out <a href="http://mit.irr.org/category/salvation">the resources</a> here. <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-26168227853623294892015-06-30T16:42:00.000-07:002015-07-01T08:11:46.332-07:00A Call to Precarious Balance<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPx00Lf1rFpI7hO2v6vfD0qeN6cuZPAVphac0lywuew0CxDDVBNfJhDZAsIsx1_BaI_fhgkbLWh4ZzQmHLVCFrP8KtkVEj828TfOO_Pg6hM7qYYtyBJaTjHjUbgeWcE-xM1yDQ/s1600/7888487_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPx00Lf1rFpI7hO2v6vfD0qeN6cuZPAVphac0lywuew0CxDDVBNfJhDZAsIsx1_BaI_fhgkbLWh4ZzQmHLVCFrP8KtkVEj828TfOO_Pg6hM7qYYtyBJaTjHjUbgeWcE-xM1yDQ/s320/7888487_s.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="copyright: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/profile_ginosphotos'>ginosphotos / 123RF Stock Photo</a>" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Photo Credit</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Staying balanced is perhaps one of the
biggest challenges for the Christ-follower. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, extremes are easy: love without
truth, truth without love, accept everything, allow everything, or condemn
everything. It requires no effort to be carried away by the emotion of the
moment, and it requires little effort to just go numb and feel nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>But we are called to walk a much more
difficult path</b>, and follow the example of our Way, Truth and LIfe. The very
ones the religious establishment considered the most sinful, Jesus felt
compassion for and became their friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They in turn felt his love and were drawn to him. And he did this without
ever condoning their sinful activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
think Jesus’ response of sadness and compassion is because he knew how harmful
and destructive sin is to our most important relationships. He wanted people
healed and restored to the intimacy for which they were designed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Consider lying and dishonesty </b>as an example. A
person may try and convince themselves and others that little white lies harm
no one. They may even conclude if the lie is not detected, “it’s all fine” and
"nothing happened." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">That, however, is itself a lie, a deception.
Every lie is breach of trust and it undermines the stability of the
relationship. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Undetected lies breed more
lying. The liar often lives in fear of being discovered, nagged by a sense of
guilt, an inner unrest that leaves him or her uneasy. He can no longer interact
openly with the other person, and the tension grows, becoming palpable, leaving
both the liar and the lied-to feeling unsettled. There is something very ‘not
right.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of transparency there is
suspicion, instead of sharing there’s hiding, instead of honesty there are more
lies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of fully giving to one
another, there is minimal self-disclosure, and any apparent openness is
cautious, guarded and self-protective. All this is a death-knell to intimacy,
be it emotional, sexual or spiritual. The relationship begins to die, and it
makes no difference if it is between parent and child, worker and boss, husband
and wife, or between a person and God. The only thing that puts the
relationship back into balance and restores the state of intimacy is a return
to the original design—complete honesty, confession, repentance, and
forgiveness. And from there, a renewed commitment to honesty and integrity, to
rebuild the broken trust and regain shattered intimacy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>Jesus knew all this </b>– after all He created
people and designed then for close and intimate relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How could he not feel compassion for people
suffering the effects of sin? So Jesus approached people openly, giving them a
taste of his love, acceptance, compassion, and tenderness, and when their
spirits were awakened to their thirst Jesus pointed them in the way they should
go—repentance and faith in him. But always in that order - love, compassion,
friendship, then the Word and the double-love command. True love for God is
reflected in how we love – with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and
then loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Without obedience and submission
to God's pattern for relationships we cannot experience the intimacy we both
want and need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>And that is the great tragedy of same-sex
“marriage”</b> – <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it can never be what God
intended marriage to be. People who choose same-sex relationships rather than
heterosexual ones, never experience the maximum, most alive intimacy with
another person in the way God himself prepared and designed it. God designed
two sexes so that when they came together they could experience a metaphysical
unity, a physical, sexual and spiritual connection enabled by their diverse physiologies they could never experience
apart from one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a union that
is paralleled only in God. The Triune God. The God who is Three and One.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><b>“And the two shall be one flesh.”</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This cosmic unity can only fully occur within
the context of heterosexual sex, when image of God male unites with image of
God female. And this can only be experienced at its maximum capacity, joy and
fulfillment in a monogamous marriage, because only in that context does it have
the blessing and approval of God. To replace that relationship with a sexual expression
not sanctioned by God (homo or hetero) is to forfeit the opportunity to experience
the maximum level of intimacy and love available to us - not only with another
person but with God himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
addition, any sexual expression outside this intended design is going to
ultimately damage and harm the participants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>It is like when I grab my wood chisel</b> and use
it for a screwdriver. I can make it work – sometimes quite effectively; I can
make the screw turn. Let's face it, under certain circumstances it is a whole
lot easier to grab the wood chisel. I don't want to invest the time and effort
to get the tool I need. Furthermore, I don't want to deny myself the ability to
get the job done without further delay.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But something always gets damaged in the process, and in most cases it is
both the chisel and the screw.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually,
if I persist, I’ll end up doing irreparable damage to both. It’s the inevitable
result of ignoring the intended purpose and design. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now there is certainly excitement, attraction,
sexual pleasure, and a certain experience of love, intimacy and commitment outside
the context of monogamous, hetero marriage. But that is a result of our being
made in the image of God with a capacity for such things. It is a sort of
common-grace, something we get despite our behavior, since we don't cease to be
image of God, just because we rebel against Him. You can still get the
satisfaction of tightening the screw with the wood chisel. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, such experiences will likely be superficial,
and instead of providing long-term satisfaction, will leave a lingering thirst,
or a sense that something is missing. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And
just as dishonesty in a relationship undermines and smothers deep, true and
lasting intimacy, introducing a sexuality not sanctioned by God does the same.
It is impossible in that context to experience the relationship as God designed
it. Sin of any kind, but especially sexual sin, introduces a sort of virus into
the relationship that impedes its development, and sooner or later ends up
killing it unless the situation is remedied.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is not surprising then that so many go from relationship to
relationship, from partner to partner (or multiple partners) and their
relational thirst, instead of being quenched, becomes more acute. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>All the while Jesus,</b> in his perfect balance
of tenderness, compassion and truth, still wants intimacy with his creatures,
and invites them to savor his love through repentance, forgiveness and
communion with Him. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When he sees me with
my nicked-up chisel, stripped screw head and skinned knuckles, he doesn’t fly
into the room, screaming at me to look at how much damage I'm doing and telling
me how stupid I am for tightening a screw with a chisel, carpenter that he
is.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rather, he acknowledges the
importance of the screw being tightened, then lovingly and patiently invites me
to look at the damage. If I have eyes to see, he then invites me to lay down the
chisel and take the time and effort necessary to go get the screwdriver and
experience the joys of intended design.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>This is the difficult yet engaging balance</b> that characterizes the very heart of Jesus. So how can we who have already tasted of His love, offer any less to those who
have never experienced it? It's possible to accept and love the person without approving of their behavior - after all we do this with our kids all the time. And people know when we truly love them and care for them, even when we don't agree. It's the reason my wife and I got invited to the same-sex marriage of a dear friend, and It's the reason we've chosen to attend. We love her deeply, and we care about her and what's important to her -- and so does Jesus. It's the precarious balance Love calls us to walk. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-58983248653028171492015-04-10T08:03:00.002-07:002015-05-07T07:30:00.069-07:00Nothing Outside A Person Can Defile Him" - says Jesus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYwoU9acV71joKflhi7uwM8sk9mQcsKqemx-nDT0knppLZZ2HJ9LUBysuExC6oI1qWThqstBddu0C8vvxXW7svree1SqY6X_XQ-y1yiCHycuHjMLOPnyOfpGN3BBGxMmYjHVI/s1600/wolf-sheep-clothing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="False teachers prohibit foods - wolf sheep clothing" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYwoU9acV71joKflhi7uwM8sk9mQcsKqemx-nDT0knppLZZ2HJ9LUBysuExC6oI1qWThqstBddu0C8vvxXW7svree1SqY6X_XQ-y1yiCHycuHjMLOPnyOfpGN3BBGxMmYjHVI/s1600/wolf-sheep-clothing.jpeg" title="False teachers prohibit foods - wolf sheep clothing" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Beware of false prophets ..." -- Jesus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The words of Jesus are unmistakable and striking. The
audacity of false teachers is stunning. How do they get away with it for
decades, even centuries?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->How is it that Mormon leaders prohibit coffee and tea?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->On what basis to Seventh-day Adventists prohibit
the eating of pork and other foods?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->By what authority do Jehovah's Witnesses
prohibit blood transfusions?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Jesus' words in Mark 7 could not be more clear: <i>“Hear me, all of you, and understand: There
is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the
things that come out of a person are what defile him"</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Jesus elaborates on this further to his disciples in private
who were likely shocked by this sweeping statement. <i>"Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside
cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is
expelled?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
And, as if this were not enough, we have the Gospel writer Mark's inspired
commentary (which Mark likely got from Peter) that immediately follows it -- <i>"Thus he declared all foods clean"
</i>(Mark 7:19).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trumping Jesus?<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Is there any person who has the authority to trump the clear
teaching of Jesus? Prohibitions on
externals that are tied to what makes us acceptable to God should be recognized
as man-made additions that arrogantly set aside the ultimate authority of
Jesus. They are best rejected, as should be the person who teaches them. This
is further reinforced by other New Testament teaching like Peter's vision of the
sheet with "unclean" animals in it (Acts 10:15), and Paul's teaching
that 'food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat,
and no better off if we do" (1 Cor. 8:8).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In addition, Paul's teaching in Colossians 2:16-18, 23, is
especially applicable to the movements founded by Joseph Smith and Ellen White
which claim a visionary basis for the external restrictions and commandments
they impose on their followers:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i style="font-weight: normal;">Therefore
let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard
to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to
come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting
on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed
up without reason by his sensuous mind „, these indeed have an appearance of
wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pride if you succeed
-- false guilt if you fail<span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The saddest part is perhaps the damage done to those who
attempt to follow such false teachers. If they succeed to some degree in
holding to these externals, they are proud of their accomplishments and often
look in disdain or contempt on those who cannot or will not comply. If they
fail to completely adhere, or simply give up after trying for so long, they
then are made to feel guilty, defiled and unworthy of God's love and
acceptance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Meanwhile, Jesus stands with arms open wide saying
"I've already earned perfection for you, come take it from me. Trade your
true moral guilt, the stuff that comes out of you - your pride, envy, hate,
coveting, lying, murder and adultery - trade your sin for my righteousness, for
only my perfection taken as a gift in faith, will make you acceptable before
God the Father." (See Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13-14;
Titus 13-7; I Peter 2:24).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Any movement, religion, teacher, or self-claimed apostle or
prophet that ties our acceptance before God to external prohibitions related to
food, drink, religious observance or medical practices has, either in ignorance
or intentionally, set aside the clear teaching of Jesus and his apostles. In
doing so, they show themselves to be a spiritual charlatan that will cheat us
out of authentic, intimate relationship with the God who created us to enjoy
Him both now and forever.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></h4>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com1United States43.068887774169625 -84.37517.546853274169624 -125.683594 68.590922274169628 -43.066406tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-74942789173445789472015-04-09T09:01:00.002-07:002015-04-09T09:10:51.606-07:00Three Reasons Why I Love Cuba<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 More Reasons I Love and Miss Cuba</td></tr>
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It's been over a year now since I was in Cuba - my longest span since I started making 1-2 trips per year to this island nation about six years ago - and I miss her. Or better said, I miss her people. The good news is things are opening up. More and more of my students and friends are showing up on Facebook, in my newsfeed or with a private message to ask how things are doing and when am I coming back. All this has helped me understand some of the reasons why I love Cuba and her people.<br />
<br />
<b>1) Relational ties are valued - highly. </b>When you don't<b> </b>have a lot of "stuff" you tend to value relationships and the time spent together more. So the time spent over a couple of <i>cafe helados </i>from Cafe Escorial' at the Plaza Vieja is a treasure, a mutual investment of talking honestly about life and family and ministry. My Cuban friends remember details about me and my life, and ask me about them frequently, and because I've shared in the brokenness and struggles of their lives those relational ties only get stronger as time goes on. And let's face it, of all the stuff we invest in here, the only thing we take with us into eternity are people.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Their joy is contagious. </b> A friend recently messaged me about a Christian concert he attended on the island. Hundreds of people gathered to rejoice, worship and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in the open air. He was thrilled at just having been there, and as we wrote back and forth, I found myself rejoicing with him and being grateful that he, and so many of my <i>cubano</i> brothers and sisters, had this opportunity. For many of us a Christian concert by a virtually unknown local band is hardly something to rave about on FB, but for him it was a joyous highlight of his week and that joy rubbed off on me.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Their worship is authentic.</b> Over and over my Cuban <i>hermanos </i>have shown me their faith in God is strong in the midst of and to a large degree <i>because of</i> adverse circumstances. For them God is always God and always worthy of worship - regardless of what we may not have or what we may be going through. Several years ago I was talking to a pastor friend about the then potential opening up of Cuban-US relationships. At that point there were only small hints of what now is quickly becoming reality. His primary concern was that greater openness would lead to greater affluence and ease of life and that believers would be sucked into the vortex of materialism and creature comforts and lose their passion for God. That's a legitimate concern and it would be heartbreaking for me should the bride of Christ in Cuba begin to lose the authentic, heart-felt, committed worship that she now has for her coming King and Bridegroom.<br />
<br />
It's inspired me to pray for the people and the nation as a whole, and hopefully their worship, joy and value of relationships that has so filled my life will spill over from me into the lives of others.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659271061257364020noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-22485108544464028852013-02-19T21:49:00.000-08:002013-02-19T21:49:56.471-08:00Is this really me?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
God continues to do amazing things. Today it was total freedom to address Mormon issues of deception, what happens in an LDS temple and why the LDS doctrine of God is neither biblical nor Christian - three different times on three different radio stations. The last interview wasn't even on the schedule. Luis got a call a couple of hours before the program from the host asking if I was available to be on. It was an hour-long live radio shown on the family so we talked about the impact of "sectas" on family relationships. This particular FM station goes back and forth between being the number 1 and number 2 most listened to station in the country. By the end of the program there were already positive comments posted on the station's Facebook page and people thanking the host for the program and the information.<br />
<br />
What did I just hear this past Sunday? Oh yeah - "Don't seek opportunities. Seek God and the opportunities will come." That is definitely playing out here in Honduras this time. So today was 3 radio interviews and one evening teaching conference on Mormonism at a church in the shadow of the Mormon temple. We left them around 1500 tracts that they will be distributing throughout their neighborhood.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow will be another busy day. I'm being interviewed on a live TV talk show from 7:30 - 8 am. The program is "Cafe Caliente" (Hot Coffee) and is a popular variety show that deals with family and relationship issues. We're going to discuss "Sects and Families."<br />
<br />
Following that I have a meeting at 9:30am at the French Embassy with an attaché to discuss the growth an impact of Protestant churches on the country of Honduras. Seriously, is this me, Joel B Groat, son of dairy farmer, turned missionary, Larry B Groat, doing live TV and being invited to consult the French Embassy in Honduras? Well, it's been in God's book all along, and it is just one more thing that makes me grateful I heeded the call to do God's will for my life - whatever, wherever - when I was 17 years old sitting on the steps of a boarding school dorm in Rubio, Venezuela. <br />
<br />
There is also a chance tomorrow I'll be asked to join one of the most-listened-to TV/radio talk show hosts on his program tomorrow afternoon. He's known for tackling controversial issues and taking on anyone and everyone. His assistant called us back to today to say they would probably confirm a time sometime tomorrow morning.<br />
<br />
Then tomorrow evening I'll do another conference on Mormonism at a church in Valle de los Angeles - a picturesque town in the mountains. The building right next to the Christian church I'm speaking at is the local Mormon chapel. Here's hoping a bunch of LDS people join us tomorrow night at the Christian church.<br />
<br />
You've been praying - I can tell - please don't stop now. Prayer is what has opened doors to opportunities I could have never even imagined or dreamed up. This is not me, this is God, so pray I continue to be a humble servant who trusts my Abba so He can continue to show His power, light and love to people who desperately need Him more than they could ever imagine or dream. <br />
<br />
An amazed and humbled Apolojedi.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-80153635773249919272013-02-18T22:22:00.001-08:002013-02-18T22:22:48.713-08:00Expresso Americano + French Embassy personnel = Divine Appointment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
"Joel, wake up, we've got a radio interview, buddy." Wait, last night the schedule said I had nothing till my evening conference. Oh, that was the old version of the schedule. "If I'm ready in 10 minutes can we still make it?" <br />
"Probably - and I'll call the radio station to see if I can buy us more time."<br />
Twelve minutes later we were on the road and the station said jump into the program whenever you arrive - 'no es problema.' Gotta love Latinoamerica. My kind of countries.<br />
<br />
But doesn't it figure, the Expresso Americano coffee shop with some of the best 'granitos' (iced coffee) in the city is busy - three cars in the drive through when we pull in - the only time this has happened in the several times we've stopped here. But Luis, my friend, trip coordinator and driver, is undaunted. He swings into a space and says, "We've got time, we'll just go to the window." As we are waiting to order, two foreign looking women walk up to the line and Luis asks them, "What language do you speak?" in English - to which they reply "French." They had walked over from the French embassy, so as we chatted is a mix of Spanish, English and bits of French and Portuguese thrown in for fun, I got asked the inevitable question - "What are you doing here?" My short answer on training pastors and investigating religions - including the Mormon religion with their temple opening got a raised eyebrow and a "So what is it with you Americans and your interest in religions?" I explained that it was an important part of life and my job was to help evangelical pastors in the country discern the differences and recognize and respond appropriately to religious challenges from groups that use similar terminology but have different beliefs. Suddenly, one of the ladies says, "I have someone in my office who would probably love to talk to you." I'm thinking, "Great, she works with a Mormon." But instead, it turns out one of her staff has been assigned to research the Protestant Church movement and the growth of Christian denominations in Honduras and she thinks I will be a good resource. So I gave her my card and said I'd be happy to help in anyway possible - thinking I may or may not hear anything back.<br />
<br />
Less than an hour later I have an email in Spanish from an attaché of the French embassy with a whole list of questions related to a report she has been assigned to do for the embassy, including questions regarding what distinguishes the different Protestant groups like evangelicals and Mormons, and what is it that attracts people to the protestant churches, and how do they promote their faith within their group. And, would I be willing to meet personally if I have time while I'm in the country? Seriously. I think I can help with this one.<br />
<br />
So, I wrote back that I'd be delighted to help and suggested several days this week when I had open time blocks. How exciting to be able to be a key resource for this kind of report! And it would never have happened if the morning had gone at all like I planned. That one 10 minute window of time when our paths converged at a small coffee shop on the outskirts of the city should have never happened. But God used my sleeping in, the clogged drive through line and Luis' outgoing, make-a-connection-with-anyone-who -crosses-his-path personality to open a door of influence that will lead who knows where in the lives of some embassy personnel. Pray God continues to orchestrate my circumstances to accomplish His will and I will rest and trust His amazing, exiting and good sovereign control.<br />
<br />
By the way the radio interview (on a secular station) was an amazing time to talk very openly about the differences between the Mormon religion and other Christian denominations, and the masonic background of the Mormon temple ceremonies. They've also shown interest in having me back next week. <br />
<br />
In other news, the last two church conferences on Mormonism have gone very well. Tonight's service was standing room only (about 160 people), and the Sunday morning service was a very enthusiastic group of over 600. People are resonating with the theme of "My Neighbor's Faith" and a call to a compassionate, respectful response that shows love for LDS people but recognizes they are in an unbiblical religion, started by a false prophet who produced a false scripture and promoted a false teaching on God, the Bible and Salvation.<br />
<br />
One final prayer request. The TV station that I hope will record and edit the day-long conference next week came in with an estimate almost double what they charged me last time. I've emailed them back expressing my disappointment and asking for the rationale on the significant increase. Pray that I will have wisdom as I navigate this financial challenge to this trip and respond redemptively to the situation. Another radio interview in the morning - so its off to bed - with the alarm set this time!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-8881815575041661422013-02-17T00:17:00.002-08:002013-02-17T00:17:34.801-08:00Fire on the mountain: A day in the life of an Apolojedi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This morning I woke up to the sound of fire crackling outside my bedroom window. As my wife noted, "That's a little disconcerting." A brush fire that had been burning up the mountain all night had reached the block walls of the World Gospel Outreach training center where I was staying. The gorgeous view I posted yesterday now looked like this:<br />
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Gone was the amazing view of the city and in its place was dense, billowing smoke. Well the wall is high and solid, so I went down to have breakfast on the terrace. No one was around and no one seemed concerned so with a perfect cup of mocha coffee in hand I walked out to louder crackling and snapping and flames that were now blazing several meters above the ten foot wall. So, out came the iPhone and I shot this:<br />
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It was a bit unsettling to have flames now inside the compound and no one else around, so I stopped filming and went to find someone - totally unsuccessfully. So after several minutes of looking around and calling out, I went back to the terrance and was relieved to find a WGO staff member with a hose putting out the fire. It was obvious the holes to let water drain out were just as good at letting fire in, so Arturo had me bring him another length of hose, which he connected and asked me to find a ladder. I scouted around the compound and in a few minutes found an 8' step ladder and brought it to where he was now standing on the wall. However, the fire was still moving up the hill so Arturo had me climb the ladder so I could help him hang drop the 15' down so he could start fighting the fire further down the hill. By this time other people had joined the fray and the wind was picking up and shifting toward the training center again when I shot this.<br />
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<br />
The rest of the morning consisted of more and more staff members and neighbors joining in to fight an ever-growing brush fire, with many of us moving outside the walls of the compound to rake, spray, shovel and untangle a long rope and attach it to a tree so people could more easily get up and down the steep hill. Like I said in the video clip, it figures the morning I wear my dress pants and flip flops to breakfast instead of my traditional jeans and tennis shoes is the morning we have a brush fire.<br />
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<br />
For a while it looked like the men were going to contain the fire at the bottom of the hill, but the wind picked up and shifted back toward the compound requiring everyone to make a hasty retreat up the hill (and being very grateful for the rope we took 20 minutes to untangle and run down the side of the mountain). <br />
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The good news is that even thought the fire burned right up to the wall again, it did not come through and then the wind again shifted away from us. <br />
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Periodically the wind would pick back up and fan the smoldering piles of brush into flames so I took a turn on the ladder spraying the small spurts of flame that would suddenly appear by the wall.<br />
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By lunch time it was pretty well contained and I was getting picked up to go take the tour of the LDS temple in less than 30 minutes. One of the staff members said I had my Ash Wednesday cross on my forehead, so I decided I'd better go clean the soot of my face and head before changing into a clean pair of pants - the ones I'd been wearing all morning were pretty trashed.<br />
<br />
Somehow it seemed fitting I'd spent my morning helping contain and defend against a physical fire and that afternoon I was going to the LDS temple open house to see how God could use me to contain and defend against a spiritual fire that was no less of a threat to the people of Honduras.<br />
<br />
But more about that tomorrow...<br />
<br />
I know I won't be waking up to the sound of crackling flames tomorrow morning - God has blessed us with a steady rain through most of the evening and night so far. A most welcome sound indeed.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-73257868751863423022013-02-15T21:20:00.004-08:002013-02-15T21:20:49.518-08:00Mormon encounters of the heartbreaking kind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I arrived safely in Honduras on Thurs (Feb 14) and went straight to a planning meeting with representatives from ENLACE, a Christian TV station that will be recording a day-long pastor's conference I'm teaching at on Feb 26th. They are still waiting for approval on the estimates for doing the recording for us, but in the meantime they provided a number of additional contacts with key media people in the city. Roger Hansen, our board President and founder of IRR was so wise when he made the decision to send me to Honduras to do the first conference last May and recommended we use that opportunity to professionally film several teaching segments with a live audience of pastors. Because of that trip last year, many of the people I met and worked with are not only having me back, but are connecting me with even more people this time.<br />
<br />
Luis Carrion (on staff with World Gospel Outreach) is coordinating most of my visit and providing my transportation. WGO is also letting me stay at their guest facility up in the mountains. This is the view from the balcony where I eat breakfast most mornings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEHPCLn3zvmb5jk_pddWo6S9rwAI-z-hmaHVs2MFl2XS9QtiAVqaebpFkkzH_GcD_XvvBgOJSpg9Ma__7PB27nMkk9S4gOc2A2M37cGGVc6nYbbOzxGyRdejCOVccFM5SXlW4/s1600/WGO-view-Honduras.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbEHPCLn3zvmb5jk_pddWo6S9rwAI-z-hmaHVs2MFl2XS9QtiAVqaebpFkkzH_GcD_XvvBgOJSpg9Ma__7PB27nMkk9S4gOc2A2M37cGGVc6nYbbOzxGyRdejCOVccFM5SXlW4/s400/WGO-view-Honduras.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
From our meeting at ENLACE we drove over to the Mormon Temple which seemed to have very few people there. Rather than take a tour we drove to the parking area that is higher up the mountain above the Temple complex to take pictures and assess how the LDS Church was handling the transportation of visitors to the open house. This is the view of the whole temple complex.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGNbO98-tj-MoOGV_ybAXSFdiQHXcS3rOGObW5R4qKxb84pIx0X9qXEbI3MJLg3U3lbJCc-MWrb3R8jSPQBksxqj0Zrl2GJbUXZjgIrLuXATbhuMfGDIIDLZp2hYaMdB-4_NT/s1600/Honduras+LDS+Temple+complex.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGNbO98-tj-MoOGV_ybAXSFdiQHXcS3rOGObW5R4qKxb84pIx0X9qXEbI3MJLg3U3lbJCc-MWrb3R8jSPQBksxqj0Zrl2GJbUXZjgIrLuXATbhuMfGDIIDLZp2hYaMdB-4_NT/s400/Honduras+LDS+Temple+complex.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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We noticed two young couples who were also just hanging out in the open area also looking at the temple and started talking to them. It turned out they were Mormons from a different city and were going to tour the temple the next day. We had a very amiable conversation with them that lasted about 40 minutes but it was also very sad. I asked if they were familiar with the Mormon Church teaching about the nature of God - that God was once a man like us, and had progressed, working his way up to godhood, so that he was now an exalted man with an exalted goddess wife. They affirmed that yes, that is what they believed about God. I then asked them if they were aware how different that was from the Bible's teaching that there was only one God who had always been God, and so he had never been a man like us, nor had he needed to progress or change from being a man into being a God. So my concern was that Joseph Smith had rejected that teaching of the Christian Churches and the Bible, and had instead said <a href="https://www.lds.org/ensign/1971/04/the-king-follett-sermon?lang=eng" target="_blank">he would refute that idea that God had always been God</a> and take away the veil so that people could see. (The link goes to an LDS Church published sermon which contains Joseph's teaching on this - scroll down to the subhead that reads <b>God an Exalted Man</b>). Their response to this was to say that it was Jesus who had become a man on this earth not God the Father. I clarified my statement to say that LDS teaching was that God had been on his own planet, not this one, but that it was God the Father who had to progress to become God. The LDS man's response to this was to say that Joseph was referring to when God the Father and Jesus Christ came down and appeared to him during the First Vision. This must have been what Joseph was referring to. The woman jumped in to add that she thought Joseph Smith may have said this but in talking about God, he was really talking about Jesus coming down because the Father and Jesus are one God in purpose and it was Jesus who came to this earth and was tested like all of us. I responded that that was not in the teaching manuals of the church, and that I had those manuals which were also online, in fact the manual they were studying right now on Lorenzo Snow in chapter 5 had the Lorenzo Snow couplet "As man is now, God once was; as God is now, man may be." This couplet is affirmed as doctrine.<br />
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Interestingly, once I quoted that, the man affirmed that was exactly right, that God has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans. His wife however asked me if I thought it was referring to the Father because it said "God." I said I knew it was referring to the Father because this is how both Lorenzo Snow and Joseph Smith explained it. And that Joseph Smith taught that just as Jesus had a God the Father, so God the Father also had a father, and a grandfather, etc. At that point the wife affirmed that yes, we do have the belief that the Father also had a father, so I pointed out that meant that at one time God was not God, he was merely a man like us. I also said it was fine if they had that concept of God, but that was not a concept of God shared by any other Christian church, it was a belief unique to Mormonism because it was introduced by Joseph Smith. I mentioned that I knew LDS people, however, who were not aware of that LDS teaching, so my concern was they were being deceived by not being taught what Joseph Smith and almost every other LDS leader had taught about God being a man like us, who lived on an earth and had to progress, had to work hard and had to obey commandments, to eventually become God. At that point she tried to explain that God the Father's progression took place in a spirit world, not on an earth. That some members don't read the manuals and really might not learn this till they did. I wasn't sure where she was going with this, and after a few sentences she just kind of trailed off after saying that God did not come down to an earth.<br />
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So I said, the critical point was the nature of God. Had God evolved from man to God, or had God always been God? Since they had already affirmed the Lorenzo Snow couplet, I expected them to say yes to God having evolved from a man to God. But instead they both immediately replied, "God has always been God." So I simply said, "If God has always been God, then what Joseph Smith said was an error" to which she said "No" so I explained that Joseph Smith said that there was a time when God was once a man. He said 'we have supposed and imagined that God was always God. I will refute that idea and take away the veil so you can see. God, at one time, was a man like us." The man replied, "And he always has been." <br />
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Wow, it was heartbreaking to watch this young, very sincere couple struggle to both affirm what they knew had to be true about God always being God and at the same time affirm the truth of Joseph Smith as a prophet, including saying that Joseph had not taught that God had been a man, but rather God had somehow progressed in the spirit world and had gotten married so he could have celestial children, and that they were here to do the same thing, to get married for eternity and progress and also become gods. And when I prompted if that meant having and making their own worlds, she said they weren't sure, but when I asked if that wouldn't be necessary so they could repeat the progression process she said "yes."<br />
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Now if it seems like they were simultaneously affirming mutually contradictory beliefs about God, well, that is because they were. It is one of the sadder and more frustrating aspects of trying to talk to LDS people about key teachings.<br />
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I asked as well about how we know truth and how we can guard against being deceived by the false prophets Jesus warned about, and she replied with the standard LDS answer of "prayer" - asking God and he lets you know what is true. From there we worked through prophets and apostles as the foundation of the church, the Book of Mormon and the fact that it contradicts the Bible and then I asked if they knew how we got the Book of Mormon. When I mentioned Joseph dictating with the stone in the hat, they both affirmed they'd already heard about that. I must admit I was a little surprised, so I asked who they heard it from, and they said "people like you." But, as we talked what became clear was even though they had heard that, they did not believe it was true. They said the same thing about Joseph and Brigham Young's polygamy - they had heard about Joseph Smith having many wives but did not believe that was true, and they knew about Young's many wives, but he never had physical relations with any of them. They were all widows and he only took them in as wives to take care of them. When I mentioned that all those things were well known in the States and that even LDS historians affirmed they were true they simply would not believe it. They knew the Church was true, they had a strong testimony of it and that Joseph was a prophet, so none of those things could be true; that there could not possibly be a historian who was a member of the church who would believe those things and remain a member. When I assured them that some were LDS historians still in good standing with the church, their reply was, "That cannot be."<br />
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At that point I knew I was not going to convince them of anything so I asked them to please investigate and research these things for themselves, because my concern was their own leaders were deceiving them and taking advantage of the fact that they were sincere, dedicated believers who cared about God and doing the right thing, but they were being kept from knowing many historical facts that LDS members in the States already knew about. Their repeated reply was, "we've heard all those things, and we know they are not true. We know they are just rumors that are made up."<br />
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It makes me wonder who is telling them that? What LDS leader or leaders are assuring them that these disturbing pieces of information are false? One of the last things I said to them was it was for people like them that I had come to Honduras. Because here they were, sincere, dedicated people who loved God, and the leaders of the Mormon Church was taking advantage of them and willing to deceive them to the point that they would deny or not tell them about objective, documented facts from their own history that in the United States are not even disputed. I also said that with God there were no coincidences, so the fact that I was there to talk to them, to bring them truth that they did not know, based on facts, was evidence of how much God loved them and cared about them because He wanted to rescue them from all this. I shared briefly about the Mormon Temple endowment ceremony and how at one point Lucifer appears to Adam and Eve as part of the ceremony and is wearing an apron that represents his (Lucifer's) power and priesthood. Shortly after that, Lucifer tells Adam and Eve to make their own aprons, and at that point the ceremony pauses and every Mormon going through the ceremony is told to now put on their aprons - which they then wear throughout the rest of the ceremony.<br />
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About the only response they had was to say, "oh please don't say that, you will regret it some day" and after I finished explaining it, they said, "that can't possibly be." At that point we'd been talking for about 40 minutes and we needed to be heading back for supper, so I thanked them for the time and conversation and said that God always had a purpose and loved them so much, at which point, she asked me, do you think God could have a purpose for us helping you? And I said definitely, that in talking to them they had helped me, because God had given me even more compassion for people like them who are so sincere and dedicated - at which point they laughed - but it was good laughter, because we had remained friendly and respectful of each other through the whole thing. So we exchanged names and I gave them my card and they invited us to come tour the temple and I assured them we would visit it and take the tour. She asked if she could say one last thing and I said sure, so she told me I needed to talk to the church's general authorities, because there was a lot she didn't know, but they did know it, and they could answer any and all questions I could possibly have. I simply replied that I had talked to some general authorities and that she would probably be surprised to know how much they knew and acknowledged about these things.<br />
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We parted amiably and after Luis and I got in the truck, he just shook his head and commented on how sad it was that they were willing to discount the evidence in order to maintain faith in their church and their leaders. My hope and prayer is that the seeds of truth planted in love will bear fruit, and that God will continue to grant us opportunities to lovingly and respectfully interact with so many who need the truth to set them free.<br />
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Later that night I got to share with Luis and Cathy's home group (like a church fellowship group) about the core differences of Mormon teaching and the importance of understanding LDS culture and seeing LDS people and anyone from a different religion as our neighbor and not our enemy. It was a great informal time of sharing and Q&A and I got to do it in English while drinking coffee. When we finished up a little before 10 pm, and Luis drove me back to the mission house, I realized why I felt so tired. Except for some napping on the plane, I'd been up for about 42 hours straight. It was a great first day but my bed was a welcome sight.<br />
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To be continued ... </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-17009205092110100472013-02-14T08:43:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:45:47.644-08:00No more cold feet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I am at 32,000 feet on my way to Tegucigalpa where my feet will not be cold again for the next three weeks - unlike the last several weeks in very frozen West Michigan. I'll be met at the airport after pulling an all nighter to do final prep and packing, (I'd never have made it without my wife's patient and efficient guidance) and immediately whisked away to a meeting with the director of Enlace, a Christian TV station that I hope will agree to film a day-long teaching conference on the 26th. Then, this evening I'll be speaking to a home group Bible study about Mormonism and what they can expect here in the country over the next several weeks.<br />
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Tomorrow I have an interview with a secular TV station at 12:30 during their news segment. Please pray this opens the door for even more media exposure so that the differences between the Mormon religion and biblical Christianity can be truly seen and understood. Friday I also hope to visit the Mormon temple during its open house to assess what they are saying and how they are handling traffic of visitors. Friends here told me during the first weekend LDS security tried to restrict access to public streets in order to keep them from giving literature to people who were visiting. I have the local police chief's number and hope to speak to him about this so the parameters are clear and the Mormon leadership does not get away with using intimidation to restrict the public's access to information.<br />
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Thanks for praying - will keep you updated on all that God does.<br />
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Joel - from somewhere over the Caribbean </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-62386428409281819442013-02-04T17:54:00.000-08:002013-02-04T19:57:25.015-08:00Honduras Adventure starts in 10 days<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I leave for Tegucigalpa, Honduras on Feb 14th. Yeah, nothing like leaving your wife on Valentines Day - we are going to celebrate early. And then we'll celebrate again when I get back. Thanne is a great wife that way. Facebook is just too volatile and PC for me to talk about what I really do when I make these trips. I make one mention of the word "Mormon" or "cult" and the next thing I know I'm banned because a Mormon or 2 or 3 have reported me for hate speech. So I'm trying something different this trip - using my blog.<br />
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Here are my top 3.5 prayer requests for this trip.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1) That God will help me explain and expose the LDS culture of deception to those in the media and Christian leadership.<br />
2) That I will be gracious and discerning in my interaction with this brother, and others in the Christian community.<br />
3) That God will use this temple opening to expose the true unbiblical and unChristian nature of LDS teaching and temples. <br />
3.5) That I will be kept safe from attacks of the evil one and free to engage in life-changing ministry to others. </blockquote>
God has provided key individuals that are already scheduling conferences and media interviews - one of my main men is Luis Carrion of World Gospel Outreach there in Teguc. He's become a great friend, brother and in a lot of ways a kindred spirit in ministry. When you pray for him, please pray for me as well.<br />
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Tomorrow I attempt to call the chief of police for the area to make sure we will have clearance for handing out literature. That contact is thanks to another individual - Bob Funk - who cares deeply about truth and exposing the deceptive practices and false teaching of the LDS Church. He has worked tirelessly to find contacts in country for me. Since everything we will do is on public property it should not be a problem - but pray that God will grant me favor in this police official's eyes.<br />
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In other countries representatives of the Mormon Church have used threats and intimidation in the past, even inventing "laws" to keep information from getting into the hands of the public. Our response has always been polite, respectful but firm in not backing down from our rights. Last year in El Salvador after the police witnessed LDS security officials use threats and intimidation against us, they made a point of stopping by to check in with us in their police trucks and cars to make sure we were safe and being left alone. As a result the Mormons pretty much gave up on harrassing us, and I got to share the gospel with one young police officer who was assigned to hang out with us. God can use any and all circumstances to get the gospel to those who need to hear it.<br />
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One final prayer request - that my heart will remain simple, childlike and guileless and that I will trust the Holy Spirit to open doors for the proclamation of the truth.<br />
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Stay tuned - the adventure is just beginning!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-86422112929315390372013-01-03T13:58:00.003-08:002013-01-03T13:58:41.931-08:00Pioneer Woman said to, so I am <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've had this blog for years, posting rather sporadically, limiting myself to "significant" content - only to post virtually no content. So, now I'm going to try and write something more often, at least several times a week, just because, and because <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2010/09/ten-important-things-ive-learned-about-blogging/" target="_blank">Pioneer Woman</a> says that's the best way to blog. And I like Pioneer Woman, mostly because my wife really appreciates her and is encouraged by her.<br />
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I'm off to Honduras in 6 weeks. I've often wished I had a place to record stuff when I travel - so maybe this will be it. I'll let the people who love me know about it, and if anyone happens to stumble across it, I suppose that's fine too. I worry way too much about what other people 'might' think about me. This will be a good exercise in not.<br />
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I really don't like the number 2013, but if this becomes the year I blog consistently then maybe by the end of the year my attitude will be better.<br />
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Bueno - eso es todo por ahora. Lo hice, y eso era lo importante.<br />
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Papa Joel<br />
PS. I realize I'll probably have to change the blog subhead, but that can wait for another day.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-4041195385540351612007-10-10T05:44:00.000-07:002007-10-10T06:28:03.854-07:00Not led down the wrong pathSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat and a temple-worthy Mormon, made this comment to the media after speaking to BYU students on Tuesday Oct 10, 2007:<br /><br /><blockquote>In the past years we've had some very prominent members of the church, like Ezra Taft Benson, who are really right-wing people. Members of the church are obedient and followers in the true sense of the word, but these people [Benson] have taken members of the church down the path that is the wrong path. </blockquote><br />Ezra T Benson was the 13th President and Prophet of the Mormon Church, serving from 1985-1994. That is a lot of years for the highest leader of the LDS religion to take his followers down the wrong path. It also underscores the danger to members of the Mormon religion who have believed Elder Benson we he stated:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The prophet will never lead the Church astray. ... President Marion G. Romney tells of this incident, which happened to him: I remember years ago when I was a Bishop I had President [Heber J.] Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting I drove him home....Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: "My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church, and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it." Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, "But you don't need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray." [In <em>Conference Report</em>, October 1), p. 78] <a href="http://www.lds-mormon.com/fourteen.shtml">http://www.lds-mormon.com/fourteen.shtml</a><br /></blockquote><br />The danger in accepting such teaching from religious leaders is that it leads to dulled discernment for the follower and no accountability for the leader. If religious leaders, like the rest of us, are fallen, imperfect, finite persons, then they can indeed lead people astray and have an even greater potential for doing so.<br /><br />So, either Senator Reid is on to something and Benson not only led people astray with his political views, but also with his teaching that God would not let the prophet lead people astray, or Reid himself is leading others astray with his open indictment of Mormon Prophet Benson, in which case the church leaders who allowed Reid to address BYU students were not being very sensitive to the Spirit themselves.<br /><br />Bottom line, if we call ourselves Christians, or Christ-ones, then it is Jesus the Christ we are to follow. Period. We can put no ultimate confidence in any religious leader or religious institution. And any leader or institution that says otherwise is leading us away from Christ - to our own spiritual peril.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-44288714387967559902007-07-28T07:48:00.000-07:002007-07-28T09:00:44.220-07:00Loyalty to Jesus?A man stopped by our office, curious about our religious research on different new American religious groups like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. Within minutes he identified himself as a Jehovah's Witness and wanted to know what I thought about them. I replied that most Witnesses I knew were sincere, dedicated people, but I was concerned for them spiritually. When he asked why, I explained it was because they had been brought to a point where they were more loyal to the religious organization than they were to Jesus Christ.<br /><br />He protested immediately and vehemently that this was not the case, that Witnesses were loyal to Jesus and Jehovah God, not to an earthly organization. I explained that I was familiar with JWs and had even attended their District Convention in my state a couple of weeks ago. He was surprised, and perhaps even a bit impressed, and as we talked I asked permission to ask a rather personal question. He graciously agreed.<br /><br />"Suppose you in the course of studying your Bible," I began, "were to realize that the WT Society teaching on say, holidays like Christmas and Easter was in error. You realized that their reasoning on the subject was inconsistent and their interpretation of Scripture was incorrect. Because of this, you became convinced that celebrating holidays should be a matter of individual conscience and you now felt free to begin to celebrate Christmas or Easter with your family. None of your other doctrinal beliefs have changed, nor has your commitment to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. You still accept the Bible as the authoritative word of God for your life. However, when the elders at the kingdom hall discover your change in belief on this matter, they disfellowship you from the organization. You are no longer in good standing with the Watchtower Society. Will this place you in spiritual danger for when Armageddon comes? Are you now at risk of being rejected by Jehovah God, simply because the WT Society has decided they should disfellowship you?"<br /><br />His countenance grew serious and troubled and he asked, "You mean I would no longer be in good standing with Jehovah's organization?"<br /><br />"Yes," I replied. Your relationship with God and Jesus and your loyalty to them hasn't changed, only the acceptance of the WT Society."<br /><br />He declared immediately, "Then yes, if I was no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses I would not have Jehovah God's approval. This would seriously affect my spiritual standing with Jehovah."<br /><br />"So then," I said quietly, "your allegiance <em>is</em> primarily to the WT Society as an organization."<br /><br />This led our dialogue into the realm of bad associations, and how important it was to have no association with anything worldly or pagan or evil, and so the WT Society as Jehovah's organization was the only place with which to associate for they were the only organization to keep themselves from such evil assocations. I asked him if he was aware that for many years the WT Society had been associated with the United Nations as an NGO (non-governmental organization) and had used that official relationship to help them with relations with other foreign governments. He was not aware. In fact he was disbelievingly not aware. I offered to get him a packet on this subject, and asked for his name and address so I could send it to him, but he refused to give it to me, saying he needed to be going, his wife was waiting outside for him (and indeed she had stuck her head in the door minutes before asking if he was almost done).<br /><br />He did say I had piqued his curiousity on this subject, which he found very hard to believe, so he would do some research and would come back again to get more information on this.<br /><br />I hope he does. I hope he pursues truth. I hope he is troubled enough by his loyalty to an organization that one day his loyalty will be first and foremost to Jesus Christ. I hope, because until that happens, he will continue to be the puppet shadow of a mannish, manipulative religious org. He will be unable to enter the sphere of reality where Jesus is his only Way, his only Truth, his only Life. But, once the strings to the org are cut, allegiance to Jesus will free him to life, love and relationships that are lived from the deep center of spiritual freedom and divine intimacy that he was created to know and share. That we all were created to know and share.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-51344806491436791412007-07-25T08:15:00.000-07:002007-07-28T07:47:31.698-07:00Taken to task & RepentanceAn LDS reader took issue with the subject matter of my previous blog and cared enough to take the time to let me know about it. The interchange led to the topic of repentance - pretty hefty subject and one of the most important if you believe that man's biggest problem is sin. Afterall, sin is what separates us from God, makes us unworthy of His presence, makes us deserve eternal judgment and separation from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We all sin, we're all guilty, so what are we supposed to do about it? --Repent!<br /><br />But repentance in the Mormon scheme of things is no simple matter, at least not according to top Mormon leaders - their prophets. One of the most comprehensive articles on the subject I found on the official Mormon website - lds.org (gotta love how simple that is):<br /><br /><a href="http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=9e4e46581c79b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____">The Message:What Is True Repentance?<br />by President Spencer W. Kimball<br /></a><br />According to the article, written by LDS President and Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, who in turn quotes former Mormon Prophet and President Joseph F. Smith, there are a number of essential elements to true repentance. In no particular order they are:<br /><br /><ul><li>sorrow for sins and humble penitence and contrition before God</li><li>the necessity of turning away from them</li><li>a discontinuance of all evil practices and deeds</li><li>a thorough reformation of life, a vital change from evil to good</li><li>make restitution so far as is possible for all the wrongs that we have done</li><li>to pay our debts and restore to God and man their rights, that which is due them from us</li><li>consciousness of guilt that brings one to his knees in humbleness with “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” and in “sack cloth and ashes.”</li><li>remorse and deep sorrow - preliminary to repentance</li><li>the element of shame</li><li>pain and suffering for the errors</li><li>no repeating of the sin</li></ul><p>According to the article, "repentance must be consistent and continuous. To repent of a sin and then to tamper with it again or permit it to invade, even slightly, is to lose the repentance and its beneficent effects, and “the former sins return, saith the Lord God.” (<a class="scriptureRef" onclick="newWindow('http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/82//7#7')" href="http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/82/7#7" target="contentWindow">D&C 82:7</a>.)"</p>According to the Mormon who wrote me, one of the purposes of Sacrament every week is so people can repent of their sins. My question in light of that and the extensive requirements for true repentance is, <em>can you truly repent in a Sacrament meeting?</em><br /><br />You may become aware of the sin and confess it even, but according to the LDS Prophet Kimball you have not truly repented until you have done all the things listed above. The process Kimball describes would take at the very least hours, if not days, weeks, even months or years. If these things are happening, Sacrament must be a very mournful, tearful time every week as people reflect on and grieve over their sins. To be honest, I’ve attended firesides at my local ward but never Sacrament, so I don't know how much of this goes on.<br /><br />The hugest contrast for me in all this is how repentance is talked about in Acts 5:31 "God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that <strong><em>he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins</em></strong> to Israel;" and 2 Timothy 2:25, "Those who oppose him [the Lord's servant] he must gently instruct, in the hope that <strong><em>God will grant them repentance,</em></strong> leading them to a knowledge of the truth." There is a clear sense that repentance and forgiveness are gifts from God, something God grants to sinners because of His grace and mercy.<br /><br />Quite a contrast to the conditional forgiveness that can only be earned by accomplishing true Mormon repentance, which in essence says, if you are still repenting you haven't truly repented.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-77796633453368942692007-07-06T06:29:00.000-07:002007-07-06T08:47:08.483-07:00Are we missing the heart here?<p>BYU has had a string of its athletes run into problems with the law. The latest, according to the <em>Salt Lake Tribune</em> of 7/5/07 was junior running back Manase Tonga arrested a couple of days ago. SLT reported: Posted: 4:40 PM</p><blockquote>Brigham Young junior running back Manase Tonga was arrested and booked in the Utah County Jail after a routine traffic stop in Provo early Tuesday morning. Tonga was cited by the Provo Police Department at 1:30 a.m. for failure to stop at a stop sign, driving with an expired car registration and providing false personal nformation to an officer.<br />Tonga, 23, had a warrant out for his arrest for a prior minor traffic violation and gave a false name to the arresting officer during Tuesday's incident. "It was just a totally average traffic stop for a moving violation," said Provo Police Sargent Richard Dewey. "The officer stopped the ehicle and asked the driver for his name, and he didn't have an ID. He gave a name back to the officer and he ran it on the computer and it didn't come back to any real person." Tonga was released at 2:50 a.m. to Daniel Turagavou, who paid $207 in cash bail for the warrant and $2,150 in bonds for the citations. Tonga then left for Los Angeles to get married in the LDS temple, said Jeff Reynolds, BYU's assistant director for athletic communications.</blockquote><p>Now maybe its because I'm a non-Mormon, an outsider looking in, but this troubled me. Here's a young Mormon man, returned missionary, star athlete, temple recommend holder, about to be married in a Mormon temple - as for spiritual externals by Mormon church standards he's got it all. And yet his behavior - dare I say the fruit of his life - shows a contempt for the laws of the land, disrespect for civil authorities, a lack of personal integrity and boldfaced lying. Now lest I judge the young man too harshly, let me say my concern is far less the offenses - none of which are that serious in and of themselves - but more the Mormon religious system that encourages external covenant keeping over deeper issues of the heart.So despite the lying to a police officer and refusing to pay a fine for breaking the law he's off to enter the most sacred of Mormon spaces - a temple. Interestingly, I'm not the only one to see the incongruity of this. A fellow BYU student posted the following in response to a SLT article:<br /></p><blockquote><p>I am so embarrassed to be a BYU fan. One stupid thing after another. And this guy actually thinks he's worthy to go to the temple after lying to the cops? Crazy!</p></blockquote><p>Then consider this: Should Tonga have family members who are Christians, living Christ-honoring, God-fearing lives, but they happen to be non-Mormons, they would not be worthy to enter the temple and be a part of or witness the wedding ceremony. <a href="http://irr.org/mit/temple-marriage-perspective.html">All non-Mormon family members would be excluded from his marriage simply because they were not members of the correct religious organization.</a></p><p>The spiritual danger is this: Man looks on the outward appearance, God looks on the heart. LDS members like Tonga may not realize the state of their hearts so long as their church emphasizes external ritual over inward purity. This will keep them from authentic relationships with God and fellow men to the detriment of their spiritual lives both now and in eternity.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-12989863623402033372007-03-23T06:19:00.000-07:002007-03-23T12:32:55.181-07:00Real Mercy for Real DebtorsOkay, so it has been more than a day - life has a way of being, so ... daily. My inconsistent blogging aside I want to explore the concept of <strong><em>earned </em>mercy</strong>. Kind of a contradiction in terms if you understand what mercy truly is - <em>the undeserved forbearance or suspension of deserved justice or punishment. </em>The way I explain it to my kids is: Mercy is <strong>not</strong> getting the just punishment you deserve. Grace is getting a benefit or reward that you <strong>do not</strong> deserve.<br /><br />As the parents of 7 kids ages 19 - 9 my wife and I get ample opportunity to to have our children experience both. So when we found exotic lip gloss in our 9 year-old's pocket after a shopping trip, we made arrangements to go back to the store so she could apologize to the store manager and pay for the stolen goods. We also let her know that shoplifting was a crime that could be prosecuted by the store. My wife went in first to talk to the manager so that she would respond with appropriate seriousness and not just pat our adorable daughter on the head and dismiss everything with a "That's all right honey." That is <strong>not </strong>grace or mercy. So with tears and trembling lip the young thief stood before the manager and offered both her money and her apology, both of which were sternly but graciously accepted. And while justice rightly allowed for police intervention, the manager extended <em>mercy </em>and suspended this deserved consequence. So, my daughter experienced both relief from guilt through forgiveness and release from the punishment through mercy. Neither of which she will soon forget.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#99ff99;">Jesus on Mercy & Forgiveness</span></strong><br />Jesus painted a similar picture of the mercy God the Father extends to us in Matthew 18:21 and the parable of the unmerciful servant. A king begins calling in his accounts, the rules were simple - pay what you owe, or go to the debtors prison to work off the debt. A man with a debt equivalent to millions of dollars is brought in. He can't begin to pay and the king justly orders him, his wife and kids and everything he owns sold to repay the debt. The man in desperation falls at the kings feet and begs for mercy "Be patient with me and I'll pay everything back." Yeah right. It would take him multiple lifetimes to even make a dent in it. Its a ridiculous and unrealistic plea. But, for whatever reason, the king goes for it. Well actually, the king is more realistic than the servant, and instead takes pity on him and cancels the debt. It would have been merciful if he'd simply left him out of prison and let him work till his dying day throwing pennies at the million dollar debt - at least he would have been with his family. But the king/master goes a quantum leap beyond this and frees him from all indebtedness. Whoa! The wife is never going to believe this. Not only has he been <em><strong>mercied</strong></em> (the deserved prison sentence removed), but he has been <strong><em>graced </em></strong>(granted the undeserved gift of a debt wiped out).<br /><br />But his wife never finds out. On the way home he runs into a fellow servant who owes him the equivalent of $10.00. He grabs the guy around the neck and says "Hey buddy, pay what you owe me now!" The guy doesn't have it, and begs for mercy. But the first servant serves justice and has they guy thrown in prison till he can pay it all back. Some fellow servants can't believe what they've just witnessed and they go to the master with the story. The master calls the servant in and says "I canceled your debt because you begged for mercy. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant." The master turns this ungrateful servant over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay back all he owed. Jesus concludes the parable by saying, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." (Matt 18:21-35).<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#99ff99;">What's the point?</span></strong><br />God the Father has extended an infinite amount of both mercy and grace to us as sinners. We've broken every commandment God has given, if not in practice, in principle. James 2:10 -- you break one commandment, you've broken them all and we do this on a daily, at times hourly basis. Earn mercy? Not only is the idea oxymoronic, its ludicrous. We could never do enough "good" to somehow merit the forgiveness of our offense against a totally holy God. That's why Jesus has the "master/king" in the parable simply forgive the whole debt of his servant - even though the servant offered to pay it back. The truth is the servant could have never done it and would have died in debt, and he and the king both knew it.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#99ff99;">The question is: Do we?</span></strong><br />Do we see that our sin debt is so great, our only hope is that the King of Kings be merciful to us and grant us a total and free pardon for sin. Yes, its undeserved, yes we get out of a huge punishment we most justly deserve, yes it cuts our pride off at the knees to realize mercy is our only option for spiritual survival. And yes, its the only way to be totally sin-debt free. And yes it will go against everything in our sinful, selfish flesh to cry "Mercy."<br /><br />The sad thing is the LDS Church, rather than encourage its membership to cry out in humility and brokenness for mercy, feeds a person's pride and spiritually enslaves its followers by telling them they can and must earn God's mercy by continual repentance and obedience. Not only does this drive people deeper into bondage to the religious organization which dictates what obedience is and what repentance looks like, it totally skews for them the reality of God's mercy for people who need and long for true forgiveness.<br /><br />The apostle Peter denied Jesus - not once but three times. He knew what it meant to receive mercy and wrote in one of his letters in the first century: "Praise be to God ... in his great <strong><em>mercy </em></strong>he has given us new birth into a living hope ..." (1 Pet. 1:3)<br /><br />As long as your trying to <em>earn </em>mercy, you'll never receive it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-62938094613856661932007-03-06T11:15:00.000-08:002007-03-06T12:39:03.730-08:00Earned Mercy Isn'tMy teenagers were playing a friendly game of <em>Mercy</em> the other night. You've probably played it - you face off with someone, put your hands together, palm to palm, interlace fingers and then see who can bend the other's fingers and hand back to the point where the pain is intolerable, wrenching, squeezing, a stiff, disjointed dance for dominance that ends when someone cries out "Mercy!". And the point of the game is just that - though the dominant person has gained a position whereby he could inflict even further pain and injury to the opponent, at the cry of "mercy", mercy is indeed rendered and the tortured one's hand is released, usually with good-natured laughter and the appearance of a new challenger.<br /><br />A friend's newsletter* noted that Mormon Apostle Richard G. Scott addressed the subject of mercy at the last LDS general conference (Oct. 2006). Since mercy is an essential facet of our relationship to God I was curious how it would be presented. Mercy by definition is <span style="color:#99ff99;">"compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; ... Mercy implies compassion that forbears punishing even when justice demands it."</span><br />[<a href="http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/mercy"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/mercy</span></a>]<br /><br />In short, mercy is <em>not</em> receiving the punishment we justly deserve. By definition mercy is both unearned and unmerited.<br /><br />I pulled our Nov. 2006 <em>Ensign </em>to see what Elder Scott had to say, and noted the following:<br /><blockquote></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">If not resolved, broken laws can cause your life to be miserable and would keep you from returning to God. ...The demands of justice for broken law can be satisfied through mercy, <em>earned </em>by your continual repentance and obedience to the laws of God (p. 42).</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br />Wait a minute, mercy <em>earned</em> by continual repentance and obedience? This is a troubling thought, but I'm late for a meeting, so I'll pick this up tomorrow, hopefully. Until then, feel free to meditate on Titus 3:5 which states:<br /><br /><span style="color:#99ff99;">he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. </span><br /><br />*(Mormonism Researched, Mar-Apr 2007)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-52752780256921326952007-02-24T17:47:00.000-08:002007-02-24T19:30:14.044-08:00For the Tired, Rest - Part 2<span style="color:#99ff99;">[Continued from previous post]</span> Pride will keep us from rest. Pride will keep us from admitting we can’t live all the commandments, that we never do “all we can do.” So ditch pride already and let Heavenly Father give you a present; nothing you earn, nothing you have to “be worthy” of, but rather a love gift. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you … <em>rest</em>.” The Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Ephesus that he and they both at one time:<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.</span> (Ephesians 2:3b-6)<br /><br />Notice its all in present or past tense, not future. And notice<em> when</em> God made the Ephesian people alive with Christ, <em>when</em> they were children of wrath, <em>when </em>they were dead in sins. They’d done nothing to be worthy of being made alive spiritually it was the independent act of God, an expression of mercy (not getting the punishment they deserved as children of wrath) and a flagrant act of grace – the giving of a present that is wholly undeserved, unearned and unmerited. It had to have been a humbling thing – to see themselves worthy of only wrath and instead get life, to deserve outer darkness and but instead get to sit together in heavenly places in Jesus. To sit, to rest… to realize that God no longer saw their sin, He saw His Son. After all, they were “in Christ Jesus.” Absorbed into his life, his resurrection, his atonement. Everything Christ was, they now were.<br /><br /><strong>How?<br /></strong><br /><span style="color:#330033;"><strong><span style="color:#9999ff;">The Double Exchange</span></strong><br /></span><br />We do get to give God <em>something</em> for absolute forgiveness, for atonement, for rest. We get to give Him the only thing we have – our sin. All the junk that makes us unworthy, all the failed tries, all the falling short, the huge, heaping, onerous, stinking mess. We offer that to God in exchange for the perfect, absolute, holy righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ. And yes, our pride. We add our pride to the pile, like the cherry on the top of our sin sundae. It above all else must go, because the pride that says we can do something, we have to do something, is the pride that can keep us from rest. As long as we hold on to pride, we will never hold out our hands for the gift of forgiveness. The Apostle Peter talked about this as well, the exchange, because someone has to take our sin if we are going to give it away. Jesus did.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”</span> (1 Peter 2:24)<br /><br />Heavenly Father made Jesus be sin, so we could be righteous.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.</span> (1 Corinthians 5:21)<br /><br />So, are you going to do it? Will you trade? Are you tired enough to stop clutching desperately to your pride. Are you tired enough to stop trying to make yourself worthy, to repent of all your attempts to make yourself worthy and let God make you worthy? Do you have faith that God will really do what He says – follow through on His end and actually declare you as righteous as Jesus? Then go to Him, talk to Him, humble yourself, make the trade, and rest. Once you’re worthy because Jesus has given you his worthiness, you’re free. Free to love, to serve, to give, to obey the commandments – imperfectly, inconsistently, but increasingly – not to get something, but because you’ve already got it. And when you do sin, as the Father anticipated, when you fall short, the promise and provision is there: <span style="color:#cc66cc;">“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”</span> (1 John 1:9)<br /><br />So really, its not about us, or up to us to “do all in our power to qualify ourselves to be worthy.” Its done. We get to rest.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-44891018800310346892007-02-23T06:31:00.000-08:002007-02-24T19:31:33.651-08:00Are You Tired? Part 1 of 2Ever feel tired? You know, worn out, the number of tasks far outweighing the amount of energy and time you have. Frustrated? Once again you didn’t get done all that needed to be done, let alone all you wanted to get done. Did you neglect your spouse, your kids, your calling? Does that make you feel unworthy? If you were truly living the gospel and relying on the Holy Ghost shouldn’t you be as successful and happy as Sister Worthier or Brother Reliable? After all, the Ensign (a monthly periodical of the Mormon Church) says,<br /><br /><em>The Holy Ghost can be a personal and constant companion to each of us. …But it can bless us only if we live worthy of its companionship. This is up to us. … we must do all in our power to qualify ourselves to be worthy of it. When we keep the commandments, our worthiness increases, and we can enjoy the blessings of the Holy Ghost.” (Ensign, July 2006, p. 66)<br /></em><br />Does that mean the converse is true? When we fail to keep the commandments our worthiness decreases and so do the blessings? Are you ever haunted by the scripture in James 2:10, “He who keeps the whole law, yet offends in one point is guilty of all.”<br /><br />Honestly, if you are like me, its rare to not have broken several commandments before lunch time. Selfishness, impatience, anger without a just cause (which the Savior said was the same as murder), pride – they’re there, in our hearts and minds, sometimes buried deep, other times bubbling to the surface. What chance then of qualifying to be worthy?<br /><br />But, what if the writer of the <em>Ensign </em>article was wrong? What if worthiness was a gift? What if there was a way to be worthy of Heavenly Father in spite of regularly sinning, falling short, failing to do “all we can do”? What if the presence of the Holy Ghost didn’t have to be earned? What if Heavenly Father actually anticipated we would fail Him and our spouse and our kids, and therefore set up a plan that took all that into account? We don’t have to ever be without His love or presence.<br /><br />How? Is it possible? Does the idea even appeal to you? Our Heavenly Father is way ahead of us on this one ... next blog.<br />JoelBGUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33487076.post-1156782412544545552006-08-28T09:21:00.000-07:002006-08-28T09:26:52.553-07:00Wanted to leave a comment and ended up with my own BlogFirst post - this all came about because I wanted to post a comment on a friend's blog "mormon coffee" and ended up creating this. The title - Graceful Disclosure - reflects what I hope this spot will do - gracefully disclose what is hidden and covered-up that needs to see light of day so spiritual authenticity is unleashed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1