tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931579729864611467.post7343293364708032829..comments2023-10-31T05:37:16.659-07:00Comments on A Guy in the Pew: Rod Dreher on Romney and FaithChuck Blanchardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01417638725063186710noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931579729864611467.post-31119606829082660862007-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:002007-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00And this is why I don't like it when people say Mo...And this is why I don't like it when people say Mormons aren't Christian. I question, or outright reject, most of tests of faith suggested to make Mormons non-Christian. So applying that standard to Mormons means that I can no longer call myself Christian.<BR/><BR/>And while I do not believe in the virgin birth, the infallibility of the Bible, transubstantiation, or faith healing, my life has been too profoundly transformed by the life and love of Jesus Christ for me to accept being labled non-Christian. I assume my Mormon brothers and sisters share this passion.JimIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15490036980295467544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931579729864611467.post-91395281199143713312007-12-19T21:21:00.000-08:002007-12-19T21:21:00.000-08:00I am supporting Ron Paul for President, and am a M...I am supporting Ron Paul for President, and am a Mormon. Most of my friends are not members of my church, and I often have attended meetings or vacation bible schools with them and their families. I have the utmost respect for all of these people - how they lead their lives, and their devotion to Jesus Christ. However, one experience I had a few years ago serves to illustrate why Mormons believe we are Christian, and why we have trouble understanding why some people do not believe we are Christian. While attending vacation bible school with some friends in Raleigh, North Carolina, the pastor divided the adults into two classes - the "advanced" bible class, and the "beginner" bible class. My wife and I both served Mormon missions as young adults, and though a little leery decided to attend the "advanced" Bible class. It turned out that of the 40-50 adults, 6 people, including us, went to the advanced class. The class over the course of the week turned out not to be about the bible, but about the creeds of the Christian churches. <BR/><BR/>The first creed discussed was the Apostle's Creed, which states:<BR/><BR/>=-=-=-=<BR/><BR/>I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,<BR/>and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:<BR/>Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,<BR/>suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.<BR/><BR/>The third day He arose again from the dead.<BR/>He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,<BR/>whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.<BR/><BR/>I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,<BR/>the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,<BR/>the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.<BR/><BR/>Amen.<BR/><BR/>=-=-==<BR/><BR/>The teacher, who was not the pastor, then asked each student around the table what they thought of this creed. One expressed some reservation about Jesus "rising from the dead" and the part about "the resurrection of the body", in that it implied that Christ arose with a body and that there will be a physical resurrection. Another did not believe the portion of the creed that indicated that Christ descended into hell. Another questioned how he could sit at the right hand of God if he was God.<BR/><BR/>My wife and I were the last ones to speak. Both of us answered that we felt the creed reflected the biblical teachings of Christ and the Apostles correctly, and we believed in the creed 100%.<BR/><BR/>My point is that many people "cling" to the different beliefs of Mormons from other Christian churches, while ignoring the fact that the core Mormons beliefs match the creeds of the early Christian church closer than the beliefs of their particular sect. <BR/><BR/>Even the controversy about Mormon belief/disbelief in the Trinity is enlightening. Mormons believe in the Trinity, although not in same way as most other Christian sects teach the Trinity. Mormons believe that the three members of the Trinity can be referred to as one God, as they are one in purpose, and never vary from one another in thought. Indeed, Mormons believe that if you have seen Christ you have seen the Father, because they look, act, think, and do exactly alike. The only difference between the beliefs, which is entire exagerrated, is that most other Christian sects believe the three members of the Trinity are three manifestations of the same being. But if the three are separate beings but think, act, and do as One, isn't the net result the same thing?<BR/><BR/>There are many beliefs in different sects that outsiders could call "bizarre", but at the core, Christians, including Mormons, believe the same basic things. Some examples of "bizaare things" that are either shared beliefs that Mormons have with other Christians, or are believed and taught by other sects, are:<BR/><BR/>Transubstantiation - (not a Mormon belief)<BR/>Virgin Birth - (a Mormon belief)<BR/>Worship of Saints - (not a Mormon belief)<BR/>Earth created in 6000 years - (most Mormons don't believe, but no official Church stance)<BR/>Infallibility of the Bible - (not a Mormon belief)<BR/>Faith Healings - (a Mormon belief)<BR/>Prophecy - (a Mormon belief)<BR/>Speaking in Tongues - (a Mormon belief)<BR/>Jesus casting evil spirits into Pigs - (a Mormon belief)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com