From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Why do people give Mormons a hard time?
Date: 22 Dec 92 22:57:20 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <b1I.02qS2eAy01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> agr00@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Anthony G Rose) writes:

>
>The LDS church is built upon the assumption that there was a TOTAL
>APOSTACY within the Christian Churchs.  Mormonism cannot be true, unless
>there was a total apostacy, because if there wasn't, there was no need for
>a restoration, in which they claim.  So their "gospel"

The Mormons, like other Christian sects, such as the followers of
Alexander Campbell (Disciples of Christ) believed in "dispensationism."
This is the doctrine that the gospel is dispensed from time to time
and that after the gospel is taught in its pure form it becomes corrupted
with the teachings of men and there is a deviation from the truth
necessitating a restoration.  This is not as radical as you would make
it out to be.  Certainly Martin Luther believed something very like
the apostacy had occurred as did other reformers.  The difference
with Joseph Smith is that he believed it was not possible to reform
but God had to restore the gospel by revelation.

Certainly the restoration is a central belief of Mormonism,
but if you visit the Visitor's Centers and other points
of contact for missionary activity, you will see that rudeness
and denigration of other churches is definitely discouraged.  Obviously,
and religion that seeks to make converts must hold out that they
have something the others don't, but effort is made to acknowledge
the value of other religions and the sincerity of other believers.
If you visit LDS bookstores, you do not find books on how awful
the catholics or the Lutherans or the baptists are.  The policy
of the church is to be polite and respectful of other peoples'
beliefs.  Although there was some combative rhetoric in the 19th
century, there was also a great deal of acknowledgement of truth
in other religions, Christian, Moslem, Hindu, etc, by Brigham
Young and Joseph Smith.  There are no Mormon pickets to be found
at worship services of other religions.  

What do we find on the other side?  We find in virtually every
"Christian" bookstore the most vile attacks on Mormonism (and to
be fair, other religions such as Jehovah's Witnesses and even sometimes
Roman Catholics).  Usually there is an entire section devoted to
this hate literature.  When Mormons open a new temple, what do we
find?  We find so-called "Christians" dressed in the sacred garments
of the Holy Priesthood, which are not to be worn outside of the
temple, parading up and down carrying picket signs in front of the
temple.  This mockery of things held sacred by another people is
one of the most evil manifestations I can conceive of and totally
convinces me that these people could not be followers of Jesus
Christ, despite what they claim.  It matters not whether Mormonism
is true.  No follower of Christ would act this way towards the
sacred beliefs of another person.  

Despite Anthony's protests about "total apostacy", do we see
Mormons on the net denouncing Christians as apostates?  No.
What we see is attack after attack on Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses,
etc.  Occassionally when a Mormon gets wounded enough, he will lose
his cool and fight back and make some intemperate remarks, but everyone who
has been around here long enough knows who it is that initiates
such attacks and who defends.  So don't give me this about who
is persecuting who.  It just won't wash, Anthony.

-- 
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Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "I have given you an argument; I am not obliged
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  to supply you with an understanding." -S.Johnson
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