From: agr00@ccc.amdahl.com (Anthony G Rose)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Why do people give Mormons a hard time?
Date: 24 Dec 92 04:10:07 GMT
Reply-To: agr00@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Anthony G Rose)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <17894@pitt.UUCP> geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks) writes:
>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.

Do you believe that this will happen to Mormonism too?  Maybe it has
already?

>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.

You don't visit many LDS bookstores do you?  How about the three volume
set of "They Lie And Wait To Deceive", where in these books, none of the
issues of doctrines that have been brought forth are defended.  Instead
the authors attack the characters of those who question the doctrines.
Why is it that they won't discuss the issues, but attack the characters?

Also, the title of the book slips my mind, but there is a neat little
book in the missionary section that is set up like the script of a play,
and it gives the missionaries a "role-play" of almost every faith and
denomination out there.In this view, the LDS position of other faiths
is clearly set forth.

>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.

If this is true, perhaps you can surface some quotes from these men that
are saying anything nice about Christiandom?

>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.

Obviously you have never read any of this literature.  Most of the
literature you find in Christian bookstores simple examines the doctrines
of the church, and displays the differences in them and Christiandom,
and then gives tips on how to "reach" them with the true gospel of Jesus
Christ.This can hardly be considered "hate" literature.  These books
are helping Christians learn how to reach the people who in their
opinions are lost.  The same goal that your 46,000+ missionaries do every
day door-to-door.

In fact, whenever I find a book that misrepresents a faith, whether it
be the LDS church or JW or whatever, I tell the store owner that this
book has good intentions, but it is inaccurate on doctrinal issues in
representing the ______ church, and ask them to remove it from their
shelves for that reason.

>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.  

I could not agree with you more Gordon.  I don't deny that this happens
because I have seen it in Salt Lake City outside Temple.  This is the
most disgusting thing I have ever heard of and seen in my life.  How
someone could take what someone else holds as sacred and parade them
around like that is beyond me.  You'd be glad to know that when
I was in SLC back in September, I literally had one of these guys in
tears in repentance for doing this.  He thought he was doing something
good.  I don't know how he could have thought that, because he was only
turning Mormons noses up in the air at his display.  This is one area
where we do agree.  That is about as unChristlike as it gets.

>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.

Questions are not attacks Gordon.  If you have the truth you should be
able to give an appropiate answer.  Can you answer the question I have
asked for months?  Why do you worship a different God than Brigham Young
did, but at the same time regard him as a true prophet?

>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>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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