From: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Mormonism
Date: 21 Jan 93 22:39:08 GMT
Reply-To: geb@cs.pitt.edu (Gordon Banks)
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh Computer Science

In article <be=C02CO311s01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> agr00@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Anthony G Rose) writes:

>You see, here is the problem, you "interpete" my words instead of reading
>what is on the page (probably the same you do with Scripture). I never
>said that "everything from Moses was from God". Where did you get that
>from? I never said that at all. I said that when a true prophet of God
>puts words in the mouth of God, they are true! You above examples prove
>nothing if you look at what I said, intead of interpreting what I said
>and then responding.
>
OK, then try this one: very little of the Bible consists of prophets
putting words in the mouth of God.  Most of it is words of the
prophets and apostles such as Paul, expounding on how they see things.
What parts of the Bible are the words of God?  I know your answer:
all of it.  Next question: how do you know?  You have the same problem,
you see?  When they collected Paul's letters, did they get all of them?
Of course not.  We know not.  Did God say anything through Paul in
those they didn't find?  Did Paul say anything in his letters that
came from Paul and not from God?  Again, how do you know?

>>Do all revelations have the same obvious interpretation?  Can more than
>>one interpretation be correct?  Can God's will for me be different than
>>His will for you?  I suspect we might also answer these questions
>>differently, Tony.
>
>prophet says, "God said that this is fact".  Either it is fact or it is
>not fact.  If God is using that person as a prophet it will be fact. If
>that person is wrong, God ain't using that person as a prophet.
>
A book composed of the sayings of prophets to the effect that "God
said that this is a fact" is a pretty thin volume, you know.
In fact, no Mormon prophet since Joseph Smith has said that as far
as I know.

>Brigham taught that Adam was our Father and our God and said that God
>revealed it to him. 

Where was it that BY said that God revealed this to him?

>He wrote, "so that you may KNOW you have eternal life". Do you KNOW
>you will have eternal life (go to the celestial kingdom; become a God)?
>If so, you are deceiving yourself. If you KNEW you had it you wouldn't
>still be "working" for it.

Hmmm.  Tony, I suggest you look into the Mormon doctrine of the
"More Sure Word of Prophecy".  No more hints, you need to do a
little research.

>>Well then, let's amend my statement to say that there is no such
>>thing as infallibility when human beings have anything to do with
>>it.  I'll allow God to be infallible.  But God didn't write the
>>Bible.
>
>Christians say that God DID write the Bible. Are you a Christian or not?

Not if that is your definition of a Christian, I'm not.  I know
very few Christians who believe this.  In fact, I probably
believe as much in the Bible as most of my non-Mormon Christian
friends do.  I think you should say "conservative or fundamentalist
or evangelical Christians" believe this about the Bible.  Most
mainstream Christians don't.  Now perhaps you are going to say,
"well then they aren't Christians at all."  Wouldn't surprise me
to hear you say that.

>a Christian and undermine the Bible in this manner? This is what I mean
>when I say that the LDS church claimes to be Christian, but they deny
>all of the Christian beliefs.
>

All?  Tony, really, you are outrageous!


-- 
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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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