Last American Free Thinker's blog: "JUST ME EXPRESSING MYSELF"

What if we were mistaught how to get into heaven?  Please don’t be upset if you’re learning here for the first time that you can’t earn your way into heaven.  Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it very clear:  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”  If we could earn our way to heaven, we could then boast in our good works, and this verse clearly negates that thought.  Romans 9:16 echoes the thought:  “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”

The entire gospel is given in Romans 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus I Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Once you truly meditate on this verse, you’ll see that if you were mistaught, the truth is here—you have to admit you’re a sinner (Romans 3:23), believe that Jesus died on the cross for you, and confess Him as Lord, asking Jesus to live in your heart.  No matter what you were taught, this is the truth of it.

The famous verse of John 3:16 states clearly that God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Jesus doesn’t have to go to h, e, double hockey sticks. And John 14:6 has Jesus, Himself, saying the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is to accept Him as a personal Savior.

Or maybe you weren’t mistaught that works will get you into heaven, but you just never heard the message that you have to have a personal relationship with Jesus. For all the stories and messages you heard, John 14:6 never seemed to be mentioned.  That’s not exactly mistaught, it’s more non-taught.  God is aware of your need to hear the truth, and you’ll hear it, as promised is Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

On a wee bit easier level, what if we were mistaught how to pray?  I’ve had people say to me, “I don’t know how to pray.”  The obvious answer is that prayer is just talking with God, yet I heard a sermon once where the Pastor very specifically said that prayer is not talking with God—how do we reconcile fact and fiction?

Well, the first thing to do is GO TO THE WORD.  Yep, that’s where you’re going to find the answers for yourself.  Don’t rely on others to interpret Scripture for you. Read it yourself.  There are lots of commentaries out there to help you, but reading it for yourself will give you an intimacy you can’t get anywhere else.

The Bible clearly outlines how to get to heaven, and it also clearly states that God can’t lie, or else He wouldn’t be perfect.  So in fact, we can accept Jesus as our Savior, know that we’re destined for heaven, and tell others about it.  How do I know?  I’ve read it.

Still, there are other ways to learn if you’ve been mistaught.  Proverbs 15:22 tells us that wisdom is found in counsel:  “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.  In 1 Kings 22:5, Jehoshophat also said to the kind of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”  So find a counselor.  Look for someone to mentor you.  Call a friend and ask to be accountability partners.  You’ll learn and grow by surrounding yourself with others who are more mature.

General study is a great way to learn general truths.  Even if you’re not trying to learn the answer to a specific question, learn and study the Bible just to see what you don’t know.  “The fear (respect) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” Psalms 111:10.

Prayer can answer a myriad of questions.  When you don’t know what to do, bring your questions before the Lord.  He’ll answer you one way or another, and you’ll learn and grow in the truth.  For a great model of prayer, go to Matthew 6:9, where you’ll find what is commonly called the Our Father.  Prayer can also be greatly accomplished with the acronym ACTS – Adoration of the Lord, Confession of your sins, Thanksgiving for your blessings, and Supplication, where you state your requests.  Remember, Jesus cried out to his Daddy, Abba, the night before He faced the cross, recognizing that all things are possible through the Father.  Jesus then continued to say, “but not My will, by Thy will be done,” Mark 14:36. Pray, but pray in God’s will.

Be open to new ideas and concepts.  I have made myself open to lots of ideas in my life, but as I study and learn, I reject the ideas that are contrary to Scripture.  You can’t serve 2 masters, and I choose to follow the living God.  Therefore, I can’t embrace any edicts that counterfeit or oppose the truth of Scripture.  But, there are lots of ideas that can co-exist—don’t allow yourself to get caught up in those discussions.  Keep centered on what’s important.

Memorize Scripture. Okay, this was a tough concept for me 20 years ago.  I had never memorized Scripture growing up, and since I had a Bible, couldn’t I just look up whatever I needed to know?  Well, that worked for me until I came upon Philippians 4:6 –“be anxious about nothing, but in all things, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your request to the Lord.”  I found that verse and read it so many times—I had a HUGE issue with worry at the time—that I memorized it.   And I learned that I LIKED knowing the verse.  I could recall it any time, whether or not I had a Bible in my hand.  And when other people were telling me their problems, I could recite it to them, and they felt better.  After that, I was on my way.  I’ve had peaks and valleys with Bible memorization, but it’s something I still do today, and I still love.

The next idea is rather hard to hear, so please be ready—avoid unhealthy people.  So many of us learn things from our family, and while we’ve grown and matured and are ready to accept truth over what we thought was real, not everyone has matured with us.  So, it may be better that you avoid sharing your thoughts with people who don’t have your best interests in mind, or who aren’t very supportive of you, even if they share your blood type.  Proverbs 18:24b – “ . . . but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”  The Lord included this verse in Scripture for a reason, and I can’t be the only person in the history of the world who’s needed to hear it.  I’m not saying you can’t celebrate holidays with these people, but avoid certain conversations when you do see them if they’re going to tear you down.

Finally, decide now whom you’ll serve (“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua 24:15) and stand up for right.  Even if you were mistaught something originally, it’s never too late to learn the truth and stand on it.  Educate yourself and you’ll learn to not depart from it.

In Christ,

Paul

Questions Mormons Should Ask Themselves
From FAIR, the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

Anti-Mormon literature tends to recycle common themes. One popular approach over the years is for critics to ask a series of "questions" under the guise of sincerity, but with the ultimate aim of casting doubt upon faith or tripping up members of the Church.

Such tactics are not new; Jesus repeatedly faced questioners from among critics during His earthly ministry.

One set of questions that has made rounds is entitled Questions All Mormons Should Ask Themselves. T he list consists of 58 questions that are designed to confuse the reader. Each question is answered in detail in the full wiki article found at http://en.fairmormon.org/Questions_All_Mormons_Should_Ask_Themselves 

Incorrect Assertions

There are a couple of interesting features to look for in this list and others. The first is that many of the questions don't just ask a question; they make an assertion. An example of this would be the question that person A asks person B: "Have you stopped beating your wife?" To answer "yes" or "no" is to agree to the assertion that at some point, you did beat your wife. Similarly, many of the questions start with a proposition thatmust first be answered before the rest of the question has meaning. You can ask all sorts of things in this way without actually taking the responsibility for defending the implications of your questions This is the case with a question like Question 15 below:

"Why does the Mormon church teach that there is no eternal hell when the Book of Mormon teaches that there is?"

The assertion is that the Mormon Church teaches that there is no eternal hell.. Our critic doesn't give us any examples of "the Mormon church teach[ing] that there is no eternal hell." A search of General Conference addresses from 1897 to 2007 doesn't turn up a single instance of any LDS leader teaching there is "no hell" — in fact, that phrase is almost exclusively used by speakers when quoting 2 Ne 28:22 ("And behold, others [the devil] flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell ...."; this passage was quoted 27 times between 1918 and 2004).

LDS scriptures and leaders emphatically teach there is a hell, and it is eternal. Where our critic is probably mistaken is that the traditional Christian view of hell — fire, brimstone, and pitchforks — is described as metaphorical by LDS scriptures: " as a lake of fire and brimstone.”

Faulty Interpretation

Another point involves interpretation. When providing a biblical scripture as the backdrop for a question, these questions often assert or imply a specific reading or interpretation of the text. In many cases, the interpretation is faulty. Isaiah, for example, lived at a time when Israelite religion was not strictly monotheistic in any sense. To read Isaiah's text as teaching some kind of strict monotheism does damage to the text, and if we (the respondents) disagree with the interpretation, it can change the question significantly. An example is Question 5:

“ How can any men ever become Gods when the Bible says, “Before me there was no god formed, neither shall there be after me”? (Is 43:10)

These critics often misunderstand the doctrine of theosis , or human deification. Yet is is a doctrine shared by many early Christians and much of modern Eastern Christianity (e.g., Eastern Orthodox).

However, the question asked here represents a misunderstanding of the Isaiah scripture in its ancient context when compared with the rest of the Bible. In this case, the reading is particularly problematic. The Christian site which asks this question would need to explain exactly what the scripture is referring to when it says "Before me" and "after me." Since they do not believe there is ever a time when God does not exist, it cannot really refer to anything at all, and certainly the text doesn't exclude a "during me" reading.

This passage is actually a comparison that Isaiah is drawing between the God of Israel (YHWH) and the Canaanite deity worshipped by many Israelites at the time: Ba'al. Ba'al had become chief of the Canaanite pantheon by defeating Yaam (another Canaanite deity). And by extension there was the presumption that he could also be superseded (we see this in the Ugaritic myths).

YHWH, on the other hand, did not replace anyone to become God, and, Isaiah claims, he would not be replaced. “Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." Such a text doesn't apply to the issue of strict monotheism, and it fits right in with an LDS model of theosis — while we may reach an exalted state and become heirs to the kingdom, we do not replace God, nor do we desire to.

Conclusion 

The questions on this list, as well as others, may at first appear to raise legitimate issues. However, a more careful reading and consideration shows them to be no more valid than those attempts to destroy the Savior's work during His ministry.

When a member of the LDS Church moves, records are transferred and they are to attend a specific congregation based on their new address.

At their new ward, with minor variations, the lessons taught in their Sunday School will reinforce the same gospel principles as the lesson taught in Indonesia, in Argentina and in Utah. The worshiper will find a bishopric on the stand, a common hymnbook, an identical sacrament prayer and a similar meeting format with priesthood, Young Women, Sunday School, Relief Society and Primary organizations. Ecclesiastical leaders and priesthood holders will strive to see that what is taught is in concord with church doctrine.

In most of the Christian world this is not the model followed.

The predominant practice among those outside the LDS faith is for the individual to visit various congregations and pick one with which their beliefs, ideas and religious views accord. An individual might attend several religious services before she finds a clergyman whose teachings she likes; education, sports and social programs she likes; a worship format she likes; and people with whom she feels comfort and commonality

Visualize what I call the "vending machine" approach to religious worship. You keep hitting the button and the choices keep rotating until you finally find the product you want to purchase. If the product doesn't please you, don't go back for more.

From a practical point of view, and in a consumer-driven economy, it is an eminently logical system. However, this is not the model in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church is not driven by the demands of consumers in the marketplace because it offers truth in its purest form, truth eternal and unchanging.

This appears odd in an increasingly secular world. The Lord acknowledged as much, and explained why it is so, "That I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my strange act, and perform my work, my strange work, that men may discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God."

While cultures and societies may "reel to and fro," the Lord would have us understand that in his church the doctrine that is taught is to be his doctrine, not the whimsical, changing doctrine of men.

The more I study the gospel the more I recognize that which the Lord would have us understand: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

The Lord's ways are not only infrequently man's ways but, I would argue, rarely man's ways. Practices and doctrine in the church testify to our ignorance in comparison to God and our need to trust and obey his eternal, unchanging doctrine.

Scripture and modern prophets reinforce the need to do this by distancing ourselves from false teachings in the world. We read, "go out from Babylon," for, "the Lord will not spare any that remain in Babylon." We are soberly cautioned, "For after today cometh the burning -- this is speaking after the manner of the Lord -- for verily I say tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; … and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon."

Many in the world subscribe to what I call a "pick-and-choose gospel." We hear, "I'm uncomfortable with my clergyman because he says shopping on Sunday is violating the Sabbath. Who is he to say I can't shop and enjoy myself?"

"My old pastor was so out of touch. Everybody lives together before they get married. I understand adultery is wrong but he makes such a big deal of fornication. He needs a reality check."

The list goes on and on. The congregant moves to another pastor who soothes his conscience without discomforting his sins.

The gospel of Jesus Christ never has been and never will be a "pick-and-choose gospel." Members are not free to pick and choose, to decide which principles are right and which are wrong. It is a complete and unified body of eternal doctrine.

When upon the earth, the Savior sternly rebuked those who ignored his teachings. He makes eminently clear in our dispensation that truth is eternal and, although structure and practices may change, his doctrines do not and will not change, regardless of the whims and proclivities of men: "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."

While individuals in the world go on crafting religious identities based upon the precepts of men, faithful members of the church will ever understand that to be called true disciples is to accept and live -- in their entirety -- the principles of the gospel as taught by the Savior and as taught in his church by prophets and apostles today.

let me take away your pain...

let me love you,

let it never be the same.

Today let us start,

I look past your tears

I offer unconditional love

Today I removes all your fears.

It is so much i ask

looking forward

away from the past

happiness forever to last.

I'd write you a 100 poems

full of joy and love

Yes I must believe

Your my angel from above.

And not till my dying day

but for eternity

and beyond

with you, my heart will always lay.