Good Mormon: Ancient Samaritan Parable?

Mormonism teaches a false gospel...
''Indeed, the subtitle printed on The Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” A “testament,” that is, other than that accepted by the historic Christian churches.''
http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/2007/07/mormonism-is-a-sincerely-false.html

-Miguel

I do believe they teach incorrect theology, however, fully agree with your conclusion.

I believe that everyone is justified through grace, because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

I believe that everyone is justified through their sincere faith alone, that by grace we are saved. I accept Christ as my savior and redeemer that through His grace we are saved.

I respect the sincere faith of others who exemplify Christ’s teachings, as in the Beatitudes and his challenge, Be ye therefore perfect... Matthew 5:48.

I am happy to read a message that shares the breath and spirit of Christ's love, who spent no time on religious politics, debunking what others felt were correct in an effort to prove that He was correct.

He just said,
(New Testament | Matthew 16:11 - 12)
11 "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?"
12 "Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."

A minister of Christ would rather say,
(New Testament | Mark 9:40)
40 "For he that is not against us is on our part." Other wise he divides and causes dissention among his own flock. Be true to your faith. Never compromise with what you feel or know is true. From the (LDS) Camp.

(New Testament | Matthew 28:19 - 20)
19 ¶ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

You said that "he is wrong about Jesus Christ," in reference to Mitt Romney and the fact that he is a Mormon. I received this comment today on my post called "Good Mormon: Ancient Samaritan Parable?". Since the comment was written by a Mormon, or Latter Day Saint, I thought you might like to read his profession of faith in Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.

Also, you wrote, "I really don't think a gazillionaire, who has had more privilege and blessings come his way than a thousand common people might have in three life times meets the criteria of the poor pathetic man laying down in the streets suffering."

My reply is this:

1. Perhaps the reason that Mitt Romney has had so many blessings come his way is because he has lived a moral, honest, and ethical life as a Good Mormon.

2. Please read the Parable of the Good Samaritan (or Good Mormon) again. The " ...poor pathetic man laying down in the streets suffering," as you put it, is not the good Samaritan (or Mormon). The Good Samaritan (or Good Mormon) is the man who helps the man in the street.

3. The Good Mormon is not only Mitt Romney, but all Mormons. I am equating the Good Mormon with the same virtues that the Good Samaritan displayed.

Thanks again for your comment, Gabby.

Best Wishes and God Bless,

Susan Baldwin,
Conservative Wordsmith

Thanks for this truly witty and humorous comment. I really enjoyed reading it. :-D

Best Wishes and God Bless,

Susan Baldwin,
Conservative Wordsmith

Gabby,

Remember that Jesus told his followers to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world.

If I find out anything, I will let you know right away.

Best Wishes and God Bless,

Susan Baldwin,
Conservative Wordsmith

Susan,
Did you know that Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the brother of Lucifer? Did you know that Mormons believe that Jesus is a created being? Did you know that the Bible clearly states that if you don't have the right Jesus, then you don't have the Father and cannot thus have salvation? Mormons do not believe in the same Jesus that orthodox Christianity does. Mormons do not believe in the un-created One, eternally co-existing with the Father. Mormons believe that as we are now, God once was, and as God is now, they will become. That is blasphemy. It is heretical, and anyone who believes such will not be saved. :( If Christ is a finite being, then His sacrifice on the cross meant nothing. The reason it had to be the Son of God, God Himself, on the cross, is because our sin is against an infinitely Holy and Righteous God. The sacrifice had to be an infinitely atoning sacrifice. Soteriology is extremely important. I urge you to consider these things whole-heartedly, and examine what the scriptures say about them.

I heard from an inside source that Douglass was banned last night for violating Townhall's Terms of Service. Between the whole copyright violation thing, and him spamming the blogatorium last night, it does not come at a great shock that they finally banned him. He was constantly complaining about Townhall, and I guess they decided to stop tolerating his abuses.

Personally, I'm glad they did. He kept reposting that stupid "Very Fun Ron Paul Index" all the time. That was so irritating. The guy did not appear to have a grasp on blogging etiquette, and always seemed to act like because he was in the #1 spot, he had some kind of control over Townhall. He would constantly demand things that were entirely out of place. Good riddance.

Thanks for your comment. Please read this comment that was made to my "Good Mormon: Ancient Samaritan Post" yesterday by a Mormon. In this comment, the person professes a profound belief in Jesus Christ as Personal Lord and Savior.

• Is it not Important If Christ thinks So?
Re: Good Mormon: Ancient Samaritan Parable?
By Spiceman

Aside from all of that, I think you have entirely missed the point of this post. It is irrelevant if Mitt Romney believes in Jesus in the same manner that you or I believe in him. This has nothing to do with the possibility of him becoming the next U.S. President. I'm sorry to inform you of the fact that our government does not state that the U.S. President must be an Evangelical Christian, or any other religion, for that matter.

By the way, Bill and Hillary Clinton claim to be Christians, so maybe you should consider supporting her.

Best Wishes and God Bless,

Susan Baldwin,
Conservative Wordsmith

In your Church do you believe that the Bible is inerrant? If it is, then why are there so many differences in the teachings of Christ's doctrines? Who gets to say which doctrines are necessary for salvation and which ones are not? If the Bible is the only authority, and the Bible is not for personal interpretation, then due to the many stances on various doctrines of Christ, it stands to reason that some of those Christian denominations are wrong. All cannot be right if all disagree. Christ said if we are not one then we are not His. If Christ was baptized, and Paul went out of his way to re baptize some who were not baptized by proper authority, why can those who call themselves Christians choose to either be baptized or not. If the Bible is infallible, why are men changing the ordinances still Christian?

"Personally, I'm glad they did. He kept reposting that stupid "Very Fun Ron Paul Index" all the time. That was so irritating."

Oryak, my understanding is that he kept changing the index, because he was adding onto it every day. Most bloggers here do not maintain indexes at all, so as their blog articles fall off their main page, they're gone. I personally liked the fact that you could search back through Doug's articles.

I have a question though. If you found his blog so "irritating", why did you keep visiting it?

Curious, indeed.

1. What you heard from an inside source might not be true. Besides that, it is not correct to repeat it in a posted comment for all to read. There is a word for this - hearsay. I don't waste my time paying any attention to hearsay.

2. The "Very Fun Ron Paul Index" is not stupid, nor is it a stupid idea. I agree with Liberty - it's a great idea, because no one wants to search through many pages for posts. This way, the viewer can see all of the posts right there, and click on the title links.

3. Douglass is my friend, and I'm not going to judge him or condemn him. I knighted him Sir Douglass Bartley, Knight of Townhall, and no one can take that away from him.

Sincerely,

Susan Baldwin,
Conservative Wordsmith
http://conservativewordsmith.townhall.com

Jesus might tell the parable of the good gay or the good muslim today too. It does not mean that he supports their lifestyle or religion, but he does not categorically reject goodness because it comes from the wrong person. He taught pharisees and publicans etc.

Sanmaritans were 1/2 Jewish. The predjudice
of Jews toward Samaritians was *racial* predjudice whuch is wrong. However Chirsitan *predjudice* against mormoms is ly scriptural.

Paul warned us in 2nd Corinthians about strange cults preaching "another Jesus":to wit the spirtual brother of Lucifer which these cultists preach.

You can have them they are all yours.

If Romney buys the nomination, Ill vote 3rd party.

Susan- sorry for the previous mispellings:

Samaritans were 1/2 Jewish. The predjudice of Jews toward Samaritians was a *racial* predjudice which is wrong. However,
Christians'rejection of Mormons is scriptural.

Paul warned us in 2nd Corinthians about strange cults preaching "another Jesus": to wit the spiritual brother of Lucifer which these cultists preach.

You can have the Mormons; they are all yours.

If Romney buys the nomination, I'll vote 3rd party.

I agree that Jesus would have us treat people regardless of their ability to pay but I don't think we are to invite the guys on bikes in and buy everything that they are peddling. I kind of question people who are supposedly good Catholics and good Mormons who take politically expedient positions on issues like abortion. Everybody from Clinton/Gore, Jesse Jackson and Mitt Romney has changed their position (sometimes plural)on abortion on their way up the food chain. Al Gore never would have been elected in Tennessee as pro-choice and never would have made it to the Vice-Presidency as pro-life. These people ought to show some integrity for once instead of expediency.

You have been eloquent in expounding the need to get behind Mitt and beat the Hildebeast machination machine. It is clear why Bob Jones III and people like Falwell's son and Paul Weyrich HAVE lined up behind Mitt and not the others. He does represent something positive and energetic. Yes, and he IS the good Mormon. LDS people and their Church have donated generously to ALL peoples for ALL walks of life--the numbers in time, manpower and money is just staggering. They are the good Samaritans of our time.

Dear Vin,

Thank you so much for your appreciation of my efforts to clarify the meaning of true religious tolerance.

Mitt Romney is clearly the right choice for conservatives, and is a man that understands important values. He also lives his life according to his comprehension of those values. It is obvious to several evangelical leaders that Mitt is the candidate that should be endorsed.

If you want the status of Christians, why change the book we read? The Bible, not the Book of Mormon or the Pearl of Great Price etc. are not the books that Christians follow. There is only one Bible consisting of 66 books. When anything tries to be acceptable as additional revelation to the Bible, it MUST match up to what is already written. This is an absolute fact. Teaching that God the Father is a glorified man who had sex with a human woman named Mary to produce Jesus is paganism, not Bible. The Book of Mormon has NO archaeological evidence that backs up the cities, peoples etc. that it mentions. Why so much secrecy? Why can't non-Mormons attend Mormon weddings? Why can't people just walk into the temple to pray. The doors are closed to outsiders. Christian churches have doors that stand wide open for EVERY service. We have no secret doctrines or rituals. Secrecy spells "be careful."
As for Christians accepting Mormons, note how many Christians voted for Romney in Iowa, 48%. The bigotry line is getting so old. I write this in love as I am commanded to love my neighbor and I do freely. I want all humans to be set free through Jesus who is Almighty God. This is easily proven in the pages of the Bible.
As for Jesus accepting everyone, try reading the parable of the rich young ruler. He walked away sad for he was unwilling to do it God's way.

You should be careful about misrepresenting what Mormons believe. To do so is a form of "bearing false witness"

You should read what a prominent evangelical has to say about it.

http://www.netbloghost.com/mouw/?p=48

1)Teaching that God the Father is a glorified man who had sex with a human woman named Mary to produce Jesus is paganism, not Bible.

That isn't Mormon doctrine.

Ikester says Christians do not recognize the four standard works of the LDS Church. "Why change the book we read?" he asks. Well my friend, you only have part of our Saviors story. These other works are inspired of God and are your heritage. They are for you personally and were written specifically for our times. They tell us about Christ's mission, who He is and who you are. The question isn't why you should read them, but whether they are true. If they are not then don't bother. It will not matter. But if they are then your understanding of the God's nature, eternity and how you fit in to the whole scheme of things changes profoundly.

So you see, the question isn't whether to read them it is whether you want to know how to prove them one way or the other. The first question is if you are interested enough to put some effort into it. For those that do, the first thing is to find a copy of the Book of Mormon and start reading it. If you are serious about knowing and are not just curious then you will find it easier to understand. The next question to ask is if you are sincere in wanting to know if this is God's message to you personally whether you want to change your life.

If the Bible has 66 books, what happened to the other books mentioned in the Bible, but that aren't included? Were they not also scripture? And isn't the Catholic Bible different from the versions used by most Protestant churches, including the addition of some books?
As far as the secrecy of the LDS temples, you are right that admission is limited to members in good standing. So a group of church-going people who are honest in their dealings with others, faithful to spouse or chaste if unmarried, having a testimony of Jesus, who don't smoke, drink, or do drugs is going to gather in sacred temples and -- suddenly do something horrid? I must be secretive since I don't invite the local bar patrons to my home, too -- to see me read the scriptures and pray with my children.
Mormons are peculiar, all right; but definitely not scary, except perhaps to paid ministers.

Spudmom, I love your last line there!

Ike: Many people do not understand that a temple is DIFFERENT from a church. Our church doors are wide open to EVERYONE! The temple is something very sacred and a person needs to be in a certain spiritual state to understand and not be in an attitude of mocking or whatever.

Remember the temples that Moses set up in the wilderness? Or other temples throughout the Bible? See, for example, Ezekiel ch. 44 in which the Lord explains, "...In that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house..." (v.7)

Not to say that there are not millions of great, righteous people out there who are not LDS, but certain steps are required to prepare to enter God's holy temples. So if you are willing to do those things required, YOU can enter the temple too. Faith in, and obedience to, God's truths are a prerequisite. (Hey, it's God's laws, not mine or even Joseph Smith's).

And believe me, entering the temple is easier than getting into Harvard! Should I protest because I was not accepted there and given a scholarship, or call them bigots or heretics?

Also, why did Christ throw out people who were conducting business in the temple? Why such passion about its holiness, and anger that it was being defiled?

Because the temple is an especially holy place. It's not wide open to everyone so that it could be overrun with those who are not following God's simple laws. Remember than "no unclean thing shall enter the kingdom of God." Not that you have to be absolutely perfect to enter the temples, just do a certain minimum to show your obedience, faith and reverence of the Lord.

I suggest "On the Burning of Heretics" (De Haeretico Comburendo) for those interested in a primer on how to deal with "unapproved" beliefs.


"If anyone does not condemn heretics, let him be anathema." - Virgilius

"Outside the Church there is no remission of sins." - Boniface VIII

"Only Catholics can be Christians." - Pius VI

I could go on, but I'll save you the bandwidth.

:)

Those of your readers who are truly interested in studying the Bible should find the "Mormon" take on the parable of the Good Samaritan to be interesting if not enlightening:

...
The roots of this allegorical interpretation reach deep into early Christianity. In the second century A.D., Irenaeus in France and Clement of Alexandria both saw the good Samaritan as symbolizing Christ Himself saving the fallen victim, wounded with sin. A few years later, Clement’s pupil Origen stated that this interpretation came down to him from earlier Christians, who had described the allegory as follows:

“The man who was going down is Adam. Jerusalem is paradise, and Jericho is the world. The robbers are hostile powers. The priest is the Law, the Levite is the prophets, and the Samaritan is Christ. The wounds are disobedience, the beast is the Lord’s body, the [inn], which accepts all who wish to enter, is the Church. … The manager of the [inn] is the head of the Church, to whom its care has been entrusted. And the fact that the Samaritan promises he will return represents the Savior’s second coming.”4

This allegorical reading was taught not only by ancient followers of Jesus, but it was virtually universal throughout early Christianity, being advocated by Irenaeus, Clement, and Origen, and in the fourth and fifth centuries by Chrysostom in Constantinople, Ambrose in Milan, and Augustine in North Africa. This interpretation is found most completely in two other medieval stained-glass windows, in the French cathedrals at Bourges and Sens.
...

From "The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols" by John Welch:

The full article can be read at:

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd53 6c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=372f3c78424 70110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

or by going to http://www.lds.org and entering "The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols" in the Search box.