Karen,karenprtlnd wrote:I believe that those that are to follow Jesus Christ, would be considered His Church, and come under His juristiction. I feel strongly about this. That if one is to consider himself a member of His body, The Church, the NT would be fine as a general and universal authority that we all already have in common. There can be many secular denominations and groups for a million different reasons, additions, styles, traditions, etc. These are merely "pulls" of human powers of mere beliefs & principalities I think, and not of the plain and simple wording to be found in the scripture itself.
The "pull" in an LDS ward to superceed the general authority as found in scripture (even their own), can be overwhelming at times. The scripture is where we find the testimony of Christ, and being limited by the name of a disagreeable group can really get on my nerves sometimes. Those that I feel I'm just "stuck" with merely by reason of a personal address that lands in that particular ward boundry, and that you don't just get to pick, and a governing policy that's not even local. It seems just way too perocial these days. Or that I use three items (NT/OT/M) instead of just the two (NT/OT) or only the one (OT). This just does not seem reasonable enough to me. Maybe a forth facsimilie of scripture may surface one day, and I would be forced to say no also, merely because the odds were so against it being real, that it was annoying. That wouldn't mean that I would have to close the door on any scriptural discussions that I may already have going, nor be run over by it.
I don't see why a NT person, would not find an LDS person, who also holds a NT, just alot of fun.
Old men did this (and are STILL doing this), not me.
Overall, I agree! Let's unpack this post and go a little deeper.
I wholeheartedly agree.I believe that those that are to follow Jesus Christ, would be considered His Church, and come under His juristiction. I feel strongly about this.
I agree again, the NT is our general and universal authority by which we base our actions and thoughts upon.....and, the KJV (as far as I knew until I began posting with Paidion) is the most accurate translation.That if one is to consider himself a member of His body, The Church, the NT would be fine as a general and universal authority that we all already have in common.
I agree that religious denominations form for "a million reasons..." I think we can both attest to our own experience with unique doctrine held by our respective denominations, yours being LDS, mine being SDA, and I absolutely agree that we can and should stand on the plain and simple wording of scripture.There can be many secular denominations and groups for a million different reasons, additions, styles, traditions, etc. These are merely "pulls" of human powers of mere beliefs & principalities I think, and not of the plain and simple wording to be found in the scripture itself.
Yes, I have been taught that the LDS view is that the NT is only correct as far as it was translated correctly, so the prophets continually make new doctrine and covenants. It is my opinion that this is an excuse to change the beliefs whenever and whereever the prophet wants to, and then the people have to follow, or they are not treated as good LDS.The "pull" in an LDS ward to superceed the general authority as found in scripture (even their own), can be overwhelming at times.
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that we find the testimony of Jesus Christ in the NT. And we are supposed to abide in Jesus. We are supposed to abide in his word. We are NOT supposed to set our attention to building large temples such as the LDS and the Catholics have (to offer two examples).The scripture is where we find the testimony of Christ, and being limited by the name of a disagreeable group can really get on my nerves sometimes. Those that I feel I'm just "stuck" with merely by reason of a personal address that lands in that particular ward boundry, and that you don't just get to pick, and a governing policy that's not even local. It seems just way too perocial these days.
Why do you feel you are "stuck" with a particular group of people? I realize the "governing policy" of the LDS authorizes you to attend only under their decision-making powers, but why do you submit to a man-made "governing policy" when you can go somewhere else? Is it because you don't see any Christians worshipping and fellowshipping the way they did in the book of Acts, and other books of the NT?
Or that I use three items (NT/OT/M) instead of just the two (NT/OT) or only the one (OT).
I'm not sure what you are saying, but if I had to guess, I would say that you want evangelicals to accept people who read LDS books, or at least people who include reading the BoM along with the OT/NT. I think the answer is as varied as there are evangelicals. In other words, some evangelicals will accept you and others will not. I accept you as a Christian because you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Your affiliation with LDS/wards/SLC does not mean to me that you are not a Christian. It just means that you are like other Christians who have thoughts, attitudes and beliefs that are in process. I know I don't have it all put together. And believe me, not everyone thinks I'm saved either. I could name the names of folks who think I'm not. Even the most famous well-loved evangelicals who have the most friends are perceived by someone, to be lost. Whoever disagrees with their theology and is judgemental will tell you that. But my POV is that if someone---like my LDS family and friends----I should withhold my judgement on the matter for the very simple reason that God did not make it my judgement to have. I can choose who to spend my time with, but I cannot choose who is a real Christian or not. Even so, I have become convinced in my own mind that you are a Christian--in as far as I can know that anyone is a Christian. I have come to know that by your own admission of discipleship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You have said that you follow Jesus Christ. That is by my definition, a Christian.
If by referring to "only the one (OT)", you mean non-Messianic Jews, then I believe we would have a problem accepting them as Christians if they don't believe in Jesus Christ. However, that does not give a Christian the right to be hateful to the Jew. I believe we need to love everyone. I believe that is taught in the NT.
Maybe a forth facsimilie of scripture may surface one day, and I would be forced to say no also, merely because the odds were so against it being real, that it was annoying. That wouldn't mean that I would have to close the door on any scriptural discussions that I may already have going, nor be run over by it.
I'm not really sure what you mean, but I think Christians have the scripture to know what Jesus wants us to think and do and say.
Jesus never spent much time discussing theology. I think we should search the scriptures because we read in the Bible to do that, but I don't see anywhere where it reads that we have to believe in Jesus AND believe in ............say the Trinity, or rapture, or soul sleep, or whatever. Of the three mentioned, the Trinity is the most important to me simply because it is a concept that helps us know the ONE who loves us so much! I think the closer we can imagine who He is, the closer we can be with Him. It's a blessing to be near Him, to understand Him, so understanding the Trinity is important to me, but not a prerequisite to being a Christian or having His grace overflowing in our lives.
The body of Christ is so diverse that not everyone is "fun" to everyone else. To me, "fun" is something that one shares with a person having a personality and interests that compliment in some way. HOWEVER, NT people should ALL love everyone with the love of Jesus! I believe that the LOVE of JESUS is the "glue" that binds us in the body of Christ. Abiding in Jesus, even those with whom we have nothing on earth in common with---well, we have Jesus in common.I don't see why a NT person, would not find an LDS person, who also holds a NT, just alot of fun.
Have you ever met two Christian ladies who, only by knowing Jesus in their lives, share conversation about Jesus and subjects that are important to Jesus, like praying together for suffering neighbors, or like work alongside each other to help a community project, or share their money together to accoomplish a goal for missions? Then, they can honestly say (and demonstrate) that they love each other in the Lord. Some Christian ladies have nothing else in common so they probably don't think of each other as "fun," but still, the love of Jesus abounds! What do you think?