Balzer Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 I have heard the LDS church referred to by non-members as being centered on man, as opposed, I suppose, to being centered on Christ. Given that Mormons believe that they will one day become gods - and spend their lives endeavoring to achieve that goal - is it then fair to say that the LDS church is indeed centered on man? If this is not fair, why not?Respectfully,Balzer
Senator Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I have heard the LDS church referred to by non-members as being centered on man, as opposed, I suppose, to being centered on Christ. The LDS Church is centered on a glorified, exhalted Man, Jesus Christ. There, hows that for welding together a perceived dichotomy?
bluebell Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 We believe that it's God's will and to His glory that we become joint-heirs with Christ and become like Him.I'm not sure how that can honestly be considered to be a doctrine 'centered on man'.
jadams_4242 Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I have heard the LDS church referred to by non-members as being centered on man, as opposed, I suppose, to being centered on Christ. Given that Mormons believe that they will one day become gods - and spend their lives endeavoring to achieve that goal - is it then fair to say that the LDS church is indeed centered on man? If this is not fair, why not?Respectfully,Balzer its very simple.. The fathers Glory is our salvation and exhaltation. God will never cease to be God.
mercyngrace Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 If God is in the business of saving man, then we are about our Father's business.
John Larsen Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Since we have both a Heavenly Father and Mother, but we are restricted from even talking about Mother, we can infer that women's destiny in exaltation is eternal silence. It is only Men that are recognized in the after world. You can't get any more man-centered than that.
consiglieri Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 we can infer that women's destiny in exaltation is eternal silence. My idea of heaven . . . *ducks*All the Best!--Consiglieri
TAO Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I think the gospel centers on service, that it does. Not on man, but on service =D.We serve God. He serves us too! =)
Balzer Posted January 22, 2011 Author Posted January 22, 2011 The LDS Church is centered on a glorified, exhalted Man, Jesus Christ. There, hows that for welding together a perceived dichotomy?Nice! But is it fair? Even if you truly believe that it is what God wants you to do, if you spend your entire life doing all the right stuff - go on a mission, marry in the temple, pay your tithe, don't drink/smoke, etc. - in order to become a god, how then can you also say that you lived a "Christ-centered" life? You will have spent your whole life trying to become a god, not trying to honor and worship Christ. Btw, I am absolutely not taking issue with any of the LDS church's doctrine or beliefs, I'm just trying to get clarity.Respectfully,Balzer
David T Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Nice! But is it fair? Even if you truly believe that it is what God wants you to do, if you spend your entire life doing all the right stuff - go on a mission, marry in the temple, pay your tithe, don't drink/smoke, etc. - in order to become a god, how then can you also say that you lived a "Christ-centered" life? You will have spent your whole life trying to become a god, not trying to honor and worship Christ. Btw, I am absolutely not taking issue with any of the LDS church's doctrine or beliefs, I'm just trying to get clarity.Respectfully,BalzerWhen you're truly seeking to emulate Christ, your life is centered on him in all things.
Balzer Posted January 22, 2011 Author Posted January 22, 2011 My idea of heaven . . . *ducks*All the Best!--ConsiglieriFunny! And brave!Respectfully,Balzer
BCSpace Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 I have heard the LDS church referred to by non-members as being centered on man, as opposed, I suppose, to being centered on Christ. Given that Mormons believe that they will one day become gods - and spend their lives endeavoring to achieve that goal - is it then fair to say that the LDS church is indeed centered on man? If this is not fair, why not?It is not a correct perception because Christ's Atonement is required for every degree of salvation, including becomming Gods.
Balzer Posted January 22, 2011 Author Posted January 22, 2011 When you're truly seeking to emulate Christ, your life is centered on him in all things.Maybe another to put it would be: Do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to honor Christ, or do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to become a god?Respectfully,Balzer
David T Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Maybe another to put it would be: Do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to honor Christ, or do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to become a god?Respectfully,BalzerI will be completely honest: The concept of becoming a god is not something I think about on a daily, or even weekly basis. On a daily basis, however, I do constantly think of my savior, and think of what I can do to emulate His character and nature, and how I can submit myself to His will, trusting in His assistance as long as that remains my desire.
mercyngrace Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Maybe another to put it would be: Do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to honor Christ, or do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to become a god?Respectfully,BalzerRedundant. They are one in the same.
bluebell Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Maybe another to put it would be: Do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to honor Christ, or do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to become a god?Respectfully,BalzerIt probably depends on who you ask.The church though teaches that we obey Christ to show our love for Him.I have to ask though, isn't your question the same as asking an Evangelical Christian whether they confess their sins to honor Christ, in order to go the Heaven, or in order to escape hell?What I'm saying is, doesn't this matter of how spiritually mature or immature someone is depend on the individual and not on the church they attend? Don't all other Christian churches also have people in them which obey Christ for the wrong reasons, or do you honestly see this as being something that only mormons might focus on?
TAO Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Maybe another to put it would be: Do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to honor Christ, or do you follow the Words of Wisdom in order to become a god?To follow Christ =). To become a God is a means to happiness that God has given us access to, it isn't the focus =).
mercyngrace Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 My idea of heaven . . . *ducks*All the Best!--Consiglieri-1
Obiwan Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 The answer to this question is easy and simple common sense.It never ceases to amaze me that critics and anti-mormons have a problem with this and think we are somehow "different" than any other Christian.A child initially does what is right thus "obeys" because he is TOLD TO. As a child grows he becomes an adult and chooses to do right not simply because he is told to, but because he WANTS to, and doing right has become a part of HIM.It's the same for mormonism. When someone joins the church being new to Faith or grows up in the Church, they "do" and "obey" because they are told to, that there will be some "benefit" for doing so, they may see a benefit and have some desire to do so, and one of those benefits could be becoming like God or "gods" ourselves. However, as one grows in the Gospel of Christ, as it becomes a part of you, you believe and do because it IS YOU, and who you want to be striving to daily, following Him, His Will, being humble and submissive as a child, but no longer a child, choosing to do and be for yourself.Thus, this idea that we live our lives focusing on becoming "gods" is looking at Mormonism, our Gospel, the same way a child does. We are no more "children" in our views and acceptance of the Gospel of Christ than any other Christian is. Anti-mormons really need to get this idea out of their heads. It's offensive, just as everything else is they say about us. A little truth used to tell great lies.
Balzer Posted January 22, 2011 Author Posted January 22, 2011 The answer to this question is easy and simple common sense.It never ceases to amaze me that critics and anti-mormons have a problem with this and think we are somehow "different" than any other Christian.A child initially does what is right thus "obeys" because he is TOLD TO. As a child grows he becomes an adult and chooses to do right not simply because he is told to, but because he WANTS to, and doing right has become a part of HIM.It's the same for mormonism. When someone joins the church being new to Faith or grows up in the Church, they "do" and "obey" because they are told to, that there will be some "benefit" for doing so, they may see a benefit and have some desire to do so, and one of those benefits could be becoming like God or "gods" ourselves. However, as one grows in the Gospel of Christ, as it becomes a part of you, you believe and do because it IS YOU, and who you want to be striving to daily, following Him, His Will, being humble and submissive as a child, but no longer a child, choosing to do and be for yourself.Thus, this idea that we live our lives focusing on becoming "gods" is looking at Mormonism, our Gospel, the same way a child does. We are no more "children" in our views and acceptance of the Gospel of Christ than any other Christian is. Anti-mormons really need to get this idea out of their heads. It's offensive, just as everything else is they say about us. A little truth used to tell great lies.Well, I guess someone had to go and spoil all the fun. Was getting some pretty decent answers until now. What is tiresome is being labeled anti-Mormon whenever a particular doctrine or belief is questioned, or, God forbid, challenged. Why should these kinds of questions about your faith, or any questions about your faith for that matter, so long as they are tendered sincerely and respectfully, be offensive? Don't you want others to understand?Respectfully,Balzer
mercyngrace Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Well, I guess someone had to go and spoil all the fun. Was getting some pretty decent answers until now. What is tiresome is being labeled anti-Mormon whenever a particular doctrine or belief is questioned, or, God forbid, challenged. Why should these kinds of questions about your faith, or any questions about your faith for that matter, so long as they are tendered sincerely and respectfully, be offensive? Don't you want others to understand?Respectfully,BalzerIt's just as tiresome for those of us who are active LDS to see some self-proclaimed TrueBlueMormon claim doctrinal superiority or the moral high ground while communicating in such an unChristlike way. The level of hypocrisy astounds. Here's the deal though, if you are a "contributor" you can moderate your own thread to some degree I think. (I'll have to see if I can find the Welcome Back post to make sure, my memory is going.) So, if someone derails your thread or acts badly, take matters into your own hands. Please. MnGEdit: Here is the post where Nemesis explained the new board setup.Also, so this post isn't a total derail....If the perfect teacher instructs and influences a group of students who then grow up to be exceptional teachers in their own right by emulating their beloved instructor, is the first teacher diminished or glorified?
nicolasconnault Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Nice! But is it fair? Even if you truly believe that it is what God wants you to do, if you spend your entire life doing all the right stuff - go on a mission, marry in the temple, pay your tithe, don't drink/smoke, etc. - in order to become a god, how then can you also say that you lived a "Christ-centered" life?Balzer, the "right stuff" you describe is not everything we do as Mormons. In fact, it is a very small portion of what we do, and involves a minuscule fraction of the decisions our faith in Christ leads us to make throughout our lives. It is indeed possible to do "all the right stuff" without living a Christ-centered life. What makes our lives Christ-centered is the multitude of daily decisions that we make, trying to do what the Saviour would do if He were in our shoes.
Balzer Posted January 22, 2011 Author Posted January 22, 2011 It's just as tiresome for those of us who are active LDS to see some self-proclaimed TrueBlueMormon claim doctrinal superiority or the moral high ground while communicating in such an unChristlike way. The level of hypocrisy astounds. Here's the deal though, if you are a "contributor" you can moderate your own thread to some degree I think. (I'll have to see if I can find the Welcome Back post to make sure, my memory is going.) So, if someone derails your thread or acts badly, take matters into your own hands. Please. MnGEdit: Here is the post where Nemesis explained the new board setup.Also, so this post isn't a total derail....If the perfect teacher instructs and influences a group of students who then grow up to be exceptional teachers in their own right by emulating their beloved instructor, is the first teacher diminished or glorified?Thanks for the tip. Only 3046 posts to go. Respectfully,Balzer
Balzer Posted January 22, 2011 Author Posted January 22, 2011 Balzer, the "right stuff" you describe is not everything we do as Mormons. In fact, it is a very small portion of what we do, and involves a minuscule fraction of the decisions our faith in Christ leads us to make throughout our lives. It is indeed possible to do "all the right stuff" without living a Christ-centered life. What makes our lives Christ-centered is the multitude of daily decisions that we make, trying to do what the Saviour would do if He were in our shoes.I get that. I wonder tho, if you do in fact do any particular thing specifically for purposes of becoming a god, or does this never really cross your mind? I'm also now wondering if it is even possible, in God's eyes, to do both - that is, say, pay your tithe both to honor Christ and to become a god? Respectfully,Balzer
CV75 Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 the LDS church is indeed centered on man?As much as Christ is, and as much as God wanted Christ to be (John 3;16).
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