LeSellers Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Are Mormons "born again"?Yes.That's why we look at baptism as a burial (of the old man) and a rebirth (of the new one).Lehi
KevinG Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Yes. <H2 style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; FONT: 24px/26px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; COLOR: rgb(42,55,83); VERTICAL-ALIGN: baseline; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial">A Mighty ChangeThe Lord’s authorized servants repeatedly teach that one of the principal purposes of our mortal existence is to be spiritually changed and transformed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Alma declared:“Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;“And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God” (Mosiah 27:25–26).We are instructed to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32), to become “new creature” in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), to put off “the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19), and to experience “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn.(Elder David Bednar opf the quorum of the 12 Apostles, April 2007 General Conference)</H2>
KevinG Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Yes, absolutely. Or at least, we ought to be.Good point!
altersteve Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Latter-day Saints don't use that terminology, but yes, we do believe in being born again, or spiritually reborn.
bjw Posted July 9, 2011 Posted July 9, 2011 Romans 10:9 says "That if though shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, though shalt be saved."Mormons believe this, therefore they are born again. In fact, believing this is a prerequisite for baptism. The verse says nothing about having an exact knowledge of the nature of the unity between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Its unfortunate that many churches are making that the requirement for salvation instead of what is in Romans 10:9 and are condemning Mormons under a false standard.
3DOP Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 How do you define "born again?"Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me? (Robert deNiro) Hey Lynn. The expression is found in John 3. I think it comes from the idea that the first birth has problems. To Catholics/Protestants, we are born once after Adam's fallen likeness, we are born again/born from above/ regenerated after Christ's divine likeness. According to Catholics and many Protestants this occurs at baptism (baptismal regeneration).
stYro Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 (edited) Are Mormons "born again"?Some Christian groups have a definition of what it means to be "born again" that would probably exclude Mormons.In my opinion, the phrase implies "a fundamental re-orientation, change or shift in one's inner self and outer life, towards God, that is so dramatic and powerful as to compare with beginning one's life all over again from that point". So by my definition (which I do not expect anyone else to accept), some Mormons are "born again" and some are not. Likewise some Baptists, some Pentecostals, some Catholics, etc. Personally I have never seen an 8-year-old Mormon that I would say was "born again" at his or her baptism, though I suppose it could happen. On the other hand I have seen adult converts that, in my opinion, the phrase would apply to. stYro Edited July 10, 2011 by stYro
shalamabobbi Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 Some Christian groups have a definition of what it means to be "born again" that would probably exclude Mormons.I'm sorry. I just find it humorous your posting in this thread believing as you do in reincarnation..Carry on..
Storm Rider Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 Are Mormons "born again"?I am curious; why do you ask? Does being born again only pertain to a specific denomination or church? Does a belief in a certain doctrine prevent the Holy Spirit from creating that change of heart that is evidence of being born again? Are there people who follow Jesus that cannot be born again?
CV75 Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 Are Mormons "born again"?Yes, we experience being born again.
urroner Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 Are you talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me? (Robert deNiro) Hey Lynn. The expression is found in John 3. I think it comes from the idea that the first birth has problems. To Catholics/Protestants, we are born once after Adam's fallen likeness, we are born again/born from above/ regenerated after Christ's divine likeness. According to Catholics and many Protestants this occurs at baptism (baptismal regeneration).You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the h*** else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here.Most of the Evangelicals that I have talk with say that being born again is usually an instantaneous occurrence and after being born again, one is saved and many of these Evangelicals don't believe that baptism by water is necessary. I haven't met any Catholics that have said anything like this when it comes to being born again.This is a problem when talking about being born again. When the EVers asked me if I have been born again and I say "yes," then they asked me when I was born again and if I've been saved. I don't believe that being born again isn't necessarily an occurrence, rather it is usually a process that happens over time and, IMNSHO, it's an ongoing process throughout this life. They insist that I have it all wrong. That is why I asked that question about defining what "born again" means.
3DOP Posted July 11, 2011 Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the h*** else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here.Most of the Evangelicals that I have talk with say that being born again is usually an instantaneous occurrence and after being born again, one is saved and many of these Evangelicals don't believe that baptism by water is necessary. I haven't met any Catholics that have said anything like this when it comes to being born again.This is a problem when talking about being born again. When the EVers asked me if I have been born again and I say "yes," then they asked me when I was born again and if I've been saved. I don't believe that being born again isn't necessarily an occurrence, rather it is usually a process that happens over time and, IMNSHO, it's an ongoing process throughout this life. They insist that I have it all wrong. That is why I asked that question about defining what "born again" means.Hi Urroner...Thanks for the visual!!!Right. Catholics don't talk about it the same way, but we believe in the concept and associate it with baptism. Following is from a Catholic commentary on John 3:5: Except a man be born again. That is, unless you are born again by a spiritual regeneration in God, all the knowledge which you learn from me, will not be spiritual but carnal. But I say to you, that neither you nor any other person, unless you be born again in God, can understand or conceive the glory which is in me. (St. Chrysostom)http://haydock1859.t...d.com/id94.htmlSince our Lord likened our spiritual birth to our natural birth, I agree with the Evangelicals who say it happens at once. Many of us know the minute of our first birth. That is not to say that nothing remains to be done. Rebirth is the necessary beginning of a process of deification, participation in the divine nature in us, a nature which we could not receive from Adam, until we receive our full adoption. Everyone who is reborn retains the liberty to place obstacles in the way of this process. In that sense, I agree with you about the necessity of a process. Without rebirth, without partaking of the divine nature, no deification is possible. But it is not inevitable since it is possible to extinguish the life of God through neglect or active opposition to God's will and the inspiration and graces He sends to those who are born again. Edited July 11, 2011 by 3DOP
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