do you feel like mormonism teaches members to go the extra mile?

[AtlanticMike]

Through my studying of church history and doctrine in the past six months I've waded through a lot of muck and negativity. So I wanted to start a positive thread on a subject that I think Mormonism is head and shoulders above other religions, "going the extra mile."

     First, where I live and the people I've associated with I can say people in the military or retired military will usually always go above and beyond to get the job done compared to others.  I've worked with retired Marines and Navy seals and they are some of the hardest working individuals I've ever met. Many have told me they weren't like that until they entered the military and found the structure of military service and the demands put on them, shaped them into a more reliable and dedicated person. 

    Well, I never served in the military and have never really liked people being in a position of authority over me. Infact, the only thing in my life that has given me any kind of structure in my life is the church and scouts. Without a doubt, Mormonism and its goal of producing a positive lifestyle for it's members has given me the ability to go the extra mile when I need to. 

   Is Mormonism set up to produce a reliable, positive and out going personality in your opinion compared to other religions? 

Edited May 3, 2021 by AtlanticMike

[rongo]

I think our best compare well with others' best, and vice versa. The reverse is also true: our disappointments are similar to other groups' disappointments (Catholic, Protestant, atheist, etc.). Good people are good people. 

My son had a good friend in elementary school he assumed was Mormon. His friend, from an observant Catholic family, assumed he was Catholic. Both seemed "so Mormon" and "so Catholic" to each other, because they were from the best of their pools. 

I think that our "average," default-setting (lopping off the high and low ends) is a little better on average than other groups. In other words, your "average" Mormon is more competent, industrious, impressive, etc. than your average _________. At least historically --- my experience is that there is a big slide in competency, attitude, etc. in the rising generation (my generation's, GenZ's, GenX's children). It's more disappointing to me, because with the gospel and the Restoration, you would think we would be a city on a hill as a people. Unfortunately, I think this is waning, and is less and less the case, overall.  There are still outstanding people within and without the Church, too. 

When people comment that our children are so impressive, etc., I attribute that mostly to the Church. Even our parenting, etc. is heavily informed by the Church. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by rongo

[MustardSeed]

IMO, reliable yes. Hard working, yes. High achieving, yes.  Outgoing?  Nope. IMO 

[Robert F. Smith]

1 hour ago, rongo said:

..................... Unfortunately, I think this is waning, and is less and less the case, overall.  There are still outstanding people within and without the Church, too. 

When people comment that our children are so impressive, etc., I attribute that mostly to the Church. Even our parenting, etc. is heavily informed by the Church. 

 

29 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

IMO, reliable yes. Hard working, yes. High achieving, yes.  Outgoing?  Nope. IMO 

For those who are insular and unfamiliar with other cultures, the reality may not be clear.  I have found that different cultures exist not only within the USA (the Bible Belt is filled with people who live their religion and are very outgoing and helpful), but internationally as well.  I lived among the Jews of Israel for four years, and found them to exhibit a particularly high level of ethical conduct and restraint toward non-Jews and their fellow Jews.  I was not a tourist, but worked alongside them and spoke their language, enabling me to see them up close and personal.  It is not only LDS people who will go the second mile.  Many other cultures will do so as well.

[rongo]

1 hour ago, Robert F. Smith said:

For those who are insular and unfamiliar with other cultures, the reality may not be clear.  I have found that different cultures exist not only within the USA (the Bible Belt is filled with people who live their religion and are very outgoing and helpful), but internationally as well.  I lived among the Jews of Israel for four years, and found them to exhibit a particularly high level of ethical conduct and restraint toward non-Jews and their fellow Jews.  I was not a tourist, but worked alongside them and spoke their language, enabling me to see them up close and personal.  It is not only LDS people who will go the second mile.  Many other cultures will do so as well.

Did you ever read the Leon Uris novel "Exodus?" My parents said the award-winning movie wasn't nearly as good, but what a read. It explained a lot to me about the Israeli psyche, including the so-called "Samson complex" (self-preservation and defense of the state and the settlements, even at the sacrifice of life. Israel was founded with Holocaust survivors and survived against tremendous odds). 

Peoples have "spirits" and general traits, and it's no coincidence that Jews have made disproportionate contributions to the arts and sciences. We Mormons haven't risen to that, even though our impact is also disproportionately high. 

[Robert F. Smith]

18 minutes ago, rongo said:

Did you ever read the Leon Uris novel "Exodus?" My parents said the award-winning movie wasn't nearly as good, but what a read. It explained a lot to me about the Israeli psyche, including the so-called "Samson complex" (self-preservation and defense of the state and the settlements, even at the sacrifice of life. Israel was founded with Holocaust survivors and survived against tremendous odds). 

Peoples have "spirits" and general traits, and it's no coincidence that Jews have made disproportionate contributions to the arts and sciences. We Mormons haven't risen to that, even though our impact is also disproportionately high. 

There were a few Holocaust survivors among the Jews I knew and worked with (they had numbers tattooed on their forearms), but most of them came to Israel before the Holocaust or were born there.  It was more a matter of Jewish culture, not the Holocaust.  And their survival was measured in millennia rather than some recent generation.  Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) truly spoke of them as "the eternal miracle of the Jews."

[Tacenda]

We've had it drilled in to go the extra mile, literally.

The LDS song, "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel" we sing over and over in Sacrament meetings and I'll bet it comes from someone who may have crossed the plains. They pushed to go the extra mile I'm sure! And in modern days, the LDS do that and probably taught to do that. I know it helped my son in so many ways, he came home from his mission and woke up the next few days with his planner and probably felt lost because he needed to do something with his time because he was so use to it and managing his life that way. 

[Islander]

6 hours ago, AtlanticMike said:

Through my studying of church history and doctrine in the past six months I've waded through a lot of muck and negativity. So I wanted to start a positive thread on a subject that I think Mormonism is head and shoulders above other religions, "going the extra mile."

     First, where I live and the people I've associated with I can say people in the military or retired military will usually always go above and beyond to get the job done compared to others.  I've worked with retired Marines and Navy seals and they are some of the hardest working individuals I've ever met. Many have told me they weren't like that until they entered the military and found the structure of military service and the demands put on them, shaped them into a more reliable and dedicated person. 

    Well, I never served in the military and have never really liked people being in a position of authority over me. Infact, the only thing in my life that has given me any kind of structure in my life is the church and scouts. Without a doubt, Mormonism and its goal of producing a positive lifestyle for it's members has given me the ability to go the extra mile when I need to. 

   Is Mormonism set up to produce a reliable, positive and out going personality in your opinion compared to other religions? 

I am unsure as to what you refer to in your post. As rongo stated below, there are many people across many denominations that live orderly lives, care for their families in a loving, respectful and honoring way, do not drink or smoke, are good law-abiding citizens and actively engaged in their communities. In fact, from a civic standpoint many other Christians are more visible and relevant in the community than the LDS. Other than the occasional service (or scouts in the past) project, in my experience, not much is going on in the wards in Middle America. 

So there are many, not of our faith, that exhibit what you describe as "reliable, positive" behaviors in the world around us. I know many of them in the neighborhood, in sports event I engage in and in civic activities we participate in as a family.

[strappinglad]

I only go the " extra kilometer " . It is a cultural thing. 

[The Nehor]

10 minutes ago, strappinglad said:

I only go the " extra kilometer " . It is a cultural thing. 

Sure, but when I am just starting my extra mile you have already done your base kilometer and the extra one. A cultural thing to do less work.

The godless metric system is for lazy people. I affirm my loyalty to the king and his imperial system.

[AtlanticMike]

7 hours ago, Islander said:

I am unsure as to what you refer to in your post

The philosophy of Mormonism. If you break Mormonism all the way down, I think we're different from others in that we believe we are here to be tested, that we have something to prove. Mormonism really comes down to passing or failing the test of mortality, an "A" allows you to live with your eternal mother and father. 

    A lot of people condemn Mormonism because we look at life as a test, but if lived with a positive attitude, Mormonism will help you view service to your fellow man as an honor, not a chore. It can also help you maintain a positive attitude and become indispensable to a lot of people you interact with because your willing to go the extra mile. I know Baptist and Presbyterians who will go out of their way to hire a Mormon because of their work ethic and honesty.

       In my personal experience, Mormonism has taught me to look for the good in others, to lend a helping hand, a helping hand I personally see most people have a hard time extending because they're worried of how a kind gesture will be received. I think the philosophy of Mormonism breaks those barriers down.

   Is Mormonism perfect, nope. Is it weird, yes. Can Mormonism become overwhelming because of it's rules and authoritarian leanings, yes. But it really comes down to how you view Mormonism, if you view Mormonism through a lens of negativity, it will become overwhelming a lot of the time. To me, Mormonism is the base that I build my life upon, I don't follow it to strictly because it can become confining if you're not careful, look at the flds! But in a world where a lot of people have a hard time finding a base to build a life upon, or even making friends, in my opinion, Mormonism isn't a bad place to start. 

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by AtlanticMike

[MiserereNobis]

13 hours ago, Islander said:

do not drink or smoke

I'll just toss out there that drinking and smoking isn't inherently evil. Good people drink and smoke, too.

I would have loved to go to the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford and had a pint and a smoke with Tolkien and Lewis  

[mfbukowski]

2 minutes ago, MiserereNobis said:

I'll just toss out there that drinking and smoking isn't inherently evil. Good people drink and smoke, too.

I would have loved to go to the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford and had a pint and a smoke with Tolkien and Lewis  

Oh man. Don't know if I could turn down THAT invitation!

But sometimes obedience is its own reward by learning discipline. After a few years of living the WOW, which was VERY tough for me as a pipe smoker and marginal alcoholic, and a chain, continuous, coffee drinker I made up my own WOW prohibiting food addictions I had, and saw those foods as "poison", at least for me.  I lost 130 lbs, and by the grace of God, have kept it off to this day.

I am not taking any personal credit for it, because I learned the discipline I needed from the WOW.  It actually was easy. I just applied those skills.

I would be dead by now if it hadn't learned what the wow taught me.

[Rivers]

Didn’t Jesus teach people to go the extra mile?

[AtlanticMike]

9 minutes ago, Rivers said:

Didn’t Jesus teach people to go the extra mile?

 

[The Nehor]

2 hours ago, Rivers said:

Didn’t Jesus teach people to go the extra mile?

Yes, but a lot of the impact of that statement is lost. A Roman soldier could compel a person to carry his kit for a mile. So it is not just about helping others. It is about helping out people who are generally viewed as godless foreign oppressors who were bleeding your country dry without giving anything in return.

 

 

 

 

 

On a lighter note they may have been a little off:

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by The Nehor

[Islander]

16 hours ago, AtlanticMike said:

The philosophy of Mormonism. If you break Mormonism all the way down, I think we're different from others in that we believe we are here to be tested, that we have something to prove. Mormonism really comes down to passing or failing the test of mortality, an "A" allows you to live with your eternal mother and father. 

    A lot of people condemn Mormonism because we look at life as a test, but if lived with a positive attitude, Mormonism will help you view service to your fellow man as an honor, not a chore. It can also help you maintain a positive attitude and become indispensable to a lot of people you interact with because your willing to go the extra mile. I know Baptist and Presbyterians who will go out of their way to hire a Mormon because of their work ethic and honesty.

       In my personal experience, Mormonism has taught me to look for the good in others, to lend a helping hand, a helping hand I personally see most people have a hard time extending because they're worried of how a kind gesture will be received. I think the philosophy of Mormonism breaks those barriers down.

   Is Mormonism perfect, nope. Is it weird, yes. Can Mormonism become overwhelming because of it's rules and authoritarian leanings, yes. But it really comes down to how you view Mormonism, if you view Mormonism through a lens of negativity, it will become overwhelming a lot of the time. To me, Mormonism is the base that I build my life upon, I don't follow it to strictly because it can become confining if you're not careful, look at the flds! But in a world where a lot of people have a hard time finding a base to build a life upon, or even making friends, in my opinion, Mormonism isn't a bad place to start. 

 

Maybe because I am a convert the word "Mormonism" creates some cognitive dissonance. It was a poor choice to self identify as "Mormon" since, in my opinion, it is incoherent with how and whom we worship which is Christ. That aside, I disagree with you in that our co-religioners are held to a higher standard or live lives that are somewhat weird. I have family members that are Seventh day Adventists. They have very similar tenets to the WOW and do not drink smoke and eat very little meat. They are disciplined, honorable and work really hard to cultivate the values and precepts of their religion.

I don't see the commandments of God as "rules". The savior said: "...if you love me you will keep my commandments..." John 14:15. My obedience is driven my love for my Savior and my devotion for Him. I am eternally grateful for His Atoning sacrifice for me, for His merciful plan of redemption for my soul. 

What we do and faithfully obey was laid out by the Savior in the scriptures. Millions of people follow this path after Him also in faithful obedience. I do not see anything special in the Saints as compared with other true believers. Let's just ignore the "fake" ones (of which there are many in our Church also) for the purposes of this discussion.

Your foundation should be Jesus Christ, His words and His revelation. I can not relate to what you term as "Mormonism is my foundation". If you refer to the "culture" of the American portion of the Church, perhaps you live in the "Mormon Belt" where the Church dominates the social, political and cultural environment. Not me; I live in the Midwest where the Church has a tiny footprint and other than Sacrament meetings and the occasional function, there is not much of a "culture". The Gospel is my foundation.

[Islander]

10 hours ago, MiserereNobis said:

I'll just toss out there that drinking and smoking isn't inherently evil. Good people drink and smoke, too.

I would have loved to go to the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford and had a pint and a smoke with Tolkien and Lewis  

I agree. It is not what goes into the body of man that defiles him but what comes out, said the Savior. Except that we have been counseled to avoid these things and we obey in faithfulness to the revelation of God in that regard. 

[MiserereNobis]

5 hours ago, The Nehor said:

Yes, but a lot of the impact of that statement is lost. A Roman soldier could compel a person to carry his kit for a mile. So it is not just about helping others. It is about helping out people who are generally viewed as godless foreign oppressors who were bleeding your country dry without giving anything in return.

 

 

 

 

 

On a lighter note they may have been a little off:

 

When I teach Heart of Darkness. I use this clip to introduce the complexity of colonialism.

[mfbukowski]

8 hours ago, Rivers said:

Didn’t Jesus teach people to go the extra mile?

Heck even the army wants you to be "the best you can be"!

 

[AtlanticMike]

8 hours ago, Islander said:

Mormonism" creates some cognitive dissonance. It was a poor choice to self identify as "Mormon" since, in my opinion, it is incoherent with how and whom we worship which is Christ.

To me "Mormonism" is a life style, also, I see it as a positive not a negative.

8 hours ago, Islander said:

that are somewhat weird

"Weird" is a good thing for the church, if people stop looking at us as "a little weird" there's a good chance we won't interest people anymore, will just be another christian denomination. I embrace our weirdness. Gordon Hinckley said " the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship." 

8 hours ago, Islander said:

I don't see the commandments of God as "rules

If mortal life is a test, wouldn't the Commandments be the "rules" to follow as we're taking the test?

8 hours ago, Islander said:

. I do not see anything special in the Saints as compared with other true believers.

I think we are very special. Isn't that the reason we knock on doors? To share our "specialness".

 

 

Think about this islander, wasn't the life of Christ a little "weird"? He stuck out like a sore thumb, he went against the grain, performed miracles and healed the sick. He was so "weird" they killed him for it. 

 

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BY  FAITH

If You Think Mormon

 

s Are Weird…Here’s Why

 

 

Lots of people think Mormons are weird. I actually agree with them. Let me tell you why.

Mormons are members of the only church on the planet that attempts to incorporate the structure and ordinances that Jesus Christ established while he was on the earth. That structure is found in the New Testament.

The thing is…people thought that members of the New Testament church were really weird as well…only they didn’t use the word “weird”. They used the word “peculiar”.

That word “peculiar” is interesting. Interesting because even Peter (the chief apostle) used the same word to describe the New Testament Christians he was addressing. Here are a few synonyms from the thesaurus for the word “peculiar“:

• Strange, Unusual, Odd, Funny, Curious, Bizarre, Weird (There’s that word again) Abnormal, Anomalous, Out of the ordinary…

Peculiar is just a fancy way of saying weird.

If there was ever a time in which I was proud to be called weird…it is now. If what I hear in the General Conferences of the church is weird by the worlds standards…then we’re in some serious trouble. Have you watched a TV show lately…been to the mall…or hung out on a college campus? And people think Mormons are weird?

Actually…to quote Peter, he said to those New Testament “weirdos“; “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, [and] a “peculiar” people. (1 Pet 2:9)

Back in the day they used to talk about the “strange” doctrines of the Christians. They used to say that Christ, “the nobody from Nazareth” was a delusional story teller that went around tricking  people. A 2nd century Greek philosopher by the name of Celsus wrote with certainty that Jesus’s father wasn’t God…but a Roman soldier named Pantera. He continued in asserting that “Jesus performed His miracles by sorcery.”

“You’re telling me that someone walked on water and then awoke from the dead and then flew into heaven! Bizarre!”

To the world…Christ and His church were always weird. Peter agreed.

Mormons today are weird because they have prophets and apostles like the New Testament church of old. (Eph 2:20)

The peculiarity continues as you notice that Mormons have the office of “Seventy”, (Luke 10:1) and that they send missionaries “two by two” (Luke 10:1) in order to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matt 28:19)

Those missionaries are oh so weird as they go around in a white shirt and tie…clean cut…and committed to Christ. Would they be less weird if they spent their days at the local frat house or bar hopping on weekends?

I’ll bet those missionaries from a couple thousand years ago were made fun of quite a bit. Loin cloths and robes, locusts and wild honey…and a message about a carpenter that does magic tricks?

It’s also interesting that Peter referenced the “priesthood” before calling those early Christians “peculiar”. Who really cares about the priesthood in these days anyway? Mormons do.

On another note…Paul…what were you thinking when you said that there was “One Lord, one faith, and one baptism”, or that we could ever possibly “come in the unity of the faith” (Eph 4:5,13) We have over 40,000 christian denominations on the earth today. Why aren’t they just one denomination? Was a “restoration” to primitive Christianity needed?

Peter thought so. (Acts 3:19-21)

And Paul…while were looking at your teachings…why did you say that you met a dude that was in a “third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2-4) or that there were three different degrees of glory in heaven? (1 Cor 15:40-42)

Jeepers Paul. Did you also teach about baptism for the dead, while Peter was teaching that the gospel would be preached to those that were living in the spirit world? (1 Cor 15:29) (1 Peter 4:6) That’s crazy talk!

In those early days there were bishops, deacons, evangelists, elders and others that were tasked with running the local branches of the church. None of those people had theological degrees or got paid for what they did. Paul had to build tents and Peter had to catch fish. That’s unusual by today’s standards.

Then there’s that weird requirement to be baptized by immersion. You have Christ telling Nicodemus that you must be “born born of water and of the Spirit, or you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

John the Baptist and Jesus both understood that the word “baptize” in and of itself means to “dip or immerse”. Mormons actually believe that what took place in the river Jordan was an important part of salvation!

But it’s not like John the baptist held the priesthood authority to baptize did he? Wait. Yeah… he did. He was the son of Zechariah, a temple priest, and held the priesthood through heredity.

Mormons even believe that Christ still has his body and that His resurrection was literal. They think He wanted to actually keep his body when He went to visit His Father and not float into some kind of ethereal essence in undefined space. (Luke 24:36-39) (Acts 1:11) (John 20:17) Lunacy!

Those Mormons even believe that when Jesus went to go see His Father for the first time since being resurrected…that He actually would have been able to give His Father a hug, and that He wouldn’t have been giving himself or some kind of manifestation of Himself a hug. That a father and a son greeting each other in heaven would have looked similar to a father and son greeting each other here on earth.

Most unbelievable is the fact that Mormons actually believe that both God and nature have testified that a man should actually marry and procreate with a woman…and not another man. (1 Cor 11:11) (Romans 1:26-27)

They curiously believe that by being the children of God…it actually gives them the opportunity to become “gods” or become like God. But then again…C.S. Lewis agreed with that peculiar mindset.

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship” (C.S. Lewis – The Weight of Glory)

C.S. Lewis was probably just paraphrasing Paul when he told the Romans that “…we are the children of God…And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:16-17)

It’s so abnormal and downright obnoxious that Mormons would consider their bodies to be a “temple” and actually want to live by a strict health code like Paul directed the Corinthians to do. (1 Cor 3:16 & 1 Cor 6:19)

I’m not sure if I missed it, but was there some sort of a revelation given to the world that said we should all depart from the original structure and teachings that Christ established in the New Testament? Maybe people were sick of being so peculiar over the last 2,000 years…because as far as I can see, no one has even attempted to mirror the New Testament church according to the record we have in the Bible.

Weird indeed.

I’m ok with weird…

But there’s a lot more to the word “peculiar” than most people initially realize. While the things that the early Christians did were weird to the world, Peter wasn’t calling them weird or odd or any of the other synonyms that were listed above.

The Hebrew word for “peculiar” is “segullah” which means “special”. Peter wasn’t labeling the saints derogatorily. Peter was telling his listeners that the church and organization that was established by Jesus Christ himself was special!

When I see all of the ways in which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mirrors the New Testament church…I can’t think of any other way to describe it.

It’s special!

 

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Edited May 5, 2021 by AtlanticMike
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[Tacenda]

2 hours ago, AtlanticMike said:

To me "Mormonism" is a life style, also, I see it as a positive not a negative.

"Weird" is a good thing for the church, if people stop looking at us as "a little weird" there's a good chance we won't interest people anymore, will just be another christian denomination. I embrace our weirdness. Gordon Hinckley said " the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship." 

If mortal life is a test, wouldn't the Commandments be the "rules" to follow as we're taking the test?

I think we are very special. Isn't that the reason we knock on doors? To share our "specialness".

 

 

Think about this islander, wasn't the life of Christ a little "weird"? He stuck out like a sore thumb, he went against the grain, performed miracles and healed the sick. He was so "weird" they killed him for it. 

 

• •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

 

 

BY  FAITH

If You Think Mormon

 

s Are Weird…Here’s Why

 

 

Lots of people think Mormons are weird. I actually agree with them. Let me tell you why.

Mormons are members of the only church on the planet that attempts to incorporate the structure and ordinances that Jesus Christ established while he was on the earth. That structure is found in the New Testament.

The thing is…people thought that members of the New Testament church were really weird as well…only they didn’t use the word “weird”. They used the word “peculiar”.

That word “peculiar” is interesting. Interesting because even Peter (the chief apostle) used the same word to describe the New Testament Christians he was addressing. Here are a few synonyms from the thesaurus for the word “peculiar“:

• Strange, Unusual, Odd, Funny, Curious, Bizarre, Weird (There’s that word again) Abnormal, Anomalous, Out of the ordinary…

Peculiar is just a fancy way of saying weird.

If there was ever a time in which I was proud to be called weird…it is now. If what I hear in the General Conferences of the church is weird by the worlds standards…then we’re in some serious trouble. Have you watched a TV show lately…been to the mall…or hung out on a college campus? And people think Mormons are weird?

Actually…to quote Peter, he said to those New Testament “weirdos“; “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, [and] a “peculiar” people. (1 Pet 2:9)

Back in the day they used to talk about the “strange” doctrines of the Christians. They used to say that Christ, “the nobody from Nazareth” was a delusional story teller that went around tricking  people. A 2nd century Greek philosopher by the name of Celsus wrote with certainty that Jesus’s father wasn’t God…but a Roman soldier named Pantera. He continued in asserting that “Jesus performed His miracles by sorcery.”

“You’re telling me that someone walked on water and then awoke from the dead and then flew into heaven! Bizarre!”

To the world…Christ and His church were always weird. Peter agreed.

Mormons today are weird because they have prophets and apostles like the New Testament church of old. (Eph 2:20)

The peculiarity continues as you notice that Mormons have the office of “Seventy”, (Luke 10:1) and that they send missionaries “two by two” (Luke 10:1) in order to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matt 28:19)

Those missionaries are oh so weird as they go around in a white shirt and tie…clean cut…and committed to Christ. Would they be less weird if they spent their days at the local frat house or bar hopping on weekends?

I’ll bet those missionaries from a couple thousand years ago were made fun of quite a bit. Loin cloths and robes, locusts and wild honey…and a message about a carpenter that does magic tricks?

It’s also interesting that Peter referenced the “priesthood” before calling those early Christians “peculiar”. Who really cares about the priesthood in these days anyway? Mormons do.

On another note…Paul…what were you thinking when you said that there was “One Lord, one faith, and one baptism”, or that we could ever possibly “come in the unity of the faith” (Eph 4:5,13) We have over 40,000 christian denominations on the earth today. Why aren’t they just one denomination? Was a “restoration” to primitive Christianity needed?

Peter thought so. (Acts 3:19-21)

And Paul…while were looking at your teachings…why did you say that you met a dude that was in a “third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2-4) or that there were three different degrees of glory in heaven? (1 Cor 15:40-42)

Jeepers Paul. Did you also teach about baptism for the dead, while Peter was teaching that the gospel would be preached to those that were living in the spirit world? (1 Cor 15:29) (1 Peter 4:6) That’s crazy talk!

In those early days there were bishops, deacons, evangelists, elders and others that were tasked with running the local branches of the church. None of those people had theological degrees or got paid for what they did. Paul had to build tents and Peter had to catch fish. That’s unusual by today’s standards.

Then there’s that weird requirement to be baptized by immersion. You have Christ telling Nicodemus that you must be “born born of water and of the Spirit, or you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

John the Baptist and Jesus both understood that the word “baptize” in and of itself means to “dip or immerse”. Mormons actually believe that what took place in the river Jordan was an important part of salvation!

But it’s not like John the baptist held the priesthood authority to baptize did he? Wait. Yeah… he did. He was the son of Zechariah, a temple priest, and held the priesthood through heredity.

Mormons even believe that Christ still has his body and that His resurrection was literal. They think He wanted to actually keep his body when He went to visit His Father and not float into some kind of ethereal essence in undefined space. (Luke 24:36-39) (Acts 1:11) (John 20:17) Lunacy!

Those Mormons even believe that when Jesus went to go see His Father for the first time since being resurrected…that He actually would have been able to give His Father a hug, and that He wouldn’t have been giving himself or some kind of manifestation of Himself a hug. That a father and a son greeting each other in heaven would have looked similar to a father and son greeting each other here on earth.

Most unbelievable is the fact that Mormons actually believe that both God and nature have testified that a man should actually marry and procreate with a woman…and not another man. (1 Cor 11:11) (Romans 1:26-27)

They curiously believe that by being the children of God…it actually gives them the opportunity to become “gods” or become like God. But then again…C.S. Lewis agreed with that peculiar mindset.

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship” (C.S. Lewis – The Weight of Glory)

C.S. Lewis was probably just paraphrasing Paul when he told the Romans that “…we are the children of God…And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:16-17)

It’s so abnormal and downright obnoxious that Mormons would consider their bodies to be a “temple” and actually want to live by a strict health code like Paul directed the Corinthians to do. (1 Cor 3:16 & 1 Cor 6:19)

I’m not sure if I missed it, but was there some sort of a revelation given to the world that said we should all depart from the original structure and teachings that Christ established in the New Testament? Maybe people were sick of being so peculiar over the last 2,000 years…because as far as I can see, no one has even attempted to mirror the New Testament church according to the record we have in the Bible.

Weird indeed.

I’m ok with weird…

But there’s a lot more to the word “peculiar” than most people initially realize. While the things that the early Christians did were weird to the world, Peter wasn’t calling them weird or odd or any of the other synonyms that were listed above.

The Hebrew word for “peculiar” is “segullah” which means “special”. Peter wasn’t labeling the saints derogatorily. Peter was telling his listeners that the church and organization that was established by Jesus Christ himself was special!

When I see all of the ways in which The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mirrors the New Testament church…I can’t think of any other way to describe it.

It’s special!

 

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I hope that you're not posting while up top a roof. 😉

Edited May 5, 2021 by Tacenda

[AtlanticMike]

Just now, Tacenda said:

I hope that you're not posting while up top a roof again. 😉

 

Just now, Tacenda said:

I hope that you're not posting while up top a roof again. 😉

Haha, I tried set it up as a link but it didn't work. And yes I'm on a roof, how could you tell😂😂😂

[CV75]

On 5/3/2021 at 5:50 PM, AtlanticMike said:

Through my studying of church history and doctrine in the past six months I've waded through a lot of muck and negativity. So I wanted to start a positive thread on a subject that I think Mormonism is head and shoulders above other religions, "going the extra mile."

     First, where I live and the people I've associated with I can say people in the military or retired military will usually always go above and beyond to get the job done compared to others.  I've worked with retired Marines and Navy seals and they are some of the hardest working individuals I've ever met. Many have told me they weren't like that until they entered the military and found the structure of military service and the demands put on them, shaped them into a more reliable and dedicated person. 

    Well, I never served in the military and have never really liked people being in a position of authority over me. Infact, the only thing in my life that has given me any kind of structure in my life is the church and scouts. Without a doubt, Mormonism and its goal of producing a positive lifestyle for it's members has given me the ability to go the extra mile when I need to. 

   Is Mormonism set up to produce a reliable, positive and out going personality in your opinion compared to other religions? 

Inasmuch as the Church teaches the principles in the Sermon on the Mount, I think yes (as Matthew 5: 38-42, which is part of the higher law as taught in Chapters 5 - 7). This, with the other teachings, are to make us the kind of people Jesus wants us to be and become, and the attitudes to practice, etc. in Matthew 5: 3- 12.