13 surprising Mormon facts

[RoosterOnAStick]

Alright well good to know where I can look up the Mormon perspective.

Of course, a full history of the Bible, various traditions that surrounded it, the church councils that codified the canon, and what happened after that over the centuries is a subject all in itself.

Now I'm not denying many of the things mentioned so far but from my perspective there are other possible explanations for some of the major events. Some would say the changes are inspired by God, some would say these changes were not of God and do not/never did represent the real teachings. Others will say this shows why the church needed to be restored, others still, like myself, would point to a particular denomination or group of them and say "here is where the unbroken line and succession of belief reside". Like the Mormon perspective given here we Orthodox also believe that it is our church and its clergy that hold the proper apostolic succession. The Eastern Orthodox Church also claims to have the fullness of the faith and claims to be the original (or rather the unbroken the modern day descendants of it).

To be very clear this is not saying that only Orthodox Christians are going to heaven and no else is. Far from it. In fact Orthodox Christians, having the fullness of the faith and all the spiritual tools at their disposal will be judged far more harshly. We are judged by the light in our hearts and to whom more is given, more is expected. To what extent non Orthodox Churches have valid sacraments and such is not something we can judge (though you will find every opinion possible under the sun and it can get kind of nauseating).

So I think it is good for me to clear the air regarding this before continuing. It is a long winded way yo say that a Restorationist perspective says the line was broken but now has been restored, whereas I say the line was not broken and here it is.

[ArcticFox]

Catholicism holds a similar view, which is perfectly reasonable from their point of view. What's interesting about this subject is that it reveals how some denominations feel that unbroken line of succession is important, while others either don't feel that it matters or they don't embrace the concept of a succession in the first place.

I once attended the baptism of a friend at a Baptist church in the area. It was very similar to the Mormon method, except that at an LDS baptism, the person doing the baptizing says that he has been commissioned of Jesus Christ. At the Baptist one I attended, the pastor baptized "by the authority of the Grace Baptist Church." It would have been interesting sometime to discuss with him what authority that was, exactly and how it was derived.

[Sstavix]

He won't steer a person wrong, but that person also needs to be receptive to the messages, even if they don't seem to make any sense at first.

I added the underlined text as my only nitpick of a great post.

I won't argue with those edits.

[Dirkdigdeep]

That is just unscriptural human reasoning GOD SAID> Isa_43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
End of discussion. Isa_45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isa 44:6-8 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (7) And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. (8) Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
ANY such claim that we can become deity in any form flies in the face of these plain adamant and clearly final proclamations BY God of being one and only ever one GOD., with no others being formed or coming into existence at any time.

[Sstavix]

And as I indicated, we will acknowledge no other God but God. That's the way it will be within this eternity.

But what about afterwards?

I noticed that you're quoting heavily from Isaiah, a prophet in the Old Testament. What do you think about changes in the New Testament? There are some elements in the NT that contradict the teachings in the OT. Do you believe that God and Jesus have granted further revelation in the New Testament that wasn't present in the Old Testament? Also, do you believe that God continues to provide revelation and instruction to His servants today?