Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: gt5182b@prism.gatech.edu (gt5182b gt5182b LESTER,ROBERT WILLIAM) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: The Mormon Religion Message-ID: Date: 20 Aug 90 02:51:43 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Lines: 55 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu I don't want to get into the archeological side of this discussion. Hal L. seems to being a fine enough job. But I would like to present some ideas in order to discuss the theological and philosophical differences between LDS beliefs and that of other Christian groups as was suggested by Cindy Smith in an article in talk.religion.misc. I'll use Will's article as a starting point. In article bralick@psuvax1.cs.psu.edu (Will Bralick) writes: >Well, I think that what cms was trying to convey is that LDS is >the only pantheistic religion which portrays itself as also being >a Christian religion. It is the only religion which claims that >we can all become gods -- just like God the Father, and his ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >sons Jesus and Satan -- and still portrays itself as being a ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >Christian religion. You seem to imply that Jesus and Satan can both become/are gods. I don't know if you did this purposely or not. But that is not LDS belief. I think you are confusing this with the belief that all the spirit children of our Heavenly Father lived with him before the creation of the Earth. These spirits included Jesus and Satan(Lucifer) and the spirits of every person who ever has, is presently or will inhabit the Earth. But in this spirit world Lucifer, rebelled against our Father and Jesus and lost any chance he had of taking part in the Lord's plan to save his children. So yes you can technically say that Satan and even all of us are the spirit brothers of Jesus Christ. However, "spritually" Jesus is worlds apart from any of us. To LDS Christians, Jesus is our Savior. ...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29. He overcame the world in every sense (i.e. temptation, death...) and is now crowned with the glory given him by the Father. Perhaps one mistake we make in teaching our doctrine of pre-existence of spirits is in overemphasizing, at times, our relationship to Christ as siblings. Since, Jesus is our Creator,our Redeemer,and now in a spiritual sense our Father, we (LDS) need to be careful when we refer to Jesus as our elder brother. No matter how this doctrine might seem to others to diminish the role of Christ in our religion, let me assure you that it does not. Regards, Rob ... a real live Mormon in Georgia .... : ARPA: gt5182b@prism.gatech.edu