Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: fuzzy@portia.stanford.edu (Daniel Zappala) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Mormonism and Christianity Message-ID: Date: 4 Sep 90 07:20:25 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: AIR, Stanford University Lines: 73 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article hall@vice.ico.tek.com (Hal Lillywhite) writes: >In article firth@sei.cmu.edu (Robert Firth) writes: > >>Is Mormonism a branch of Christianity? > [deleted Robert Firth's comparision of the Apostles Creed and his perception of LDS beliefs, along with Hal Lillywhite's commentary on his distortions and inaccuracies.] [Robert then makes the following comment:] > >Robert, I think you have demonstrated the dangers of getting your >ideas of somebody's beliefs only from their enemies. Your posting >shows almost no understanding of LDS doctrine. In fact I recognize >most of it as standard stuff put out my "Mormon-bashers," most >notably of late by Walter Martin and someone named Decker whose >first name I don't remember. If you really want to know what we >believe you ought to also read something like _A Marvelous Work and >a Wonder_ by LeGrande Richards. You should also of course read the >Book of Mormon, commenting on our beliefs without reading it is like >commenting on Jewish beliefs without reading the Pentatuch. > As a Catholic who is sincerely investigating the LDS faith, I would like to comment on this. I cannot possibly express the wideness of the gulf between popular anti-Mormon books and actual Mormon beliefs. For the past 4 months I have explored everything from doctrinal issues to the historical rise of the LDS church. I have inquired of authorities from the Catholic Church and the LDS church, and read dozens of books published by the LDS Church (including the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine And Covenants) and non-LDS members. This weekend, I finally decided to read _The_God_Makers_, a much-publicized "true account" of what the LDS church is "really" like, by Decker. I laughed at first. In order to best explain its character, I would liken it to the Enquirer's investigation of Elvis' death. The scholarship is awful, and the the book even attempts to link the LDS church to Satanism. That book errs greatly on the side of gross misinformation. It includes lots of distortion of actual doctrine to link it tentatively to reality. Previous posters who are actual LDS members have sufficiently pointed out the inaccuracies and distortions which have been propagated on the net. Anyone who wishes to sincerely discover what the LDS church believes can take a simple step: visit a library at a major university. I have looked at Stanford and USC, and found to my delight rows upon rows of books, published both by the Church and by non-church members who are less biased in their assessment. In this latter category, you can find serious discussions of Mormon beliefs, although you will have to weed out some of the more flagrant examples of prejudice. You will also find volumes containing the teachings of the modern prophets of the church, so you can discover what they said for yourself. Most importantly, you will find books that clearly lay out their beliefs for anyone to see. There is no secrecy here. If you are more bold, find some missionaries and talk to them. Look up a bishop in the phone book and call him. The members of the LDS church are by no means afraid to talk about their faith and explain their beliefs to others. You will find their frankness in direct contrast to the supposed "secret cult" image that some people have spread around. The book _A_Marvelous_Work_And_A_Wonder_, mentioned above, is a great place to start reading. I will sometime later post a list of the books I have read and found to be useful. I guess my point is that if you are really sincere about finding out what the LDS church believes, then you will clearly see the falsehoods rampant in anti-Mormon literature, regardless of whether you are remotely interested in converting. Daniel Zappala