David Miller wrote:
DaveH wrote:
The foremost one that comes to mind most of the time
I'm pondering our differences ... is our different
understandings of the nature of hell.
Yes, we do disagree on this. The Mormon viewpoint is so different
from the way Jesus taught on hell.
DAVEH: And the Protestant viewpoint is so illogical, I fail to
understand why those who believe it cannot see its symbolic nature as
described in Scripture.
DaveH wrote:
Another distinctly odd difference (from my perspective) is
the commonly held belief by Protestants who can accept
the pre-mortal existence of God, Jesus and angels, yet
deny that we could have existed there as well.
I certainly do not deny the possibility that we could have existed
there, but the evidence I have before me suggests that my having
existed before the world began is very unlikely.
DAVEH: What evidence is that? From my perspective, it seems all the
evidence goes the other way.
DaveH wrote:
The Trinity Doctrine is another theory that I find intriguing,
as it seems to me to be so obviously contrived.
I think this stems from the different ways that we approach
Scripture. In order to reconcile the Biblical passages that show
Jesus being a distinct person from the Father in heaven, yet also
being the mighty God, the everlasting Father (when you have seen Jesus
you have seen the Father), the name of Jesus being "Yahweh our
Righteousness," etc., the Trinity doctrine seems inevitable. One way
Mormons skirt the issue is by saying that the Yahweh of the Hebrew
Scriptures is Jesus and that the "Father" is someone else.
Another reason for the Trinity doctrine is to try and help stress the
unity of the Father and the Son while at the same time recognizing
that they are separate persons. Mormonism fails to adequately
communicate the level of unity between them, something the "same
substance" concept of the Trinity helps maintain.
DAVEH: Yoweeeeeee! Now you've hit my hot button, DavidM! ;-)
LDS theology correctly teaches that man can become one with God,
just as Jesus and his Father are one. As I see it....Protestantism
fails to recognize that fact. And the TD tries to obfuscate it.
DaveH wrote:
Theologically though, the failure to recognize the primary
apostasy and subsequent belief in the inherent authority
of the believer to be the most primary foundational differences
between us.
I recognize the apostasy along with you, but I do not recognize the
authority of organizations such as the LDS as you do.
DAVEH: Ohhhhhh.......I didn't realize you felt that way about the
apostasy. In my discussions with other TTers (Perry, if I remember
correctly), it seemed there was a denial that the apostasy took place at
all. If you believe in the general apostasy, then do you also believe
in a restoration? And if so....when did it take place?
Yes, I recognize, rightly so, that God invests authority in the
believer as he operates in faith toward him.
DaveH wrote:
IF a Protestant were to agree with me on any single point
above, the rest of the house would flutter to the gutter.
I'm not so sure about that. For example, I'm probably not that
adverse to agreeing with "preexistence."
DAVEH: Ohhhhh......I find that interesting, DavidM. IF you were to
believe in a pre-mortal existence, then why would you think we came to
the earth in a mortal form? (I think that in a short discussion along
these lines, I can show you why you would not want to accept the
pre-mortal existance model, as it would upset your house of cards.)
If I came to agree with you on that point, I doubt that this would do
much of anything to make me drop my other beliefs about the eternal
judgment of hell, about the Trinity, or about the authority of the
believer. With regards to the Trinity, I have nothing in my belief
system that forces me to profess myself a Trinitarian, but if I were
to disown the Trinity, I lean much more toward Oneness doctrine
(Sebellianism) than I do toward Mormon henotheism.
DaveH wrote:
If you were to ask me what I think a Protestant's
disagreement would be with Mormonism, I would
suspect that two words would be at the root of his
feelings.....Joseph Smith. But that's just a guess on
my part.
It is not Joseph Smith for me
DAVEH: I was trying to boil it down to its simplest form. I do
understand what you are saying below.
so much as your blind faith in Joseph Smith and the LDS organization.
I sincerely believe that your faith is in your church organization
rather than in Jesus Christ.
Peace be with you.
David Miller.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dave Hansen
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http://www.langlitz.com
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