ARCA Article: Mitt Romney & Mormonism | The facts!

"Just the facts ma'am" sounds archaic and cliché-ish, but is critical to evaluate a position, idea or statement based on the facts. Sound bites, clichés, emotional charges, and personal opinion run amok whenever there is a political race for the presidency. Consequently, these very elements obscure the precious essential facts surrounding our candidates. Whatever ideas you have, whether they are economic, public or foreign policies, etc., you have to evaluate them to see if they carry serious consequences to the christian worldview.

However, this process is rendered useless when there a false dichotmy between what is rendered to Cesar and what is rendered to God. This could be largley due to the misunderstanding between the separation of church and state ideology in general and Christian naivette in particular. As I have mentioned before, Artistotle's remarks about what is virtuous or right is found in moderation; and while on one extreme we have a Christian nation (Theocracy) and on the other we a striclty secular one (false humility, isolationist), I think that our interaction with politics should be specifically that, interacive. Interactivity is the middle ground between isolationism and dominionist ideas. Now, how much this influence should be and what it contains are subject matters that could be further developed. 

Nevertheless, we must recognize that many ideas have consequences and we would be amiss to think that these ideas could become part of a political candidate and not have any effects whatsoever on his constituents. While all candidate have ideas that carry some effect on any particular religious belief, let us take a look at one of them to see how his specific ideas about ethics, religion and politics play out when analyzed through the lens of a Christian worldview. This is where Apologetics Resource Center comes in. I think that Craig Branch does a very good job of pointing out specific differences between the Mormon (Mitt Romney) & Christian worldview and the impact it has on us as Christians. I invite you to spend some time and read the article carefully, especially when it comes to the statistics. Let me point out some notable quotes from this article to wet your appetite:

…But along came Jerry Falwell and The Moral Majority. Conservative Christianity and conservative politics became a major focus of time and hope for Christian influence in culture. The concept has some legitimacy. There has been a neglected theological dimension of the role of the Church or believers as activists in shaping our culture. It is important to note that the baseless cliché, “you can’t legislate morality,” is without merit. All laws and ethics are based on someone’s morality.

So Christians work to influence lawmakers and even to become lawmakers, but not to make the country into a Christian theocracy. Our first priority is to see people converted to Christ via the gospel and to prioritize the spiritual kingdom, realizing that the Law can restrain evil (and provoke it) and can have some positive effect on the consciences of image bearers of God, but cannot convert people. Our priority and ultimate goal in the Kingdom is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, minister to those truly in need, and to promote mercy and justice. Our ultimate and proximal trust is in the triune God – not the Republican or Democratic parties. 

To complicate the issue more, there are a number of evangelicals who have openly stated that Romney’s faith should not be a factor. Chuck Colson, Ralph Reed, Southern Baptist leader Richard Land, and others have all said, “We are electing a Commander-in-Chief, not a Pastor (or theologian)-in-Chief.” Incredibly Pat Robertson had Romney come to Regent University to give the Commencement address last year! Fundamentalist Bob Jones III of Bob Jones University endorses Romney. The Roman Catholic conservative talk show host, Sean Hannity naively proclaimed that since Romney said he accepts Jesus Christ as his personal savior, it should be enough.

But it is precisely because of these perspectives that we need to seriously discuss this issue. Let’s take a moment to lay some foundations and to clarify and define the issues for this controversy.

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You can also look at Ray Ciervo's excellent article on the same issue here  

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Mitt Romney’s Speech & Mormonism

The confusion of our faith and politics affords us continuous errors. After listening to Mitt Romney’s speech, some people are impressed. He compared himself with JFK and his speech when he ran for president. JFK made the point that he was not a “Catholic running for president. He was an American running for president who happened to be a Catholic. Romney followed suit. He claimed he is not a Mormon running for president, but an American who happened to be a Mormon. His major appeal was to the Christian right. Although Romney didn’t say anything controversial, he did obscure some very important facts about his Mormon beliefs. I don’t believe he was trying to be deceptive, but he used terms that would “acceptable” to Christian listeners. He referred to the “founding fathers” which is an acceptable buzz word for Christians. He definitely got in line with the Christina arguments for a moral society. But, there were some tricky points in his speech which may go unobserved or uninterpreted.

First, let’s lay things out in a more apparent way. Mormonism began as a cult and has grown into a “folk-religion.” It may well be that Mormonism is America’s folk-religion. When Joseph Smith received his “revelation” it was to announce that the church had altered the Scriptures, had left the religion of the apostles and prophets and that he was chosen to restore it. He was the undisputed leader of the new cult that broke away from traditional Christianity. Smith was an authoritarian leader that banded together his followers who sought a place to carry out their new revelation. Mormonism refined its beliefs through the years, at least the ones that were clearly offensive, like bigamy.

Some Christians were impressed that Romney declared that he believed Jesus to be the Son of God and the savior of mankind. This is very Christian-like. However, Mormons have said that for a while. Jehovah witnesses will say similar statements. What Mormons will not say is that Jesus Christ is God’s unique Son. Nor will they say He is God, the Son. Mormons have always asserted that Jesus is the Savior of Mankind, but they do not believe that he died for you personally. His redemption is kind of a corporate redemption that is only available to those who walk the Mormon path. They also believe that Jesus was pre-existent as a “spirit baby” and the brother of Lucifer. We don’t have space to go into the “special under garments” nor the need to get married in the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City. Mormons do have some different beliefs than orthodox Christians.

It’s amazing what some Christians will accept. To many the statements Romney made sounded authentic. But, this is where the confusion lay. Because someone is a Mormon doesn’t make him a bad candidate for president. Nor, should it be the test whether he will be a good president. Mormons are moral, for the most part. However, I can’t categorically say that any Christian candidate will be moral either. If morality is the issue, we ought to make that the issue. There was a muddying of the waters in Romney’s speech that may pave the way for him to become the Republican candidate. The problem will be if he’s accepted because of his allusion to Christian beliefs.

Romney’s hurdle is to garner support from the Christian voters – he’s looking for the conservative right’s Christian voting block. Pundits like Pat Buchanan have given Romney’s speech high marks. But Pat Buchanan is the poster child for Libertarian Christianity, not exactly the center of the stream. Buchanan aside, the other apologists have not have not sounded off. They’ll be others who criticize what he said, more than I have.

Here’s what Romney did in his speech. He alluded to a pseudo-Christian faith in his statements about Jesus. He then picked up the argument of fighting the secular left. This was a smart move, very smart. The knee-jerk Christians, whose faith has been politicized, will rally right behind him. Not a bad political move, not at all.

Here’s the downside of it for Christianity: Romney becomes president and people look at Mormonism in a new light. Mormons can’t be that bad, look at Mitt. Romney will secure Mormonism as America’s folk-religion. Mormonism is spiritual enough to satisfy many.

I know people will misunderstand my next statement. However, I’ll try to make this as clear as I can. I don’t have a problem with Romney running for president. Nor do I have a problem with him becoming president. But please, leave my Christianity alone. It’s muddy enough with all the press it gets. It’s muddy enough with the politicized mumbo jumbo of pundits who don’t understand the Scripture and use it for their own political prowess.

Aside from my own consternation about my faith, this ought to be interesting to watch as it plays out. Romney’s ploy to talk about his faith will prompt a response from Mike Huckabee.  This ought to make things interesting, really interesting in the coming months.

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NO PAT ANSWERS:MOVING TOWARD A MORE ENGAGING EVANGELISM|By Ray Ciervo

A young man recently wrote to Billy Graham, who authors a column in the Charlotte Observer here in North Carolina. The young man was questioning a friend’s faith: “Every time I ask her why she believes what she does, her reply is, ‘Because it’s in the Bible.’” The young man acknowledged his skepticism concerning the Bible’s authority and in frustration asked Graham why he should believe. What his friend was doing was serving up a “pat” answer.

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition, defines a “pat answer” as one that is trite or glib, superficially complete or satisfactory. “Pat answers” assume everyone understands what the underlying meaning really is. The problem is that the real meaning goes unobserved behind what is actually said.

Pat answers have had a very serious effect on Christianity. When Christianity was the dominant religion in America and when it had some influence in society and culture, it presumed everyone knew what it was all about. From a position of authority it responded with pat answers. Christians presumed everyone else knew the substance. Unfortunately, this has served to help undermine that position of authority and influence.

As we know today, Christianity is marginalized in American culture. It does not seem to have much authority and is looked upon critically as having no significant importance. What has happened?

Part of what has happened is that the Church has been asleep at the wheel. There were some who were warning of the impending storm, but most of the Church stayed asleep. We are kind of like the frog in the kettle. The illustration tells us that if you try to put a frog in boiling water he will jump out. However if you put him in cold water and slowly heat up the kettle, then you can boil him.

The world has changed on us much the same way. The changes have been slow over a long time. Few people realize how long ago it began….

The young man was questioning a friend’s faith: “Every time I ask her why she believes what she does, her reply is, ‘Because it’s in the Bible.’”

A QUICK HISTORY
The Mayflower Compact declared that the first Pilgrims intended to share their Christian faith as they settled in their new land. The founding fathers depended on God to guide them through the process of independence and the establishment of this nation. The government even sponsored evangelism among Native Americans.

It appeared this would be a nation which would have its roots in God’s Word and depend on His guidance. The influence of the first and second “great awakenings” had significant impact on the young nation. It appeared this would be a nation which would have its roots in God’s Word and depend on His guidance. Granted, some of the founding fathers were not perfect, but in most cases, they were God-fearing men. However, this was short lived.

In 1859, Charles Darwin introduced his Origin of the Species. This book had a profound affect on the scientific and religious community. Yet, that book did not discard religion or God as Creator of man. It wasn’t until 1871 that his Descent of Man, proclaimed that man evolved from apes. In 1925, the Scopes Trail, totally misrepresented by the play and movie, Inherit the Wind, made headlines over whether it was unlawful to teach evolution in public schools. The Christians won the case, though you would never know it. In 1933, the Humanist Manifesto was written declaring, “We need no God and no savior. We can save ourselves.” One of the signers of the manifesto was John Dewey.

John Dewey had a strategy to rid the public school system of anything that related to God and religion. His strategy called for training a generation of humanists who would teach American children. In the early sixties, school prayer and Bible studies were banned from public schools. It took Dewey’s strategy only 30 years to succeed.

THE NEW DOGMA
Today, few people realize what is being taught in schools and what will soon become common fare. Take for example just one professor who has had a devastating effect on education: Peter Singer. Professor Singer, chairperson for the Center of Human Values at Princeton University is an avowed secular humanist who teaches ethics at the university to future world leaders. However, his “ethics” consist of the ends justifying the means; he is a consequentialist, a utilitarian. Singer seemingly believes and teaches that abortion on demand should be commonplace. He also seeks to promote physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia. Some consider Singer a monster. To his credit, he has assisted famine victims and helped alleviate poverty in some instances. However, he is an atheist who holds to an evolutionary world view.

Educators of Singer’s ilk believe that in some cases, paraplegics, quadriplegics, the blind, and others who suffer and have no hope of a cure should be terminated. Babies born with deformities should be terminated under this chilling worldview. Ironically, Peter Singer is considered one of the brightest minds in academia today.

What is taught at the university level will soon become what is taught at the lower levels. It will filter down through the system until it becomes law. The effects of other legal decisions and advances of atheism have reached all of us today. As Christians, we have lost significant ground in every quarter.

THAT WON’T CUT IT
When we try to use pat answers today we realize they fall on deaf ears, even perplexed minds. “How could you believe something like that?” comes the reply. Pat answers don’t cut it anymore. In one sense, they never did.

But here is some good news…we live in a day of great opportunities for evangelism. You see, Christians are not the only ones guilty of giving pat answers…this is now the world’s mode of operation and communication. Advertising agencies, businesses, governments, and even educators are spouting trite, glib responses to the questions or circumstances surrounding all of us. “Just do it” and “No boundaries” are some of the cliches the Madison Avenue crew has picked up on. “Whatever” is the consummate pat answer today. It is the glib, trite expression that says, “Who cares?”

Here are some others: “That may be true for you,” “You can’t legislate morality,” and “All religions lead to God.” These are all trite, glib, self-refuting, pat answers. We must recognize the nature of the statements and bring them into the light of analysis. Each of these statements contain fallacies which betray the person who uses them.

Today, you have an opportunity to share your beliefs and ask probing questions of others. Of course, you must first understand what it is that you believe. Could you, for example, explain or even state your church’s statement of faith? Do you know what the essentials of evangelical Christianity are? Could you give a somewhat clear description of the Trinity, in terms that would not freak out the average listener?

When you talk about Jesus, to which “Jesus” do you refer? The Mormons have a Jesus. The Jehovah Witnesses have a Jesus. B’hai, New Age, and even the Hindus believe in a Jesus. Just which Jesus are we speaking about?

You cannot give pat answers and should learn how to recognize when someone else is trying to “put one across” on you. This is not a time for Christians to abandon sound doctrine and embrace a lightweight Christianity. This is the time for in-depth understanding of the basics of the faith and a time to engage people in Gospel conversation. This is time for the Church to rise up and meet the challenges it faces.

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JP Moreland Speaks on Classic Mormon Materialism | As reported by JesusNotJoseph.com

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Mormon Resource | Josephlied.com

From the site:

What would you say if I offered to sell you a slightly used 2005 Ford Expedition for only $5,000.00?

 

If you were a normal person you would be a bit suspicious. But, after being assured that it really was only five grand and it only had 10,000 miles on the odometer you would naturally grab the deal before someone else beat you to it. Imagine you took your new vehicle home and after just a few days it broke down on you. You would probably call me and ask if there was anything I failed to mention to you about your new purchase. You would probably be furious if I said, "Technically the odometer reads 10,000 miles, but it actually has a little over 285,000 miles on it.  You see, I took the odometer apart and rolled it back to 10,000 to make it a better sell.  However, it is in excellent condition.  It’s only been in 5 major accidents in the past year but the body work done on it has concealed any evidence of damage.  4 of the 5 accidents happened when some sort of electrical short caused the engine to catch on fire and flood the cabin with thick acrid smoke.  However, I’m pretty sure they have figured out the source of the electrical problems and it shouldn’t happen again (knock on wood).  Anyways, it’s a steal at $5,000.  Heck, it’s a steal any way you look at it since it was actually stolen in New Mexico early last year but it now has a clean bill of sale and VIN that can’t possibly be traced back to it’s original (and rightful) owner.  For some reason I was having a heck of a time selling it until I rolled the odometer back and got the nasty odor of smoke out of the interior.  I’m sure glad you came along, I was about to part it out and sell it for scrap." Likewise, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka the Mormon Church) also has a rather shocking history that has been "tampered with" and significantly altered over the past 170+ years that, when discovered, led me and my family to leave it after being faithful believers our entire lives.  If you are LDS (or investigating the LDS Church) and want to know what would cause a very active, temple married couple (he a return missionary, she the daughter of a Bishop) to remove themselves and their children from the only church they have ever known, then read on.   We used to be like most Mormons.  Whenever we heard anything negative about the church we knew it was a lie because we knew the church was true.  However, we discovered we only "knew" what the church wanted us to know.  You might be surprised as you go through this site to discover that there are many fully documented facts about the history of the LDS Church that a vast majority of Latter-Day Saints have never even heard of.  If you continue, like us you will no doubt come to the conclusion that, simply put, Joseph lied.

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Puerto Rico Watch out! …Its a Hurricane, Its a Typhoon - no, its Jose Luis de Jesus and it’s Judgement Day!

It seems that Jose de Jesus is bringing Judgment to Puerto Rico. As I have said before, he sure has an angle on marketing techniques that put many a cult leaders to shame. This announcement was found on his website:

Jesucristo hombre, Dr. José Luis de Jesús Miranda, el juez de todos, viene a traer justicia a Puerto Rico, desenmascarando la maldad del sistema religioso corrupto y declarando justos a sus escogidos.

Este 17 de diciembre, el mundo será testigo de la segunda venida de Cristo. El Rey de Reyes llega a suelo boricua. Puerto Rico será el escenario donde cientos de personas presenciarán en vivo, mientras millones sintonizarán vía satélite, el evento que marcará el rumbo de la historia.

Te invitamos a corroborar las evidencias de que Dios yá está en la tierra, y la labor que Él está haciendo, la cual hemos resumido en estas páginas.

A rough translation of the above declaration states that:

Jesus Christ (man), Dr. Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, judge of all, will come to bring judgment to Puerto Rico in order that he could unmask the religious corruption as well as the evil that resides in the religious system, all this while declaring all of the chosen as “just.”

This December 17th the world will be a witness of the second coming of Christ. The king of kings will touch upon the boricuan land. Puerto Rico will be the stage where hundred’s of people will witness “live” while millions will watch through satellite tv the event that will put a mark upon history.

We invite you to corroborate the evidence that God is already on earth and that we have resumed the work that He is doing on these very web pages.

This has an eerie similarity to the past failed Jehovahs Witness’ prophecies. As Matt Slick from Carm.org points out, all of these were declarations of similar second comings and judgments that really left the Watchtower organization in shame:

1897 “Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874,” Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 4, page 621.

1899 “…the ‘battle of the great day of God Almighty’ (Revelation 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth’s present rulership, is already commenced.” The Time Is at Hand, page 101 (1908 edition).

1916 “The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 1000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ’s Reign, began in 1873.” The Time Is at Hand, page ii, (forward).

1918 “Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection.” Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 89.

1922 “The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914.” The Watchtower 9/1/22, page 262.

1923 “Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge.” The Watchtower, page 106 4/1/23.

1925 “The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year.” The Watchtower, 1/1/25, page. 3.

1925 “It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work.” The Watchtower, Sept, 1925 page 262.

1926 “Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything.” The Watchtower, page 232.

1931 “There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah’s faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1917, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time…and they also learned to quit fixing dates.” Vindication, page 338.

1941 “Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord’s provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon.” The Watchtower, 9/15/41, page 288.

1968 “True, there have been those in times past who predicted an ‘end to the world’, even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The ‘end’ did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing?.. Missing from such people were God’s truths and evidence that he was using and guiding them.” Awake, 10/8/68.

1968 “Why are you looking forward to 1975?” The Watchtower, 8/15/68, page 494.

However, Jose Luis de Jesus saved himself from risking total humiliation with erratic second coming predictions and “just appeared” without anyone really knowing. Nevertheless, he did set a day for judgment and It will be Dec. 17th of 2006. As you can see, he literally ran with the marketing slogan “every eye will see” and set out a press release to all of the news outlets for his world judgment.

While the seriousness of this cult cannot be ignored it occurred to me that he acts and talks and even has mannerisms similar to a latino icon that sort of paved away to this whole predicting the future, giving into mystical and esoteric revelations nonsense: None other than Walter Mercado. Just look at these pictures below and read here and you could almost swear that Walter could of acted as a sort of John the Baptist to this guy. Why, with all of the syncretistic tendencies in many of the spanish speaking evangelical countries, it is no wonder how people like Walter and Jose Luis de Jesus can influence so many bible believing Christians.

Remember, and I especially plead to all of my spanish speaking readers: These are some of the aberrations he teaches that are contrary to the Scriptures themselves:

1. Preexistence - according to their understanding of Hebrews 12:9 and Jeremiah 1:9

2. We were evangelized in Heaven - Rev. 13:8

3. We were incarnated while sent to earth

4. Adam was really the serpent of the book of Genesis

5. The apostle Jose Luis de Jesus was sent to earth so that he could believe, learn and explain the mysteries of God

6. This same apostle is the one whom the apostle Paul talked about in 1 Cor. 3:10

7. And of course, every cult’s favorite: NO TRINITY

Español: Por favor les imploro de que oren por esta secta para que Dios abra los ojos de miles de personas que estan siendo enganados por el enemigo de nuestras almas. Visiten al Centro de Investigaciones Religiosas y bajen los siguientes articulos que descubren la verdad sobre la secta de Jose Luis de Jesus:

• Ministerio Creciendo en Gracia y sus extrañas doctrinas — AC-041
• ¿Un nuevo apóstol para los gentiles? — AC-042
• Creciendo en Gracia y la superioridad del Apóstol Pablo — AC043
• Los dos “cristosâ€� de Creciendo en Gracia — AC-044

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The Literal American Idol- When a cult gets too hizzot to hazandle

I must congratulate Jose Luis de Jesus for being the first aberrational leader to put a video and a pretty face to a dangerous cult. I guess that in the marketing age we live in, where image reigns and soundbytes serve, it would be only logical to promote these dangerous ideas through these mediums. Although the song is in spanish any marketing guru knows that the image is more subtle and powerful than speech. In addition you will see faded throughout the video images of the false christ Jose Luis de Jesus as he is ministering. The song says:

En ti encontré la paz
Que nunca imaginé
Cambiaste mis temores
En gozo, amor y fe

Ahora puedo cantar
Como siempre soñé
Mi voz es como el viento
Ya no se puede detener

Eres tú mi inspiración
Mi alegría mi canción

Eres la fuerza que da vida a todo mi ser
Gracias a ti puedo volar
Tú has extendido mis alas
No puedo fallar sí conmigo
Tú estás

Gracias a ti puedo volar
Tú eres la nube y el viento
El cielo y el mar
Nunca me dejaras
Gracias a ti puedo volar

“In you I found the peace
of which I never imagined
You changed my fears
to Joy, love and faith

Now I can sing
Like I always dreamed
My voice is like the wind
It cannot be stopped

You are my inspiration
You are the happiness of my song….”

The somewhat sensual video shows singing sensation Martita Roca as she sings to her leader she calls “papi,”which is an endearing spanish term for father. If you follow the link to her site you can see her adoration for this false prohpet.

I can only image that if the any of the detractors or heretics of old had used this same approach they would of been more succesful in not getting immediately banned, written against, excluded, excommunicated, etc. I can see Siger de Brabant in Aquinas’ day using a rapper to promte his double dizzle truth fo shizzle. He might of saved himself from fleeing to Italy.

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