We who preach the gospel must not think of ourselves as public relations agents sent to establish good will between Christ and the world. We must not imagine ourselves commissioned to make Christ acceptable to big business, the press, the world of sports or modern education. We are not diplomats but prophets, and our message is not a compromise but an ultimatum. A.W. Tozer
Therefore let God-inspired Scripture decide between us; and on whichever side be found doctrines in harmony with the word of God, in favor of that side will be cast the vote of truth. --Basil of Caesarea
Once you learn to discern, there's no going back. You will begin to spot the lie everywhere it appears.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service. 1 Timothy 1:12

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Random Apostasies and Heresies


I will start this episode with a link to Aberrations in an Abusive Church.  This article describes examples of what can take plane in any church if spiritual abuse or unbiblical authoritarianism is taking place.  Some very good warning signs.

In my last “Random” post I mentioned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints promoting the acceptance of homosexual boys into the Boy Scouts.  Well, I found some more information about the subject - and it isn’t flattering for the LDS.  Along with the additional information, this article states that Mormons have already been catering to homosexuals.
I’ve also come across some other interesting things about the Mormon Church.  The first is a good article demonstrating that Mormons do indeed teach works salvation, no matter how much they claim otherwise. 
Then there is an article about Elizabeth Smart’s statement against the teaching of abstinence - except in context she was talking about the Mormon version which teaches that, if for some reason a woman is not a virgin before marriage, then she is pretty much worthless, even if it was due to rape.  This is a horrible teaching of which I wasn’t aware, since I study mostly Mormon doctrine.  BUT, does it really surprise me that this would come from a system in which men can have many wives? 
The last one isn’t so much about the LDS as it is about Fuller Seminary President Richard Mouw and his compromising with the Mormons by lying about what they teach! [link gone by 1/2/16] He has been playing footsie with Mormons for quite some time now and, frankly, I don’t understand it.  I guess this is what you can expect for the president of a very liberal seminary.

Another cult in the news is the Seventh-day Adventists.  They have long ago taught that Christ was going to return on a specific date, and when that didn’t happen they just claimed that the prophecy was misunderstood and in reality Christ just changed his location - he “entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary for the first time to begin a work of investigative judgment.”  The church wasn’t supposed to still be here, according to the SDA, and yet here we are.  They are somewhat embarrassed by this situation.

It isn’t just in the USA that apostasy is reigning, as anyone knows who has read this blog for any length of time.  Now the Church of Scotland has decided that the Jews never really had a promised land - that they have no more attachment to the land of Israel than does anyone else.  "Promises about the land of Israel were never intended to be taken literally, or as applying to a defined geographical territory. I guess they read a different Bible.  Read this full article, and you will see just how anti-Semitic this Church is.

Can you believe that there are fake money scams claiming to be by some popular preachers?  The Christian Post has an article exposing the reactions to this fraud by the preachers who are being abused.  The link has been updated since it was first posted, so it is lacking the most important statement of the original:  “Perry Noble, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen and others are warning about fake Facebook pages using their names and likenesses to run money scams. Please tell me that I don't need to point out the intense irony of this.  I guess when you are known for scamming people out of money for your “ministry,” gullible goats who follow you probably won’t notice the fake version!

Lastly, an interesting short commentary about those supposed Christians who are joining the pro-homosexual movement.

6 comments:

Brian said...

Regarding your knowledge of Mormonism, you might want to check your sources.

What you claim that Mormons believe is actually the opposite of what Mormons believe, so please stop spreading false rumors.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Brian,
I am an ex-Mormon, and I have been studying mormon doctrine for 40 years since I left the LDS. If you can demonstrate something I posted as being mormon teaching as being in error, then I will gladly acknowledge the error and correct it.,

Anonymous said...

Hi Glenn,

The link from wickedshepherds had many good points. Even churches with "rock solid" doctrinal statements can operate in such an incorrect manner. My husband and I have seen some of such behaviors.

Regarding authority, I think it was Margaret Thatcher who said (something along the lines of): being in power and being a lady have one thing in common. If you have to announce it, you aren't.

"I find this title [Act Like Men] to be very humorous, since Mark Driscoll, one of the speakers, still behaves as a high school locker-room jock." - the irony, oh the irony; very astute observation. You made me laugh. And yes sadly James MacD has drifted into many bad things.

No shock that the scottish church has the wrong view on Israel. Sadly, many believers, including many reformed, share that incorrect view.

Great post, thanks Glenn

-carolyn

Brian said...

Glenn.
"If you can demonstrate something I posted as being mormon teaching as being in error, then I will gladly acknowledge the error and correct it."

Easy, because you lied about most everything. I'll start with the most obvious.

You said "if for some reason a woman is not a virgin before marriage, then she is pretty much worthless, even if it was due to rape."

This is the opposite of what the LDS church teaches.

From official LDS teachings:
"Victims of rape, incest, or other sexual abuse are not guilty of sin. If you have been a victim of any of these crimes, know that you are innocent and that God loves you."

"Victims of the evil acts of others are not guilty of sin."

After you correct this error, I'll enlighten you on others.

P.S. I'd recommend reading or watching Elizabeth Smart's entire speech because she wasn't discussing abstinence education.

P.P.S. If you see something on RenewAmerica and MormonCoffee, that doesn't make it true. In these cases, you're just spreading more lies.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

Brian,

Did you read the linked article? They cited what Elizabeth Smart stated she was taught (and I watched the video and can verify the accuracy or Mormon Coffee's post). They also cited quotes from Mormon teachings which state "better dead clean than alive unclean." The very importance of virginity determines the worth of a woman. Yes they also say "there is no condemnation where the is no voluntary participation," and yet at the same time say the woman has been soiled. The citation from Heber Grant is a perfect example of the importance of a woman's virtue over her very life.

I also did not state Smart was discussing abstinence education, rather I said the "teaching of abstinence" in the context of the value of a woman who has lost her virtue.

I have followed Mormonism Research Ministry (who owns the Mormon Coffee blog) for almost 20 years and have never, ever found them to post anything which was not true regarding LDS teachings. They are rock solid and so if I see it on their blog, I accept it. Not only that, I look at what they reference to insure I understand it correctly - as I said, I watched the Smart video.

You can claim the teachings Smart received were not official LDS doctrine, but then you have to explain why those citations from LDS leaders confirm what she stated she was taught.

It is Mormons who one cannot trust with the truth. From the very beginning of the LDS religion it was based on a lie by Joseph Smith in regards to finding the BOM. The LDS is based on the lies of the numerous false prophecies of Smith. It is based on the lie that the Book of Abraham is a legitimate translation. Smith lied about polygamy for years. There have been leaders in the LDS lying about everything which makes them look bad. They have rewritten prophecies, rewritten history, made hundreds of changes in the BOM and even recently have been rewriting headings for the BOM and the D&C to cover tracks of other false teachings.

So who should I trust? Certainly not the LDS. Remember, I used to be a Mormon and it was the lies which led me to study the LDS in more depth than probably 90% of Mormons.

I stand by what I posted in this article, and challenge anyone reading this to listen to the video and read the citations; they will come to the same conclusions as I have. That the LDS teaches a woman who has lost her virtue is of little value.

Jon Gleason said...

Glenn, the Church of Scotland has sadly become little more than a leftist propaganda mill.

If political leftists hate Israel, the Kirk does, too. If they push homosexuality, so does the Kirk. If they want the government to spend more on benefits, so does the Church. And on and on.

There are a few parishes where the Bible is still believed and taught. Two of them have withdrawn in the last year (the Tron congregation in Glasgow and another in Aberdeen), most of the remaining such congregations will withdraw this summer after the vote on ordaining homosexuals.