Matthew Duffy on Nostr: I don't know how to quote different sections, so please bear with me. I put quotes ...

I don't know how to quote different sections, so please bear with me. I put quotes around your paragraphs and responded in between.

"Joseph Smith claimed EVERY sect of Christianity in his day was an abomination and all the people therein were corrupt as well. Mormons used to make a distinction between themselves and Christians. "We're Mormons, not Christians", they would say enthusiastically. But now, with the marketing update to seem like their org is a viable option for an evangelical, they have even dropped the Mormon terminology."


That's interesting that you say they would say "We're Mormons not Christians." Do you have references that confirm that? To me it would be "We're Mormons, yes, but Mormon WAS a Christian so we are Christians FIRST."


"You read the Bible but your "scriptures" to it. You claim many plain and precious parts have been removed from it."


Do you honestly believe that nothing from the bible has been corrupted over the millennia since Adam, Abraham, Moses, and the rest started keeping things written down? If you're Catholic then I suppose so, but shouldn't every protestant religion be suspect of what came from the Catholic Church? Again with Martin Luther, he has issue with doctrine but could that have stemmed from a mistranslation of the bible be it intentional or otherwise? Christ himself said there would be a falling away before his return. Wouldn't Satan have taken opportunity during that falling away to twist truths to fit his devices?


"Your Christ is the brother of Lucifer, not the incarnate second person of the Triune Godhead who created ALL things out of nothing. Sorry friend, we do not believe in the same Redeemer. Martin Luther is on my side, not yours. He would shudder to hear the abominable doctrine of Smith and Young and your other "prophets" i.e "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become." President Spencer W. Kimball."


This is where we get into the true base distinction of our beliefs from so many others. We don't follow any creeds written by men at councils called by emperors. The Nicean Creed that says all three are in one has no precedence in the Bible. Christ praying to the Father saying that the disciples could be one as he and his father were one doesn't mean that we're all going to be transformed into one giant glob of spiritual energy.
God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one in purpose, but three separate beings. God the Father, being the Father of all (right?) had a son, Lucifer, who rebelled. Lucifer was cast out and Christ is our Savior.
Perhaps Martin Luther would have been intrigued to hear the teaching of a Father wanting his children to have what he has. We are to be joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) I don't pretend to speak for the dead, I was just curious if he felt the way we do for not being called something because of believing a different way.


"Luther understood that man, angels, and God are not the same kind of being in different stages of progression. He understood the Creator-creature distinction, which is central to the Bible you claim to believe."


Again Romans 8:17
As a baby you probably don't know you're going to inherit the massive family fortune, even if you're told every day.


" "I was answered that I must join none of them [the religious sects of the day], for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Joseph Smith"


While this is true and an accurate quote, Joseph and other modern prophets have said that other sects share so many wonderful truths that we believe we can add missing truths to.
We share a belief in a perfect Christ who is the Savior of us all.
We share a belief that it is only because of Christ and his sacrifice on our behalf that we can even hope to be saved.
We share a belief that God and Jesus Christ created this world.
We share a belief that God is God, and all knowing, and all powerful, and will always be our God and no one else will ever be our God.
We share a belief in the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I was not raised in this church but rather came to it from no religious background. Having read and studied many things I know that I don't know everything and I'm okay with that. That is what faith is for. But I believe we are supposed to do our best to find the truth, and I believe I have found what is closest to the truth. No one anywhere except for God the Father and Jesus is perfect, so I take what they all say and measure it against what Christ said. That's my invitation to everyone is to do the same.