While most of the feedback was positive, there were a few who had concerns...here is an email I received from a young mom in our church.
I agree mormonism is a cult...and in many ways the writings of the book of mormon are down-right fallacious. There are certain tests that all ancient texts have to undergo to make certain they are reliable and not spurious, the accuracy test, the authenticity test and the historical test. The Book of Mormon fails the historicity test so badly that when the Smithsonian Institute researched the book of Mormon they issued a statement declaring it "Devoid of any historical reliability whatsoever." In other words there were places in the book of Mormon where a river or a mountain or a group of people were talked about and yet there is not one shred of historical evidence to tie that to historical reality. That is certainly not a problem we have with the Bible. There have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that validate Scripture. Archaeological expert, Nelson Bloch said "It may be categorically stated that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference." Easily one of the world's greatest archeologists, William F. Albright said, "There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition."
So how do thinking evangelicals reconcile the fact that a candidate who shares their views believes erroneous doctrine? How do we vote for a man to be the leader of the free world who buys into the fairy tale?
That's a tough one...indeed a perplexing decision.
"Hey Cameron! So I was (out) yesterday and heard I missed a great sermon. So, I have a question, how do we vote for a Mormon? In my mind it's a cult religion w a lot of "make believe" stories. Sure, they might be good people, but they are not Christians. A lot of my moral views align w Romney, but I have a huge hang up w his faith and if someone that truly believes the Mormon religion as fact can lead our nation. Not that I think Obama is doing a better job, but I am so confused on the right thing as a Christian. Anyhow, (my husband) mentioned praying before the polls and praying As God wants us to vote, but how do you discern that when both candidates go against God's will in some form? Anyway, I thought maybe you get this a lot....thanks for your help!!"
She's right that is a question I am hearing more frequently as the election draws closer.
Here is sort of my off the cuff response:
Here is sort of my off the cuff response:
I too have had those exact same struggles, one of the reasons I mentioned that apathy forming inside of me that I need to repent of.
I agree mormonism is a cult...and in many ways the writings of the book of mormon are down-right fallacious. There are certain tests that all ancient texts have to undergo to make certain they are reliable and not spurious, the accuracy test, the authenticity test and the historical test. The Book of Mormon fails the historicity test so badly that when the Smithsonian Institute researched the book of Mormon they issued a statement declaring it "Devoid of any historical reliability whatsoever." In other words there were places in the book of Mormon where a river or a mountain or a group of people were talked about and yet there is not one shred of historical evidence to tie that to historical reality. That is certainly not a problem we have with the Bible. There have been over 25,000 archeological discoveries that validate Scripture. Archaeological expert, Nelson Bloch said "It may be categorically stated that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference." Easily one of the world's greatest archeologists, William F. Albright said, "There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition."
So how do thinking evangelicals reconcile the fact that a candidate who shares their views believes erroneous doctrine? How do we vote for a man to be the leader of the free world who buys into the fairy tale?
That's a tough one...indeed a perplexing decision.
Here is my opinion, in an election when there is a conflict in the person of the candidate, thats when you have to look at the platform and select the lesser of the two evils. One platform is against the sanctity of marriage and against the life of the unborn, those two issues, in my opinion take precedence over any other, the economy, immigration, education, poverty, etc. If you are an ER doctor and its a busy day what you must do is start a triage, certain ailments take precedence over others, a heart attack takes precedence over a broken nose for example. In my opinion the rights of the unborn and the sanctity of marriage prevail. So your vote is cast for the platform that most closely aligns with those issues. And again, the question we have to ask, and we must ask it, because I believe one day we are going to have to give an account on this, is "Father, who would you have me vote for?" And we surrender even our votes to the Lordship of Christ.
Yes, this Fall the choices are more mirky and not as fun, but the believer must vote for the platform that most closely aligns with the biblical worldview.
*I am so excited for Sunday, October 28th! Your Pastor's Pastor will be here at SoAcres to preach. Bob Russell, became the minister at Southeast Christian in Louisville in 1966, at just 22 years of age he took over the 120 person church meeting in the basement of a house. In 40 years as Pastor God blessed the church in incredible ways...growing from 120 to nearly 20,000 people each weekend. But under the numbers is a heart for the lost and a commitment to teaching God's word as truth. In addition to that 10's of millions of dollars have been invested in Kingdom causes and missions throughout the world, no telling what the day of judgement will bring when no doubt hundreds of thousands of people will be able to say "I am here in heaven today, because of the impact of Southeast Christian Church and the obedience of a humble farm boy from rural America who was faithful in his calling." So mark your calendar's for this incredibly special day when your Pastor's Pastor comes to town! All that to say, he recently wrote a blog on this issue and he spends more time going a little more in depth than I do, and he uses the same triage logic. I have pasted his blog below.
Should Christians Vote For A Mormon For President?
While conducting a Question and Answer session at The Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, N.C. last week I was handed this question:
"What do you think about a Mormon becoming a president? What is the basic difference between the Christian and Mormon religions?"
A second, similar question was more sarcastic:
"How does a Bible-believing Christian choose between a Mormon and an anti-American Muslim who professes to be a Christian?" (While President Obama claims to be Christian many followers of Christ are perplexed by his anti-Christian positions and pro-Muslim comments)
My answer, as closely as I can recall, was as follows:
The primary difference between Christianity and Mormonism concerns the deity of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus is Immanuel, which means, "God with us." John's gospel begins, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us."
MORMONISM DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEITY OF JESUS
The Mormon faith contends that Jesus is not equal with God. In their teaching He was birthed from God's wife (as was Satan). Jesus became God-like as an example of how we all can become God-like. That's a huge difference! Second Corinthians 11:3-4 warns against those who preach another Jesus. The Jesus of the Mormons is not the Jesus of the New Testament.
That's why our forefathers in the Christians faith categorized Mormonism as a cult. There are several definitive characteristics of a cult. Cults regard a book other than the Bible as divinely inspired, follow a person other than (or in addition to) Jesus Christ and believe salvation is secured through good works rather than by grace.
The book of Mormon is considered a divinely inspired book superior to the Bible even though it contains passages that have been proven to be plagiarized and erroneous. Joseph Smith is revered as a prophet even though he was a polygamist and many feel he was dishonest. Salvation is promised to Mormons who perform enough works to earn God's favor. Admittedly, many Mormons are very good moral people and upstanding citizens but that doesn't make them Christians. (See 1 John 4:1-3.)
Governor Mitt Romney is apparently a good family man and a good moral person but that doesn't mean he will be an advocate for the Christian faith. Nevada Senator Harry Reid and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah are both Mormons but represent diverse political views.
WE ARE NOT ELECTING A PASTOR-IN-CHIEF BUT A COMMANDER- IN-CHIEF
On the other hand, President Barak Obama professes to be a Christian but has stirred up strong opposition from Evangelical believers for his pro-abortion, pro gay marriage and anti-religious liberty stances. In a recent television interview, Franklin Graham hesitated to affirm the President's assertion of being a Christian by quoting Jesus who said, "By their fruit you shall know them." While God is the ultimate judge, President Obama has not taken Biblical stands on issues vital to most Christians.
So this fall, Bible-believing Christians will face a choice between voting for a man who belongs to a cult and a man who claims to be a Christian but promotes causes that are diametrically opposed to what conservative Christians stand for.
If you were adding a room onto your house and had a choice between hiring a Christian contractor with stellar credentials and an equally gifted non-Christian which would you choose? Most of us would probably choose the Christian contractor.
But what if you had a choice between a non-Christian contractor who had 30 years of experience and excellent recommendations and an eighteen year old Christian carpenter who wanted to do your additional room as his first project which would you choose? Most of us would probably choose the man who was the most capable. We recognize that being a dedicated Christian does not necessarily equip a person to perform a task that demands considerable knowledge and expertise.
When voting for a President we need to understand we're not electing a preacher but an administrator. (One military chaplain at The Billy Graham Training Center commented that we're not electing a pastor-in-chief but a commander-in-chief.) That's an important distinction! Jimmy Carter, a Sunday School teacher and a very outspoken Christian is generally considered one of the poorest presidents in recent memory.
SIGNERS OF THE MANHATTAN DECLARATION CONSIDER THREE MORAL ISSUES AS TAKING PRECEDENT OVER ALL OTHERS
All things being equal let's vote for the Christian. But since all things aren't equal we would be wise to consider experience, philosophy of government and the track record of the candidates when casting our vote. Even more important to Christians should be the politician's stand on vital moral issues.
Hospital emergency rooms find it necessary to prioritize cases. A heart attack takes precedent over a broken arm for example. Christians need to prioritize political issues. The sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious freedom are the three issues the 600,000+ signers of the Manhattan Declaration* (of which Chuck Colson was co-founder) consider of utmost importance. Those are the game-changers on which those of us who have signed that pledge will not budge.
I, personally, will not support candidates who are pro-abortion and pro gay marriage regardless of their stance on economic matters and regardless of their stated religious affiliation.
When voting for a President, if we must choose between a non-Christian who pledges fidelity to the right to life, Biblical marriage and the freedom of the church and someone who calls himself a Christian but who undermines those critical values, it's certainly not an ideal choice…but it's not really a difficult one for me to make.
________________
* The Manhattan Declaration was released on November 20, 2009 by a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars at a press conference in Washington, DC. The 4,700-word declaration speaks in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. It issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere firmly to their convictions in these three areas.
A second, similar question was more sarcastic:
"How does a Bible-believing Christian choose between a Mormon and an anti-American Muslim who professes to be a Christian?" (While President Obama claims to be Christian many followers of Christ are perplexed by his anti-Christian positions and pro-Muslim comments)
My answer, as closely as I can recall, was as follows:
The primary difference between Christianity and Mormonism concerns the deity of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus is Immanuel, which means, "God with us." John's gospel begins, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and lived among us."
MORMONISM DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEITY OF JESUS
The Mormon faith contends that Jesus is not equal with God. In their teaching He was birthed from God's wife (as was Satan). Jesus became God-like as an example of how we all can become God-like. That's a huge difference! Second Corinthians 11:3-4 warns against those who preach another Jesus. The Jesus of the Mormons is not the Jesus of the New Testament.
That's why our forefathers in the Christians faith categorized Mormonism as a cult. There are several definitive characteristics of a cult. Cults regard a book other than the Bible as divinely inspired, follow a person other than (or in addition to) Jesus Christ and believe salvation is secured through good works rather than by grace.
The book of Mormon is considered a divinely inspired book superior to the Bible even though it contains passages that have been proven to be plagiarized and erroneous. Joseph Smith is revered as a prophet even though he was a polygamist and many feel he was dishonest. Salvation is promised to Mormons who perform enough works to earn God's favor. Admittedly, many Mormons are very good moral people and upstanding citizens but that doesn't make them Christians. (See 1 John 4:1-3.)
Governor Mitt Romney is apparently a good family man and a good moral person but that doesn't mean he will be an advocate for the Christian faith. Nevada Senator Harry Reid and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah are both Mormons but represent diverse political views.
WE ARE NOT ELECTING A PASTOR-IN-CHIEF BUT A COMMANDER- IN-CHIEF
On the other hand, President Barak Obama professes to be a Christian but has stirred up strong opposition from Evangelical believers for his pro-abortion, pro gay marriage and anti-religious liberty stances. In a recent television interview, Franklin Graham hesitated to affirm the President's assertion of being a Christian by quoting Jesus who said, "By their fruit you shall know them." While God is the ultimate judge, President Obama has not taken Biblical stands on issues vital to most Christians.
So this fall, Bible-believing Christians will face a choice between voting for a man who belongs to a cult and a man who claims to be a Christian but promotes causes that are diametrically opposed to what conservative Christians stand for.
If you were adding a room onto your house and had a choice between hiring a Christian contractor with stellar credentials and an equally gifted non-Christian which would you choose? Most of us would probably choose the Christian contractor.
But what if you had a choice between a non-Christian contractor who had 30 years of experience and excellent recommendations and an eighteen year old Christian carpenter who wanted to do your additional room as his first project which would you choose? Most of us would probably choose the man who was the most capable. We recognize that being a dedicated Christian does not necessarily equip a person to perform a task that demands considerable knowledge and expertise.
When voting for a President we need to understand we're not electing a preacher but an administrator. (One military chaplain at The Billy Graham Training Center commented that we're not electing a pastor-in-chief but a commander-in-chief.) That's an important distinction! Jimmy Carter, a Sunday School teacher and a very outspoken Christian is generally considered one of the poorest presidents in recent memory.
SIGNERS OF THE MANHATTAN DECLARATION CONSIDER THREE MORAL ISSUES AS TAKING PRECEDENT OVER ALL OTHERS
All things being equal let's vote for the Christian. But since all things aren't equal we would be wise to consider experience, philosophy of government and the track record of the candidates when casting our vote. Even more important to Christians should be the politician's stand on vital moral issues.
Hospital emergency rooms find it necessary to prioritize cases. A heart attack takes precedent over a broken arm for example. Christians need to prioritize political issues. The sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious freedom are the three issues the 600,000+ signers of the Manhattan Declaration* (of which Chuck Colson was co-founder) consider of utmost importance. Those are the game-changers on which those of us who have signed that pledge will not budge.
I, personally, will not support candidates who are pro-abortion and pro gay marriage regardless of their stance on economic matters and regardless of their stated religious affiliation.
When voting for a President, if we must choose between a non-Christian who pledges fidelity to the right to life, Biblical marriage and the freedom of the church and someone who calls himself a Christian but who undermines those critical values, it's certainly not an ideal choice…but it's not really a difficult one for me to make.
* The Manhattan Declaration was released on November 20, 2009 by a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders, and scholars at a press conference in Washington, DC. The 4,700-word declaration speaks in defense of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. It issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere firmly to their convictions in these three areas.
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