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Crotalus: No Mormon doctrine ever said blacks were inferior. Ever. Skin of blackness was a sign of a curse, it was not the curse itself. The curse was a withdrawl of the Spirit, the blackness of the skin prevented intermarrying between the Nephite and Lamanite tribes. – JaySunSeeI don't see much utility in being 'tolerant' of views like that.
The Lord isn't racist Haruspex. He wasn't racist in ancient times when He banned Gentiles from entering the temple, nor was He racist when He banned blacks from the temple. It just wasn't their time yet.—JaySunSee
Go to a mirror, look into your own face, and ask yourself this: If I mock and insult another person's dearly held beliefs, am I being a decent human being? Would a tolerant person try to undermine the very faith some have died for?Yes. Part of the human experience is dealing with those who mock, question, insult, ridicule and lambast our most deeply-held beliefs. I take great pleasure in having my sincerely-held beliefs challenged and questioned because that lets me refine and reexamine them in a new light. If you cannot handle a (frankly very well conducted unless the admyns have been busier than they look) civil discussion that happens to be on a subject near to your heart, I doubt you will have much success here, or indeed in any open discussion forum.
"I am a Latter-Day Saint, and I am not in denial. I only wanted to clear up some misinformation. You seem to know bits and pieces, but the context is wrong and assumptive.So again, why isn't MetaFilter an appropriate place for discussion of Mormonism? You might do your beliefs a service by providing information and your point-of-view in the "give-and-take" of discussion in the Romney thread and in this one. Help us understand what you deem to be "misinformation."
Your last statement is a jimdandy, and I'd love to help you understand things better, but Metafilter isn't the place for such weighty discussion."
“Most people would be offended at any organization which teaches that in order to escape damnation, giving of your financial means is mandatory. Yet, this is exactly what Mormonism teaches.
Mormonism teaches that there are three degrees of glory reserved for those who have passed on from mortality. These are called the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial kingdoms. Within the celestial there are three more levels. LDS leaders have proclaimed that what a person believes and does in this life will be tantamount as to which kingdom that person will abide in the next life. Interestingly enough, any level lower than the top level within the celestial kingdom has been described as damnation.
To clarify this we quote LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie. McConkie stated that salvation has varying degrees just as damnation has varying degrees. According to page 177 of his book ‘Mormon Doctrine,’ he states that those who are damned are, ‘Those who fail to gain exaltation in the highest heaven in the celestial world, even though they do gain a celestial mansion in one of the lower heavens of that world.’ He goes on to say, ‘The rejection of any covenant, the gospel, celestial marriage, or any other, assures the rebellious person of damnation.’
If one hopes to obtain the celestial kingdom in the next life, he must practice what is known as ‘celestial law.’ In the words of third LDS President John Taylor, ‘We are told that if we cannot abide the law of the celestial kingdom we cannot inherit a celestial glory’ (Journal of Discourses, Vol.26, p.133).
Brigham Young, Mormonism's second president, stated that if a person hopes to obtain the celestial kingdom, ‘it requires a strict obedience to every point of law and doctrine and to every ordinance which the Lord reveals: in short, it requires a strict observance of every requirement of Heaven, to fully prepare a people for the possession and enjoyment of the celestial kingdom’ (Journal of Discourses, Vol.10, p.286).
Having said all this, it should be noted that paying a full tithe is a requirement under celestial law. Said Mormon Apostle James E. Talmage, ‘It is important to know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has observed this requirement from the early days of its history--not because it was operative in ancient Israel, nor because it was law and custom among the Jews in the days of Christ, but because it has been authoritatively established through modern revelation in the Church.’ Talmage then quoted Doctrine and Covenants 119: 3-4, which reads, ‘And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my People. And after that, those who have thus been tithed, shall pay one tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them for ever, for my Holy Priesthood, saith the Lord.’ (The Vitality of Mormonism, p.207 - p.208).
Our argument is not against tithing per se, all of us at MRM freely give to the churches we attend. We do so, not as a means to escape ‘damnation,’ but rather as a means of furthering the ministry of the church. Giving to our individual churches enables it to spread the Christian message whether it is at home or abroad. The Mormon may argue that he freely gives of his tithes to his church and that he does not feel he is being coerced into doing so. This may be true; however, it is the letter of Mormon law wherein the coercion lies, not an individual's feelings about the law.”
The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James’s translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel—half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and gravity. The latter is awkward and constrained; the former natural, but grotesque by the contrast. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern—which was about every sentence or two—he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as “exceeding sore,” “and it came to pass,” etc., and made things satisfactory again. “And it came to pass” was his pet. If he had left that out, his Bible would have been only a pamphlet.
Beginning with gifts given in 2007, the IRS will demand documentation for charitable contributions under $250. Once, all one needed was a diary entry to vouch for such donations. Specially designed ATMs at church will help document such spur-of-the-moment cash gifts, as well as planned giving. Also as a result of the new IRS rule, credit card donations and tithing are likely to increase too because such electronic fund transfers leave a paper trail.
Cairo -- 35,420 (population density/km²).New York City (all 5 boroughs) -- #13 (10,439 population density/km²).
Dhaka -- 30,403
Mumbai -- 29,042
Manhattan -- 26,000.
67,000 residents per square mile (almost 26,000/km² -- as per the Federal Reserve Bank of New York).
posted by ND¢ at 8:23 AM on August 6, 2007 [7 favorites]