It is a rare occurrence that "letters to the editor" produce a gem worth a second reading. An article so articulate and skillfully written with facts, not fantasy or hearsay, that causes one to actually stop and ponder the essences of the written word. Such an article has appeared and is worth a tribute here. GREAT JOB!
Romney is so Christian
Thursday, December 13To the editor:
This letter is in response to the letter written on Dec. 7 by Joyce Fletcher entitled "Romney is no Christian."
Mitt Romney is a Christian. Your letter was not only uninformed but also came off as extremely snobby. "Christian" is defined in Chris Rohmann's book, "A World Of Ideas," as follows:
"Religion descended from Judaism and based on the teachings of Jesus Christ ... Christian belief varies widely among its various branches. Its primary unifying principle is the belief that Jesus is the Christ, or Messiah, prophesied in the Old Testament as the savior of Israel. Most Christians also consider him the son of God, incarnated in human form and sacrificed to atone for human sin and ensure the salvation of all souls."
Mormons are in fact Christian. They believe Jesus is the Messiah, and he is the son of God who died for the sins of humanity. They believe salvation is possible through Jesus Christ. There are many branches of Christianity. Not all of them agree. Mormonism might not be exactly like all other Christian denominations, but that doesn't mean that Mormons don't believe in Jesus Christ. In the book of Mormon introduction it states,
"Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world."
Your remarks about the "special pair of glasses," was also wrong. Joseph Smith didn't read the tablets with glasses, he used the Urim and Thummin. These were not glasses but "two stones in silver bows." Saying that they "conveniently disappeared afterwards," is a statement I took offense to. The remark came off as extremely holier than thou, pardon the pun. Just because you don't believe it doesn't mean you can come off as though you are better than those who do believe it.
There is an account of 11 individuals who gave their signature saying that they saw the gold plates which were translated to become the Book Of Mormon. This can all be read just in the introduction to that book. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will gladly give you one if you want to do the research yourself.
(You wrote), "Any religion based on the teachings of a mortal is cult." Every religion is a cult. Look up the word in the dictionary. Never mind. I know you don't like to do research, so I will do it for you:
Cult: (n) 1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies 4. A group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc. 5. A group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their scared symbols (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language New Deluxe Edition 2001).
You also say, "The Book of Mormon is their sacred book, not the Bible." Again, you are wrong. The Book of Mormon does state that it is, "...the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." However, it also states that the Book of Mormon "is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel."
Invite members of this church into your home, and they inform you that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are both holy texts for their religion. They are used together to form the entire holy scripture. All you have to do is look at the cover of the book. It is called, "The Book Of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ" — take note, not the only testament of Jesus Christ.
I am not a Mormon, nor am I a Christian. I am not even religious. Just please get your facts straight before telling them to others.
John Christopher Pitroff
Adams
Dec. 11
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6 comments:
I guess all this depends on who gets to define Christianity. It wasn't too long ago that many (most?) protestants considered the Roman Catholic Church to be the Great Apostasy.
I'm glad I have no dog in these fights because nothing is more dangerous than an offended zealot.
greg.....splain? Are you saying that you are a religious zealot or you are offended, or just making a generalized comment? Just to make sure everyone is on the right page here, the post is merely an adulation to an informative article. Well written and factual and to the point. No intention of any endorsement of or for any politico or any religion. Just thought that the letter was worth a special mention. It is a rare occurrence that you read such well written letters in the Transcript.
It's just a general comment about religious debates. They can get ugly and sometimes very dangerous. That said, the GOP is reaping what they have sowed with 20 years of pandering to the Fundie vote.
The letter writer was precise but a little long winded for my taste.
Last night I was typing with my mother-in-law from Minnesota sitting on the couch next to me snoring while I was drinking a beer or two (see mother-in-law). Evidently that is not the most effective way to communicate my thoughts.
.... It's pretty crappy out there right now. Stay warm. Time to relight the fireplace.
you know when the "jfk...romney" religion speech media hype started i didn't see much more that romney could do....different time different "religous" fears....holy shit the next thing you know the mormon compound in wellesly...or which ever high income zip he has a "home" in....is going to be set upon like the branch dividens...only difference is that romney is hording green (and wet) backs in stead of guns and claiming to be the messia....to the letter writers point....and a very educated and informative point i might add....people are people....religous beliefs....in my opionion....don't make you a bad person....but when it comes to trying to pass propoganda or attempting to counter....have your facts straight.....oh and by the way did anyone notice the first and middle names of that letter writer?.....those seem to be common names in a certain family.....
ctrem
Ther was a great debat on this on belieft net.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/blogalogue/mormondebate/
Start at the bottom and read up.
:summary: call Mormons "nontraditional christians" and stop the semantic arguments.
Those statements are coming from an inside view. An evangelical christian and a mormon author. They have a point of view they are trying to get across. It is all slanted toward getting people to believe what they believe. It isn't just about the facts.
John Christopher Pitroff
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