A Plea to Mormons - Shawn McCraney on Heart of the Matter

[TheSoulamore]

Yes. Trust God. If your leaders say dont read anything that isnt Lds approved, ask why? Remember when Hitler wanted total control he burned all books that gave information or knowledge to people. Why hide and keep secrets? That is not the way God is. He doesnt have to hide anything.

[rsackett86]

We also believe that God's love for us is full, and nothing we do will make him love us any less or more, just like you showed in the other video. The important thing that you also said is we need to love God. How do we show we love him without keeping his commandments? If we don't keep his commandments, we are the ones taking ourselves away from him, and not the other way around. He will always be there for us. But if we do not keep his law, his commandments, we are choosing not to be with him.

[imbiased]

@rsackett86 God condemned the Jews for making what were once acts of love for God into nothing more than rituals, Ie; tithing, fasting, the sabbath, etc.

[rsackett86]

@imbiased Yes, Christ did. But there is a distinction here. In the other video you quote similarly. You say, about Acts 15:10, that the 'Jews were trying to put a law on these guys.' And here you just said, 'God condemned the Jews.' They were Jews, but they were also Pharisees. Pharisees are a religious party among the Jews. They prided themselves on their strict observance of the law. They upheld the authority of oral tradition as equal value as written law. Their teaching was to...cont.

[rsackett86]

@rsackett86 cont. reduce religion to observing ceremonial rules, and to encourage self sufficiency and spiritual pride. They were a major obstacle to the reception of Christ and the gospel by the Jewish people. (BD) So when you use these scriptures to show how God taught the Jews 'x' principle, as a reason we should follow it. The context of the verse is not coming across as intended. For example, fasting. Pharisees would fast to be seen of men, and they would be rebuked, but how can we use

[rsackett86]

@rsackett86 that rebuke as scriptural doctrine that we shouldn't fast? The verse is being used to show what is not the right way to fast. It isn't doctrine that no one should ever fast. Because, if we read in context, we see that it is the Pharisees who are being rebuked. Not all of the Jews.

[imbiased]

@rsackett86 My point is that because you are tithing, observing the sabbath and fasting does not equate to love for God. Funny you brought up the pharisees because they are exactly who the Mormons remind me of.

[rsackett86]

@imbiased Okay, I thought the original point was God's love for us, and I supported that and agreed with you! God loves us the same no matter what. If we sin he still loves us the same, but if we sin, we are taking ourselves away from him, he still loves us, it doesn't diminish his love. And yes, I would agree some Mormons are like the Pharisees, but Pharisees can be found in any denomination. There are a lot of people in this world with a holier than thou attitude, not just Mormons.

[rsackett86]

@rsackett86 My point behind the Pharisees was that you were using scriptures aimed against people who were abusing the commandments, without mentioning they were not following them correctly, and showing that this verse teaches we don't have to do 'x' principle. If you think the Mormons in general are like Pharisees, I don't know what to say, I would just have to disagree because 95% of all Mormons I've known have been amazing and non judgmental and understand the commandments.

[rsackett86]

@rsackett86 Just one scripture though, about the 'God's love for us, our love for God' debate. We know God always will love us, we agree on that. But I think we need to develop love for our God. John 14:15 'If ye love me keep my commandments.' If you had a child who stole from you, talked to you disrespectfully, hated your rules of the house, would you love him? Probably. But would he love you? Maybe. He might move out when he turns 18 and never come back? But if he did, you would still love him

[imbiased]

@rsackett86 I'm not saying you do NOT have to follow Gods commandments, I'm saying God does not require you to follow the law in order to receive his love OR for you to love him! If i cant afford to tithe does this mean I'm further away from God than you are who does tithe?.

Acts don't necessarily equate a love for God or impress him, your heart does. Would flowers from me (a stranger) impress your mother more than from you, her true child?

[imbiased]

@rsackett86 Also, read these passages and tell me you shouldn't be throwing out your Book or Mormon and the other LDS Doctrines.

Journal of Discourses, 1:50-51

Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 115

'The Articles of Faith' by James E. Talmage, p. 466

These are clearly blasphemous but according to LDS 'Prophets" God the Father and Mary, Mother of Jesus, are adulterers and fornicators. Wow!

[rsackett86]

It seems that you are trying to show Mormon's are on the wrong track, but a lot of what you are saying is exactly what Mormon's believe. For example, in this video, you teach our salvation isn't up to Bishops, and this is very true. I have gone to church under many LDS Bishops and I've never had one of them tell me when I was forgiven, they taught me how to find forgiveness from God on my own. I never came to them and had them say, you are forgiven. We believe in finding that on our own.

[rsackett86]

Okay, I did watch the other video. I can see that you are teaching that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more than he already does (home teaching, tithing, Sunday worship, etc). But what about the two great commandments? If we love God, how do we show it, or why should we show it if it doesn't matter because he loves us anyway? And if we love our neighbor, doesn't home teaching, tithing, and things of that nature become very important?

[rsackett86]

So a person has to go to God in prayer and say 'I believe, give me a new heart, forgive me of my sin, Jesus, I confess you," not verbatim I'm sure, but after that he will be saved...by that act alone?

[imbiased]

@rsackett86 In a nutshell, yes. Jesus did give 2 commandments, Love the father with all your heart and your neighbors. 

[rsackett86]

@imbiased The two great commandments, Love the father with all your heart, and love thy neighbor, on these hangs all the law and the prophets. I know there is a rift in beliefs between being saved by grace and confession alone, and being saved by grace, confession, and changing one's lifestyle to keep the commandments. Are you teaching one of these, or teaching that Church leaders (bishops, stake presidents, prophets) are not necessary to know if you have been forgiven?

[imbiased]

@rsackett86 watch this /watch?v=bMFtIS5fuf4