I recently ran across a
news article on MSNBC which was basically an advertisement for a new "Christian" study/teaching website:
The Foundation for Christian Studies (FCS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and awareness of Christian theology, values, and service, today launched its global website at www.studychristianity.org. The FCS website includes a comprehensive doctrinal study program, downloadable theological essays, interactive discussion forums, and online stores for Christian books, music, and art.
I'm always interested in a new site which might help me learn more about my Lord and Savior. And I was even more surprised that such a prominent ad for Christianity was found on a secular news site. So I visited to see what was there as well as which denomination they were affiliated with (which is always of utmost importance so that time is not wasted on resources and material which does not line up doctrinally with sound Biblical teaching).
As soon as I arrived at their web site, I was attracted to the "Christian Defined" link. What I read there was quite an eye opener and immediately set off alarm bells. To make a long story short, what this page basically said was that doctrine was not important. No one deserves to sit in judgement of another. If someone calls them self a "Christian" and is attempting to live by the golden rule, then that's all that matters. What immediately popped into my mind was United Church of Christ or perhaps even today's quickly sinking Episcopalian church.
Having been thoroughly turned off, I then ventured to their "Scriptures" page and immediately found my answer: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Bingo! I had my answer. Here we obviously have a new PR push by the Mormons to refute some of the backlash they've been getting lately from various Catholic and Protestant circles. While they may call themselves "Christian", they most certainly are not.
They are a cult, plain and simple.
And I find it quite ironic that in their definition of a Christian, they stress how important it is not to judge others who call themselves Christians. Here we have a church which was founded by a very strange man (Joseph Smith) who started a new church to make it clear that all current churches were heretical and that true salvation could only be found through his church (sounds pretty judgemental to me!). Here is a man who simply copied over the King James version of the Bible and changed various passages to agree with his errant theology. And he also added The Book of Mormon which is considered superior and more correct than the Bible. Their basic belief ("As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become.") appeals to sinful human beings and should be an immediate warning to true, discerning Christians who call Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior (Act 4:12, Jhn 14:6).
If you don't know much about Mormonism or other cults, spend some time studying so that you may be better equipped to witness in this world and better able to give a reason for your faith (1Pe 3:15). I would highly recommend spending some time on
CARM and perhaps even take some of their online classes for theology and apologetics.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich
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