09 December, 2009

The Mormon Church discussed with "Cagundude1"

(Cajundude1) You indicated that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the church of Satan. I see nothing that refers to Satan in the title.

(Cristoiglesia) I guess if it is not in the title of the sect than it can not be true. (Sarcasm intended) Certainly it is a counterfeit Church created by Satan through men like Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. It does not have their names in the title yet they founded the sect.

(Cajundude1) Apparently you know very little of the doctrine and how it was organized. It is not Joseph Smith's Church. It is Jesus Christ's Church. The Book of Mormon (the stick of Judah) was not written by Joseph Smith. It is scripture kept by 'the other sheep', simply translated from gold plates kept for that purpose.

(Cristoiglesia) I do not claim to be an expert in Mormonism. My areas of expertise are early ecclesiastical history, Latin, Old Testament studies and patristics. However, I have read your doctrinal books like the BOM, D&C and the Pearl of Great Price. I have also read most of the writings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

The problem you have is supporting your claim that it is Jesus Christ’s Church. I realize the BOM was not written by Joseph Smith as he was just a con man or the marketing arm of the establishment of the Church. It was Sidney Rigdon that wrote the Book using another’s writing as inspiration. There were no
Gold plates nor were there other sheep. If there were, where are they now? Where is the historical or archeological evidence that they ever existed? The Church established by Jesus was the Catholic Church at Pentecost in Judea.

(Cajundude1) Since "the gates of hell" would never prevail against it, God and Christ had to restore the Church in keeping with it's original establishment. So much have been left out of it in the centuries that the Melchizedek priesthood had to be restored to fulfill it's purpose. We are in the last dispensation. It must be restored in it's fulness. We are redeeming our dead. The Catholic Church is not doing that.

(Cristoiglesia) You are correct, if the veracity of Christ’s ministry is kept then His promises to His Church must remain. In the first century when He made those promises He was speaking of the Church He created with Him as the cornerstone and the disciples as the 12 foundation stones. This was the solid foundation He spoke of and not a foundation of sand that He spoke against. He said that His Church would endure until the Parousia. He said that the gates of hell, during this time, would NOT prevail against it. Your sect claims that this was a lie and that His Church did not endure nor did it remain the pillar and foundation of the truth as the Bible states. Starting out claiming Jesus lied is not the same solid foundation that Jesus used to build His Church. But yours is truly a foundation built on sand. If Jesus was not a liar or an incompetent as your sect suggests then the Mormon sect is a pretender and indeed a counterfeit Church whose foundation is from an evil source and founded by those doing Satan’s will and not the will of Jesus. Another problem you have is that the Church still exists as it did at its establishment.

Jesus is the high priest in the order of Melchizedek and remains the high priest of the only Church He ever established. He does not need to be restored as He remains. The fullness of truth remains in His Church. We cannot redeem our dead, as they have already received their eternal destiny. No one can do this according to the teaching of Jesus and the disciples. When one dies then comes the judgment.

(Cajundude1) Now I am not knocking the Catholic Church or it's followers, but if you don't have the keys to enter by the gates of heaven, you must stay out.

(Cristoiglesia) According to the Scriptures the keys to the gates of heaven were given to St. Peter which has been passed down to His successors in an unbroken line. According to the Prophet Isaiah St. Peter’s office is the office of the prime minister of Christ’s Church and has all of God’s authority on earth. These keys remain today with His true and only Church the Catholic Church. So, according to your beliefs, you or no other Mormon may enter heaven and not Catholics who are the enduring Church prophesied.

(Cajundude1)I was a Catholic for 45 years, and I know that I received no satisfactory answers to my questions there.

(Cristoiglesia) Following Christ is no about finding a place where you can get satisfactory answers. But it is about being humble and obedient to His will. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest that we all be one in His Church just as He and the Father are one. You and your Mormon brothers and sisters have separated yourself from that unity which is His will. The faith that you describe is exactly the faith that St. Paul warned about saying that there would come a time when some would not be able to endure sound doctrine and gather around them those who are false teachers that satisfy their itching ears.

(Cajundude1) With Christ's restored church I see that it's built upon a rock that have no cracks in it. The doctrine is solid. There is no flaws in it. The faithful members in the Church are good people, the best that can walk in society. Satan's Church would not be able to say that because it is contrary to Old Scratch's goals. I make truth my armor, and wish you will continue to search for it.

(Cristoiglesia) Based on Scripture, history and patristic evidence I can see absolutely no foundation for your sect not can I find any connection whatsoever to Jesus. Additionally, I see no veracity for the claim that the Church was ever in need of restoration or that it ever fell into apostasy. I probably would not be Christian if it had because I would not follow the teaching of an incompetent liar as is your claim about Christ. As for your doctrine, I do not care about it being solid as much as I look for truth instead. However, I know that there are a lot of flaws in Mormon doctrine that are irreconcilable with Christian doctrine.

I am sure that the great majority of Mormons are good people. Good people are no more or less vulnerable to deception than anyone else. But, even if they are the best in the world, Christ’s Church is not worldly but Spiritual. In the Mormon Church there is a lot of lies and heresy mixed with their truth but in Christ’s Church there is the fullness of truth, free of apostasy that will remain true for all times. I am encouraged that if you take your own advice and you truly continue to look for the truth that you will come Home to the only Church founded by Jesus which is undeniably, the Catholic Church. God bless!

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

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