Sometimes when I speak in churches on the deity of Christ, I ask the congregation how many believe that Jesus is God? Most raise their hands. When I ask how many believe they could defend that claim, only a few would raise their hands. Then I’d pick someone with their hand in the air and ask them for their best argument, and sometimes the response would be, “I feel Him in my heart.” Not to … Continue reading
Category Archives: Mormonism
When someone leaves a cult or spiritually abusive religious group, it often means they will be abandoned by everyone who was their friend when they were inside the group. This practice is called shunning, and cult members take very seriously their spiritual “duty” to shun former friends and even family members who leave the group. So, for many former cult members, the statement “they were my friends” brings on terrible sadness and angst. Were they … Continue reading
What is the cost of leaving a cult or false religious group? What does that even mean? Many well-meaning Christians are under the impression that being in a cult or false belief system is easily remedied by simply exposing bad theology and replacing it with correct theology. It isn’t so. My friend Jhan Moskowitz, perhaps one of the most gifted Bible teachers I have known, would sometimes start his talks at apologetics conferences by declaring … Continue reading
Creating a god in your own image can have many temporal benefits. Such a deity would reflect your views and sanctify your behavior. He or she might even make your own behavior look better in comparison. The ancient Greek and Roman gods, who could be extremely nasty and selfish beings, are good examples of this benefit. The gods of other pagan cultures were no better. These various gods and the God Who revealed Himself in … Continue reading
Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815-1846 (722 Pages. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. $5.99) Reviewed by Kurt Van Gorden The history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS) has always been an enigma. The church’s published history is a mixture of truth, speculation, and falsified information. To resolve that, history students have sought … Continue reading
Long is the list of differences that separate Mormonism from Christianity, but one of the greatest is how each faith understands the person and role of Jesus Christ. For all but four years of its history, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka: LDS church, Mormons) has had the name Jesus in its official title, but how this “Jesus” has been described by Mormon leaders has led most of the professing Christian world … Continue reading