“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
We received the following response to The Issues of Life:
Please unsubscribe me.
I CAN be an open-minded person regarding others religious beliefs and if nothing else, I am curious to know and hear what other religions teach them.
I did not even mind recieving your Issues of Life in my email box, although it is an intrusion into my privacey and home and what your Issues state are not the way I choose to believe and to think. That is a choice I have though, the freedom given by God and his son Jesus Christ, to not believe everything I see, hear and read
” …let every man choose for himself until I come…” D & C 37:4
What has insulted me and prompted this email to have you unsubscribe me is the plain and simple fact that you are judging other religions and their words. One of which, is my religion.
I know my church is true, teaches the truth and that is my right to believe in it. You do not see me insulting your beliefs and exclaiming to you that you do not know the truth, that you are NOT A TRUE CHRISTIAN.
You can teach your beliefs without taking YOUR OPINION and insulting everyone else’s beliefs. If our beliefs are wrong, then we will hear about it from Christ himself, not from you, on our judgement day.
“But God is the judge…”Psalm 75:7
“with what judge ye judge, ye shall be judged” Matt 7:2
“judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:” St.Luke 6:37
To judge is a privilage God has chosen to keep for himself. To judge others is also a sin many of us perform on a daily basis, I know I myself am guilty of it daily and you yourself are showing us you do the same through your emails.
…”But he that did his neighbour wrong … Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?” The Acts 7:27
So even as I sit here and tell you that I find your words, opinions and judgements towards others offensive to me, I still do not judge you. Nor do I sit here like yourself, telling others that they do not know what true Christian conduct is because of the way they portray themselves to you. You see only a email, you do not see what acts these people perform on a daily basis.
“God shall bring every work into judgement” Eccl 12:14
…let us not love in word…but in deed..” 1 Jn 3:18
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are in the service of your God” Mosiah 2:17
Who are you to be judging others and the form or amount of Christianity that they show?
” …yea; all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.” Alma 46:15
Danielle
Paul’s reply:
Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Danielle,
Jesus Christ is the Standard, the Word of God, the Truth and Way by Whom all things are judged and made known. It is by Him that we have spoken and will now answer your letter. Contrary to what you believe, God is not at all open-minded about what men believe and teach in the name of religion, even or especially if using His Name, as does the Mormon Church and so many others, which they do in vain. He is the Truth, not the “Manifold and Conflicting Opinions of Men.” He will have all His true followers worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth. Opinion is not an option for a true worshipper of God. The reason you defend the right to have opinion about God is because opinion, rather than Truth, is all you have. You worship a false god, made in the image of man. It is man, and not Christ, that is the source of all that you believe and do.
The true and living Lord God has, from the beginning, commanded the very opposite of what you preach. Rather than being open-minded towards men’s religions, He instructed the children of Israel to eliminate them entirely. Neither was this an opinion. It is written:
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When you are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places” (Numbers 33:51-52).
The children of Israel, those people whom God had chosen, were told to destroy the religious works of men from out of their midst in the land of their possession. There was not to be left one trace of it. So much for being “open-minded.”
What does God have against open-mindedness towards different religions? Is He insecure? Hardly. We went through our searching phases, where we investigated many philosophies and religious ideas. God did not condemn us. The difference between what we were doing and what you are saying, however, is that we candidly admitted we were searching for, and did not know, the truth. You, on the other hand, are not searching, but profess to have already arrived in safe harbor, with your religion being the truth. Therefore, because you say you can see, yet lie and deny the living Word of God, your sin remains. For goodness’ sake, listen to me; I will back up what I tell you.
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, reported that as a youth he was on a spiritual search, and asked God which was the true religion. At that time, he said (or others report he said), that he was visited by two personages represented to him as the “Father” and the “Son.” Here is his account of what they told him:
“I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right, (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong) and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong.“
There is no little irony in the fact that you, as a Mormon, say (as do many Mormons) that you are open to other religions, yet go on to condemn us for speaking against men’s religions, whereas your founder’s bedrock claim to his station as apostle and prophet of God is that all other “Christian” religions are corrupt. It was on that basis that he was supposedly sent by God to restore the original church and apostleship back to earth.
You do not even believe your founder! If you did, you would not find fault with us when we say that men’s religious institutions are corrupt and not of God, except, of course, in your case you would say the Mormon Church is not among those, being the one true Church of Jesus Christ. But you do not even believe or support your own religion! Your open stance in the sight of your church, by which you defend the religions of men, and their right to substitute their opinions in ways that are detestable to God, shows the Mormon Church to be just one more corrupt religious invention of men, also detestable and condemned of Him in no uncertain terms.
“Ruthlessly demolish all the sacred shrines where the nations that you’re driving out worship their gods–wherever you find them, on hills and mountains or in groves of green trees. Tear apart their altars. Smash their phallic pillars. Burn their sex-and-religion Asherah shrines. Break up their carved gods. Obliterate the names of those god sites. Stay clear of those places–don’t let what went on there contaminate the worship of GOD, your God” (Deuteronomy 12:2-4 The Message).
But you are curious and open-minded about these things! Forget God’s warnings to not even approach such contamination. No, you are interested! Do you know why? Because there is no difference between you and other religious works of men; you are one with them. You are a devotee of the high places. Woman, you are in darkness, without a clue, rudderless and lost, and the tragedy of it is that you claim to be right with God, leaving yourself no room for repentance and healing. Woe to you!
You say you have the freedom to not believe everything you “see, hear and read.” Do you think to be speaking some profound wisdom? Who is it that believes everything they hear? I have yet to meet the person. But let us look at this from another angle. Do you have the freedom to believe whatever you wish?
I will tell you who has the freedom to believe whatever they wish. Unbelievers. The heathen. The lawless. These have the freedom, to the degree granted to them, to believe and practice whatever they like, of those delusions God has chosen for them to be exercised in without profit. On the other hand, those who are Christ’s do not speak of having freedom to believe whatever they wish. They do not trust in their own senses or sight, but believe on Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is not by choice or self-will, but by His doing.
“They were not God’s children by nature or because of any human desires. God Himself was the One Who made them His children” (John 1:13 CEV).
In other words, no person is free to believe God as they would choose. All mankind has been made subject to lies and vanity (Romans 8:20). Only God can grant the privilege and honor of believing Him, the Truth. That is freedom.
“Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed on Him, If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).
“Therefore if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
To speak of having freedom in any other state tells us that you have never been His disciple, and neither have known nor followed Him in His Word. You could not speak the way you do if you knew Him, and were truly free. You are yet a captive in your sins, and speak foolishly, perpetuating your captivity.
The Lord says not to judge by sight, but to judge righteous judgment. How are you judging us? You condemn us for judging, yet you judge us to be wrong. How can you tell? By what or whom do you think to know? You quote to us from two books that are in spiritual conflict. The Book of Mormon contradicts the Bible. Your quote from it:
“‘When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are in the service of your God’ Mosiah 2:17“
The Bible disagrees, and says the very opposite. The truth is that when you are in the service of God, then you are in service of mankind. Otherwise, the Bible says no man is good and that there is no help in man. It says that men’s works destroy. Hear what the true Word of God says:
“Concerning the works of men, by the Word of Your lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer” (Psalms 17:4).
“Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help” (Psalms 146:3).
“Let it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar; even as it has been written…. There is not a righteous one, not even one! There is not one understanding; there is not one seeking God. All turned away, they became worthless together, not one is doing goodness, not so much as one!” (Romans 3:4-12 LITV)
You say: “I know my church is true, teaches the truth and that is my right to believe in it. You do not see me insulting your beliefs and exclaiming to you that you do not know the truth, that you are NOT A TRUE CHRISTIAN.”
Danielle, if you knew my beliefs were in error, because I was not founded on the Rock but was a religious proselyte of men’s religion and teachings, you would have every right to make the observation that I was not a true Christian. Furthermore, it would be a most important matter and revelation for me to hear. It is like seeing a man boarding a boat with a faulty life preserver. If I knew there was defect, should I be faulted by him for pointing it out? It could save his life to know.
You say that we are “insulting your beliefs.” What we say is true, and you should consider that it is your beliefs that are the insult to God, Who is the Truth. Just who do you think you are that you can carry on with lies, sanctioning them in the Name of God, and then get in a huff when you are given substance and fact to refute them? Your behavior is most insulting to God, woman, and you need to humble yourself, or be humbled. The former is better, but the latter is guaranteed, for which you should be very thankful. It is the mercy of God to not leave you in such a darkened and destructive state forever. Our labor is not in vain.
Every time you open your mouth, great foolishness pours out. If you were a Christian, it would not be this way. If you were a Christian, you would have an answer of grace and truth to put away unfounded statements, lies, false doctrines, and accusations. If you were a Christian, you would not believe the Truth to be a lie, and falsely accuse. If you were a Christian, you would follow Christ and glory in offenses, not being moved by the words of men, which could not rob you of your peace or reward.
“Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).
You write: “You do not see me insulting your beliefs and exclaiming to you that you do not know the truth…” and “I still do not judge you.“
That is not true at all. What do you think you are doing in this letter to us, if not condemning what we do? We speak the truth, sent of God to you, and instead of receiving us, you accuse us of intrusion of privacy and, in essence, call our words lies or mere opinion. How confounded and contradictory you are! Of those in religious darkness and hypocrisy, Jesus said, “They say but do not do.”
Your reaction to words of truth is to accuse, unsubscribe, then run and hide. If that is victory, give me defeat. If that is the Christian life and way, keep me far removed from it. If what you have is the glory of God, we are all in a world of hurt, without hope. Thankfully, we tell you without rancor or animosity, what you have is a lie from hell, which Heaven will not tolerate or permit.
From your place in darkness you speak great unbelief, saying: “If our beliefs are wrong, then we will hear about it from Christ himself, not from you, on our judgement day.“
What do you think is happening here? Wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, Jesus said He was there. He said He would be with us even to the end of the world. We are gathered in His Name, and He is with us. What? You think He cannot speak now? You think that His tongue is tied? You think He does not desire godliness and righteousness in the earth? You think He does not come in His saints to rebuke evildoers? Think again!
“Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to carry out vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with iron-bands, to carry out on them the judgment written; this is an honor for all His saints. Praise Jehovah!” (Psalms 149:5-9)
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 1:14-15).
This is your Judgment Day, Danielle.
You quote Acts 7:27, as if it is proof that no man is given to judge matters of God with men. See that you misinterpreted:
“This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made you a ruler and a judge? God has sent this one to be a ruler and a redeemer by the hand of the Angel Who appeared to him in the bush” (Acts 7:35).
“And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a matter, they come to me. And I judge between one and another, and I make known the statutes of God and His Laws” (Exodus 18:15-16).
We judge righteous judgment, just as God has judged us righteously. Will you continue to dig your heels in and close your eyes to the truth that will save you? You are right that you sin in your fleshly judgment, even as you judge us after the flesh. You are condemned by your own words.
You then ask us who we are to be judging other forms of Christianity. We ask you: “Who are you to not be judging what is godly, and what is not, while you claim to know and serve God?” Jesus rebuked those who drew near to Him with their lips, but whose hearts were far from Him. You rebuke not us, but Him, because He is the Son of Man that was to come, and in His coming tells the hypocrites that their form of religion is not acceptable. In the day of His flesh, they had Him crucified for saying so. You, by reviling His judgment, are one with His murderers, which makes you His murderer as well, and not content with that, you boast as if your stance and actions truly demonstrate your righteousness. This is not a surprise to God, or to us, as He warned us:
“They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he’s doing God a favor” (John 16:2 The Message).
And what kinds of things do people doing their own thing in the Name of God say? From your words of men, you quote: “…let every man choose for himself until I come…D & C 37:4.” This is why God declares, “Let God be true and every man a liar,” (Romans 3:4). So what does the Word of God have to say? Of a time when anarchy and evil pervaded the Israelite nation, here is what God said, twice, condemning precisely that notion you quote:
“In those days there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing” (Judges 17:6, 21:25 The Message).
Finally, you end with another quote from that spurious work of fiction, called the Book of Mormon:
“‘…yea; all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.’ Alma 46:15“
How apt these words are coming from false Christians, who will gladly take His Name upon themselves, for their benefit, but take nothing of the Truth, which will cost one his or her life. This is no surprise, as Satan himself takes on the Name of Christ, appearing as an angel of light. It should be no wonder that men of this world would do the same, as subjects of their prince. How convenient that Christ is only the One Who “should come,” and not the One Who is here. For the religious He never arrives. Here is what you religious can expect:
“Blow a ram’s horn in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble. For the day of Jehovah comes, for it is near at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains; a great people and a strong people; there has not been ever the like, nor shall there ever be again, even to the years of many generations. A fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. Yes, and nothing shall escape them. As the appearance of horses is its appearance; and as war horses, so they run. They shall leap like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle order. Before their face the people shall be much pained; all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty ones. They shall climb the wall like men of war, and they shall march each one on his way, and they shall not break their ranks. And each one shall not press his brother; they each go in his paths. And if they fall behind their weapons, they shall not be cut off. They shall rush on the city; they shall run on the wall; they shall climb up on the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall tremble before them; the heavens shall shake. The sun and the moon shall grow dark, and the stars shall gather in their light. And Jehovah shall utter His voice before His army; for His camp is very great; for strong is He Who does His Word. For the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can stand it? Yet even now, says Jehovah, turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. Yes, tear your heart and not your robes, and turn to Jehovah your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and He pities because of the evil. Who knows if He will turn and have pity and leave a blessing behind Him, a food offering and a drink offering to Jehovah your God?” (Joel 2:1-14)