Fan Mail Friday

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The program that examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint: Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now we hope you enjoy this repeat broadcast its fair mail. Friday welcome of this additional viewpoint on Mormonism on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at RM fan mail. Friday at the day that we set aside occasionally to go through some of the email that we have received.

As you can imagine there are a lot of latter-day Saints to do listen to the show and some of them are not too happy with some of the things that we are saying and so that works fan mail obviously is in quotation marks. We received an email from a man by the name of Darren who lives in the United Kingdom, he writes, I am requesting that you review your viewpoint on Mormonism and other activities that are used only to bash another charity, namely the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He goes on and says I would like for starters for you to stop using the word movement when describing Mormonism. The LDS church is a valid and government recognized charity in church and deserves to be called to such. Also I would like to see opposing views other than your own to be used in your programming. The LDS church is a church and you are treating the LDS church like a terrorist organization. I understand you have a different viewpoint than LDS members, but as a recognized charity your soul purpose cannot be to bash another religion.

Other subtle words and phrases used by you and you know what they are in your program are clearly bigoted and mean-spirited. I would like my concern to be filed and processed in accordance with your organization's policies, I am requesting a response from you on this issue before I take further actions. Thank you, Darren. They did respond to Darren.

I said I I admit I am a bit miffed by your email the UK Charity commission has no jurisdiction over us here in the United States so I don't know why he thinks reporting us to the United Kingdom charity commission is going to have any bearing on this whatsoever. I told him I says I am glad to respond your email and hope that if you do proceed, you will include my response to whomever you contact now.

I said that on purpose because I'm going to respond to some of the accusations that he makes and I'm going to show that in many areas. He gets it completely wrong, and in other areas. He's actually acting hypocritical when he says I am requesting that you review that you review your viewpoint on Mormonism and other activities that are used only to bash another charity. First of all let me say I can understand we are being critical of things that he believes we understand that we know there's a sensitivity there. We try very hard to be as sensitive as we possibly can be.

In our criticisms. So when he uses the word bash. I wrote him and I said that's an unfortunate and a very subjective word but since 1979 we have been carefully critiquing the truth claims of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day's by examining its doctrine and history, primarily from original sources produced by the LDS church itself.

This is what Joseph Smith himself said in history of the church, volume 5, page 499. One of the fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth. Let it come from whence it may built so many people today are critical of those who might disagree but were not disagreeing against the person were disagreeing against the viewpoint, the ideology and so our ministry is not out to bash the religion itself were to critique it, though, and to see does it stand up with what Mormonism claims for itself being a true Christian religion. And when we look at the information that we present here on the show. I think it's very clear that there are tremendous differences between Mormonism and biblical Christianity.

And I can understand the sensitivity on this individual's part because we are saying things that obviously upset him. The problem is the things that we are saying, for the most part are quotations from their own sources. So if you have a problem with us, citing LDS sources really isn't your argument more with those who said those things in the first place and not us who were merely repeating them. Now when he goes on to say, for starters, he wants us to stop using the word movement when describing Mormonism do use that expression I talk about the latter-day St. movement or the movement that was started by Joseph Smith.

I really don't know why he finds that word offensive because technically a movement can be any organized effort by a group to meet an objective that's the dictionary definition of it. Joseph Smith's church quote" especially in the early years would certainly qualify under that definition.

But here's what I found fascinating.

I was reading an article the other day and it had a citation from the former Mormon historian by the name of Dean Michael Quinn and in this article that cites him that was in the Salt Lake Tribune. It says the American born movement has always seen its mission as serving both the spiritual and physical needs of its people. So here is a former Mormon who still loyal to Mormonism.

By the way, using the word movement. It just shows that the use of that word is not really out of line at all. I think this is what we might call quibbling about minor things because whether it's a movement or a church. What is it really matter that question is, is what Mormonism teach true and we would say now so I think that's more important than trying to get into the legality of of is it really a movement or a charity in church. He also said that he would like to see opposing views other than our own used in our programming.

It's not that we don't bring in opposing views because most of what we are citing again is from LDS sources, so that would be an opposing view. As far as our world is concerned, it's not that were afraid of having someone behind you is a different viewpoint, that's for sure if he's talking about the legality of it. There's nothing that says you have to have the opposing viewpoint, and if so, then maybe we would request a space at the general conference where we would maybe get 10 or 15 minutes to give our side. I mean, that would get to be ridiculous so will I even asked Darren, this is are you inviting yourself to be on the show you want to come on.

I don't know.

He also said this, he said the LDS church is a church and you are treating the LDS church like a terrorist organization. Not this is where I get a little bit weary.

Some of this kind of flame language that people use this language is over the top. What is that even mean that we are treating the LDS church like a terrorist organization. Is he implying that somehow we have the ability to put out drone strikes on lithium mission president or a state president. Of course not. And we would never even think of even wanting to bring any type of physical harm to a person in the morning church. But what you mean were treating the LDS church like a terrorist organization. I don't even know what he means by that. So I wrote back and said could you please explain what you mean when you say we treat the LDS church like a terrorist organization that language is kind of silly and as I said it's a little bit over the top but then he goes on to say, I understand you have a different viewpoint in LDS members, but as a recognize charity your soul purpose cannot be to bash another religion seems to be a more subdued detective conclusion on the part of Darren my said actually Darren, one of our primary goals is to share the New Testament gospel with members of the LDS church, and I explained to him I personally serve as a missionary in the state of Utah and to effectively do this. It is often necessary to address presuppositions that a person may have in order to effectively communicate a different position as a ministry we also educate Christians on how to better understand the LDS people. Again, you use the word – we have had many LDS compliments on her tone and appreciate the demeanor we display so get this subjective idea that somehow we are being mean-spirited or bigoted. It's more reflected on the individual because some Mormons who write us don't feel that way at all so maybe Darren is just a little bit too sensitive in this area. Maybe he should listen to the show a little bit more. I don't know. Let me give you a couple more quotes.

This comes from Brigham Young. The first one is from discourses of Brigham Young page 11. He said our doctrine and practice is and I have made it mine through life to receive truth no matter where it comes from and he also said on page 126 of the same book, take up the Bible compare the religion of the Latter Day Saints with it and see if it will stand the test. I think Bill that's what were doing here at MRM were taken. The Bible were taken what the leaders have said, we put them together and let the truth stand wherever it is, but when he says that he understands we have a different viewpoint.

The reason why I wanted to respond to him by saying look sometimes when you're dealing with people of a different viewpoint you have to address those differences. I don't think a lot of worms seem to understand that the reason why we take so much time critiquing what Mormon leaders of said because it's necessary to find out exactly where they all were on a particular topic in order to address it properly and it's the same in the witnessing situation. If you're talking with someone who has a different worldview who has a different understanding of something.

It's very important to address where they are in order to give an opposing viewpoint you have to make sure you're both on the same page. Understanding each other in the differences that you have in order to try to explain your particular view in the conversation, but then when he says other subtle words and phrases used by you and you know what they are in your program are clearly bigoted and mean spirited wrote back and ice is actually I don't know what they are. Perhaps you can clarify what you mean. He doesn't give me any examples.

He just throws that little hand grenade out there and expects me to respond to it. But here's what I did, I did it cite at the end of my email on number of quotations from Mormon leaders who were very critical of what we as Christians believe, for instance, a statement by Brigham Young, where he said the people called Christians, are shrouded in ignorance and read the Scriptures with darkened understanding what about the first vision account that Mormons believe today in all the churches are wrong. The creeds are an abomination. The professors are corrupt.

That's like it's a little bit mean-spirited.

Perhaps some could even take it is needed. What you do with statements like that.

You see, Mormon leaders have been very critical about what we as Christians believe, but you know what a mature Christian will take them and go okay will. Let's address what you think. Why do you think that let's talk about that. They don't usually write people and call them names and then threaten to have something done by some kind of government agency to do what take us off the air in the United States have no authority to do that.

In closing, let me just say that I do lament the fact that Darren sees this as some sort of enemy because Darren if you should happen to listen to this. You need to see that we are not your enemy, we are not the enemy of any Latter Day Saints. But as Christians we do have a healthy fear of the Lord and that fear the Lord causes great concern for those that we believe are living in error and just like the apostle Paul in his comment in second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 11, he says. Knowing, therefore, the fear of the Lord we persuade men. That is our motivation, and I hope that Darren can see that we don't look at him as an enemy. And I would hope that he would not see us as an enemy either.

Thank you for listening you would like more information is research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter is research. We hope you will join us again as we look at another viewpoint is usually knocking the door and opened it to find two friendly representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon church. So you say will you send them away without a Christian witness or will you engage them in a meaningful and Christ honoring conversation if you desire. The latter, we suggest a book, answering Mormons questions my Mormonism research ministries Bill McKeever ran Darren Johnson answering Mormons questions is available wherever you find quality Christian books