THE CROSS NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2024
WHAT KIND OF CONSTRUCTION ARE WE DOING?
ARE WE BUILDING WALLS OR BRIDGES?
Of course, I am not talking about physical construction. I am talking about personal relationships.
Jesus stated in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world – – – let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
John the apostle quotes Jesus this way. “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.” (1 John 3:23)
Summing up these two scriptures, we are his earthly physical representatives. We are to be a blessing to ALL those around us, no matter their personal belief system.
Since the beginning of Mormonism, 1830-1844, Christians and Mormons have erected sturdy walls to protect themselves from one another. Animosity toward each other grew in the US-Midwest, including acts or murder, rape, and pillage. Both groups were ungodly to each other. Hatred ran rampant. Mutual trust was shattered.
After Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, Brigham Young secured leadership of the Mormons within two years. He commanded all loyal followers to head west from their homes in Illinois and Missouri. They were moving to the ‘promised land’ of the Utah territory. The new ‘Prophet’ intended to put distance between the Mormons and their adversarial Christian neighbors, and the US government. Brigham intended to establish his own new nation, thereby eliminating US authority. It would be a new Mormon nation.
These national intentions were thwarted in 1857. On September 7 of that year a wagon train from Arkansas was traveling across Utah heading to California. Some leaders and Mormon-followers spread rumors that the wagon train members were some of the same people who brought ill-will to the Mormons in previous years. A plan was hatched to make them pay for past deeds by ‘blood atonement’. This was a Mormon belief that they must die for their sins by shedding their own blood. A mixed group of Mormons and Paiute Indians massacred the wagon train, sparing only 17 young children. This became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, led by John D. Lee.
Although Utah was still a territory, its presence and activities were now being watched by the United States government as being a possible future US state. News of the massacre atrocity reached Washington DC. Brigham Young did not desire to be involved in judgement of the massacre participants. Investigations into this event were opened by the US. John D. Lee was later held responsible. He was executed by firing squad on March 23, 1877, almost 20 years after the event.
Brigham Young attempted to build a ‘wall of distance’ between his Mormon followers and their Christian detractors. The Mountain Meadows Massacre was the beginning of Mormons becoming citizens of the United States once more. On January 4, 1896, Utah was admitted into the union. Almost 40 years pasted between the Massacre and statehood. This ended Brigham Young’s isolation policy. It was the beginning of tearing down religiously inspired walls.
From 1896 to the present day, a total of 128 years, the walls have still been in place through LDS leadership control. Mormon families were forbidden or discouraged from associating with non-Mormon families except for public schooling for the children and work interaction for adults. Any other association was expected to be under LDS influence or control. In our personal experience, LDS children could not come over to our home to play with our child, but our child could always go to their home to play. LDS families in the past were always very scheduled in ‘church’ activities. Free time with non-followers was extremely limited. This appeared to change in 2018.
Russell Nelson became the President/Prophet of the LDS organization in this year. Under his leadership the ‘church’ has been directed to associate with Christians. They have appeared to become ‘orthodox-Christan’ in their belief system. Mormons are now using terms which sound like what we say and believe. They are not the same! I say this to warn you about the LDS theology. It has not changed!
Twice a year the LDS organization has a ‘General Conference’. The Conference is a two-day event sharing current LDS worldwide activities by different selected speakers. Concerned Christian volunteers have analyzed the messages of every ‘General Conference’ speaker for the past two conferences. Although the LDS verbiage is changing using more Christian terminology, their basic theological concepts of God, salvation, and heaven, have not changed.
The LDS walls seem to be coming down, but are they really? In the meantime, it is our mission to be ‘LIGHTS OF THE WORLD’. Always love and appreciate your Mormon friends and neighbors. Pray for them to see God’s real plan.
Maybe, in the near future, we might begin building bridges.
Gary Keating
LDS CARE AND SOCIAL GROUP
Our hope at this ministry is to love and support all who have ties to the LDS church. Many of our loved ones attend the LDS church, are raising children in that faith, or we ourselves grew up in the LDS religion and culture. We may have questions about the ever-changing policies and doctrine of the church. We might have friends and neighbors who are LDS and have questions about the information and changes that have recently occurred in the LDS church.
We are rekindling a group that we held regularly in the early 2000s but with renewed focus and leadership. The LDS Care Group is a safe space for both former and current LDS Church members to share, encourage, wrestle, and grow in their Christian faith journeys with others who have similar life experiences, challenges, and culture. Currently, we meet near Dobson & Ray in Chandler. Please email Kristine Nelson at [email protected] if interested. Or call: 480-833-2537
| In an effort to appear to be Christian and as I see it to ‘cover their tracks’ the LDS are continually making changes. The list below are each extensively covered by GLM (God Loves Mormons) on a You Tube video. New members will never hear or read about them. Take about 30 minutes and familiarize yourself with these. |
| Adam-God Theory Jesus was married Blood Atonement Curse of Cain Book of Mormon Translation from the golden plates Paulette Carpenito |
Are Temples Necessary?
During the April, 2024, general conference of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), many of the speeches
emphasized the need for temples and temple “worship”. The
temples were called “houses of prayer”, “house of the Lord”, “the
Lord’s holy house”, “a place of revelation”, and well as other
descriptive phrases. Dallin H. Oaks (First Counselor in the First
Presidency) said that the LDS had dedicated 189 temples in
many nations and 146 more are in planning and construction.
Russell M. Nelson (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints) said “no combination of wickedness will prevail
over those who worship in the house of the Lord” and encouraged
members to worship in the temple as regularly as circumstances
permit. He also said, “the temple is the gateway to the greatest
blessing God has in store for each of us.”
The purpose of the temple, according to the website
www.churchofjesuschrist.org., is “to provide ordinances
necessary for the children of God to enable them to return to
dwell with Him”. One ordinance is where covenants are made to
“live righteously and follow the requirements of the gospel.”
Another ordinance is celestial marriage which seals a husband
and wife for eternity. Baptism for the dead is another ordinance
which allows those who have died without receiving these
ordinances to receive them by church members who acting on
their behalf. According to the LDS, these are saving ordinances
which are essential for exaltation (the highest level of salvation)
and in return, their heavenly Father promises to give those who
remain faithful to their covenants “power from on high”. This
sounds very important and something we should all seek! But
what does the Bible say?
1 Kings 5-9 describes the first temple built by Solomon around
1000B.C. in Jerusalem. It was a place for the Israelites to gather,
pray, worship God, and offer sacrifices. The priests were from the
tribe of Levi who did all the work at the temple. None of the rituals
at that temple had anything to do with baptism for the dead,
celestial marriage, or ordinances essential for exaltation. The
High Priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer the
sacrifice of atonement sprinkling the blood of a lamb on the mercy
seat. God looked down and saw the blood and forgave the sins
of His people. “Without the shedding of blood, there is no
forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:22.
This temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of
Babylon in 586 B.C. It was rebuilt and completed in 515 B.C.
Zerubbabel and Nehemiah played a role in its restoration. It fell
into disrepair, and Herod the Great restored the temple between
20-18 B.C. This is the temple which was standing during Jesus’
life. It was completely destroyed in 70 A.D. when the Romans
destroyed Jerusalem, and it was never rebuilt.
Joseph Smith (the founder of LDS) said he received a revelation
from God that the church was in apostasy and that he needed to
restore the church and the priesthood. December,1832, in
Doctrine & Covenants 88, he describes the revelation telling him
to build a temple. The question remains: was the church in
apostasy and needed to be restored? And was a new temple
necessary? According to the Bible – NO!
John 4:19-24. The Samaritan women asked Jesus if they should
worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem (which is understood to
be the temple in Jerusalem). Jesus said that the time is here
when you will worship at neither; but that, “God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Acts 17: 24. “The God who made the world and everything in it is
the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by
human hands”.
1 Corinthians 6:19. “Do you not know that your bodies are
temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received
from God?”.
Hebrews 9:1-10:25. This passage is too long to quote. I urge
each of you to study it thoroughly. The idea is that Jesus did not
enter a temple made of human hands which was a copy of the
true one, but “he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his
own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption”.
None of the New Testament scriptures tell us that temples should
be built in today’s world. We cannot obtain salvation by the
ceremonies and ordinances performed in LDS temples. In fact,
the Bible says that the true temple is in heaven and that Jesus
entered it with His own blood to obtain forgiveness for our sins,
and to provide the way for us to draw near to God!
Sandie Keating
2024 is about half over. Have you been reading your Bible or have you joined a Bible study class? Summer is a great time to kick back and delve into God’s Word. You can be in a group where ‘iron sharpens iron’ (Prov.27:17) or do this all on your own. Either way God’s Spirit is with you. In His Word He has told us all that we need to know about him. Be Blessed !
Paulette
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“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.”
I Thessalonians 1:2
We pray for opportunities to speak with Christians because we firmly believe “It is easier to keep them out than to get them out.”
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