Of all the things that cause Mormon shelves to break, consider **The Restoration**.

No one really expects doctrines to make sense. After all, God works in mysterious ways and it will all be sorted out in the afterlife.

But consider God removes the "gospel", "the priesthood", the keys of salvation sometime after Jesus established his church on earth because there was "widespread apostasy". He decided to have it restored again by Joseph Smith.

Well hell! How about those who lived after the time of Jesus and after God took away the gospel up till Joseph Smith got it back 1830ish? They got screwed. Why were those believers thrown under the bus because of the wicked apostates? Now their only hope is for someone to find them in the vast genealogy records and baptism them by proxy?

And God didn't even care enough about his African and Asian children to send a prophet even the first time around. What are the chances those millions will encounter a righteous missionary who can share the gospel and have them saved by the plan of salvation? Pretty slim.

I'm not suggesting that God plays favorites but WTF?

I think it's quite clear that mormonism plays favorites, White Girl!    :]

You were amongst God’s chosen. You are special. The gentiles. The Goyim must have screwed up in the pre-existence. Go preach the gospel to them. If they refuse you, dust your feet.

Foot dusting is going to be a major part of Ukraine's spring offensive. I'll bet the rooskies will regret shutting down Mormon proselytizing.

The whole idea of the Restoration is trouble for the Mormon claims. I discuss this thoroughly in my article "Apostasy and Authority" at

http://packham.n4m.org/authority.htm

In the final analysis it falls apart.

Honored to have you respond.

Twinker Wrote:
------------------------------
> Honored to have you respond.


To whom are you referring?  (Of course, I already know the answer...)

If God loves all his children how come there is only a Book of Mormon? Like you say about no prophets for the other countries in the world. Why isn't there also a Book of Wang and a Book of Bongani? Why did Jesus farewell tour include only one stop?


When they say God works in "mysterious ways" that is just code for "He knows not what he doeth--literally".

One item that is ignored in much of the belief in a restoration and teachings of the Church of the Mountain West is, that after Peter, Christianity did just fine under the Church Fathers.

Yes, Aquinas did mingle philosophies of men with doctrine, so have the Saints. Even the idea of priesthood obviously begins well before 1830.

Joseph's "restoration". To store up, again, in the nation.

Restoration

It's a hodge podge

Didn’t Russ say something like the (claimed) restoration is still / currently continuing?

For his next miracle, he will invoke, teach, & example Kindness & Honesty, sincere Repentance & Forgiving which will quickly be a new church standard replacing the current TRIQ…

The church is still discovering new doctrine after 200 years. If the church isn't true today, it might be tomorrow.

I suppose that we can at
least rely on JoJu and his
successors intending it
to be True!