would be the very first church to allow any person to be a member with full privleges---instead of letting only white,male,straight people be in charge?

Don't you think God would be the very first to say, "Of course, when you die, donate your body to as many people as you can so they can have a fuller life." Instead of having rules that the body is sacred and donations were frowned upon.

Wouldn't God be the very first to say, "I love my creation. Please protect it and watch over it. Don't destroy it through your greedy actions." Instead of---"I made this world in 7000 years, so it's about time for it to be thrown away anyway, so just go ahead and ruin it."

Wouldn't you think that an all-knowing God would say, "There are many things dangerous to your body. Jello and cake might be just as bad for you as coffee. There are dangers in sugar and fat, and by the way, there's this thing called heroin I didn't mention." Why wouldn't God be the very first to mention those things?

Woudn't God be the very first to say that we need to look out for each other--that we should be the first to work for equal rights for all people? Why is the Mormon church always the last to come to the party.

And how can people stay with a church that's always behind the curve about 20 years. Why would God be a part of that?

An accepted characteristic of every religion is that they "speak for God." Since God remains totally absent from humans (never seen and never heard), religions act as the spokespersons for God.

If God doesn't like that then he/she/it should set up an expansive website that tells the world exactly what he/she/it thinks and how humans should act. Since God has not seen fit to do that then God must be satisfied with the status quo.

I don't know which God you're referring to, but the God of Christianity/Judaism/Islam always has been ethnocentric, racist and anti-homosexuality. The fact that our expectations of God change with our social mores just demonstrates He doesn't exist.

http://www.cofchrist.org/D&C163/section163.asp


3:

b. Above all else, strive to be faithful to Christ’s vision of the peaceable Kingdom of God on earth. Courageously challenge cultural, political, and religious trends that are contrary to the reconciling and restoring purposes of God. Pursue peace.

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4 a. God, the Eternal Creator, weeps for the poor, displaced, mistreated, and diseased of the world because of their unnecessary suffering. Such conditions are not God’s will. Open your ears to hear the pleading of mothers and fathers in all nations who desperately seek a future of hope for their children. Do not turn away from them. For in their welfare resides your welfare.

b. The earth, lovingly created as an environment for life to flourish, shudders in distress because creation’s natural and living systems are becoming exhausted from carrying the burden of human greed and conflict. Humankind must awaken from its illusion of independence and unrestrained consumption without lasting consequences.

c. Let the educational and community development endeavors of the church equip people of all ages to carry the ethics of Christ’s peace into all arenas of life. Prepare new generations of disciples to bring fresh vision to bear on the perplexing problems of poverty, disease, war, and environmental deterioration. Their contributions will be multiplied if their hearts are focused on God’s will for creation.

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7

c. It is not pleasing to God when any passage of scripture is used to diminish or oppress races, genders, or classes of human beings. Much physical and emotional violence has been done to some of God’s beloved children through the misuse of scripture. The church is called to confess and repent of such attitudes and practices.

Lovely : )

A lot of that language is reminiscent of publications of my own denomination, the hippier-dippier branch of the Lutheran church.

We ain't perfect, but we're tryin', am I right?

Yes, I pretty much mean all religion...there are a few however, that seem to be a little better than others...

evidence to back that claim.

Instead of moral leadership we get racism and polygamy.

Hmmm.

Solve your problem easily by following the Wiccan Rede:

"An' it harm none, do as ye will"

One of the things that lead me out of the church were thoughts like these. There are a lot of things I think a true church of God would be that none of them are. You point out some great ones.

Also, if God and Jesus Christ came to you in a vision, wouldn't you remember what happened instead of telling everyone a different story at different times?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2010 08:44PM by neptuneaz.

Instead of the way it played out, wouldn't the NAACP have been pointing to the Mormon church and saying "that is how we want the rest of the world to treat us"?