From a posted news item:
Today, many people generally view Evangelical Christians as a people with strong family values and clean living, according to the bishop of the McLean 3rd Ward (Latter-day Saint). Some also believe they are just one of many Christian denominations.
But that view is the result of a multibillion dollar campaign over the last couple of decades by Evangelical Christians who have attempted to present themselves in such a way, according to Bishop Todd Phillips of the McLean 3rd Ward.
Many Americans, including Christians, see Evangelical Christians as “just another branch of Christianity who talk about Jesus all the time and likely do a better job at adhering to family values than most Christian do in churches in America,” Phillips told hundreds attending service on Sunday.
That perspective, however, is in stark contrast to just 50 years ago, when Evangelicals were seen as “conservative, backward religious zealots who didn’t dance or drink, and lived in the South, intermarrying, handling snakes and doing tent revivals,” Phillips said.
“They were also marked by many as extreme right-wingers out to destroy even the concept of political, religious and social tolerance.”
They were perceived by Catholics and most Protestants as a fringe Christian denomination at best and a cult at worst, he noted.
As part of a seven-week series of talks during Sacrament meeting, Phillips was attempting to answer the question of whether Evangelical Christianty and biblical Christianity are the same.
Oh, wait! That’s not what the news item said at all! ..bruce..
/snicker/
Anybody offended by this but not by the actual news item likely will fail also to see that the real pastor is arguing not against what Mormons *are* but as what we’re *perceived* to be.
This is fun, bruce!
Actually, Ardis, if you read further in the ‘news item’, you’ll see that Taylor does indeed make statements (almost all false or at least horribly misconstrued) about what Mormons do and don’t believe, e.g.:
I can only interpret such statements as deliberate misrepresentation or profound ignorance of LDS beliefs. ..bruce..
•The 2005 National Study of Youth and Religion published by UNC-Chapel Hill found that Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) youth (ages 13 to 17) were more likely to exhibit these Christian characteristics than Evangelicals (the next most observant group):
1. Attend Religious Services weekly
2. Importance of Religious Faith in shaping daily life – extremely important
3. Believes in life after death
4. Does NOT believe in psychics or fortune-tellers
5. Has taught religious education classes
6. Has fasted or denied something as spiritual discipline
7. Sabbath Observance
8. Shared religious faith with someone not of their faith
9. Family talks about God, scriptures, prayer daily
10. Supportiveness of church for parent in trying to raise teen (very supportive)
11. Church congregation has done an excellent job in helping teens better understand their own sexuality and sexual morality
. LDS . Evangelical
1. 71% . . 55%
2. 52 . . . 28
3. 76 . . . 62
4. 100 . . 95
5. 42 . . . 28
6. 68 . . . 22
7. 67 . . . 40
8. 72 . . . 56
9. 50 . . . 19
10 65 . . . 26
11 84 . . . 35
So what do you think the motivation is for the Evangelical preachers to denigrate the Mormon Church by calling it a “cult”? You would think Evangelical preachers would be emulating Mormon practices (a creed to believe, a place to belong, a calling to live out, and a hope to hold onto) which were noted by Methodist Rev. Kenda Creasy Dean of the Princeton Theological Seminary, as causing Mormon teenagers to “top the charts” in Christian characteristics. It seems obvious pastors shouldn’t be denigrating a church based on First Century Christianity, with high efficacy. The only plausible reason to denigrate Mormons by calling the church a “cult” is for Evangelical pastors to protect their flock (and their livelihood).
A Baptist minister says the Book of Mormon is consistent with Jesus Christ’s teachings in the New Testament: http://www.centerplace.org/library/bofm/baptistversionofbofm.htm
To read more, go to http://MormonsAreChristian.blogspot.com
Although I lived across the river in MD, I believe that church is a one of those mega churches that would always advertise on the radio .
So it’s not an obscure little place but has a large presence in the DC area.
I read the original article, Bruce, and I love this version. If the people who write about us really understood how perfectly their distorted critiques almost always fit themselves better . . .
Ray:
As I noted to Ardis, I didn’t even get into the meat of the article (let’s do a critique of Evangelical theology from, say, a Catholic point of view). It was tempting, but I figured I had already made my point, which wasn’t to attack Evangelical Christianity but to point out how easy it is to paint a negative, slanted picture of any faith. ..bruce..