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Explain to me this....

Discussion in 'Other Discussions' started by Centrist, Feb 18, 2020.

  1. Centrist

    Centrist Active Member

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    My religious history is diverse. I am currently a non-Baptist/non-Mormon Christian. I made sure I put Mormon in because I live in Utah and I am also formerly a member & priesthood holder of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints. At the same time, a disclaimer- President Nelson did ask for members to do away with LDS & Mormon as labels for the church and church members, however, in this thread I will still use the two labels as I feel it makes discussion with non-members far easier. Now, with that said....

    I have also been a Baptist. I have been baptised as Southern Baptist. I have also, in other communities in which I lived, attended and became member of United Methodist, Pentacostal, Church of God, only a few named, but there's more. In the end to me it doesn't matter.

    Is this bad? Not really. Not in my book, at least. Because to me we have one God, one Jesus Christ, one Holy Spirit, and only one Holy Bible. In the end the path to Salvation is the same-

    - I acknowledge I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Here I am to repent & turn away from sin.

    - I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Here I trust that Jesus paid the full penalty for my sins.

    - I confess Jesus as my Lord and my God. Here I surrender control of my life to Jesus.

    - I receive Jesus as my Savior forever. In this I accept what God has done for me and in me what He promised

    But there are other details that decide for me IF I am good enough. Having been told that I'm not welcome at a few Baptist churches because I supposedly questioned the Holy Bible's integrity. Here, I disagree with the need to know the age of the Earth. I know the bible say nothing about it, but to be refused membership because I don't believe the Earth is a mere 6,000 year old? For me, because of the line for work I was in, 4.5 billion years works just fine. But...does it really matter? I don't think it does. But to be accused of questioning the bible's integrity? To me that takes the cake. No, I'm not questioning the Bible or it's integrity, but instead that of the pastor. I was fortunate at one time to be an interim pastor

    But....how can I also have leanings towards the LDS when their teachings are so different than that of the SBC? Well, to me it's simple. It says in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Romans 1:26-32; Exodus 22:19; and Leviticus 18:1-18:30 about no man shall lay with another man. And we know that that means, no homosexuality. Which is fine by me. But, so many churches, some Baptist, some Methodist, you see them all over the place it seems, except you will not see that in the Mormon church. Kinda funny how an "off the wall cult" can hold to God's teachings better than the primary Christian denominations. But the LDS also does not allow women to because priesthood holders. Why? Because...the bible says so. So no gay & no women LDS Bishops.

    As I am no longer LDS, I still should be welcome in any Christian church. And yes, for the most part I am, with exception for the Baptist churches I mentioned. I remember one time I was invited to a Southern Baptist pastor's home, and as soon as I got there, he goes to his bedroom and come back with his service arm- a Colt M1911 .45 pistol, to "let me know where he stands". Whatever that means.

    I'm not saying this to pick a fight or to rag on you guys and your beliefs. I'm looking for a church to call my home church. And so far I"m finding the LDS to be not only more biblical, but more respecting and honorable than the Christian/non-mormon churches, particularly the Baptist & SBC churches.

    So please explain this to me.


    A Warning to Pastors Who Mislead God's People

    ETA: I'm not in good health right now, lots of physical pain, fatigue, stuff like that, so this is as organized as I can get right now. Thx.
     
    #1 Centrist, Feb 18, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2020
  2. evenifigoalone

    evenifigoalone Well-Known Member

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    I'm not aware of where the SBC or baptist churches are pro-gay?

    I also am not particularly of the mind that young Earth creationism matters all that much, either. Like, I consider myself a YEC, but I am very apathetic about it and don't believe it's that big a deal to be an old Earth creationist. I would be open to that viewpoint myself, if I cared enough to research it more.
     
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  3. Aaron

    Aaron Member
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    You don't sound like a good candidate for any organization yet. You seem blown about by every wind of doctrine.
     
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  4. Rob_BW

    Rob_BW Well-Known Member
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    Yeah, kudos to making the effort to join with a local assembly. Good job on that.

    As for the differing types...at some point you have to decide what you believe in. What things you believe are seconday issues, and what things you believe are primary issues that you would separate over.

    I'm a baptist. I have no problem attending and fellowshipping with the Presbyterians, Methodists, and AME up the street when we have joint events in the community. But when picking a church to join, they wouldn't be in consideration.
     
  5. Reynolds

    Reynolds Well-Known Member
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  6. Reynolds

    Reynolds Well-Known Member
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    The SBC is again becoming liberalized and "woke". That does not change the fact that most of the churches in SBC are still doctrinally sound. Not an excuse, but an explanation.

    All the legal things you praise about Mormonism are also true of Islam. Most cults are extremely legalistic. Legalism is a sign of a cult, not a badge of honor.
     
  7. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Mormons are not Christians. They believe in another Christ and another gospel
     
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  8. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    On the age of the earth, it certainly is not an essential doctrine or a matter of Salvation. Since the horrible evil Enlightenment, many Christians have bought into the Hindu/Greek pagan idea of deep time and Darwin sold most of the world on the pagan idea of evolution. However, science has now disproven evolution, which so influenced the Germans and Hitler, and deep time has many scientific problems also. So I would just look for another church if some church told me that evolution/deep time was an indicator of Salvation.
     
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  9. Particular

    Particular Well-Known Member

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    The OP seems untethered to the rock and thus tossed by the waves to places filled with legalism.

    Colossians 2:18-23 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
     
  10. MartyF

    MartyF Well-Known Member

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    In places such as LDS and RC, there is less freedom between individual churches.

    This is why you will see individual churches embrace "liberal theology", but not in RC and LDS. LDS is a little most closed, by I know that Catholic priests won't stay in the RC for long if they disagreed with the pope and decided to marry for example.
     
  11. Scott Downey

    Scott Downey Well-Known Member

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    I agree, that the earth is created not that long ago, but this is not a matter of salvation.
    I don't like how people do not believe in Noah's world wide flood, or Adam and Eve when Christ spoke of them as real. It does show a lack of faith in scripture as God breathed and Christ. It is only you and God together at the judgement, you wont have any backup from other beings to support your alternative world views. And your only going to have a few years left on this earth, then comes the judgement, so align your mind with what God said. As if the scripture is right as written and you believe it as it was written, good for you, God won't judge you for believing what scripture says. But if your worldview is in error, and you have taught by the things which you have written and spoken about the creation falsely, then God will judge that. None of those of your world's view will be there to help you on that Day. At the Judgement all the secrets will be laid bare, and some will receive rewards and some will just scrape by.
     
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  12. Particular

    Particular Well-Known Member

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    The spectrum of theological thought in Roman Catholicism runs the gamut. From very conservative legalism to radical progressive feminism, the theology attracts a variety of ideas. Pope Francis is a marxist, liberation theologist (which explains why he rejects evangelism). Others in the RCC mix animism and spiritism into their theology as they call upon ancestors and merge shamanism into their theology. To claim a unity of thought in the RCC is fallacious at best.
     
  13. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Would you agree that the Mormon church is a cult, as it teaches another and false Jesus and Gospel?
     
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  14. MartyF

    MartyF Well-Known Member

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    I wasn't trying to claim unity of thought, I was claiming unity of action similar to what the OP was describing.

    Are there practicing RC priests who are performing gay marriage?

    Are there RC priests who are married?

    Are there RC priests who preach against Papal Authority in the church?

    Are there female RC priests?

    The are Democrat and Republican Mormons as well, but in certain religious matters, they are in lock-step.

    You're focused on mental purity of doctrine. The OP was about the practiced doctrine.

    All of this is practiced doctrine.
     
  15. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    Mormons are a cult.
     
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  16. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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    Hi Centrist,

    Hope God gives you endurance for your trials.

    There are a lot of differing views within Baptist churches, because each local assembly adopts Biblical doctrine according to their understanding. Some may think women can exercise authority over men or that sex outside of marriage between a man and woman should be accepted. However, nearly every baptist church I have attended rejects those views. So perhaps you are giving Baptists a bad rap based on a non-representative sampling.

    Receiving Jesus, in your view, seem to be something the person does. But that leaves out an important part of the gospel. Did God credit your faith as righteousness and place you spiritually in Christ, and then seal you in Christ with the Holy Spirit? At communion, we are to examine ourselves to see if we are "of the faith." Do we see evidence in our lives of putting Christ first in our lives? In thinking of others as more important than ourselves. Are we a grumbler and fault finder?

    One think for sure, if you think you are "good enough" your understanding of our gospel needs work.

    Within Christianity, we have young earthers (less than 7000 years old) and old earthers, more than thousands and millions or billions of years old. As others have said, the bible does not say how old the earth is, but if the creation "days" are believed to be "24 hour days" then a young earth is indicated. Lots of Christians hold that view.

    Best wishes for you as you seek to serve our Lord.
     
    #16 Van, Feb 18, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2020
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  17. Scott Downey

    Scott Downey Well-Known Member

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    If you wonder how Mormonism is a cult, look at the foundation and read what their doctrines say, and those doctrines are antichrist, against who Christ is and what Christ says, not to mention they added on the book of mormon as scripture come from God.
     
  18. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Yes, wrong gospel and wrong Jesus!
     
  19. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Really should be label white male religion, as until believe 1978, Blacks excluded from priesthood, as only priests can become "gods", and women fare just as bad, as they just exist to have sex with and pleasure and procreate out "celestial babies" for their god husbands!
     
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  20. Scott Downey

    Scott Downey Well-Known Member

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    The other half of my wife's family are all Mormons. While they are nice folk, they all believe in the doctrines and covenants of Mormon. You can talk with them, they just never change. They know in their hearts they are right. This is about being under a strong delusion. They have the book of Mormon , the bible, the family, their church and their prophets to explain and guide them. They do consider themselves to be the restored true church. My wife's father was Mormon, somehow he met an Episcopal priest who was able to explain to him the errors, and he left the Mormons, created quite the rift him and the rest, however they were always nice to me and my wife. My wife's grandmother fully expected to bear spirit children in the next life and be worshiped as gods, her and her husband. And also that Jehovah God had evolved and so would they. It is honestly quite shocking what they believe and that they all of them do believe these things. None I met were ignorant, they were all well taught their delusions.
     
    #20 Scott Downey, Feb 19, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2020
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