New Feature--Fake Translation of the Week

I'm going to try a new feature here. It's called "Fake Translation of the Week." The goal is to show how certain passages of Scripture would have to read if we are to believe what some false teachers and false religions teach.

Today, the question is--"What happens to those who never hear of Jesus?" And I do not mean to treat this subject lightly, because it is so serious. Because the answer, of course, is "They will not enter into the Kingdom of God." Because if they did--if people who never heard the gospel were granted automatic entrance into heaven, or were given a "second chance" after they die--then this is how we would have to read today's passage.

Matthew 28:19-20--"Tarry ye here in Jerusalem. Do not go out to any other city, or land, to any tribe, or tongue, or nation. Do not tell anyone the gospel. Keep it to yourself, lest the people do not believe what ye tell them, and they be condemned for their unbelief. Yea, 'tis better for them if ye do not tell them. That way, they shall enter into My kingdom."

Resignation letter from a former Jehovah's Witness

Found this today, thought it might be intersting reading for anyone who might be--or who knows someone who is--a Jehovah's Witness. This is an actual resignation letter from a woman who found the light after being blinded for years by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. This is one woman who really did her homework:

There is a Bible test concerning false prophets in Deut. 18:18-22. According to Jehovah, the true prophet that we MUST listen to will be the one of whom Jehovah says, "I will put my words in his mouth..." So if a person or an organization claims that Jehovah HAS put words into their mouth, they are claiming to be that prophet, and according to v22, their message MUST come true, or they are a FALSE PROPHET. As you can see from the enclosed insert, the Watchtower Society has claimed this EXACT THING numerous times, (although they deny it explicitly in the March 22, 1993 Awake heretofore mentioned) so their prophecies must be judged accordingly. No prophecy that the Society has made to date has come true: the prophecies have ALL been false. Please notice that this passage doesn't even mention that the false prophet must claim to be INSPIRED in order to be a false prophet, so no false prophet could rightly get off the hook just by saying that they never claimed inspiration. Nor is there a way out of this delimma just by the false prophet saying "I never claimed infallibility and I have always said that I make mistakes". True prophets of Jehovah were fallible human beings, but they did not falsely prophesy

[...]

I also discovered that, according to historians, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 BCE - far from 607 BCE (as indicated in "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth"). This certainly puts a dent in the 1914 date, I would think. How long will it be before the Society changes the 1914 date, just as they have with so many others? Will we soon learn that Christ returned in 1934 instead of 1914...INVISIBLY? That would add 20 years to "this generation", which would be very convenient right about now, wouldn't you say?

I truely believed that the Society was God's "channel" and that the Governing Body's commands were Jehovah's commands. I can't imagine how I would have felt if my daughter Briahna (who has hemoglobin C disease) had needed a blood transfusion and I had withheld it, and she died!!! Futhermore, if I had been responsible for her death in this way, what if in a few years time the Governing Body were to change their mind about blood transfusions just as they did concerning vaccinations and organ transplants? (Are we to really believe that God changed his mind about these matters??) What would they have said to me? Would they wash their hands of my daughters death by saying that "We just made a mistake...we are not inspired...we never claimed to be infallible..."?

"Test Every Spirit"--Islam part 2

Part 1 here.

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So, is the Muslim Allah the same God that we Christians worship? Well, let’s look and see. In the Qur'an, Sura 4:171 says,

“Say not Trinity…God is One: Glory be to Him! Far exalted is He above having a son…”

Sura 5:73—

“They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.”

But we’ve seen several times that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one.

We also see in the Bible that God is the God of truth. That He does not use lies to accomplish His goals. That’s not the case with Allah. There is a term Muslims use, and it is taqiyya. Basically, it means hiding the fact that you are Muslim in order to save your skin. Sura 16:106--

“Anyone who after accepting faith in Allah utters unbelief except under compulsion his heart remaining firm in faith but such as open their breast to unbelief on them is Wrath from Allah and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty.”

In other words, if you renounce the name of Allah in order to save your life, that’s fine, just so long as you still believe in your heart. The following story is accepted as fact among Muslim scholars:

The non-believers once caught Ammar-bin-Yaser and they forced him to say praise their false gods and to condemn Prophet Muhammad... [He] gave in… to their demands. After that, when he returned to the Prophet Mohammed, [he] narrated the whole story to him. Prophet Muhammad asked him, how do you feel in your heart? To which Ammar replied, “I am fully content with Allah's religion in my heart.” To this Prophet Mohammed said, “If non-believers ask you to say the same again, say it.”

Yet Jesus told us in Matthew 10:33—“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Hebrews 11:36-38 tells of the numbers of faithful who, “were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection…others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawn in two, were tempted, and were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented--of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.” These people could have said at any time, “OK, OK, put out the fire! Put the saw down! I don’t want any trouble here!” and gone home and lived a perfectly happy life believing on the inside, and denying God to the world. But Jesus tells us in Luke 9:24-25—“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”

And listen to the words of these saints of the early church:

• Polycarp—a disciple of John the apostle. Arrested in Rome…for being a Christian. And don’t think it can't happen in this country one day. All he had to do was say “Caesar is Lord!” and he’d be home in time for dinner. But instead, he replied, “86 years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” He was burned at the stake.
• Tertullian: "We cannot lie about our religion - to do so is to deny what we worship… Your cruelties merely prove our innocence of the crimes you charge against us. When you chose recently to hand a Christian girl over to a brothel-keeper rather than to the lions, you showed you knew we counted chastity dearer than life…And you frustrate your purpose. Because those who see us die, wonder why we do, for we die like the men you revere, not like slaves or criminals. And when they find out, they join us."

The world says that we worship the same god as the Muslims. Their god tells them it’s OK to lie in the name of Allah.

• John 17:17—“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
• Titus 1:2—“…in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie…”
• Hebrews 6:18—“…by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie…”
• Numbers 23:19—“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
• 1st Corinthians 14:33—“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace…”

I read an article by Sam Venable in the Knoxville News Sentinel a few weeks after the attacks of 9/11. He was listening to a speech from a Muslim. When the man said that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, and that “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God”, Sam just kinda said, “Well, OK! That’s good enough for me!” I haven’t read one of his columns since.

Well, let’s look at what Islam teaches about Jesus Christ. Sura 5:75—

“The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers have passed away…”

Sura 112:1-4—

“Say: ‘God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!’”

To the Muslim, Jesus was no more than a glorified prophet. He was no more worthy of worship than Abraham or Elijah. In fact, Sura 4:171 says,

“O People of the Book…The Messiah Jesus son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of God…so believe in God and His Messengers. Say not "Trinity"…God is One: Glory be to Him! (far exalted is He) above having a son…”

But the glorious truth is that Jesus was the Messiah, the word of God made flesh, in fact God Himself in the flesh! John 1:1 says the Word was God; John 1:14 says the Word was made flesh and dwelt among men.

• Luke 1:35—“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
• Matthew 1:18—“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

Finally, do Muslims believe that Jesus died on the Cross? No. In fact, they don’t even believe He was crucified. Sura 4:157 it says of the Jews,

“…they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah"—but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them…for…they killed him not…”

But the word of God says this:

• John 19:30—“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
• John 19:34—“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.”
• Romans 5:6—“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
• Romans 14:9—“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
• 1st Corinthians 15:3—“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…”
• Then the words of Christ Himself, Revelation 1:18—“I Am He who was dead, and am now alive. And I live forevermore, Amen. And I hold the keys of Hell and Death.”

Christ died for our sins. But Islam, like many false religions, teaches that we can do enough “good things” to make us acceptable to their god. But there is no such thing as a man-centered salvation. So many look at Islam and say, “Ya know, it just looks so holy, and so religious. And it really stresses us being good people.”

My friends, any religion that says you can be good enough to earn your salvation does not make you a better person. It makes God less holy. It makes Him less perfect. Because look at Romans 5:6 I mentioned just now. Christ died for the ungodly. For ME!! I was ungodly. If you were talking to someone who knew me 6 ½ years ago, and told them I was preaching, they’d be laughing their head off. But you know, I was that thief on the cross. I couldn’t do enough; I couldn’t give enough to make things right with God. In fact, take that phrase out of your vocabulary. WE can NEVER make things right with God. We have to ask Jesus to do that. In Islam, there is no such thing as “atonement.” If you don’t do enough “good things” to outweigh all your “bad things” you wind up in the bottomless pit. And you can never be sure that you’ve done enough.

• If you follow Islam, you bring all your former sins with you. If you follow Christ, you leave all your sins at the foot of the cross!
• If you follow Islam, and you have too many sins to make up for, you must spill your blood to cover them. If you follow Christ, you can never have so many sins that the blood He spilled can't cover them!
• If you follow Islam, Allah keeps a journal of all your sins. If you follow Christ, the journal of all your sins is nailed to the Cross!
• If you follow Islam, you can never be sure you’ve done enough. If you follow Christ, you can be sure that He did it all!

"Test Every Spirit"--Islam part 1

One reason I feel God has led me to do this series is because we live in a world that is falling away very quickly. It’s accelerating every day. It’s like every day that passes we get three days closer to the end. And every day that passes, more people get sucked up into some false religious system, and end up on the path to eternal destruction. Well, today we will be looking at the second largest religion in the world. It is also the second-fastest growing religion in the world, claiming 1.3 billion followers. I am talking of course about Islam.

Let me say a couple of things to start off. You have no doubt heard what many uninformed people on TV or in the papers have said about Islam. They say it’s a “religion of peace”, and that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, and that Muslims believe in Jesus. These statements are wrong! It is NOT a “religion of peace”, Muslims do NOT worship the same God as us Christians, and although Muslims do believe that Jesus Christ walked the earth, and was a “good man”, they do NOT believe that He was the Son of God. They consider that to be blasphemy.

And for people that think that Islam is some religion they practice way off in Lebanon, and Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, and that we don’t need to worry about it. Folks, it is spreading, and it is spreading quickly. It is spreading across Europe. It has gained a toehold—if not a foothold—in England, France, and Belgium, and there are many in positions of leadership in this country who would rather have us submit to Islam than to fight it. Oh, and don’t think there aren’t Muslims right here in K-Town. They have a mosque here in Knoxville, on 13th Street, in the Fort Sanders area, just a few blocks from the UT campus.

What is Islam all about? Is it about peace? Not really. The word “Islam” literally means “submission.” Muslims will say that this “submission” has several meanings. First, we bring our bodies into submission. Second, we submit to Allah. Finally, it is the goal of Islam that the whole world submits to Allah. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. You can find this in their Qur’an. Sura 2:193--

“And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah…”

If you’ve ever heard the word “jihad”, this is what it means. It means that Muslims are called to fight against us “infidels” until we submit to the religion of Islam.

Islam started in the year 610 AD, when Muhammed was meditating in a cave, and was visited by the angel Gabriel who recited the words of the Qur’an to him. But since Muhammed could not read or write, he told his friends what the angel said, and they wrote it down for him. How many were here when we talked about Mormonism? Both Mormonism and Islam have these things in common: an illiterate man, considered by his followers to be a “prophet,” all alone, told by an angel that the Word of God had been corrupted, and that he needs to write another book to be used alongside the Bible. The angel reveals this to the man, who dictates to a scribe, who writes down the words for him.

Now, after Muhammed received the Qur’an, how did Islam spread so quickly? Was it devout men preaching salvation through Allah? No. It was spread by three simple words: “convert or die.” It was not spread by loving people seeking the lost, and leading them to salvation. It was spread by the edge of a sword. Again, from the Qur’an, Sura 9:5—

“But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, an seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”

In other words, kill them until they practice Islam. Muslims are encouraged by their Qur'an to kill unbelievers…because Allah is “most merciful.” They are encouraged to slay those that persecute them. But what does the Bible say? Are we supposed to slay the enemy wherever we find them, as it says in the Qur'an? No. In the Great Commission, as it’s called, in Matthew 28:19-20—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” Muslims are encouraged to kill those who persecute them. But Jesus told us in Matthew 5:43-45—“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…”

So, how does someone become a “good Muslim”, and obtain salvation from Allah? There are five things you must do, and they are called the “Five Pillars of Islam.” And if you do enough of these things, enough times to outweigh your “bad deeds”, then you are considered to be a “good Muslim,” and you will wind up in Paradise.

• Shahadah is kinda like their initiation. When a person says they believe in no other god but Allah.
• Salah is the ritual praying toward Mecca they do 5 times every day. And if you ever see a Muslim pray, you see them turn to the right, then to the left. And they mutter something in each direction. That’s because—they believe—there is an angel on their right keeping track of all their “good deeds”, and one on the left with all their “bad deeds.” They bless the one on the right and curse the one on the left.
• Zakah is the third “pillar”, and it is the required giving of alms. Muslims are obliged to give a certain percentage of their money to the poor, the destitute, to new Muslims, and to those waging jihad. This is mandatory, and Allah keeps track of how much you give, and if you don’t give enough, then you're not a true Muslim.
• Sawm is the fasting they are commanded to do, especially during the month of Ramadan—that is supposed to be the month of the year when the Qur'an was given to Muhammed. During this time of fasting, they are not to eat, drink, smoke, or be a husband to their wife from dawn to sundown.
• Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, and a “good Muslim” is supposed to make that journey, if they can, at least once during their life.

And as I said, you must do enough “good things” to outweigh the bad stuff. Sura 101:2-11—

"What is the (Day) of Noise and Clamour? (It is) a Day where men will be like moths scattered about, and the mountains will be like loosened wool. Then, he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) heavy will be in a life of good pleasure and satisfaction. But he whose balance (of good deeds) will be (found) light will have his home in a (bottomless) Pit. And what will explain to thee what this is? (It is) a Fire Blazing fiercely!"

In other words, it’s up to you to save yourself. I use the word “saved” because it’s something we Christians can relate to. But in Islam, there is no concept of “salvation.” In fact, no Muslim, no matter how “good” they can be, is EVER sure that they have done enough. And just how much is “enough”? How much more “bad stuff” can you do to cancel out the “good stuff”? First, Sura 55:7-9—

“…He has set up the Balance (of Justice), in order that ye may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and do not fall short in the balance.”

Sura 99:6-8—

“On that Day will men …be shown the deeds that they (had done). Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”

How big is an atom? Well, pluck a hair from your head. An atom is one one-millionth the width of that hair. And if you have done that much more evil than good, you will be cast into hell, according to the Qur'an. So, let’s say you’ve been really despicable all your life. You’ve killed, lied, stolen, and done all sorts of other rotten things, and there is no way that you could ever do enough to even come close to making up for it. How can you ever gain Allah’s mercy, and go into Paradise? Remember that word “jihad?” If you die as a martyr for Allah, then all of your “bad stuff” is wiped out. Wanna know why so many suicide bombers are Muslims? It’s because it is found in Islamic scriptures. In the Qur'an, Sura 46:4-6—

“…those who are slain in the Way of Allah- He will never let their deeds be lost. Soon will He guide them and improve their condition, and admit them to the Garden which He has announced for them.”

Now, not only do Muslims believe in the Qur'an, they also have what’s called “Hadith”, which is kinda like the sayings of Muhammed, and it is held in the same regard as the Qur'an. And this is what it says in the Hadith:

[A] martyr’s privileges are guaranteed by Allah; forgiveness with the first gush of his blood, he will be shown his seat in paradise, he will be decorated with the jewels of belief, married off to the beautiful ones, protected from the test in the grave, assured security in the day of judgment, crowned with the crown of dignity…[married] to seventy-two [virgins] and his intercession on the behalf of seventy of his relatives will be accepted.

In other words, you could be the most horrible person on the planet, but if you die while killing a bunch of Jews and Christians—“People of the Book”—you get to go past everyone else into Paradise with your 72 virgins. And if young, brown-eyed maiden aren't your thing, you can have little boys if you want.

This is one of those places where studying false religions shows just how wonderful our God really is! Islam says that you have to die so your sins can be forgiven. But, we know the truth: that Christ died so your sins could be forgiven! In Luke 23:43, as a thief hung on a cross at the right hand of Christ—this thief had NO CHANCE to do ANYTHING to make up for the horrible things he did. He had nothing to give to the poor. He couldn’t come down and be baptized. He couldn’t do ANYTHING….except confess Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory and Captain of our salvation, as his Savior and Lord. And what did Jesus say? “…today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Are Mormons Christians? Part 3

Many times, when you point out a faulty doctrine or teaching in the Mormon church, the answer you get is, "Well, that's just what that one person taught. It was never official Mormon doctrine." But how can they say that when that doctrine/teaching has been perpetuated by one president/prophet after another. And these men are supposed to be speaking with authority from GOD.

Now, while I may differ in some beliefs as the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention--and even my pastor sometimes--I know, and they know, that we do not speak as though we are prophets on the order of Isaiah, Ezekial, Obadiah, etc. We are reading the Word of GOD, and interpreting it as best we can according to what is written. We do not stand and proclaim that what we teach is superior to what GOD has already revealed.

If a man does claim to speak on the authority of GOD, and as a prophet on the order of Isaiah, Ezekial, Obadiah, etc., and if he is going to claim that what he speaks is from GOD, then that word must be truth. And since GOD does not change--what He accepts or rejects today, He will accept or reject tomorrow; He is not the author of confusion--then what that man who claims to be a prophet teaches must be consistent with the nature of GOD.

That said, let us take a look at a man who claimed to be speaking truth that came from GOD's lips to his ears: Brigham Young. Young was the second president/prophet of the LDS church. He led the Saints out to Utah, and was so hightly revered by them that they named their university after him. But, how true were his teachings? Let's take a look at one in particular: The so-called "Adam-God Doctrine." As I said at the outset, Mormons will tell you this was never Mormon doctrine. Is that true? Not really. Here is what Young said:

Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do... (Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, pp.50-51.)

"But," the Mormon will say, "The Journal of Discourses is not official Mormon scripture!" Well, that really depends on whether or not the teaching in that particular issue makes the LDS church look good or bad. Much the same as it is with anything current or former LDS presidents/prophets have said.

So, was this "Adam-God Doctrine" official? Well, it was thought of highly enough that the LDS church published it in the Millennial Star [November 26, 1853 (vol.15, pp.769-70)], an official publication of the LDS church, and the forerunner to Ensign. And, when objections were raised by the LDS saints in England, they received this reply from the church elders:

"Concerning the item of doctrine alluded to by Elder Caffall and others, viz., that Adam is our Father and God, I have to say do not trouble yourselves, neither let the Saints be troubled about this matter.... If, as Elder Caffall remarked, there are those who are waiting at the door of the Church for the objection to be removed, tell such, the Prophet and Apostle Brigham Young has declared it, and that it is the word of the Lord" (Millennial Star, vol. 16, p.534).

Now, your Mormon friend may tell you that it was simply something Brigham Young said one time, and was quickly forgotten. Not so fast. The first time he said it was 1852. But, in 1873--some 21 years later--he was still putting forth that doctrine:

How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which I revealed to them, and which God revealed to me—namely that Adam is our Father and God.... Our Father Adam helped to make this earth, ... he and his companions came here. He brought one of his wives with him.... Our Father Adam is the man who stands at the gate and holds the keys of everlasting life and salvation to all his children who have or who ever will come upon the earth.... We say that Father Adam came here and helped to made the earth. Who is he? He is Michael.... He was the first man on the earth, and its framer and maker. He, with the help of his brethren, brought it into existence. Then he said, "I want my children who are in the spirit world to come and live here. I once dwelt upon an earth something like this, in a mortal state..." (Deseret News, June 18, 1873).

Was this the point at which this doctrine ended? Brigham Young died in 1877. Did he take this teaching to the grave with him? No. In 1889--12 years after his death--it was still being taught in the LDS church:

"Jesus Christ is Jehovah...Adam is His Father and our God" (Daily Journal of Abraham H. Cannon, vol. 11, p.39)

So, was Brigham Young bringing forth a word from GOD, or was this simply the idea of one man, foisted upon the LDS saints? And if this doctrine was the idea of Brigham Young alone, then does it not cast doubt upon everything else he said?

Well, in 1981--after denying for almost 130 years Brigham Young ever taught the "Adam-GOD Doctrine"--Apostle Brucke McKonkie finally fessed-up that, yeah, he said it:

Nonetheless, as Joseph Smith so pointedly taught, a prophet is not always a prophet, only when he is acting as such. [How convenient--Ed.] Prophets are men and they make mistakes. Sometimes they err in doctrine. . . . Sometimes even wise and good men fall short in the accurate presentation of what is truth. Sometimes a prophet gives personal views which are not endorsed and approved by the Lord.

Yes, President Young did teach that Adam was the father of our spirits, and all the related things that the cultists [non-Mormons--Ed.] ascribe to him. This [Brigham Young's teaching on Adam], however, is not true. He expressed views that are out of harmony with the gospel. But, be it known, Brigham Young also taught accurately and correctly, the status and position of Adam in the eternal scheme of things. What I am saying is, that Brigham Young, contradicted Brigham Young, and the issue becomes one of which Brigham Young we will believe. The answer is we will believe the expressions that accord with the teachings in the Standard Works.(Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Spring 1982.)

In other words, when he (or any other LDS "prophet") says something that doesn't line up, then he's not speaking "as a prophet." It's kinda like their "get out of jail free" card. But, this begs the question: How is one supposed to know whether the "prophet" is speaking the word of the Lord, and when he's not? Does he have some "on/off" switch that he flips, and shifts from "prophet" to "not a prophet"?

Listen to what GOD said in Jeremiah 1:4-5--"Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." Before Jeremiah was even conceived, GOD told him he would be a prophet. For life. Not "on" one day, and "off" the next. A prophet of GOD is always a prophet of GOD. This is just one more reason to beware of any organization calling themselves "God's channel", etc. and saying they have a "living prophet." And one more piece of evidence that Mormonism is a false religion.

The Episcopal Church--Spiralling down, down, down

Not only do they condone women preaching in the pulpit. Not only do the consecrate an openly practicing homosexual as a priest. Now, thay don't have a problem with a woman being a priest...AND A MUSLIM!!! From the files of "I am NOT making this up!!" (from Seattle Times):

Shortly after noon on Fridays, the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding ties on a black headscarf, preparing to pray with her Muslim group on First Hill.

On Sunday mornings, Redding puts on the white collar of an Episcopal priest.

She does both, she says, because she's Christian and Muslim.

Redding, who until recently was director of faith formation at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, has been a priest for more than 20 years. Now she's ready to tell people that, for the last 15 months, she's also been a Muslim — drawn to the faith after an introduction to Islamic prayers left her profoundly moved.

OK, so she's confused. She's working through some "issues", or she's having a "crisis", or...whatever. It would be one thing if this was her own private thing. But it's not. Read on:

Redding's situation is highly unusual. Officials at the national Episcopal Church headquarters said they are not aware of any other instance in which a priest has also been a believer in another faith. They said it's up to the local bishop to decide whether such a priest could continue in that role.

Redding's bishop, the Rt. Rev. Vincent Warner, says he accepts Redding as an Episcopal priest and a Muslim, and that he finds the interfaith possibilities exciting. Her announcement, first made through a story in her diocese's newspaper, hasn't caused much controversy yet, he said.

Nah, why should it? As long as you're using the Bible for a martini coaster, why not just rip out the pages and use them in the...um...lavatory? I man come on folks! If the Episcopal Organization (I will NOT call them a "church") is going to piddle away Biblical authority on Christ, why not just lump yourselves with one of the biggest evils facing the world today (Islam)?

You know, if there is one person whose readings you should know, it is the apostle John. And in 2nd John 9-11, he warns us--"Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds." Well, Ms. Redding's church decided that was one passage that they needed to cut out of their Bibles and throw away because it just wasn't, you know, relevant today. So, this is what you get:

Ironically, it was at St. Mark's that she first became drawn to Islam.

In fall 2005, a local Muslim leader gave a talk at the cathedral, then prayed before those attending. Redding was moved. As he dropped to his knees and stretched forward against the floor, it seemed to her that his whole body was involved in surrendering to God.

Then in the spring, at a St. Mark's interfaith class, another Muslim leader taught a chanted prayer and led a meditation on opening one's heart. The chanting appealed to the singer in Redding; the meditation spoke to her heart. She began saying the prayer daily.

Around that time, her mother died, and then "I was in a situation that I could not handle by any other means, other than a total surrender to God," she said.

She still doesn't know why that meant she had to become a Muslim. All she knows is "when God gives you an invitation, you don't turn it down."

In March 2006, she said her shahada — the profession of faith — testifying that there is only one God and that Mohammed is his messenger. She became a Muslim.

To me, that passage in 2nd John seems to be relevant right here. But don't tell Episcopals that. They might call you a "bigot", or some other such nonsense. This, folks, is why, when someone comes to your house (the original intent here is your church), and they do not have the truth of Christ, tell them to "Buzz off!" Don't even greet them! The King James says, "Neither bid him Godspeed." In other words, don't even say, "Have a safe trip!"

Well, you had to know this was coming:

Aside from the established sets of prayers she recites in Arabic fives times each day, Redding says her prayers are neither uniquely Islamic nor Christian. They're simply her private talks with God or Allah — she uses both names interchangeably. "It's the same person, praying to the same God."

May I take this opportunity to say...NO THEY'RE NOT!!!

Allah is a pagan moon god, who is dead, and couldn't hear you if he wanted to. Almighty GOD--YHWH, Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah--is GOD. There is none other! I've had it about up to here with these "tolerant" types who want to go around saying that the GOD of Christians and the god of Muslims are the same. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!!!!!!!

Folks, this situation is exactly what happens when a group that calls themselves a "church" decides to throw the truth of GOD's word out the window, and embrace the world's view of "tolerance". When we want so bad for people to like us that we'll accept any whacky notion of GOD that comes along. When we allow people who are diametrically opposed to the deity of Christ, and the worship of the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to come into our church and spout their beliefs. How many more Ann Holmes Reddings are out there?

FURTHERMORE: If this woman ever claimed to be a Christian, she SHOULD have already been fully submitted unto YHWH. If not...well, just read this staement again:

Around that time, her mother died, and then "I was in a situation that I could not handle by any other means, other than a total surrender to God," she said.

Well, if that's the case, you surrender to YHWH, not some Arabic pagan moon god. Or, as Pamela over at Atlas Shrugs says,

"...[a] religion that denies the divinity of Jesus, that persecutes Christians and that punishes apostasy to Christianity by death wherever it exerts temporal power."

That pretty much sums up Islam. Think Victoria's Secret will come out with a line of Burkas?