On Monday (January 12, 2015) I wrote,
The Mormon Church’s Sunday School course of study for 2015 is the New Testament. Accordingly, Gig Harbor, WA newspaper columnist Alfred Gunn (LDS) wrote a column for The Peninsula Gateway titled, “The Bible as a treasured course of personal study.”
For the most part, the article seems aimed at convincing non-Mormons that Mormons love the Bible and hold it in high esteem.
In that blog post I suggested that Mr. Gunn’s readers might be surprised to learn of Mormonism’s less-than-reverent view of the Bible. In this post I want to talk further about an idea suggested by Mr. Gunn; namely,
“To anyone harboring the persistent misconception that ‘Mormons are not Christians because they have their own Bible, the Book of Mormon,’ we say that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and the author of our salvation and that we believe, revere, study and love the Holy Bible. We do have additional sacred scripture brought forth by the Lord, including the Book of Mormon, which supports the Bible, never substituting for it.”
In addition to being surprised by the classic LDS view of the overall insufficiency and fallibility of the Bible, another surprise awaits Mr. Gunn’s readers. That is, while Mormons will be studying the New Testament in 2015, their lessons will often employ Joseph Smith’s own “translation” of the Bible. Mormon apostle Bruce McConkie told Mormon Church members of the value of this altered and “corrected” Bible:
“The Joseph Smith Translation, or Inspired Version, is a thousand times over the best Bible now existing on earth. It contains all that the King James Version does, plus pages of additions and corrections and an occasional deletion. It was made by the spirit of revelation, and the changes and additions are the equivalent of the revealed word in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. For historical and other reasons, there has been among some members of the Church in times past some prejudice and misunderstanding of the place of the Joseph Smith Translation. I hope this has now all vanished away. Our new Church Bible footnotes many of the major changes made in the Inspired Version and has a seventeen-page section which sets forth excerpts that are too lengthy for inclusion in the footnotes. Reference to this section and to the footnotes themselves will give anyone who has spiritual insight a deep appreciation of this revelatory work of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is one of the great evidences of his prophetic call” (Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, 289).
Looking at the first lesson in the Gospel Doctrine: New Testament Teacher’s Manual used for the 2015 Mormon Sunday School course of study, class members are directed to passages from Luke and John, both specifically from the Joseph Smith Translation (JST).
In the passage from Luke (JST 3:4-11; KJV 3:4-6) Joseph Smith added over 190 words to the biblical text that, in the King James Version, comprises only 74 total words.
In the passage from John (JST 1:1-14; KJV follows the same verses) Joseph Smith altered the KJV text to teach doctrine very different from historic biblical teachings. Consider two verses from this passage. The King James Version says,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1, 4)
The Joseph Smith Translation says,
“In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God…In him was the gospel, and the gospel was the life, and the life was the light of men;” (JST John 1:1, 4).
Though the identity of Jesus as the Word is obscured in the verse from the JST, and though Joseph Smith’s assertion in the text itself is that “the gospel was the word,” the LDS Teacher’s Manual explains, “‘the Word’ in John 1:1…refers to the Savior.”
[As an aside, how does that make sense? The JST verse would then be rendered, “In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the Savior, and the Savior was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God.”]
Let’s parse this passage a bit. As I understand it, in the Bible the focus of John 1:1 is the identity and eternality of Christ, the second member of the Trinity.
In Joseph Smith’s “translation” the focus is on the continuity across time of the preaching of the gospel and the gospel’s presence with the Son.
In the Bible, Christ, as the Word, is identified as God.
In the JST, Christ is not said to be God, but said to be “of God.”
In the Bible we are told that in Jesus is life (i.e., He has life within Himself, He is the source of life, another proclamation of His deity; see John 5:26), and that this life is the light of men (Christ is the Provider of both natural and eternal life).
In the JST the gospel (i.e., “all the doctrines, principles, laws, ordinances, and covenants necessary for us to be exalted in the celestial kingdom”) was “in him,” and this system (not Christ Himself) is the life and light of men.
The LDS Teacher’s Manual explains the Mormon understanding of Christ based on John1:1-3, 14:
“a. He ‘was in the beginning’ with God the Father (John 1:1–2). Note that the Savior’s mission began in the premortal world, long before he was born in Bethlehem.
“b. He is God (John 1:1). Explain that when we speak of God, we usually refer to Heavenly Father. However, ‘the personage known as Jehovah in Old Testament times … is the Son, known as Jesus Christ, … who is also a God. Jesus works under the direction of the Father. … Many of the things that the scripture says were done by God were actually done by … Jesus’ (Bible Dictionary, ‘God,’ 681).
“c. Through him the gospel was preached in the premortal world (Joseph Smith Translation, John 1:1).
“d. He made all things (John 1:3).
“e. He is the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh (John 1:14; see also 1 Nephi 11:14–21).”
As is evident, some superficial similarities exist between the biblical Jesus and Mormonism’s Jesus, but the disparities are vast and very deep. So much so that Christians generally agree with late Mormon Church President Gordon B. Hinckley who said that Mormons believe in a “different Jesus.”
Mr. Gunn promoted the idea that Mormonism is a Christian religion because Mormons believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and because they study the Bible. Superficially, that argument may have some merit. But looking beneath the surface reveals something else altogether. Mormonism promotes trust in a “different Jesus” who cannot save, and teaches doctrine from a false prophet’s rewrite of the Holy Bible. For those who believe the Bible as God gave and preserved it through millennia, this places Mormonism far outside the boundaries of Christianity.
The underlying current of Mormon cosmology, if that’s the right word to use, is that it denies the eternality of the Father as God and the eternal divinity of Jesus as God, clearly shown in this article. One doesn’t have to go very far into Mormon theology to discover this. It isn’t some crazy-making gobbledygook spewed out by the likes of Brigham Young or Orson Hyde back beyond the [Mormon] veil of forgetfulness, about 1920, or so. It’s right there in the JST, footnoted and endnoted right in their own official ‘study’ Bible that has been in circulation since 1980, not to mention the Pearl of Good Price and the Doctrine and Covenants.
Both God the Father and God the Son (and by extension, God the Holy Spirit) have been made subordinate to priesthood and to some cosmic, eternal “gospel” plan, which are presented as the truly eternal powers or forces operating in the universe. Neither the Father nor the Son eternally held priesthood, and both attained their current status as gods by participating in the so-called gospel plan (I use the lower case ‘g’ on purpose). Yes, both the Father and the Son have existed eternally in Mormon thinking at least as eternal intelligences, and both made progress within the plan, eventually gaining priesthood and ending up where they are now. Both, apparently, hold the priesthood office of “God.” Clearly, neither the Father nor the Son exist outside the space-time continuum, which was never created. Indeed, space, time, and matter apparently are eternal, uncreated, and self-sustaining entities. Indeed, the Father and the Son are subject to the limitations inherent in space, time, and matter. Thus, under this condition, neither the Father nor the Son can be the Alpha and, likewise, neither can truly be the Omega because they are subject to something bigger than they are, priesthood and the so-called gospel plan, not to mention space, time, and matter.
So I guess, had I remained Mormon, I should feel the need to kneel before my true god(s), priesthood and the plan rather than the puny Father and Son. No, thank you very much.
Tom,
As I understand it, the LDS sect contends that “matter” is eternal. Since “matter” is eternal we are all eternal. That’s some fancy foot work isn’t it? So when they say that their god is eternal, that’s what they mean. It’s another way in which the LDS sect attempts to identify with Christianity and fool people.
And you are absolutely right. The whole LDS plan is subordinate to the “system”. That’s why leaving the “one true church” sets their collective hair on fire. LDS salvation has nothing to do with God extending the free gift of eternal life/salvation through grace and mortals receiving that gift by faith.
The LDS system demands that the faithful earn their way through the system to become gods which is the outcome of the LDS plan.
Interestingly enough, there are multiple Mormon sects holding to the “restoration” who all feel they have the way and the truth that doesn’t agree with the LDS sect.
I recently had a Mormon tell me that when God reveals himself to us, such as what he did to Moses at the burning bush, he is really hiding somewhere near and using a distraction so that we won’t see his personage. With Moses, he was probably hiding behind the bush or a nearby tree.
This speaks to the idea that all things have matter. They cannot fathom that God is everywhere all the time.
Anyway, this article brings out what can be seen as a bit of disingenuous advertising by the LDS church. It misrepresents its openness to the Bible and the New Testament. Of course, it is possible that only Christians will see the disingenuousness because we know the questions to ask and what to look for. Others may see that the LDS are reading through the NT and that is a good thing so that means the LDS are probably Christian, too. What we ask these others may not ask is how open are you to other translations of the NT? Why use the JST to supplement, and not the ESV? Lastly, we might ask ‘what are you afraid of?’
MJP,
Was this person an actual adult?
It reminds me of the story Jim Spencer tells of the Mormon who is told about Joseph Smith and his men on the moon comments. At first the Mormon didn’t respond but the next day he says, “Well maybe the men are hidden in the moon!” True story.
These are obviously “chapel” Mormons who can think rationally in all other areas of their lives but not when it comes to their religion.
Falcon, yup. An adult. A former American Baptist who 30 some odd years ago left for the Mormon church.
The story reminds me of a scene one might expect to see in a Monty Python skit:
John Cleese as Moses, startled by a burning bush, only to recognize Eric Idle scampering quickly, after lighting the bush, behind a nearby olive tree where his butt and feet stick out and saying, “I’m not here, I am in the bush! See the bush? Its burning! That’s me! I’m not here, I swear it.” Moses then shakes his head and walks away, and God tries to get his attention by running from tree to tree, hiding at each opportunity…
For those Mormons who truly desire to know the truth about Jesus / His church / the gospel of salvation His apostle preached , then please take time to study the New Testament . Take 30 days of reading thru it slowly with no Mormon publications included . What will you find ? Your church organization, practice and doctrine ? The New Testament is where we learn many things about Jesus of Nazarath — who is He ; and we also learn about the church He established thru men He sent out to preach and teach . Since your leaders have claimed to be Jesus’ apostles modern day counterparts who restored / re-established the very same church with the very same gospel of salvation apostles like Paul delivered to people , if this is so then the New Testament will confirm that connection .
So do make it a priority of study the New Testament without any Mormon publications , that will insure your search for truth will involve you and God ‘s Word . If you feel that there is’nt something quite right concerning your leaders that will help you decide for yourself .
We’ll be praying for you . Because we care .
Kudos to MRM for an enlightening article.
Can the word of God be every corrupted? Does it ever need restoration? Because if so, it couldn’t ever be the word of God could it?
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8, ESV)
The Great Isaiah Scroll, confirming the veracity of the Scroll of Isaiah used in Jesus day was discovered and has been made available to all those who would like to examine the corruption of Isaiah, which is non-existent. (Israel Museum, Jerusalem)
The Apostle Peter (according to LDS, he’s the very first Prophet after Jesus), wrote:
“The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Pet. 1:24-25)
Interesting, the word of the Lord (cf. Luke 21:33, ESV) remains forever? If God’s word remains forever, why do we then need a restoration?
I’m going to bear my testimony. Oh yeah.
I testify that Jesus Christ has always been and always will be God. That His church has remained through the ages without a Great Apostasy. That His word (Scripture) remains uncorrupted through the ages.
RJ
I concur with your testimony. You didn’t say “I Know” but I won’t quibble with you or ask if it gives you a burning in your bosom!
I suppose I shouldn’t get as frustrated as I do sometimes, but if these LDS folks would actually do a tad bit of research they’d see where the founding and maintaining premises of Mormonism are a total sham.
And for me, there was a definite change in my understanding and desire for God’s Word before and after I got saved. It was an amazing transformation that I can only credit to the Spirit of God.
First comment from me on this blog and I just want to say I appreciate the work you are doing. I am a recent convert to the LDS from Britain. What I was presented with was ( another Christian sect ) but as I have tended to my suspicions and had them confirmed I have come to realize I have been played. I didn’t have enough time to research the background with life being busy and everything but once I got time to myself I broke open the tool kit and got to work.
I did find it strange however that if the LDS see’s the BOM as another testimony then why not present the Bible first, then the ” latter scriptures ” later ? well we know why but it struck me as odd at the time.
thanks again.
Ryhthm,
Good having you here. This blog plus the MRM main site are good resources, among many for someone looking for information on Mormonism.
There are so many directions to go in researching Mormonism; many different topics. We are ready, willing and able to assist you in any way we can.
Ryhthm , welcome .
People in autocratic religions like Mormonism need to be aware of how easily it is to be misled by their hierarchy . The kind of trust and submission their leaders demand is a recipe for manipulation , and sincere people can be fooled very easy unless they aware of how Jesus gave us a ” heads up ” about latter days prophets who would claim authority from Him yet He has not sent them , and then do what Jesus’ apostles recommended to be safe from such prophets : Gal 1:8 ; 2Tim 4:3,4 ; 2Cor 13:5 .
If a LDS wants to know if they in fact have been fooled by the many exterior trappings which Mormonism presents to the public into joining a religious organization created by and led by latter days imitation prophets then a test must be made . It is extremely serious to put off such a New Testament apostle recommended test of any prophets vying for our attention today ,such as Mormon prophets .
Sharon , mentioned the danger of following a imitation Jesus ( “Another Jesus” — 2Cor 11:4 ) .
The apostle John in the first century reminded his flock to not be misled by those who would come with a false view of Jesus Christ . One particular erroneous view of some attempting to influence his flock was called ” docetism ” . Docetics believed that Jesus only seemed to live among men suffer die on the cross , He actually did’nt come in contact with the physical world , i.e. He did’nt become man and then die as the Savior of the World . The apostle John in his gospel and his epistles had taught the truth about Jesus ( Jn 1:1, 14 ; 1Jn 4:1-3 ) and so the main false conception of Jesus which the docetics were teaching was soundly refuted .
Have the latter days prophets of Mormonism taught a false conception of Jesus ? What do we find when their teaching track record is examined . Today it is common in public advertisements to see Mormonism sounding like any other Christian church ( the ads around Christmas time was a good example of good P.R. work ) in the way they use terms and language etc . But once a person gets behind this what do we find ? Many years ago I took time to do examination of the claims of Mormonism . This involved buying numerous Mormon publications spanning the preaching of Mormon leaders from 1830 to the 1980’s ; also talking with many Mormon missionaries , and even writing a few letter to a Mormon apostle ( LeGrand Richards ) . I was comparing this to what the prophets and apostles in the Bible taught . Long story short : Mormon leaders failed the test .
I came to appreciate a difference in the way I viewed Mormons : the vast majority of Mormon people are a decent , and sincere people . Mormon leaders are false prophets and I have little respect for them as religious figures because they have deceived those who follow them . The Bible ( and Book of Mormon ) speak of this type of deception , and there is definitely a consequence to following false prophets — Isa 9:16 . The Mormon people have been fooled and are in danger .
My heart breaks for the people who join false prophet led organizations .
Ryhthm
A few years ago, I got to know a former Mormon (on this site no less) who would tell a story similar to yours. In fact we met personally a couple of times.
He told me that when he joined the LDS church he thought he was joining another “branch” of Christianity. It wasn’t until he took the trip through the temple (rituals) that he figured out that this religious sect was a totally different deal. He had married a life long Mormon and they both resigned. They had some “hang-over” in that they were really ticked-off, feeling that things had been kept from them. This was all the more interesting because his wife had been born into the program.
I would say they were somewhat over-whelmed by what they had come to learn. Thankfully they got out and were not looking back.
One of the big discoveries that surfaces when a serious study of the New Testament is compared to what many times Mormon leaders claim about it is that of the use of half truths by Mormons . These usually occur in public interviews , but church publications also contain them . The way these are used makes Mormonism sell well . At times the way the Mormon church advertises and it’s leaders make statements , is kinda like a bait and switch sales procedure . Here’s an example :
In 1842 the Articles of Faith were published , and number 6 stated : ” We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church , viz apostles, prophets , pastors, teachers, evangelists , etc .
That was taken from Eph 4:11 . Even today it is not uncommon to see Eph 4:11 used to declare that the Mormon church is exactly the same church that Jesus established thru His apostles 2000 years ago . For Bible believing Christians that way of advertising by the Mormon church catches their attention and can lead to inviting the Mormon missionaries over to hear a very polished presentation about Mormonism . It’s a half truth , and as such it can accomplish what half truths usually do : facilitate people into accepting error and on their way to being misled .
People needing to know the truth about Mormonism must read the Bible for themselves , especially the New Testament and then compare what it teaches with what Mormon leaders have taught ever since they appeared on the scene making their claims . It’s the prudent, wise and safe thing to do .
Why ? See Matt 24: 11 .
ryhthm
Take a look at this guy. He’s from your part of the world and he was a high ranking LDS.
http://mormonthink.com/tomphillips.htm
With all the changes to the Christian NT by the LDS church I would guess the NT they will be studying this year wont be the same as yours will it.
Welcome Rhythm.
Latayne Scott, a Mormon who found the real Jesus and His true gospel and as a result left Mormonism
tells of her experiences as a student at BYU in 1973 . As a full time student she was required to take a religion class , at least one per semester , and in a New Testament class she mentioned one the first day of class the teacher enter the room he stated : ” Welcome to class . In this course we’ll study the first four books of the New Testament . Out text for the class will be ‘ Jesus The Christ ‘ by James E. Talmadge . Of course , you need your Book of Mormon , PGP , and the Bible as supplementary texts .”
She goes on to mention that in thinking back on how she was taught the Bible that many scriptures were taken out of context , and that unrelated verses were used to support erroneous doctrines etc.
Now I don’t know if things are any different today in how Mormon students are taught the Bible , but one thing needs mentioning and that is if any LDS wants to know if their leaders are not what we say they are (they’re only well dressed , well meaning ,religious men ) ; then it behooves those LDS to get alone with God’s Word the Bible ,the New Testament in particular , and read and ponder what it teaches . This will take time , but the answer is in there because God wants the Mormon people to know the truth about His Son and the gospel of salvation His apostles preached . Decent and sincere people can be fooled into following religious men who are only false prophets of the latter days which Jesus said would come . Mormons can compare what the New Testament teaches with what their leaders have taught , if there is a difference on many important doctrines it will be discovered only if Mormons put away any Mormon publications and get alone with God’s word .
Thank you for the warm welcome everyone.
I have a few things to add if I may.
1, I guess I need to go get Baptized again ?
2, I’ve had a hard time settling into the LDS should truth be told because from the outside looking in it appears to be a little exclusive. I am not a returning missionary (who seem to be seen as rock stars ) and I’ve never been to BYU. I will never be temple worthy which leads me to another point…
what is this ” Temple Worthy ” stuff ? just exactly on what grounds does an LDS Bishop have the authority to tell another human being if they are ‘ worthy enough ‘ ?
Also , what do I do about the returned Missionary I have formed a great friendship with who is currently doing the BYU thing, I feel like I have to do/say something…This isn’t exactly something I want to bring up with my new missionaries or even anyone else in the church hence why I came looking for this place. But even my new friend who is now back in Idaho has raised her concerns with me during Skype about what they learned in Mormon studies but my friend is devout, I mean the hours that are sacrificed to the church… sure do like keeping them busy.
There is just so much I could get off my chest right now but I don’t want to spill. I am annoyed at myself for being so trusting and not taking the extra time to do a proper background search.
Lastly.
As a Christian through my own interpretation of the Bible ( although I may not even be one at the moment if my LDS baptism isn’t valid ) I have come to understand and accept that I am not to take up titles and status for myself that has me risen above my fellow man. I am to be humble and meek, to love God and his creation as well as my neighbor. Not to serve myself but others. Show charity to the needy and love to the unruly. To be in the world but not of it. All these things I understand but am I on the right path ?
Also, before I finish up.
Can you people please say a prayer for me to get into the fold ? I feel like I have offended God by joining such an organization like the LDS and I just want to make it right. I want to wake up one morning and know I am Christian and know I have made my peace with God and know I have been accepted. That’s it… that’s all I want.. I simply do not care for the trappings and luxuries of this life, just want to know God.
ps,
How is it the LDS expects its members to keep the commandments in D/C which are a plenty when Adam and Eve couldn’t even keep one? The sheer volume of rules in the LDS have always struck me as completely unreasonable and are designed ( to me at least from my understanding ) to trigger guilt trips ?
Sorry ladies and Gentlemen I am babbling here…
Thanks for taking the time to respond to me.
Keep up the excellent work.
@Rhythm
Welcome to the forum. I’m sure you’ll find a lot of people here will sympathize with your plight. Feel free to contact the moderator(s), including Sharon who can point you in the right direction.
Don’t worry if you’re babbling or not, you’ve come to the right forum. If you have any questions, you can also contact me by gmail ~ rikkijmerica AT gmail [dot com]
Thanks Rikki.
I apologize for going slightly off topic.
Rhythm, we will be praying for you !
You asked some very heart felt questions . My response to some of these :
” What is temple worthy?”
It’s qualifying for entering the temple and receiving it’s ordinances by keeping the rules , regulations created by Mormon leaders . It’s a man made system pretending to be the gospel of Jesus Christ .The Mormon Bishop has no authority since he is teacher of a imitation gospel in the first place — Gal 1:8 .
Concerning your concern of not losing your friends in the Mormon church : That is not an easy decision to make , however for you to be safe from any influence of the appeal of Mormonism you need to think about your own spiritual health first , so distancing yourself from Mormons until you get strong in the Lord is a wise move for now concerning your present situation . Tell them you love them but have decided to not accept Mormonism .
You are annoyed at yourself for being so trusting and not taking time to adequately examine Mormonism before joining ?
Don’t beat yourself up . Sincere people can be misled , and are every day , especially by good imitations . The Mormon gospel is a good imitation . What’s important for you to remember is that you have discovered the truth about Mormonism being not what it claims to be .
You asked : ” All these things I understand but am I on the right path ? ”
The right WAY is Jesus , a personal relationship with the Jesus revealed in the Bible will then enable you to be accepted by His Father — Jn 14:6 . The things you mentioned are great and what is proper to do , but first man must be pardoned and reconciled to God , and that happens when the knee is bent and petition is made to God . The result : a right standing with God , and reception of the gift of eternal life , all by the blood of Jesus , His righteous alone makes us “worthy” to receive eternal life — Rom. 3: 25-28; Phil 3:9 . No temple rituals , no prophet at the top , no ladder of works to climb .
The gospel that saves : Rom 3:23 ; 5:8-10 ; 6:23 ; 10:9-13 . Simple yet profoundly life changing !
You feel like you have offended God by joining an organization like the Mormon church ?
You got fooled , simple as that . God was’nt offended as much as He was heart broke . You were not defective as a person , anyone can be fooled by the clever advertising of the Mormon P.R. Dept , and the salesmanship of smiling Mormon missionaries . But now you know , now you can thank God for helping you out of a false prophet led organization , and especially for touching your heart about wanting to know Him personally .
You said , ” I want to wake up one morning and know I am a Christian and know I have made my peace with God and know I have been accepted .”
The Bible contains the answer to this desire of yours :
To know you are a christian , to know you have made peace with God and have been accepted by Him.
Look at this : to know God , not just know about Him , is to enter a personal relationship with Him . This commences with coming directly to His Son the Lord Jesus Christ — Matt 11:28 , and confess that you are a sinner deserving eternal judgement , then asking for Him to save you . He will if you mean it . His Father will then accept you and become real to you in a very intimate way . When you come to Jesus he will not only forgive you of your sin but He will take the condemnation away and give His peace . You will experience a very real fellowship with the Father and the Son through the ministry of the Holy Spirit as you then start down life’s road as a Christian . It all starts with a personal encounter with the risen Savior .Consider the following scriptures relative to all this :
Matt 11: 28 ; Jn 6:25, 65 . Rom 5: 1 ; 8: 1 ; Jn 14:21 . Jn 17:3 ; 1Cor 1:9 ; 1Jn 5: 11-13 . 2Cor 13:14 .
Eph 2:8-10 ; Heb 7:25 . Acts 16: 29-34 .
God bless you , and take care .
Rythm
Some times it’s easier to watch a video and get a feel for what others, who were long time Mormons, went through on their voyage of discovery through and out of Mormonism. I’m going to provide a couple of links for you. The thing to keep in mind is that all of these folks were dedicated members of the LDS sect of Mormonism.
Please continue to post here keeping us updated on your quest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X034VNo8yw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6namaAF2bs
Rythm,
No, you do not need to get baptized again to become a Christian. There is nothing magical about baptism. Its just a symbolic act to publicly declare your faith in Christ. I do strongly recommend baptism, but I cannot say it is required. Which leads me to the next point: to wake up tomorrow and know you are a Christian, simply allow Christ, as the real and only God come to Earth precisely to save us, into your life by accepting him as your real and personal savior.
That’s it.
God bless.
Thanks for the replies people, and the video links.
I personally enjoyed a related video with Mitz Nelson.
Looks like I have quite the prayer to say tonight in regards to all this which should be interesting.
I think I already know the answer to choosing my own spiritual welfare over my friends…Besides after much thought on this passage,
Luke 6:42
”Either how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself behold not the beam that is in your own eye? you hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
When I read that it asks me to know where the exit is before I go setting any ones world alight with truth,In regards to my friend.