I'm still working on how to present my essay about the Priesthood to you, and I should have something to post within the next few weeks about it. But today I wanted to do something different. As you know, this blog is about understanding. And I would like to understand more about your beliefs.
Growing up a Mormon, serving as a Mormon missionary, and studying law at a Baptist university, I have had ample opportunities to explain and defend my faith. I'm sure many of my beliefs seem very different to you. But if you look at things from my perspective, many of your beliefs seem very different to me!
So I have a few questions for you. Be at ease; I'm not trying to corner you. And I will never attack what you say (see the seven rules above). I just want to understand you better.
Here are my questions:
1. Why do most Christian denominations teach that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are Three expressions of the same Entity rather than Three distinct Entities?
2. If God spoke directly to His children through dreams, visions, the ministry of Angels, and by His own voice from the time of Adam, through the ministry, crucifiction and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and through the ministry of the Apostles, why did He stop when the Apostles were martyred?
3. Why is the Bible considered by most Christians as the sole repository of God's words? That is, why can there be no other scripture than the Bible?
4. Finally, I have noticed that each Christian sect has its own perspective on Salvation: some say a lip confession is all that is necessary, others say baptism is essential, and some say nothing is necessary because God has already decided who will be saved. My question is do you believe that regardless of sect, will all those who belong to a Christian denomination go to Heaven despite their conflicting views on Salvation, and why?
Feel free to answer all, some, one, but please not none of the questions above. I believe I've already addressed each of these topics. If I haven't please point it out to me, and I will address it.
2 comments:
I think the second question is the most intriguing. I suppose that to me the answer is that God did not stop corresponding with us at the time of the Apostles. Probably where sects differ is not on that point, but in discerning how and when God has spoken to us.
That's an insight into other religions I never had before. Thank you.
And I have to agree that God didn't stop caring for and guiding His children when the Apostles were martyred. Certainly, He has inspired good men and women throughout history regardless of which sect they belonged to.
What I do notice from comparing the scriptural account to post-Apostolic times is that God's communications seemed to go from a flood to a trickle. And His guidance seems to have become so much more subtle. Thus the difficulty in discerning how and when He was speaking. While during the time of the Old Testament Prophets, Jesus' ministry, and the ministry of the Apostle, it wasn't as difficult. But the difficulty came in discerning whether those professing to receive such revelations really had received them.
I think this topic merits further discussion. Boy, I can't wait till I'm done with PC so I can actually write.
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