ÿþ<html> <HEAD> <META NAME="keyword" content="LDS Faith, Mormon, Mormons, Are Mormons Christian, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ, Witness for Christ, Jeff Head, A Moromon's witness for Christ, AN LDS Witness for Christ"> <META NAME="description" content="ARE MORMONS CHRISTIAN - MY WITNESS FOR CHRIST"> <TITLE>JEFFHEAD.COM - ARE MORMONS CHRISTIAN - MY WITNESS FOR CHRIST</TITLE> <BODY BGSTART bgcolor=white BGEND> <center> <table><tr> <td width=30% align=center><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/images/donttread.jpg"></td> <td width=40% align=center><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/images/jhlogo.jpg"></td> <td width=30% align=center><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/images/comeandtakeit.jpg"></td></tr></table> <table width=90%><tr><td><center><b><font size=+2>ARE MORMONS CHRISTIAN? MY WITNESS FOR CHRIST</font></b></center> <p> Much is being said in the news of late about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint...the Mormon Churrch...and wether they are "Christian" or not. <p> First, let me say, that Rick Perry did not invite Rev. Jeffers to be his introductory speaker at the event that got this ball rolling. The organizers did that. Nor did Jeffers make the "cult" and "not Christian" comments during the intro. He did that later when asked specific questions by the press. In addition, Jeffers is not Perry's pastor. Later, when asked, Perry indicated that he disagreed with Jeffers on both the issue of the LDS being a Cult and on them not being "Christian." As such, I felt Perry handled hisnself well, and did not owe anyone an apology. <p> Noneheless, since it is being talked about so much, I though it important to give my own perspective and witness. Forgive me in advance for the length. <p> Jesus Christ, miraculously (through the power of the Holy Spirit) born of the Virgin Mary, is my Savior and author of my Salvation. His atonement and redemption in the Garden and on the Cross have saved me, and it is that alone that has saved me. This is the same Christ, written of in the Holy Bible, which I accept as God&#39;s word and His scripture, who was born in Bethlehem, raised by the caprenter, Joseph in Nazareth. He taught in the Temple when young, He grew up and taught His gospel, performed great miralces, healing the sick, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead. He chose His disciples. He hismelf said He was the Christ and the Son of Almighty God. He was unjustly tried by the Jews and the Romans, and was crucified according to Biblical prophesy for the sins of mankind and rose the third day. He will return to this Earth and reign in honor and glory through a glorious Millennium. I look forward to the day of His return. <p> I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What many call a Mormon. We do have different beliefs about the Godhead. We believe in three, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We believe they are seperate and distinct individuals and turn to the Bible itself of that interpretation. Christ indicated indeed that He and the Father are one, but in the great intercessory prayer, he explained exactly what that meant when he prayed to the Father and asked that His discplies might be one, even as He and the Father were one. He prayed to the Father...not to himself. He said He came to do the will of His Father, not His own will. His Father&#39;s voice was heard at His baptism and on the mount...separate from His own. The martyr Steven saw Christ sitting individually next to the Father. <p> We also believe that we are saved through faith and grace. Our own actions are not sufficient to save us...but we do believe that Christ indicated, very clearly in the Bible that there were certain things that we, as His disciples should do...necessary as a part of our salvation. He said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments...and His apostles taught (notably John) that if we did not keep His commandments, His love was not in us. He sent His disciples forth to baptise and indicated that they who believed and were baptised would be saved, and they who did not would not. These are all things that various denominations interpret differently and have differences over...and that is fine. <p> We believe, as Paul taught, that the Church of Christ is made up of Apostles, and Prohets, evangelists, bishops, etc. We believe that His Church was restored to the earth...not for &quot;Mormons&quot; but for all mankind and we go about teaching people of it. We believe that all mankind, whenever and wherever they have lived throughout history will be brought to a knowledge of Christ in this life, or before the judgement in the spirit world, so they can either accept or deny His salvation. We believe Christ himself set up this great work on the other side after He was cruicified and before he was resurrected when he &quot;taught the spirits in prison,&quot; according to Biblical verse in Peter. <p> We do not worship Jospeh Smith or set him up equal in any instance to Jesus Christ. We believe Christ used Him to perform a mission and that mission was the restoration of Christ&#39;s full church, also as prophesied in the Bible, with Prophets and Aposles and all that Paul spoke of. Do others believe the time for that is past? Yes. And that is fine as a part of their faith. We also believe in the Book of Mormon, which itself clearly states that it is a second witness of Christ and goes along with the Holy Bible (which we also believe in as Holy Scripture) to witness of Him. It does not replace the Bible...it is not &quot;another Bible,&quot; we believe it is a witness of Christ from ancient America. Do others believe we do not need this witness? Yes...and that too is fine according to the dictates of their faith. Joseph Smith ultimately sealed his mission, despite whatever faults he had...and he had them for he was a human and imperfect...with his own blood. <p> We believe that when Christ said, in Matthew to &quot;<i>Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect</i>&quot;, that he meant it and that our ultimate purpose, through the salvation of Jesus Christ is to do so. But that would be in the far hereafter. We believe what Paul said, in Romans when he said, &quot;<i>We are the Children of God, and if children, then heirs, and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with Him, that we might also be glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.</i>&quot; <p> I witness, in all humilty, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. He is my personal Savior and the only one to whom I look for salvation. That is a true and sincere statement. It is He who will judge me. By most all Chrsitian standards, that statement of acceptance of Jesus Christ means to most that I am saved. The Bible teaches that it is only through the power of the Holy Ghost that I can make such a witness...and I so witness now. <p> The other differences notwithstanding...they ar miniscule when compared to the saving grace of Jesus Christ which I freely accept and teach. <p> It is what my church teaches. It is what I teach my children and grandchildren. In the end...Jesus Christ is the Chief and principle cornerstone of it all. Without Him and His atonement all else is meaningless. <p> Are there those in the church who lean more heavily one doctrine or another? Yes. There are in all Chrsitian denominations. Are there bad apples amongst us? Yes...as there are in any large organization. Any Christian church is really a hospital for sinners...all of us. So yes, mistakes are made and sometimers emphasis is misplaced. But the grounding teachings of Jesus Christ and Him crucified are the basis for it all and that is the crucial doctrine. <p> A Christian is a follower of Christ and His gospel, who accepts Him as their Savior through Christ's atonement and who believes in His Father, and in the Holy GHost, and who believes He was resurrected with an immortal body and will return in a glorious second coming. I believe all of these things...though my interpretation of them may be different than yours. Nonetheless, I believe them with all my heart and follow them and try and teach them to others. <p> I beleive in Christ, I teach of Christ, I look forward to His coming, and I thank God in Heaven for Him and His salvation and for the witness of the Holy Ghost which has born it into my heart and soul. <p> These are all good things and we should all rejoice in anyone who comes to this knowledge. I do...even if they come to that knowledge outside of the LDS church...I know that their heartfelt testimony and acceptance of Christ will bear them up. Of course, in our faith, I believe they will utlimately also learn about the truths we teach...but that is for the future and for God himself to decide. In the end, if we are true followers of Christ, when He comes and enfolds us in His arms, if we love Him, we will do as he bids...even if it is not altogether what we thought in life. I know I will...I pray all of us will. <p> Others may seek to discount this, my testimony. But they cannot destroy it because it is between me and my Savior and it He who will judge me. I testify that my witness is sincere, humble and true, irrespective of what others may say about me and my church. I plead with people to get to know members of the Church, ask them what they believe, observe their lives and who they commit themselves to in life and then judge for themselves. The Savior taught that "<i>by their fruits ye shall know them</i>",. Get to know them and see their fruit. <p> I have placed this here with one object...to provide a witness and testimony contrary to much of what is being said about my faith, that it may stand as a witness...and to do so honestly and humbly. I am not seeking arguement, not trying to &quot;prove&quot; anyone wrong...just giving my own witness and letting people know some of what we believe and why. I will not follow this up with a public bash and arguement of theological princple. The key and core element on which all else hingeds...for any of us IMHO...is the core witness and believe and acceptance of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary and crucified on Calvary as our Redeemer and Savior. <p> Anyone who believe in Jesus Christ and Him crucified...and who knows that His gospel and the fundamental moral principles He taught are the bedrock foundation of our republic and our Liberty is my ally...even if they naysay my faith,. I will not naysay their faith in Jesus Christ because that collective faith is what is important if we are to restore this Republic. We are and should be allies in this fight, and I do all I can to reach out and work with others accordingly. Anyone who knows my history and my involvement in numerous activities on behalf of liberty knows this is true. <p> Again, I thank all who have prayed for and joined their faith with my own and that of my family in <a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/chordoma.htm">my recent health crisis with cancer</a>. The prayers of the faithful...a large portion of which are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were effecive and instrumentaal in my life and I humbly thank all who exerted their prayers and faith on my behalf. We are brothers and sisters and I plead with all to join together and not let the adversary or a spiirit of dissention split us apart as we fight for our nation. <p> God&#39;s blessings and speed to you all. <p> <a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/">Jeff Head</a><br> October 12, 2011 <p> BTW, for those interested, since Sarah Palin indicated she is not running, I was a proud supporter of <A href="http://www.hermancain.com/">Herman Cain</a> and am deeply saddened that conspiring and evil people successfully besmirched him with unfounded and untrue allegations, making things so difficult for he and his family that he had to withdraw. We simply must defeat <a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/audacityoftruth.htm">Barack Obama</a> and replace him and his cohorts with individuals in the House, Senate, and White House with individuals of strong moral character dedicated to fundamental conservative princples. <p> Agains, sorry for the length of this post. <p> <hr> <p> Since posting this here on my site and on a conservative forum where the question was raised, I have received multiple responses and emails. It is not my desire to engage in any spirit of arguement or dissention...because I do not believe such a spirit comes from God. However, I had one response which indicated that since I would not respond to them regarding the question of whether Mormons believe they can become like God, or the nature of God in eternities past, that I was somehow a fraud. I felt impressed to include my response to that individual (whose name I will withold) here. <p> <hr> <p> <center><b><font size=+2>Do Mormons believe that they can become like God?</font></center></b> <p> [*** name not shown ***], you do not know me. You have no knowledge of my person, upbringing, family, etc. accept what I have here honestly shared. And yet you set yourself up as judge and jury and call me a "fraud." Shame on you. <p> I responded to you civilly and wished God's blessings upon you. But, unless you get exactly what you want, you will call people liars, fruads, or whatever other name you can think of to someone whom does not meet your rigid degree of inquisition. <p> I said from the beginning I am not going to play that game. <p> In answering your question I used the words of our Savior and told you I could do the same for your other questions...and I can. That is not fraudulent, that is just not playing along with your game. It was also a sincere effort to see the nature of your response. Well, you answered that one. <p> Such inquisitions miss the mark, and the mark is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That is the salvation of Christ and <i>that</i> is your real answer. <p> If those are true...and they are, the rest should be immaterial to you. But they are not because you are burning with a desire to somehow "prove" your own points right. <p> Like I said, I will not play to that spirit or that game...though I have answered and will continue to answer others, even with that very same question, whom I feel in my heart ask it with sincerely and with a real desire to know what I believe and why. You may call that whatever you like, your accusations and condemnations are immaterial. In the end Christ will judge, and I welcome His loving, merciful and rightous judhgement. <p> Having said all that, we are created in the express image of God. He told us so. I imagine that if the veil were rent in twain and our mortal eyes could stand to behold God as prophets of old did, we would see His glorified person and recognize His form as the same as our own...but glorified and eternal. <p> He has said, and his apostles and disciples have said on numerous occasions, that we are His Children, and that we can attain the same glory as Christ...and we know that unto Christ will be given "all that the Father hath"...and that in fact Christ commanded us to become perfect even as He, God in Heaven is perfect. <p> We believe all of these things, just as they said them...and they said them in the Bible. <p> The couplet you are looking for, expressed by Lorenzo Snow is this, "As man is, God once was, and as God is man may become." <p> We believe a loving Father, who loves us perfectly, wants His children to have the absolute very best...any loving father inherits this from God and wants the same for His children, as does a loving mother. <p> Remeber what Paul taught in Romans 10 and what Christ taught in Matthew. We believe those things and believe God in fact wants us to become like Him because He wants the very best for us and He has it. He loves us perfectly and wants us to have His perfect existance. It does not detract from Him in the least to do so, rather, the opposite is true. We believe that the whole plan of salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is geared towards this end. <p> That as He created and brought us forth...His own children...and that He would have us do the same thing some day. <p> Now, Lorenzo Snow, based on a sermon Joseph Smith preached back in the late 1830s or 1840 came up with that couplet to describe what he felt Jospeph Smith was teaching based on these principles I have just described. <p> To us, these thigs are holy, special, and glorious and represent the will of a perfectly loving Father in Heaven. We understand how some others, particularly some of those versed in theologan schools, feel about these doctrines. They react to them almost precisely as the Pharisees reacted when Christ proclaimed directly to them that He was God's Son. <p> We do not care to see them dragged through the mud, scoffed at, and ridiculed as some will undoubtedly do. <p> It has nothing to do with fraud...more akin to you not ever thinking of sharing your most intamate feelings and moments with your beloved wife with people you know will not only scoff at them, but profane them and condemn them. <p> As it is...a few moments ago, I felt impressed by the Holy Ghost to share them here. I am sure they will be quoted, torn asunder, scoffed at, and profaned by many and spread abroad in that fashion since this is, afterall, the internet. <p> But, God by my judge and witness, I also know that these truths will also touch and change some hearts. Probably someone lurking who will take heart and recognizze the truth of it and then study it out sincerely on their own. <p> So be it. <p> The fact is, if most theologians were true to what they state are their core beliefs regarding Jesus Christ and Him crucified, whom I worship and accept with all my heart...then what we believe regarding the particulars of this doctrine would not and should not matter one iota...because I am already saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ...and such notions (right or wrong) are immaterial to that salvation which is placed in Jesus of Nazareth who was the Son of the living God, just as he said He was. <p> So, [*** name not shown ***], again, God bless you for your sincere faith in Christ. If what I say is true, and I wintess in Jesus name that it is (even though I know you are not likely to accept it)...then your future in Heaven is very glorious indeed (which glory is not taken unto oursleves, and not sought after for our own glory, but only adds to God in Heaven's, our Father's glory because through Jesus Christ He made it possible) and is exactly what God in Heaven and His Son wish for us. <p> If you reject that notion, then you will not be forced to live it, but will live in another Kingdom of Glory, for as Christ taught, "in my father's House are many mansions." And if it is altogether wrong, then all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and His salvation...as I most certainly do...will enjoy whatever it is He has in store for us in Heaven above.. <p> Whatever that glorious existence turns out being will be directly and precisely because of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and because God in Heaven created the entire plan for the benefit of His children. <p[> Now with that, I am constrained to stop...and will step back and let the conversation go on and let folks decide for themselves what they think of these things. <p> Such thoughts and doctrine do not in the least condmen me...I know this...Christ has saved me, and He will judge my heart and accceptance of His atonement...like He will all of us. <p> <hr> <p> <center><a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/crossroads.htm"><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/images/whyfree.jpg" width=400"><br><b>AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY</a></b></center> <p> <center><a href="http://restoretheconstitution.ning.com"><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/CR-network-logo.jpg" width=400><br><b>RESTORE THE CONSTITUTION - I AM CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION (IAM-CR)</a></b></center> <p> <center> <b><u>OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST</b></u> <br><font size=-1> [<a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/">JEFFHEAD.COM</a>] - [<a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/audacityoftruth.htm">THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARRACK HUSSEIN OBAMA</a>] - [<a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/palin/">HOW SARAH PALIN TRUMPS LIBERALS</a>] <br><hr> <br><font size=-1> <a href="http://www.conservativestickers4u.com/"><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/conservative4u/CS4Ubanner2.png"><br> <b>CLICK THE ABOVE BANNER FOR MORE CONSERVATIVE THEMED BUMPER STICKERS</b></a> <br><br> <hr> <b>FINE ALL-AMERICAN, LIBERTY ORIENTED BOOKS AUTHORED BY JEFF HEAD</a></b> <br> <table width=800 border=1> <tr> <td width=50% valing=top> <center><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Fury-World-against-America/dp/0971577900/ref=tag_tdp_title/002-3759037-3206410"><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/dragonsfury/DFS-WorldWar-Cover.jpg" height=450 alt="Dragon's Fury"></center><br>Dragon's Fury - World War Against America and the West</a>: <font size=-1> Following great success in the War on Terror, politicians and analysts alike thought that future global conflict was impossible...<i>but they were wrong</i>. Journey into a possible future where Islamic terrorists sharpen their horrific skills & ally with Red China. In such a future, can the U.S. & western civilization survive?</font> </td> <td width=50% valign=top> <center><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097476101X/qid=1142633963/103-3631539-1670251"><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/thestandatklamathfalls/bookcover.jpg" height=450 alt="Stand at Klamath Falls"></center><br>The Stand at Klamatjh Falls</a>: <font size=-1>How rural western farmers and their supporters stood up to entrenched environmentalism, activist judges, and agencies of the Federal Government in southwestern Oregon...and prevailed.</font> </td> </tr></table> <br> <a href="http://www.jeffhead.com/"><b>CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO:<br><img src="http://www.jeffhead.com/images/jhlogo.jpg"></a> <br><br> <font size=-2><i>Site, material, & designs Copyright &copy; 2011 by Jeff Head, All Rights Reserved<br><b>This site is not in any manner associted with, or connected to, any political party or candidate.</i></a></b></font></i> <br><br> <!-- Gostats.com web hit code. 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