Story of Jesus Christ was 'fabricated to pacify the poor', claims controversial Biblical scholar

Story of Jesus Christ was 'fabricated to pacify the poor', claims controversial Biblical scholar

Christianity was a sophisticated government propaganda exercise used to pacify the subjects of a the Roman Empire, claims scholar 

A controversial American biblical scholar is set to make his first appearance in London next week to present a discovery that he claims proves the story of Jesus Christ was invented as a system of mind control to enslave the poor.

Joseph Atwill, who is the author of a book entitled 'Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus', asserts that Christianity did not begin as a religion, but was actually a sophisticated government propaganda exercise used to pacify the subjects of the Roman Empire.

At the 'Covert Messiah' conference, to be held at the Conway Hall in Holborn a week on Saturday, Mr Atwill will present his theory that the New Testament was written by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they entirely fabricated the story of Jesus Christ.

Outlining his ideas in a blog posting on his website Mr Atwill writes: "Christianity may be considered a religion, but it was actually developed and used as a system of mind control to produce slaves that believed God decreed their slavery."

Mr Atwill says that acts of insurrection by Jewish sects, who were awaiting the arrival of a so-called 'warrior Messiah' in Palestine, were a perpetual problem for the Roman Empire and that after the Empire had exhausted all traditional means of dealing with the problem they resorted to psychological warfare.

"They surmised that the way to stop the spread of zealous Jewish missionary activity was to create a competing belief system," Atwill told PRWeb.com

"That's when the 'peaceful' Messiah story was invented.

"Instead of inspiring warfare, this Messiah urged turn-the-other-cheek pacifism and encouraged Jews to 'give onto Caesar' and pay their taxes to Rome."

Mr Atwill continues: "Although Christianity can be a comfort to some, it can also be very damaging and repressive, an insidious form of mind control that has led to blind acceptance of serfdom, poverty, and war throughout history.

To this day, especially in the United States, it is used to create support for war in the Middle East."

Elsewhere, Mr Atwill also writes: “In fact he [Jesus] may be the only fictional character in literature whose entire life story can be traced to other sources. Once those sources are all laid bare, there’s simply nothing left.”

Atwill says he made his discovery when while studying the New Testament alongside the 'War of the Jews' by Josephus - the only surviving first-person historical account of first-century Judea.

Mr Atwill claims that he began to notice a sequence of parallels between the two texts.

"What seems to have eluded many scholars is that the sequence of events and locations of Jesus ministry are more or less the same as the sequence of events and locations of the military campaign of [Emperor] Titus Flavius as described by Josephus," Atwill claims.

"This is clear evidence of a deliberately constructed pattern", he continues.

"The biography of Jesus is actually constructed, tip to stern, on prior stories, but especially on the biography of a Roman Caesar."

Richard Dawkins, the English evolutionary biologist and author, well known for his anti-religion views, yesterday tweeted a link to the press release advertising the event in London.

However, he later tweeted: "RT doesn't imply endorsement. I'm not qualified to judge Atwill's thesis. Just thought it might be worth a look."

Mr Atwill's theory is simply one of a number of what are known as Bible conspiracy theories.

These theories commonly include the suggestion that secret societies, mystery schools and other religions used the fictional story of Christ to unify the Roman Empire under one state religion.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk

I Am Not a Sinner Saved By Grace

I Am Not a Sinner Saved By Grace

by noachbenavraham

I Am Not a Sinner Saved By Grace

by Terry Hayes

This blog is inspired by comment on a thread made in a facebook group that I am involved in. I want to make a few facts known at the beginning here. Some people I talk with in some groups I am in do not believe that I understand Christianity; they make comments in this direction because they do not know my past. I want to establish up front a few points so to let those who would question me know a little about my past.

I live in the very religious Christian southeast USA. In our county alone there are well over 1000 churches, we have several denomination headquarters here, one is a large Pentecostal denomination in which I was a minister and assoc. pastor for some time. I live out in the county on 7 wooded acres and in a 5 mile radius of where I live are at least 20 churches; Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, Church of God, Church of God of Prophecy, and non-denominational.

Now to the blog

Within Christianity there is a saying that I have heard hundreds of times and have used and preached it in my past; “I am a sinner saved by grace”. This is a very dangerous saying; it is a brainwashing poison of the religion. Even the 12 step program of AA – Alcoholics Anonymous reflects this saying and Christian teaching. It is known that in the meetings John or Jane Doe gets up and states, “Hello, I am John or Jane Doe, I am an Alcoholic”.

When a Christian or anyone that attends these 12 step programs make this kind of statement they publicly acknowledge that they are the sin they commit. They give their sin embodiment.

Here is where the observant Bnei Noach (Noahides) and observant Jews differ. The observant Bnei Noach and Observant Jews according to the Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures) are declared righteous whereas the Christian is a self-proclaimed sinner.

From this point on I am only addressing the non-Jewish people of the nations.

G-d’s creation is based and supported on law, without law the creation would crumble. For the non-Jewish nations there are six categorical laws in which men are to live by. I will not get into the details of these laws. One can learn more about them at, asknoah.org. So I will simply post what they are.

1. Belief in One G-d

2. Do not curse G-d

3. Do not commit theft

4. Do not commit murder

5. Do not commit immoral sexual acts

6. Do not eat meat torn from a living animal.

These are the foundational laws given to all of mankind. These are eternal and rock solid and cannot be moved or changed. They are like concrete and steel. Just like a person going up to a hundred story skyscraper and tries to push against it, it will not move so are these laws; no matter how hard man tries to push against them they will not move.

The nature of raw law is judgment, you break it and it breaks you. But G-d balanced His law with mercy.

The Christian states he is a sinner saved by grace. The Christian makes the declaration that he/she is a sinner and as in the 12 step programs they created, they even go as far as to declare that they are the sin they commit by declaring, “I John/Jane Doe am an Alcoholic” or what other sin they are trapped in.

The observant Bnei Noach is called by the Tanach, righteous; they are not called a sinner. Here is the difference and it comes from knowing what sin, mercy and being righteous means from the Hebrew Scriptures.

The English word sin comes from an archery term in the Hebrew which means to miss the target. The archer fired his arrow and missed. That is the true biblical picture of sin. The Christian lays down his bow and arrow and walks away with and announces, well I am a sinner saved by grace, claiming their guy came along and fired the arrow for them when they could not and hit the target for them – here is the problem, I can hit the target all day but it will not benefit you at all. It was my bow and arrow and not yours. You get no benefit in my ability to hit the target. You have to hit it yourself to get the benefit – but instead you walk away and say, “I john/Jane Doe am a sinner, I am an alcoholic, I am an adulterer, I am a murder, I am an idolater.

The observant Bnei Noach lives by the saying of the Tanach not by the brainwashed poison of a man made religion.

Proverbs 24:16 “for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”

The key to being righteous is not in the fall but the rising. The righteous does not relate themselves with their fall – they relate and declare who they are by their rise from the fall.

As G-d gave the Law He gave mercy as well,

Lamentations 3:22-23 “G-d’s kindness surely has not ended, nor His mercies exhausted. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

So now through the word picture of the archer I will show you the difference of how the righteous observant Bnei Noach lives by.

The archer approaches the law of G-d, he/she at times have no problem hitting the target but then there are times when the arrow is fired and it misses the target, sometimes it is an over shoot and misses horribly. Here is where the mercy of G-d is a twofold event for the righteous. The righteous rises after the fall by taking another arrow from their quiver to make another attempt at hitting the target; the first step in G-d’s mercy is allowing the archer to have another chance to correct his/her aim and take another shot when the law demanded judgment. The second step in G-d’s mercy for the righteous is that not only does He allow another chance to shoot again (this is the process of teshuva/repentance), He does not let the archer’s quiver become empty of arrows. When the archer admits his/her failure to shoot straight and request another opportunity to correct their aim, G-d’s mercy grants the request and also makes sure the archer does not run out of arrows.

This is the word picture of a person being the righteous that fall seven times but rises again to make a correction in their aim. This is the difference between the observant Bnei Noach and the Christian.

We the Bnei Noach are not sinners saved by grace, we are not defined by our fall but we are righteous and are defined by G-d by our rise from the fall. He makes sure we have plenty of opportunity to correct our aim and also makes sure we have plenty of arrows in our quiver to achieve our goal.

If you want to become one of the righteous that continues to rise after the fall then you must stop defining yourself as a sinner and also labeling yourself by the sin you committed. Declaring that you are a sinner saved by grace is a copout from the work it takes to correct your aim.

Stop being a self-proclaimed sinner (a sinner is one who lives a lifestyle of sin) and join the righteous who use their fall to push themselves up to a higher level than where they were at before their fall. The righteous is not defined by their fall but by their rising up.

Terry Hayes

1/12/14

Bible Headings: No one could ever do everything the law requires

No one could ever do everything the law requires 

Over the years I’ve collected a lot of bibles. I have a Thompsons Chain Reference KJV that’s been with me for years. It’s been highlighted, underlined and filled with margin notes with my own chain references, back pages loaded with various proof texts from my Christian days.

The sect of Christianity I came from was very focused on bible studies and “truth” or so they said, when I look back I’ve wondered how could I have been so deceived, totally missing the writing in plain sight.

Looking through an old bible I noticed something I’d never questioned before, “the Headings” in select sections throughout the Christian bible chapters.

Christian mindset regarding ‘The Law’ (Torah) 

The Christian view of “the Law” is also conveyed in “headings” found at the beginning of sections throughout Christian Bibles. These captions are placed there by the editors to help direct the reader as to what the next group of verses is concerned with.

For instance, at the beginning of the following sections in the “New Testament,” of a popular New King James version of the Bible, we find the following phrases:

1. Those under the Law of Moses were “under bondage,” which ended with Jesus
2. “No one could ever do everything the law requires”
3. The law was “a curse” that Jesus came to do away with. (1)

These three ideas may not be expressed in exactly the same words in every denomination, but the concepts are clear and present in the teachings of Protestant denominations and Catholicism.

On my drive to work in the mornings I’d listen to ‘Thru the Bible’ with J. Vernon McGee, “Thru the Bible program takes the listener through the entire Bible in just five years, threading back and forth between the Old and New Testaments.” Little did I know, my thinking was being shaped and directed in a theology that’s been crafted by the church for century’s. Here’s what Minister McGee wrote about the apostle Paul and the Jewish religion in his Bible commentary:

Paul now calls the religion in which he was brought up the ‘Jews’ religion.’ Paul was saved, not in Judaism, but from Judaism.” (Emphasized words are McGee’s) (2)

The same commentary regarding the book of Galatians states:

“Galatians has been called the Christian declaration of independence. It is Paul’s answer to those who challenged his authority as an apostle and who urged Christians in Galatia to live according to the Law of Moses. Adoption of the Jewish Law by Gentile Christians would have made Christianity merely a sect within Judaism. Paul taught that bondage to the Law ended when Christ made all men free.” (3) 

In a commentary appendix to one version of the King James Bible, regarding the book of Hebrews, it says:

“With carefully reasoned arguments the author showed that Christianity is superior to Judaism,” … “Christianity is the perfect religion.” (end-of-quote)

Christian Bible headings, footnotes, commentary books, radio broadcasts and sermons from the pulpits have expressed this thought for centuries, maintaining that Christianity is G-d’s true religion.

Take the three ideas above and hold them up in light of Torah, ask only, ‘What does G-ds Word say?’ (The Tanakh) Bear in mind, nowhere does the Christian New Testament claim to be the Word of G-d.

1. Those under the Law of Moses were “under bondage,” which ended with Jesus

“G-d changed his mind about people having to follow his perfect (Psa 19:7) and eternal (Psa 119:152,160) laws and replaced them with a new system of faith in a human sacrifice.”

2. “No one could ever do everything the law requires”

The Written Torah (Mosaic Law) contains 613 precepts [תֹוו ְצ ִמ (mitsVOT)], and no person can possibly comply with the entire set. This is because various commands pertain to different groups of people. For example, some precepts apply only to males (e.g., circumcision), others only to females (e.g., feminine hygiene); some apply only to Aaronic Priests (e.g., permitted marriages), others to those who own land in Israel (e.g., rotating the crops), etc. Therefore, anyone who claims to have fulfilled the Mosaic Law in its entirety is either ignorant or a liar. (4)

If they sin against You, for there is no man who does not sin, (I Kings 8:46)

3. The law was “a curse” that Jesus came to do away with.

I will give thanks unto Thee with uprightness of heart, when I learn Thy righteous ordinances. (Psa 19:7)

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; But the word of our G-d shall stand for ever.’ (Isaiah 40:8)

As for G-d, His way is perfect (Psa 18:32)

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. (Psa 19:8)

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

Every word of God is tried; He is a shield unto them that take refuge in Him.

Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (Proverbs Chapter 30:5-6)

1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. (Deutronomy 13.1-4)

2 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams–and he give thee a sign or a wonder, 3 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee–saying: ‘Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them’;4 thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God putteth you to proof, to know whether ye do love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

My suggestion is find a good Hebrew/English translation of the Tanakh.

There can be no resource more important than a text of the Bible itself. Although it is best to read it in the original Hebrew, or at least refer to the original Hebrew to appreciate its nuances. These English translations, unlike most of the translations you will find, are prepared by Jews using the Jewish understanding of the meaning of the scriptures, without the Christian slant you will find in many non-Jewish translations. Note: “Tanakh” (also spelled “Tanach”) is a Hebrew acronym that refers to the complete Jewish Bible, what non-Jews call the “Old Testament.”

Online English translation of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) with Rashi’s commentary.

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm

http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/63255/jewish/The-Bible-with-Rashi.htm

• Romans 7:1-6: “Freed from the Law”? 
•   Romans 14:1-13: “The Law of Liberty”?
• Galatians 3:10-14: “The Law Brings a Curse”?
• Galatians 5:7 -15: “Love Fulfills the Law”?
• In other words, Christian propaganda/brainwashing

1. Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ New King James Version
2. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Galatians, Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1991, p. 23.
3. Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Galatians, Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1991,
4. http://thejewishhome.org/counter/SinlessJC.pdf

Can We Auto-Correct Humanity?

“I imagine a world where we smile when we have low batteries. Because that will mean that we’ll be one bar closer to humanity.”

I have never heard such powerful words spoken before, and nothing has touched me deeper than this video, it was quite shocking. I had no idea that the average person spends 4 years of their life looking down at a tiny screen. Did you?

Please watch the video below, I think you’ll be just as moved as I was. If you agree with the message in the video, please SHARE this with your friends and family on Facebook, tweet about it, tag your friends that are constantly on their phones. The world needs to see this. Funny how we’re using social media (and our phones) to tell others that we should step away from it all.

Why I Refuse to Let Technology Control Me.

You need not delete your social networks or destroy your cell phones, the message is simple, be balanced, be mindful, be present, be here. :)

Thanks for watching.

source: 

The Na Nachs | OyVaGoy!

The Na Nachs | OyVaGoy! (Chas Newkey-Burden):

"I’ve never witnessed such joy and love emanating from a group of people. They danced out of their van, set up a stall and danced around it as their trance music pumped out. They smiled at all who passed by, and offered the most beautiful of hugs to anyone who wanted one. It was lovely to watch them and to watch the effect they had on passers-by. Some gleefully joined them for a dance and a hug, others moved from a frown, to a reluctant smile, to an un-reluctant smile and moved upwards from there."

'via Blog this'

They're not Jewish, but they Noah lot about the Torah

By Michael Kaminer, February 19, 2016

Maybe it's easier to define Noahides by what they say they are not.

They are not, as a recent US news report contended, simply "Gentiles who act like Jews". They are not missionaries in disguise. And they are not trying to create a third path, like Jews for Jesus.

What they are, says Texas-based Noahide leader Rod Reuven David Bryant, are non-Jews who embrace the Torah through Jewish principles known as the Seven Noahide Laws.

"We're not another religion, but actually part of Judaism," says Mr Bryant, director of education and counseling at Netiv, a "centre for Torah studies" in Humble, just outside Houston. "We're a community of people on a Jewish path who want to lead fulfilling Jewish lives." Netiv's devotees include fallen-by-the-wayside Jews who have made Noahidism their means of spiritual re-engagement, Mr Bryant says.

That most of his flock is not Jewish-born tends to stymie outsiders who pigeonhole Noahides - or Bnai Noach, as they prefer to call themselves.

Noahide leader David Bryant

Even Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, the UK-born Torah scholar who serves as Netiv's rabbinical supervisor, found the concept challenging at first: "It was a steep learning curve discovering subtle differences between Messianics, Ten Tribers, Ephraimites, Hebrew Roots, Noahides and others. But they mostly display a seriousness that many outreach rabbis could only wish for in their Jewish constituencies. These people are simply thirsting for knowledge of the Torah."

Mr Bryant, a former Christian pastor who discovered Torah after a crisis of faith, agrees. "It's not about having a thing for kippot," he says. "It's about a Jewish path, a deep desire to connect to God and the Torah."

Though perhaps less familiar than the Ten Commandments, the Noahide Laws are in the Bible: "At the dawn of human history, G‑d gave man seven rules to follow in order that His world be sustained," according to Chabad.org. Among the tenets: Respect the Creator; respect human life; respect the institution of marriage.

Following those laws are sufficient to lead a fulfilling Jewish life, Noahides like Mr Bryant contend. "Judaism's very clear that if you don't really need to convert, and you take on the sheva mitzvot, you can be part of a community of people who are Jewish," he says. "Just understand your limitations."

Those limitations, Mr Bryant explained, include not counting oneself as part of a minyan for davening, and not enjoying the right of aliyah granted to those born Jewish.

The movement is growing, says Mr Bryant, adding that Noahide groups are being launched this year in Ontario, Canada and Bristol, UK.

In the meantime, the Noahides still have a PR campaign of sorts to wage. "There are concerns that we're watering down Judaism, and concerns about marriage," Mr Bryant says. "But non-Jews' love for Torah and God inspires Yiddishkeit in the secular Jew, and more observance. I really do believe that part of the revivial of Judaism, and of inspiring Jews to be more observant, is to ask themselves why so many gentiles want to embrace their faith."

Source: http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/153369/theyre-not-jewish-they-noah-lot-about-torah

Baptism for the dead, (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. II, p. 141). This is a practice of baptizing each other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. Their belief is that in the afterlife, the "newly baptized" person will be able to enter into a higher level of Mormon heaven.

Elie Wiesel calls on Mitt Romney to make Mormon Church stop proxy baptisms of Jews

By Peter Wallsten and Jason Horowitz, Published: February 14

Nobel-laureate Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and a top official from the Simon Wiesenthal Center said Tuesday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney should use his stature in the Mormon Church to block its members from posthumously baptizing Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Their comments followed reports that Mormons had baptized the deceased parents of Wiesenthal, the late Holocaust survivor and Nazi-hunter. Wiesel appeared in a church database used to identify potential subjects of baptisms.


A spokeswoman for Romney said his campaign would not comment, directing all inquiries to church officials.

Posthumous baptisms of non-Mormons are a regular practice in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members believe the ritual creates the possibility for the deceased to enter their conception of Heaven.

Individual members can submit names, usually of deceased relatives, for proxy baptisms. The church has tried to improve its technology to block the process from including Jewish Holocaust victims. In this case, officials blamed an unidentified person.

“We sincerely regret that the actions of an individual member of the Church led to the inappropriate submission of these names,” spokesman Michael Purdy said in a statement. “These submissions were clearly against the policy of the Church. We consider this a serious breach of our protocol and we have suspended indefinitely this person’s ability to access our genealogy records.”

The practice of baptizing Holocaust victims has long been offensive to Jews. After years of negotiations, Mormon officials have prohibited posthumous baptisms of Jewish Holocaust victims.

There is no indication that Romney has ever been involved in the proxy baptism of a Holocaust victim. Asked if he had ever participated in posthumous baptisms, Romney told Newsweek in 2007 that “I have in my life, but I haven’t recently.”

The controversy could put Romney in the uncomfortable position of having to directly address Mormon theology, a topic he has so far avoided in his current campaign. Many evangelical voters have expressed skepticism about Mormonism, and Romney, a former lay leader in the church, has rarely discussed his experiences in the church.

Romney “is now the most famous and important Mormon in the country,” Wiesel said. “I’m not saying it’s his fault, but once he knows, morally he must respond. . . . He should come out and say, ‘Stop it.’ ”

Wiesel, 83, is one of several Jewish leaders who have directly negotiated the issue with the Mormon Church since the mid-1990s.

Not all activists on the issue agree with drawing Romney into the fray. Gary Greenebaum, a Los Angeles rabbi who has served as the lead mediator between Jewish organizations and church officials, said he greatly admired Wiesel but felt it was “important to not make someone who happens to be an adherent of one religion responsible for everything that religion does.”

As a young man, Romney served as a missionary in France. After marrying in the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City and attending Brigham Young University, Romney stayed active in the church while pursuing graduate degrees at Harvard, occasionally taking buses with other Mormons to the closest temple, in Washington, to perform temple ordinances.

As he climbed the corporate ladder, the church called on him to serve in increasingly prominent lay clergy positions, ultimately becoming the authority responsible for much of the Boston area.

Romney played a pivotal role in building the Mormon temple in Belmont, Mass., a hub for area Mormons who can now perform the proxy baptisms, marriage sealings and other covenants that are a part of their faith.

Purdy said members believe “they may be baptized by proxy for deceased ancestors who never had that opportunity.”

Church policy, Purdy added, is that members can request baptisms “only for their own ancestors” and that proxy baptisms of Jewish Holocaust victims “are strictly prohibited.”

A Salt Lake City-based activist and former Mormon, Helen Radkey, discovered the Wisel and Wiesenthal records in recent days, and her findings were subsequently reported by a variety of news outlets, including the Huffington Post and NPR.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center, said that while Romney was not responsible for the decisions of the Mormon Church, he could play a crucial role in settling the matter.

“It would send a strong signal, not just to every Jewish voter, but to every American, that when he feels it’s appropriate, he can have different views and have an impact on decision-making,” Cooper said.


Staff writer Philip Rucker contributed to this report.

Wiesel Wants Answers from Mitt

By AARON GOLDSTEIN 

Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel is demanding answers from Mitt Romney over the Church of Latter Day Saints' practice of baptizing deceased Jews.

Wiesel learned that his name (along with that of his father and maternal grandfather) had been submitted to a restricted Mormon website indicating he was ready for such a baptism. Of course, the 83-year old Wiesel is very much alive, well and is quite annoyed.

These proxy baptisms have long been sticking point between Jews and Mormons. It is estimated that 650,000 of these proxy baptisms have been performed on those who perished in the Holocaust. Despite an agreement by The Church of Latter Day Saints to stop the practice back in 1995 (with the exception of Jews who were ancestors of Mormons) the baptisms persist. Just today, the Church of LDS apologized for the proxy baptism of the parents of the late Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal.

Wiesel wants to know if Romney is aware of this practice and if so to call upon the Church of LDS to stop it. For his part, Mitt Romney said in a 2007 interview with Newsweek that he had performed proxy baptisms although it isn't clear if he's performed them on Jews who perished in the Holocaust.

When The Huffington Post asked the Romney campaign to comment on Wiesel's query, they received a reply intended for another Romney official that the query be ignored. Not good.

Now one could make an argument that Wiesel could also direct this question to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. However, if Elie Wiesel asks you a question then you had better well answer it. Romney would be wise to pick up the phone and personally invite Wiesel for a one on one meeting and put this matter behind him.

What Does Mormonism Teach?

We will give the top ten (10)

by Matt Slick

The doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are very interesting. Most of the 'odd' ones are not initially taught to potential converts. But they should be. Instead, "they are revealed later as one matures and gains the ability to accept them."  The LDS Church tries to make its official doctrines appear Christian but what underlies those Christian sounding terms is far from Christian in meaning.

Following are the teachings of its officials throughout the years.  Please note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon writers.

Finally, many Mormons respond that most of the citations below are not from official Mormonwritings, as if that disproves the doctrines they teach.  If they are not official, fine.  But, if not, then why have the Mormon apostles and high officials taught them, written them, and why are their books sold in Mormon bookstores?  The truth is, the following is what Mormons are taught.

1. Atonement
   1. "Jesus paid for all our sins when He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane," (Laurel Rohlfing, “Sharing Time: The Atonement,” Friend, Mar. 1989, p. 39.).
   2. "We accept Christ's atonement by repenting of our sins, being baptized, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying all of the commandments," (Gospel Principles, Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979, p. 68.).
2. Baptism
   1. Baptism for the dead, (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. II, p. 141). This is a practice of baptizing each other in place of non-Mormons who are now dead. Their belief is that in the afterlife, the "newly baptized" person will be able to enter into a higher level of Mormon heaven.
3. Bible
   1. "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. . ." (8th Article of Faith of the Mormon Church).
   2. "Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God," (1 Nephi 13:28).
4. Book of Mormon
   1. The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, 4:461).
5. Devil, the
   1. The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus "in the morning of pre-existence," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).
   2. Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
   3. A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus' plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to "deny men their agency and to dethrone god," (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).
6. God
   1. God used to be a man on another planet, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
   2. "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s..." (D&C 130:22).
   3. God is in the form of a man, (Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 3).
   4. "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see," (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345).
   5. God the Father had a Father, (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 476; Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 19; Milton Hunter, First Council of the Seventy, Gospel through the Ages, p. 104-105).
   6. God resides near a star called Kolob, (Pearl of Great Price, p. 34-35; Mormon Doctrine, p. 428).
   7. God had sexual relations with Mary to make the body of Jesus, (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, 1857, p. 218; vol. 8, p. 115). - This one is disputed among many Mormons and not always 'officially' taught and believed.  Nevertheless, Young, the 2nd prophet of the Mormon church taught it.
   8. "Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body . . . of flesh and bones." (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
7. God, becoming a god
   1. After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god, (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354.)
   2. "Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them," (D&C 132:20).
8. God, many gods
   1. There are many gods, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
   2. "And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light: and there was light," (Book of Abraham 4:3).
9. God, mother goddess
   1. There is a mother god, (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).
   2. God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).
10. God, Trinity
    1. The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. "That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man," (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35). source:

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