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From: homeier@aero.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Can you identify this group?
Message-ID: <7384@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Sat, 29-Nov-86 07:39:08 EST
Article-I.D.: topaz.7384
Posted: Sat Nov 29 07:39:08 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 29-Nov-86 20:54:55 EST
Sender: hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 55
Keywords: Mormon,cults
Approved: christian@topaz.UUCP

In article <7281@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> tgt@cbosgd.UUCP (Tim Thompson) writes:
>Could someone tell me of a good source of information that would let me
>learn more about the Mormons? I've heard disturbing things about their
>origins and the things they believe in, but I'd like to know if there
>is one definitive source that would tell me where they differ from
>the "mainstream" Christian religions.

I recommend "The Kingdom of the Cults".  It is a little old by now, but is
still the definitive work covering several cults such as the Mormons.  It
will provide you with a doctrine-by-doctrine comparison of the Mormons with
standard, mainstream Christianity.  This is done in what I think is the best
possible way, by taking actual quotes from Mormon literature, and countering
them with quotes from Scripture.

>I've thought about trying to purchase a copy of The Book of Mormon. Would
>this be a wise idea as a fairly "young-in-understanding" Christian such
>as myself, or could it possibly lead me astray by presenting false teachings
>in such a light as to make them seem true?

I do NOT recommend buying and reading The Book of Mormon.  If you are fairly
young in the Lord, I suggest that your fill your mind with the sweet milk of
the Word of God, our precious Bible, as Peter the Apostle says:

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all
evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you
may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."
 (1 Peter 2:1-3)

When our Treasury department trains new employees to search for counterfeit
bills, they begin by showing them thousands and thousands of real bills.
They become so accustomed to what is "right" that when something that is
"wrong" comes along, they automatically recognize it.  Even so, I believe
that the best way for us to prepare ourselves to recognize error is to
become intimately acquainted with the Truth Himself, Jesus Christ.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter Homeier                                  ______
Arpanet:    homeier@aerospace                 / o    \_/
UUCP:       ..!ihnp4!trwrb!aero!homeier       \___)__/ \
The Aerospace Corporation, M1-108
El Segundo, CA 90245
Disclaimer:  Anything expressed above is my personal opinion, and not
             the position of the Aerospace Corporation.

[There has been a fair amount of discussion about the LDS Church now, but
 remarkably little actual information.  I'd like to accept further discussion
 only if there is some actual information about LDS doctrines or practice.
 Because of the amount of misinformation on the subject, I encourage you to 
 pass things by tekecs!mikes before posting.  I'd also like to encourage what
 scholars call "sympathetic" accounts.  That doesn't mean that you have to
 agree, but you have to make a serious attempt to appreciate where they
 are coming from.  People whose first priority is to show why something is
 wrong, rather than understand it, normally end up producing propaganda, no
 matter how well intentioned.  This is a general comment, and should not
 be construed as editorializing on Peter's intentions in this article.  --clh]