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Mormonism

304 bytes removed, 18:52, February 3, 2008
Combining paragraphs; slight editing
===Alleged "brotherhood" of Christ and Satan===
In the ''Pearl of Great Price'', "Book of Moses" 4:1-4 and "Book of Abraham" 3:27, Mormonism's "god" explains that in the "preexistence," he asked for a volunteer to serve as the "savior" of humankind. Two of his "spirit-sons," Jesus and Lucifer, obliged. Lucifer wanted to compel all humans to follow God, while Jesus insisted on the right of each person to choose for themselves. When "Elohim" chose Jesus over Lucifer, say the Mormons, Lucifer rebelled and was cast out of heaven with his followers. They were deprived of all chance to receive a fleshly body, and thus barred from any chance at "godhood."
The June 1986 ''Ensign'', official magazine of the LDS Church, affirmed the teaching that Christ and Satan are, indeed, seen as "spirit brothers" in LDS theology.<ref>Read the entire article at http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=4a10ef960417b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1.</ref>
In contrast to Orthodoxy, which views angels (whether righteous or fallen) as a separate class of beings created by God prior to--and separate from--humanity, Mormonism sees angels as being either pre-existent spirits of human beings not yet physically born, or the spirits of departed "righteous" men, such as characters from the Bible and the ''Book of Mormon.'' "Moroni," the alleged "angel" who showed the golden plates of the ''Book of Mormon'' to Joseph Smith (see below), was supposed to have been an ancient American prophet who figures prominently in the final portions of that book.
While the Orthodox Church traditionally admonishes her children to mistrust ''any'' spiritual manifestations they might see (even the saints have sometimes been deceived by demons, such as St. [[Nikita the Venerable]] of Novgorod, for instance!), Joseph Smith offered his followers a novel test by which he claimed to be able to discern true angels of God from demons. This test, which involved asking to shake the "angel's" hand, is may be found in LDS ''Doctrine and Covenants'' Section 129,<ref>http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Doctrine_and_Covenants/Section_129</ref> and is enjoined upon all of Smith's disciples. However, In the life of St. [[Martin of Tours]] one learns illustrates that fallen angels the demons are quite capable of affecting human sensory perceptions--including the human sense of touch, --contrary to Joseph Smith's assertion, the same as all other human senses.<ref>See St. Martin's story at http://celticchristianity.org/COCQ/COCM200111.html, or in Chapter Five of Rose, Fr. Seraphim, ''Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future'', St. Herman of Alaska Press, 1980.</ref>
==="The Great [[Apostasy]]" and Apostolic Succession===
Like many Restorationist heresies that arose in the 18th and 19th centuries, Mormons believe that the [[Orthodox Church|Church]] entered an age of opprobrium several years after its founding.<ref>Mormons tend to follow the Western error that posits Roman Catholicism, rather than Eastern Orthodoxy, as the most ancient of contemporary Christian faiths. Many are suprised to learn that Orthodoxy even exists! However, learning of Orthodoxy's existence and claims does not alter their beliefs in the slightest.</ref> In doing so, say they, it lost all right to perform sacraments, consecrate priests, or otherwise act in God's name. And from that moment until 1830, say the Mormons, there was no true Church anywhere on the earth.  While Mormons offer no specific date for this alleged catastrophe, they largely tend to believe that it had been accomplished occurred by the time era of St. [[Constantine the Great]] and the [[First Ecumenical Council]] in A.D. 325. Mormons reject the [[One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church]], by saying that while it may have once been the Church founded by [[Jesus Christ]] and promulgated through His [[Apostle|Apostles]], it long ago ceased to be so. The Orthodox Church, which at this moment traces its her unbroken succession to the Apostles themselves and ''alone'' teaches the fullness of their doctrine and practice, is ''ergo'' in apostasy according to the Mormons.
Mormons point to New Testament scriptures<ref>I Timothy 4:1, II Timothy 3:1-5, Acts 20:28-31, among others.</ref> that they assert as speaking of a complete apostasy of the entire Church, as proof of their claims. While Orthodox Christians would agree that these passages did indeed speak of apostates to come--such as [[Arius]], [[Nestorius]] and [[Paul of Samosata]], for instance--they emphatically reject the Mormon interpretation (advanced to varying degrees by nearly all Protestants) that the entire Apostolic Church would fall into heresy. In St. Matthew 16:18, our Lord clearly states that the "gates of hell shall not prevail" against the Church He had founded--a Church which the Mormons agree existed, but which they claim to have been subsequently lost, in violation of our Lord's words.
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