Dude 8-ball, you have no understanding of what the free masons are so you think that our religion is just copied from it. If you knew the history of the free masons it is a tradition passed down from Solomon's Temple and the signs and symbols that happened there. Over the years some of the symbols had been lost to time and misinterpreted as well. Joseph Smith, interested in the popular Masonry of the day, joined to see what all the fuss was about. It is not a religion, free masonry, it is more of a social club where people use the signs that the original stone masons copied from the temple ceremonies of Solomon's Temple, which was of God, to distinguish themselves from another.
In Masonic meetings they talk with each other about the meaning of life and religion.
However Joseph, being a prophet, inquired of the Lord concerning the true meaning of these symbols from masonry.
He was revealed which signs were true, and which should be eliminated as not having the true symbolism. It was part of the restoration of the gospel or "restitution of all things, spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began." Acts 3:14-15.
It's no secret that Joseph was a Mason. Nothing to be ashamed of either. In fact it turns out yet again to be a strong stamp of authenticity of the prophet.
My friend, my Dad was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Freemson, and went through all the chairs of the Lodge, and was a "Worshipful Master"!!!!!!!!
My sister was a Job's Daugher, and worked her way to "Honored Queen" of her Bethel!!!!!!!!
I have a nice ancient copy of the "Morals and Dogmas Of Freemasonry" by the venerated Albert Pike, whom Freemasons don't like to tell anyone that he was a high up official in the KKK!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't give me any bloviating about what I don't know about Freemasonry. I lived with it all my life. My Uncles were Freemasons, my dad was gone every Friday night of my growing up, attending his meetings.
My Grandmother was a full blown LDS, and her husband, Frederick, was an Episcopalean. They married and lived in Salt Lake City. Frederick owned two Saloons in Salt Lake City. Though not LDS, he also was a craftsman and helped build the Mormon Tabernacle. I have a beer mug from his saloon that dates back to the later 1800's that says Pabst's of Milwaukee, on it and has a picture of the Bee Hive, on one side and Brigham Young's picture on the other side!
I've done extensive study of Mormonism, also working with Ex-Mormons for Jesus in Portland Oregon, back in my bible school days.
You don't have to be LDS to know your religion, and where it's pushing doctrinally. Just takes a little scratching of the surface and all the skewed stuff just spews out.
What a "haughty" statement by the LDS to say that the bible is "ok" so long as it is translated correctly or is correct with the original.
What gives the LDS church and it's hierarchy the cajones or credentials to judge the bible's credentials when their BOM has had over 4,000 major and minor changes?
The whole core of true Christianity is built upon the "grace" of God. Grace=unmerited favor. That's what God extended to us through the sacrificing of His Son's life in our place(The passover lamb).
The whole LDS concept is rolled up in one basic revealing; you must continue to do good works to reach a levels in the after-life. They take the James chaper 4 statement of "My faith has works" said by James and construe that to mean that works is what God desires or needs for us to prove ourselves worthy. This is so anti-biblical, and so out of context. James first of all was talking to Christians, not unsaved. He was letting the "saved" know that a "naturally"expression of their new, saved life through the blood of Christ, will be revealed in good works, or works that are a result of the prompting of God's resident Spirit, or Holy Spirit in these Christian's souls.
Faith or belief is said over and over again, in the bible, then comes works as a result of becoming a changed or new creature/creation in Christ Jesus. It is very straight forward, yet the LDS church "keys in" on the James passaged takes it out of context, makes it the key reason that they must go out on missions, knock on peoples doors, and all kinds of works of kindness.
God owns thousands of cattle on a thousand hills! Meaning, God doesn't need our wealth, our charity, our works to make Him happy with us or Himself.
God is most please with us, because with contrite, and humble hearts we finally surrendered in our hearts and admitted that He/Jesus must become, or be Lord of our lives. Not just in name, but in actual reality. To call Him, "Lord Jesus" and to live our own way and reason devoid of supplication, prayer, and humility before most righteous Creator, is to be a hypocrite, and illiterate of the ramifications of His title, "Lord".
Lord, means to rule, to have sway and way before our wills.
It means that, though we have free-will, we have a very important responsibility to appropriate to Him, what He is worthy or deserving-of. If indeed He made all things, then He is most competent to take care of our needs as well. Self, is our battlefield. Will we allow that metaphorical throne in our soul to have
ourselves seated on it, or will we rightfully
allow Christ to take that thrown at the very center of our being?
The LDS church is a manmade mishmash of do's and don't's not unlike the thousands of extra laws that the Jews added to the 10 commandments. Jesus was born into an environment or nation/Israel that was literally hamstrung by do's and don't laws. The Pharisee's, of His time were supposed to be the ethical and religious guides of the people, but instead they were men obsessed with power, and position, and control of the people through a myriads of laws that had nothing to do with faith in God.
God just wants us. We have only one major responsiblity. We must as an act of our God given wills, believe with all our hearts that Jesus is source of forgiveness of past, present, and future sins, and that He/Jesus was the only possible human being who could fullfill God's righteous desire. Christ was the only unblemished lamb/human who could fullfill God's righteous judgement upon rebellious, and sin natured man.
So, our part is to accept, belief, and then rest in Christ's finished work. Also believe/accept that fact that Christ has also given us the H.S. to guide, counsel, and direct us not with shouting, and guilt, but with gentle, loving persuasion, as we are called God's adopted sons and daughters.
How can we know that Mormonism is the new or better truth? Shall it be decided by a burn bosom testimony that could easily be counterfeited by Lucifer? Or shall we rest upon the Word, and the Word only to validate what is from God and what is not?
The LDS church encourages it's people to believe upon visual, audible, and dream like occurrences to validate the Mormon church as "the church".
Paul says, "No!" Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."!
