March 8, 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
| | | | Tara and Rob at the Dallas Academy | | Last month Tara and I shared with about a dozen high students and an advisor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) at the Dallas Academy A friend from church works there and invited me to come and share about cults and false religions. Tara shared her testimony, and I shared on objective truth to be found in religion, on what Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Muslims believed, contrasted them with what the Bible teaches, and then challenged the students to exalt Christ in every area of life. The friend who set it up later wrote me and told me that the school was upset at her, since some of the students showed my Beware of False Prophets tract to a Jehovah’s Witness student. The student got upset and went to the school counselor about it. The parents, who had 3 other kids in the school, were irate and threatened to pull their kids out of this private school (read money). The school told my friend that FCA should never talk bad about other religions.
As a private school, they can do what they want. But this is another case of getting Christians to keep their mouths shut, or at least limit what they may say. This means that Christians can’t teach from the Bible when Jesus specifically warned against the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Mathew 16:6 and 12). That might offend Jewish people. Christians can’t teach Jesus telling the Jews that they were of their father the devil (John 8:44). Christians can’t teach that Jesus taught we must believe He is God or we would die in our sins (Jn. 8:24 and 56-58). Neither may they teach that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to God except through Him (Jn. 14:6). In short, Christians can’t really teach their most basic message!
It seems to me that the Dallas Academy, just like many other schools, is more concerned about money than they are about education. A healthy education does not worry about offending; it worries about getting at the truth. One of the best ways to do that is to allow for open-mindedness. This does not mean that Christians and other religions hold back what they really believe. It means that we must promote freedom of speech, and deal with it. Instead, American education is held hostage by politically correct terrorists.
Speaking of terrorism, last month I had an article published on the Iraq conflict. The article was entitled, "Is Walzer's Position on Iraqi Containment in Need of Humanitarian Intervention?," and was published in The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, Vol. 83, 2006 (139-56).
Tara and I also wrote an FAQ on “Don’t good feelings indicate the Book of Mormon must be from God?” Bill McKeever of Mormonism Research Ministry wrote me to tell me that we did a good job on the FAQ! It was written as a result of another email dialogue we had with a Mormon.
I also edited and posted Brian Mackert’s RESPONSE to FAIR’s critique on his statements concerning polygamy and Mormonism in the Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith DVD. I welcome comments to be post for this response.
| | | | Brian Mackert sharing at the Dallas, TX ex-Mormon recovery group (2-23-8) | | Finally, we had Brian as a guest speaker at our last ex-Mormon recovery group. We had about a dozen people show up at our church for this event. Brian shared right after we viewed the A&E documentary on polygamy. Brian has two sisters who were featured in it. For my review of the film, please click HERE.
Thank you so much for your concern, financial investments, and prayers for this ministry, and for those trapped by false religions and philosophies. Those acts of love make this ministry possible. We need your continued support. Tara and I are planning on returning and staying in Utah next year. We would like to have enough of a support base that would enable us to move back, and we need your help to make this a reality. We ask that you please consider and pray about investing in this ministry on a monthly basis. Please see our “Invest” page for more specific information.
He is Risen!
Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
MormonInfo.org
[email protected]
****PRAYER REQUESTS****
1. For more speaking venues
2. For guidance in fundraising
3. For more members to join our Ex-Mormon Meetup recovery group
4. Tara’s LDS family
****MAILBAG****
My fellow friend who is not every learned, Does it ever make you wonder why Mormonism is so strongly targeted by other religions? "The wicked find the truth to be hard". Lets chat sometime I'll tell you a bit about the LDS church. It appear to me that you don't quite understand the LDS faith.
[I responded:] "Not every learned"?? What does that mean? If you are implying that I haven't learned everything, then who has?
Your question about being targeted is commonly asked by other religions as well. Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies, etc. all ask the same thing.
I understand the LDS faith quite well thank you. LDS friends have told me as much. My ex-Mo wife thinks I understand the LDS Church quite well. My ex-Mo wife's former bishop thinks MormonInfo.org fairly presents what LDS believe. Perhaps you don't understand the LDS Church that well. Go to my MormonInfo.org Home page, and look at all the LDS links I use to source what they believe.
Mormonism is a cancerous religion that you need to repent from in order to know the "only true God" (Jn. 17:3).
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I know this sounds stupid, and I have been hesitant on asking this. Do you think the Amish is a cult. I mean I am more than sure the answer is "yes", I guess my real question is, why is it you never hear anyone really make an issue about the Amish, or show as much concern as other cults. I know that is really stupid, but how do they hide under the blanket of a classifaction?
[I responded:] I wouldn't classify Amish as a cult. I'd classify them as a goofy Christian denomination. They hold to the same God we do, and the basics of the Christian Faith.
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i'm doing some reading up on the history of the judeo-christian god as a kind of temporary diversion from my mormonism research. i know we touched briefly on the subject in our aborted creationism debate, but never really got into it. i'm curious about your thoughts on the subject of the relationship between "EL", the unnamed head of the ancient canaanite pagan pantheon, and his evolution into the hebrew "YHWH" (yet another non-name). Any thoughts?
[I responded:] I don't have a problem with my God being refered to by different terms. As long as the terms point to the same being, you can use whatever syntax you want. Thus, I don't have a problem using the syntax of "Allah" when trying to convert Muslims, for example, so long as the semantics are understood. That is, whenever I use the syntax, I want the Muslim to understand the semantics of the Creator of everything outside Himself, who exists eternally in 3 Persons. One of those is the Son, who took upon Himself another nature to die for all sins.
When Moses asked for a name, El (the Creator) gave him the name "YWHW" which means "I am who I am" or "I will be who I will be."
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Rob and Tara,
You folks are really odd.
Please track your corrupted ideas back to Christ? You cannot. You need to read the Bible more closely.
…How sick can you be to protest against other faiths, and hold signs up. How childish. How could you call yourself Christians when you disrespect others? You were once Mormons? Where did you get that idea of being "perfect"? Who confused you. You have it all wrong. Christ taught to turn the other cheek. You cast stones just like they stoned the apostles. Whose side are you really on? Look in a mirror -- it is not of Christ. You folks are far from being close to being a "Christian".
You are on a PR bandwagon of fallacies and untruths -- using your old LDS faith to pull money into your pocket for your business from duped Christians. And you call yours a "religion" and/or minister? So many ex-LDS do that, and then think they are the expert. You got hurt, grow up and face it. Your mother was teaching be "perfect" -- she did not understand it...and still doesn't -- she left the faith.
You are making your faith out of putting other faiths down. How pathetic can you get, how unchristian. Love is the concept what Christ taught, not to hate. If you are true, then simply teach of Christ, and don't throw stones, when you yourself live in glass houses.
It seems to me you are do things totally uncharacteristic of actual "Christians". While the LDS church teaches love, compassion -- just as Christ. And you folks are out putting the LDS Church down. We teach of Christ....our church bears it's name. We have prophets and apostles, we have temples, we have both priesthoods, we have sacred ordinances. The Bible teaches these same things....so God changed? Don't you Christian teach God does not change? But you do -- to fit your argument.
I'm sorry -- I read your garbage and had to say you are totally wrong about my faith. If your Christian, then go to your knees and pray. Put down your signs, and follow Christ..not your own self theories and falsehoods. You are not walking in the footsteps of Christ.
I'm open to debate Rob and Tara -- I've dealt with anti-LDS and Ex-LDS quacks like you for years. I became an anti-anti-LDS, but would be most happy to pick up my sword and shield and see if you have the guts to work with just the Bible...and lets see if you are really Christians.
[I responded:] Thanks for throwing stones at us and our ministry. All your questions have already been dealt with on our sites-- MormonInfo.org (particularly the FAQ page) and www.CourageousChristiansUnited.org (particularly the Videos page and this article on Bible transmission). You should ask specific questions after viewing these pages, but from your attitude, I think it would be casting pearls before swine.
Love in "the only true God" (Jn. 17:3)
[He responded:] Typical anti-LDS who cannot answer the questions. Your side answers none of my questions.
And I beg your pardon...your site is on the internet to the world casting BIG stones at me and my faith. You need a touch of value adjustment in your thought process.
Again, where is trinity in the Bible? Not there -- not of the bible
[I responded:] My religion and faith was shot at by your cult when Smith declared it to be a whore (1 Ne. 14:10), wrong, abominable, and corrupt (J.S. History 1:19). I have every right to defend it, and am a big enough boy to deal with those stones. You obviously aren't. Stop whining.
Go back and read the Bible verses I gave on my MormonInfo.org home page chart to see where the Bible teaches the Trinity. If you don't see it, then I'm sorry you're blind.
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I continue to support you and your endeavors. You do such great work and help so many people find the error of their religious beliefs among other things.
Anyway, I hope you will get settled where you want to live in Utah.
The best of everything to all of you.
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