ozemc wrote:I was by a temple the other day, and, for some reason, while looking at the statue of Moroni, the words of Exodus 20:4 came to mind:
"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Now, is it just me, or are the statues found on most temples really any different from the golden calf that the ancient Isrealites made?
If Moroni was really an angel, wouldn't that be placing him in a position of worship? Isn't a statue of an angel "an idol in the form of anything in heaven above"?
As a side note, it is my understanding that the church teaches that if you follow the ways of Mormonism, all the rules and covenants, such as getting married in the temple, that you would be "exalted" and become a god. i am reminded of the couplet that teaches "As man is, God oWce was; as God is, man may become". (I think that's right ... President Snow?)
Why did Moroni end up as an angel, and not as a god? Wouldn't that make him a poor choice to give the plates to Joseph Smith, and especially to put on top of temples?
Yikes. Hmm...This article would do a lot of good to read:
http://maxwellinstitute.BYU.edu/pdf.php ... e=cmV2aWV3
Many people misunderstand the commandment because of an unfamiliarity with Hebrew and the original form of the text. Basically, the golden calf was a symbol of Jehovah, and the sin was in including an image in their actual worship. There's nothing wrong with making the image (why didn't Aaron receive any punishment? After all, he was the one who made it.), the problem is when the image is incorporated in the worship. This is while you'll never see statues and paintings inside the chapel during a sacrament meeting, and this is why members are discouraged from including visual aids in sacrament talks. Moroni is not incorporated into worship in any way, so his statue breaks no commandments.
To the person who insisted there are occult symbols all over the Temple: Symbols have many different meanings. Anyone who insists that any particular symbol can only mean one thing or be relevant to one group doesn't have a clue what they're talking about.