Ok I have to confess here. These questions aren't mine. I posed these to Scratch in an effort to have a religious conversation with him and really didn't expect it to grow like this, although I am really pleased that it did. So many great responses from so many of my favorite people here.
The questions were originally found in "A Different Jesus" by Robert L. Millet, p.41-42. There are 20 questions listed and I cherry picked 12 and rephrased them a little. Stated before the questions are asked is this: "Over the past few years I have read much of evangelical theology. It is clear to me that there are a number of Doctrinal and ecclesial matters about which evangelical Christians disagree, including: ..."
and after the list "... Some of these are not exactly insignificant issues. In fact, given the divide between persons under the evangelical umbrella on such matters, one wonders why outright rejection or bitter antagonism must or should exist toward any other faith tradition with differing views, including Latter-day Saints."
These questions take on a whole other aura when you strip from your mind the knowledge gained from Latter-day saint scripture and viewpoints. What if you were strictly Catholic and were asked the same questions? How would your answers change?
Thank you all for taking the time to answer these. I love reading the responses.
My turn.
1. Does God possess a complete knowledge of the future?
This question actually came up in sunday school two weeks ago. I didn't respond then because my mind was racing through what I understood on the subject. In numerous places Prophets are shown a vision of the world from the beginning to the end. This vision of coarce woud include events such as Wars and the rise and fall of great nations. This entails a knowledge of political actions of individuals. I talked to the teacher in the Hall the following week and asked him about the subject and what his view were regarding Gods knowledge of the future vs. free agency, and he said something interesting: God knows what the outcome of our time of probation will be, but he wants us to pass through it so that when the time of judgement comes he can say that the choices were ours. Interesting thought. In the end I can say that its a mystery to me, but it is interesting to think about.
2. Was the flood of Noah local or global?
This is answered fairly simply by merely looking at those that came after Noah and testified of the event. Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Matthew, Paul, Peter, Luke,... On and on. The record states that the Flood covered the whole earth. (Gen 7:17-24) So the question really is then, do you side with the Prophets of God, or do you stand with mans own understanding? (D&C 1:15-16)
3. Was Christ both fully God and fully human during his ministry or did he relinquish his divinity for a season?
It is my understanding that what Christ inherited from his Father was the ability to decide when he would lay down his life, and the ability to take his life up again. Beyond this, he was left on his own. In all fairness Christ had to pass through the same trials and struggle each of us faces in our mortal probation. Christ was chosen in the pre-existence because he had proven himself true and faithful there, and the one who was to be sent down to earth to make intercession between mercy and justice had to be pure and unspotted. Or in other words he would have to lead a sinless life so that the claims of justice would have no claim on him. Would it be justice if he was fully God on earth and overcame sin in that fashion? Christ had shown in the pre-existence that his strength of will and character were suffecient to accomplish that heavy burden.
In D&C 93 John the Baptist bears his testimony that Christ " And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first."
One can almost picture a young Jesus reading Isaiah, and it slowly dawning on him that what he is reading is a prophecy concerning what he was to do and accomplish. It is our responsibility to realize that we as mere mortals have the same ability to do great and miraculous things if we would just exercise strength of will and character. There is nothing that Christ did that we are not capable of. That is why he is known as our example.
4. Are only the predestined saved or do all people have a potential for full salvation? (This kind of ties in to the knowledge of the future subject)
This is a teaching that stems from Ephesians 1:5 (as well as two other places in the New Testament) which states: " Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, " It woudl be easy to read this, and then throw up ones hands and say "Well, if the followers of Christ are predestined, then what does it matter if I believe or not!"
The actual Greek translation though is different, it reads "Foreordained"and that is something else entirely. For this we look to Abraham chp. 3, vs.22-23:
" Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born."
This is something else entirely. Foreordination constitutes a trust based on observed ability and character. Wilford Woodruff Spoke on this very subject:
"Joseph Smith was ordained before he came here, the same as Jeremiah was. Said the Lord unto him, "Before you were begotten I knew you," etc.
So do I believe with regard to this people, so do I believe with regard to the apostles, the high priests, seventies and the elders of Israel bearing the Holy Priesthood, I believe they were ordained before they came here; and I believe the God of Israel has raised them up and has watched over them from their youth, has carried them through all the scenes of life both seen and unseen, and has prepared them as instruments in His hands to take this kingdom and bear it off. If this be so, what manner of men ought we to be? If anything under the heavens should humble men before the Lord and before one another, it should be the fact that we have been called of God." -
Wilford Woodruff, JD 21:317, October 10, 1880
All have the potential for full salvation if they are but obedient to the covenants they have made with their God in the waters of Baptism and in other higher ordinances where applicable.
5. Do men and women enjoy eternal security from the moment of their spiritual rebirth or must they endure faithfully to the end to have a hope of eternal life?
I know of no one who speaks better on this topic than Nephi, so I quote him: 2 Nephi 31:19-20 " And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.
Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
6. what happens to babies who die?
This question reminded me of when I was doorknocking on my mission, and I came across a Catholic who screamed at me from his doorstep "The road to Hell is paved with the skulls of unbaptised children!!"
This stems from the belief that those who go out of this life unbaptised are damned to Hell for all eternity. I had this belief confirmed to me not that long ago. I was visiting a local Christian bookstore, and just for fun asked the woman at the counter if she had any books on what hapens to those who die without baptism. She stated that they had no books on the shelf that answered that question to her knowledge, but that as far as she knew those individuals were simply damned to Hell. I take this to mean that this would include children.
The doctrine of Baptism for the dead is there to seal the name of Christ through the waters of Baptism upon all those who have gone before. Baptism is not done for them to wash away sins, since a child is sinless, but the ordinance is done to fulfill the law, the same why Christ needed to be baptised despite his being sinless.
It is also believed that those who left this life early before their time of probation had offered up a chance to try ones faith, may have that opportunity in the millinium.
7. The fate of the unevangelized.
The name of Christ is the only name by which salvation is to come, and no man will enter heaven without bearig Chrsts name upon himself through the waters of Baptism.(Matt 3:15) The Law must be fulfilled, and yet most of the world has never heard the name Christ, and therefore must be taught of him in the world to come. For this Christ spent the time between his death and resurrection prepareing righteous dead to be missionaries to those unlearned souls who had gone on before. Paul taught that all will be resurrected, and therefore must be baptised, and that is why they perform Baptisms for the dead (1 Cor 15:29) This work is done today in the Temple where a person may be baptised for and in behalf of a person who died without the opportunity to do so for themselves.
8. Is baptism essntial to salvation and to whom should it be administered - infants or mature believers?
As stated earlier, Baptism is essential to salvation. The doctrine of the church is that a person should be baptised at the age of acountability, which is stated in the church to be at 8 years old.
9. Should women serve in certain ministerial capasities?
A minister in the classic sence is one who stands for and in behalf of Christ himself in bringing the Priesthood and its blessings to those in need. Since women cannot at this time hold the priesthod in its fulness, then they canot be ministers. They can hold various calling withen the church under the direction of a priesthood leader, but cannot take the higher leadership roles.
[quote]10. Does man play a role in his own salvation beyond an initial confession of Christ as Savior? What is the meaning and place of works?
I will have to finish the rest of the questions tommorow since I am falling asleep at the keyboard here....
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. - Plato