Paul when Saul was a Mormon

[_Mittens]

Philippians 3
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

[ Sounds like Paul was raised a Mormon, he could have said I went to family home meetings every Monday night , I went to Gospel training classes, kept the Word of Wisdom faithfully no Coffee, tea, Alcohol and tobacco ever touch my lips , Mormons also killed Christians like Paul at Meadow Mountain . Externally I look perfect, I have said Mormonism was the restored Religion of the Pharisees ? ] But Paul said all that was garbage [ dung ] in original language ] these are all outward things not inward

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.


http://www.newheights.org/current-teaching-series/

[_Brackite]

[ Sounds like Paul was raised a Mormon, he could have said I went to family home meetings every Monday night , I went to Gospel training classes, kept the Word of Wisdom faithfully no Coffee, tea, Alcohol and tobacco ever touch my lips , Mormons also killed Christians like Paul at Meadow Mountain . Externally I look perfect, I have said Mormonism was the restored Religion of the Pharisees ? ] But Paul said all that was garbage [ dung ] in original language ] these are all outward things not inward

Greetings Mittens,

The Apostle Paul was Not raised a Mormon. The Apostle Paul lived and died during the 1st century. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Also Known as the Mormon Church) did come into existence until the 19th century. That is when the Mormons came into existence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church ... day_Saints

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormons

[_Mittens]

Paul was raised a Pharisee, same thought and teachings as Mormons

Exalts the Pride of Man
The Mormon church, which professes to teach the true way of salvation, teaches many things that are not compatible with the teachings of Christ. For instance, Christ taught that a man must be meek and lowly: "... Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3).
Jesus also said:
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luke 18:9-14).
Mormonism, on the other hand, exalts the pride of man. Joseph H. Weston, who joined the Mormon church three days after completing his book, exclaimed:
Mormons don't grovel before God, prating their unworthiness and imploring mercy. They are not slaves! They are men, made in the image of God! They proudly stand, hold their heads high, and put out their hands to shake that of God in greeting, as any worthy son would be expected to respectfully but proudly stand before a wise and good father (These Amazing Mormons! p. 82).


Laws, Laws, Laws
In stark contrast to Christianity's emphasis on God's grace, Mormonism glorifies law.
Laws provide the way for the Saint to grow, progress, and obtain happiness ... Although God's laws are exact and immovable, they are revealed and given to mankind for one specific purpose - to bring to pass their ultimate joy . .. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches that all blessings are predicated upon laws and that if one desires a particular blessing, one must abide by the law that guarantees that blessing ... God has said that no one can come unto him except by his laws. Doctrine And Covenants Student Manual, pp. 393,394.
Rules, laws, commands, obligations, restrictions, 'discouragements', regulate every aspect of Mormon life:
I would like for us to dig a bit deeper into this eternally important question about why a body is so important. Ultimately the answer affects everything we do: what we think, how we act, where we go, what we eat, what we drink, and what we wear and how we look. . .


Our physical bodies indeed are temples of God. Consequently, you and I must carefully consider what we take into our temple, what we put on our temple, what we do to our temple, and what we do with our temple. Ensign, September 2001, p. 16.Mormons are presented with an unending list that includes dos and don't about food, drink, Sabbath law, fasting, keeping a two year supply of food and water, required child bearing, required wearing of sacred temple clothing, required marriage, required tithing, proper and improper associations, appropriate clothing & hair length, church activities, proper and improper entertainment, missionary work, appearance of one's home, filling calls to church positions...
The more rules they keep, the closer to holiness they believe themselves to be. Therefore, Mormons are obsessed by laws and rules. Mormons debate whether it is right to drink soda that has caffeine, or to take off your temple underwear for a game of basketball. Even things as insignificant as pierced ears are covered by official church commentary from the president! (one set allowed for women - but not two, not allowed for men):
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have declared that we discourage tattoos and also “the piercing of the body for other than medical purposes.” We do not, however, take any position “on the minimal piercing of the ears by women for one pair of earrings”—one pair. President and Living Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, November 2000, p. 50.
The sacrifice of following rules for the sake of following rules becomes more important than the motivation of the heart. This is the opposite of what Jesus asked for when he said "go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’" Matthew 9:13.


First century Christians in Colosse were faced with claims similar to those of the LDS church. False teachers sought to impose numerous laws, restrictions and rules on those who followed them. These teachers looked down with lofty scorn on those who held to the simple gospel. They positioned themselves as wiser, more sophisticated Christians.
This emphasis on law-keeping, like the teaching of Mormonism, fails to honor Christ by acknowledging his fullness and all-sufficiency as our Savior (sole procurer of eternal life). This type of thinking lies at the heart of every non-Christian religion and, all to often, is found attempting to invade the Christian Church itself. Saint Paul responds to the assertions of the Colosse false teachers with stinging ridicule:
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:20-23

This is the burning building, out of which, we are to pull Mormons!
Mormons hear three messages with non-stop repetition. First, that their progression towards eternal life is dependant on their own efforts. Second, that it is possible to work your way through worthiness; Jesus has shown them how. Jesus is their example, not their substitute. However, by far the most prevalent message is the simple, continual, exhortations to "Be good", "Be worthy", "Be perfect". Rarely are Heavenly Father or Jesus presented as sources of help. At best, they are pictured as being on the sidelines cheering them on.
Knowing that becoming perfect through Christ is eventually possible and that the Savior is "pulling for us" is a compelling thought. Ensign, February 1991, p. 11.

[_Tobin]

Oy vey, Mormons are not Pharisees. Mittens, you make some of the silliest, non-sensical assertions on this forum.

[_Mittens]

Oy vey, Mormons are not Pharisees. Mittens, you make some of the silliest, non-sensical assertions on this forum.

Mormonism is exactly like the Pharisees, I call it the Restored religion of the Pharisees

[_ludwigm]

Oy vey ...

Are You a jew? Or a Yiddish one?

All of our ultra-right stupid rightwind politicians use this token.
Pure racism.

Most of he time they use it in the same sentences together with "liberal", "left[ist]", "social[ist]. We have no negroes, we have gypsies (roma, if You want to know more).

Or Zingari, Tsigani, gitans, bohémiens, manouches.

[_Tobin]

Oy vey, Mormons are not Pharisees. Mittens, you make some of the silliest, non-sensical assertions on this forum.

Mormonism is exactly like the Pharisees, I call it the Restored religion of the Pharisees

You seemed to have missed the rest of what I said, so I bolded and underlined it for you.

[_Albion]

Mormonism is a legalistic religious system in the extreme. The Pharisee comparison is a legitimate one to anyone looking in from the outside.

[_Tobin]

Mormonism is a legalistic religious system in the extreme. The Pharisee comparison is a legitimate one to anyone looking in from the outside.

ROFL

Albion, I take back all the nice things I've ever said about you. This is Albion right and his account hasn't been hacked by LittleNipper or Mittens?!? If not, I'm rather surprised that you'd take such a silly position. Oh well.

[_Albion]

On the contrary, Tobin, typically your comments to and about me have most often fallen into the insult category. Perhaps you would care to clarify why you don't think Mormonism is a legalistic religious system...every aspect of it screams the fact, from required steps to exaltation all the way down to appropriate and suggested shirt color. Regardless, that is what so many outside see whether you agree or not.