Paul,
Besides the fact that so much emphasis is placed on 'follow the prophet'
instead of 'follow the Lord,' the reason I say that that church as a whole has
departed from the fundamental gospel has mainly to do with their approach
toward the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
In the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, this is a pivotal element of
the doctrine of Christ. It is taught to be an emersion event, not a process,
just as the baptism of water is an event. The Spirit of the Lord thoroughly
cleanses a person and gives them a new heart. It is this new heart that then
becomes the basis of their walk as a disciple henceforth. It is an act of
sheer grace for none are deserving of this gift. In Book of Mormon times, all
on whom the apostles hands were laid fell the Holy Ghost. It was a one-for-one
equation because of their faith and righteousness in administering the
ordinances of the gospel.
In the LDS church, the 'mighty change of heart' is taught (including by the
leaders of the church including ETB) as a PROCESS, not an event, as it is
taught in the scriptures. In the LDS Church, Alma's experience is taught to be
a rare exception that we should not expect. But Alma himself taught that
everyone should be born of God, even as he was (not meaning the rebellion, the
angel appearing, etc -- events unique to him -- but the miraculous change of
heart that was wrought).
True, the path AFTER the initial emersion of the Spirit, the path of bringing
the physical into alignment with the spiritual, is a process; but the
commencing event by which one enters the gate to this path is mainly about the
baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.
What we have in the LDS church is a bunch of non-baked bread. The ingredients
have been assembled, but no fire has been applied -- at least in many
instances. Hence there are many whose names are included in the rolls of the
church who are not members of the church of Christ. (And, I might add, there
are many who are members of the church of Christ, whose names are not found on
the rolls of the LDS church. These are not synonymous terms.)
This slighting of the doctrine of Christ is one of the major reasons why the
church is under condemnation -- and why manifestations of the gifts of the
Spirit are so rare. When we finally repent with broken heart and contrite
spirit, then will the condemnation be lifted, and the next quantum achieved --
the church of the firstborn. I see this happening at the end of the 3.5 year
period of tribulation at Adam On Diahman.
I've written extensively on this subject in a book I wrote: "A
New Testament : A Mighty Change for a New World."
With a name like "Paul," you of all people should be familiar with
these things, if you are to be true to your name.
Sincerely,
Sterling D. Allan
p.s. I hope you don't mind that I shared this correspondence with other
people. I've removed your name and portions of what you wrote, leaving only
the pertinent question you asked, which led to this response.
----- Original Message -----
From: "***
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2001 10:38 PM
Subject: Re: GTcontact
The only thing that really bothered me about the "greaterthings"
site is the statement that "A careful study of the doctrine of Christ and
his gospel reveals that the LDS church has significantly strayed from that
doctrine."
(see http://www.greaterthings.com/Essays/which_church.htm
)
While I agree that's true for many members (and even leaders), I don't think
it's true of those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators. Nor do I
believe it's true of the doctrines and teachings which are approved by the
first presidency of the church.
The above statement seems to be condemning the church as a whole, including
the prophet and apostles -- or was I just reading it wrong? When you say
"the LDS Church", to me that means the upper leadership of the
church, because it is from them (not directly of course) the rest of us
receive most of our religious instruction. Are they the ones you're talking
about, or are you just talking about "some (many) members of the LDS
church"?
