Help Us Please To "Come Out Of Mormonism!"

But come out of Mormonism and into WHAT?

They always say to 'come out of Mormonism" but into what? not ONE of my Christian brothers could agree on anything except for, "Just Not Mormon." (BY THE WAY, All credits to this piece goes to: D Lawrence Barksdale of the "Fair Mormon Apologetics Page" on Facebook)

This is an open invitation to our non-LDS friends, who are so eager to help us "come out of" Mormonism.

Here it is: "Witness to us." Really. We'd love to hear your witness, as long as it centers on what you DO believe, and not what you DON'T.

Speaking for myself, I'm ready to accept the Jesus of the Bible as my personal Savior and walk away from Mormonism forever..

But here's my deal...

1) Since you've told us (repeatedly) that we worship the "wrong" Jesus, you need to show us from the Bible where the 'homoousios' ("One-in-actual-substance-or-being") Jesus of the consubstantial Trinity is taught in the Bible. I'll need at least one passage that includes that all-important word, "homoousios," to be be acceptable. After all, it is the ONLY word in Koine Greek that means "one-in-actual-substance-or-being." I need the assurance that the Jesus YOU want me to believe in is the "right" Jesus.

2) Since you've told us that the "Bible Alone" is the ONLY source of spiritual truth, I need you to show me with irrefutable, incontrovertible evidence WHICH Bible I should accept... the one WITH the apocrypha, or the one WITHOUT. Which translation? They all differ. Which Codex? None of them agree. Then I need you to explain to me how a collection of books with over 350,000 textual variants is "infallible" and/or "inerrant."

3) Since the doctrine of salvation is so important, I need to be assured that you're not inviting me to believe in "another gospel" than what Paul taught. Therefore, you need to show me a) where Jesus taught Sola Fidianism, b) Where the NT teaches that obedience is not necessary, c) Why the Early Church Fathers never taught Sola Fidianism, and d) why NO ONE in Christianity taught Sola Fidianism until Martin Luther.

4) Since Jesus Himself established a very specific church organizational structure, complete with offices and authority, I need you to show me who your proposed church's prophets and apostles are. They are, after all, the very foundation of the church Christ established.

I have more, but these will suffice for now. I'm an open book. I'm ready to be "saved." The requests I have above are more than reasonable. The Bible teaches, if I'm not mistaken, to "give a good answer" to those who ask. Thanks in advance.

The Visitors Center @ The Portland, Oregon Temple Is Now Open

Like Us On Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/portlandvc

Physical Address

13600 SW Kruse Oaks Boulevard Lake Oswego, Oregon 97035-8602 United States

Mailing Address

13600 SW Kruse Oaks Blvd Lake Oswego, OR 97035-8602 Telephone: 503-639-7066 Fax: 503-620-8093 Distribution Services: 503-639-6359

Announcement: 7 April 1984

Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 20 September 1986 by Gordon B. Hinckley

Public Open House: 15 June–8 July 1989, Dedication: 19–21 August 1989 by Gordon B. Hinckley

Site: 7.3 acres.

Exterior Finish: White marble walls and slate roof.

Ordinance Rooms: Four ordinance rooms (stationary) and fourteen sealing. Total Floor Area: 80,500 square feet.

Temple Locale

Rising elegantly among towering Douglas-fir trees, the six spires of the marble-clad Portland Oregon Temple create a beautiful sight for motorists traveling Oregon's I-5, situated about 8 miles south of downtown Portland in Lake Oswego. On the east side of the temple is a serene reflection pool sitting at the base of the main spire. Visitors are welcome to walk among the gorgeous gardens that decorate the temple grounds and to obtain additional information at the public visitors' center that features films, displays, multimedia presentations, and a stunning reproduction of Thorvaldsen's Christus statue.

Temple Facts

The Portland Oregon Temple was the first temple built in Oregon. The Portland Oregon Temple sits on land originally purchased in the 1960s for a Church junior college. Later when that decision was reversed, 7.3 acres were retained for the temple. The two-story Celestial Room of the Portland Oregon Temple features three chandeliers, long wall tapestries, and a grand staircase.

On the top floor of the Portland Oregon Temple are a collection of sealing rooms with white marble altars and a large assembly hall. The floor plan created for the Portland Oregon Temple was adapted and used for the Las Vegas Nevada Temple.

On May 11, 1988, the gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni was set into place atop the 170-foot eastern spire to an audience of television cameras, newspaper photographers, and beaming Church members. A whopping 314,232 visitors toured the Portland Oregon Temple during its public open house. At the time, it was the fifth highest number of temple open house visitors in Church history.

President Ezra Taft Benson presided and offered remarks at the first three dedicatory sessions of the Portland Oregon Temple, though he extended the responsibility of offering the dedicatory prayer to his first counselor, Gordon B. Hinckley. In 1994, the Portland Oregon Temple was awarded first place by the Royal Rosarians of Portland, Oregon, in the category of commercial rose plantings. Portland is known as the "City of Roses."

On February 25, 2012, the Portland Oregon Temple Visitors' Center opened its doors to the public in the building adjacent to the temple that formerly housed Distribution Services—relocated a short distance away next to an operating Deseret Book store.

First Give Me The Heat, then I'll Add The Wood

Evidence before faith... sounds much like something I learned from Earl Nightingale when he would say about the man at the fire place, "First you give me heat and then I'll add the wood." Part of the process is faith. Faith is like putting the kindling, the fuel, and bringing the fire to the fire place.

We wouldn't begin to start building a fire if we did not have faith that it would warm us up once lit. All too often, critics of the church are asking us for the heat when if they intend to build their own fire, they must follow the steps that we did; so if we're warming up by what you think is a non existent fire, then I suppose you just don't know.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche Suggested Reading: Alma Chapters 22, 32

Become As A Little Child!

Something to ponder today. Become As A Little Child Not As A Historian, as a Scribe, as a Master Scriptorien Alone!

The Lord said this, about his gospel.

Matthew 18:3 "...Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Notice that in no place in his scriptures did he say, "Except ye be converted, and become as a scribe... or Except ye be converted and get all of the facts straight." Facts are in the eye of the beholder. We could argue until we were blue in the fact over what facts are right. How does the Lord want us? Meek, submissive, full of love... willing to submit as a child doth submit to his father... faithful, trusting, penitent..."

Observe in your conversations this day whether you think you are defending Christ by helping a Mormon to free himself from bondage or you be a faithful latter-day Saint; and ask, "Am I approaching this man or woman with an eye single to the glory of God by being... the above mentioned attributes?" Am I sufficiently encouraging them to pray, seek wisdom from on high so that the blessings can come upon us all as the dews of heaven?

(Additional scriptures to read and enjoy today; D&C 121:33, (the passage right before the oath and covenant of the priesthood gets overlooked all too often) and the Lord's warning in D&C 38:30... perhaps the reason why some of us are in the precarious position we have found ourselves in by allowing men to shout into our ears and scare us with a voice louder than we proved able to bear. This I leave with all of you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.