Elara : Hmph, I didn't have to look up a dictionary cause I already knew what it meant.

DarthDub : So did I. The dictionary definition was for your benefit, since it would seem that you did not. I like to provide sources when I correct people. I could have been much more condescending and transcribed the entire entry from the Oxford English, but I felt the simple version would suffice.

So, are you going to give me an actual response to my original query, or are you going to continue to make snide comments that only serve to cast you in a poor light?

As to how detailed any of you want to know about my beliefs all you have to do is ask. For now, I will try to give the basics of what I believe. I am a born-again Christian who takes every word of the Bible as truth –as to how it should be interpreted is debatable. The most important aspect of my faith is that Jesus willingly died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead three days later to prove that he is God. This is the foundation of my faith. As I said, feel free to ask me anything if you are interested.

I am a born again christian. I believe in the whole Bible for how to live my life, but also as history. I believe in Jesus Christ that he is God, and that he did miracles. I believe in repentance and grace.

Elara : I'm not here to debate. You replied to a post of mine that was several months old and should've left it alone. Stop replying to me please.

DarthDub : Firstly, this is the debate forum. Secondly, the thread is active so I was well within my rights to post a reply. Thirdly, I asked a simple and perfectly polite question that was not meant to spark any debate, and got nothing but rudeness in response. I'd expect that from a twelve year old, but not from someone your age. If you are so against actually conversing with people, why are you posting at all?

Elara : I'm sorry for putting you through this. I should've looked at my old post before replying to you. I had meant to have it say just similar.

Edit: Wait wait what? My post just says similar. I didn't say similar but not. YOU DID.

I'm agnostic. The first definition on urban dictionary sums up what I believe agnostic to mean.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=agnostic
I am also more specifically an agnostic deist meaning that if there is a god then I believe that he or she is taking a hands off approach towards what is going on in the universe.
Kind of contradictory to agnosticism I believe in some supernatural things like souls and ghosts and things in that realm; though these beliefs stem from personal experience.
I'm sorry this all sounds kind of confusing, but it works for me and I guess that's all that matter, lol.

I will answer your question about Mormonism Elara. But before I do, I none of us mormons are perfect. I have my own faults, such as getting over defensive, so I don't always act or behave like the good mormon I am or should be.  So with that in mind, I apologize for how Darth Dub's behavior, seems to put the mormon faith in bad light

Darth Dub do be a good mormon and answer Elara's questions about mormonism next time.

Now to answer your question Elara.

Mormonism is christian religeon.The reason why Darth Dub said its similar, is because there are 2 or 3 main branches of Christianity. There is Orthodox Christianity and Unorthodox Christianity. Orthodox Christianity primarily includes churches like Catholics, and protestant churches like Baptist,Methodist,etc(to any who might feel I left your Christian church out, I am not leaving churches out, just not naming them all,because so many of them)

Orthodox Christians main difference between Orthodox and Unorthodox is: Nature of Godhead: Orthodox believes(Nicene creed) that God,Jesus,Holy Ghost is 1 entity God, with neither form,shape,substance, but at the same time that there is not 1 God, but the Father,Jesus,Holy Spirit, that doesn't divide the spirit,substance of the Father,Son,Spirit of the 1 God.( I know very contradictory/ the Nicene creed is very contradictory)

Grace vs works: Orthodoxy believes that it is by the Grace of Jesus, that people are saved, and that a person either sin all they want, and still be saved in the end, or that they weren't saved to begin with, because if they were, they wouldn't sin, because of the grace of Jesus.

The heavens are closed, no miracles,no revelations, no seeing God or Jesus, No scripture but the bible

Mormons are Unorthodox Christians. They believe that the Godhead is sort of like the presidency of the USA, if there was 2 vice presidents, instead of 1. That there is God the Father, that has immortal God flesh, that looks like us, because we are created in the image of God( Several scriptures in the old testament talk about prophets like Moses and Job seeing the various parts of God, like back,face,hands,arms,legs,etc

Then there is Jesus the Son of God, that has a perfected,resurrected body of immortal godlike flesh. When Jesus appeared to Doubting Thomas the apostle, after his death and resurrection, Jesus said "a Spirit doth not have flesh and bones, as ye see me have"

Then there is the Holy ghost who is a personage of spirit. Mormons believe that God the Father, Son(Jesus), Holy Ghost are part of the Godhead kind of like a presidency where God the Father is like the president, and Jesus and Holy Spirit Ghost, are like vice presidents This is why there are scriptures that say they are one in unity, just like the members of the church are one in Christ.. Some people take those scriptures to think that they are 1 God, but scriptures like when Jesus was baptized, and when Stephen saw God and Jesus  in acts in the Bible show that they are separate. Jesus was Baptized, God the father was in heaven, and the Holy Ghost was descending in the form of the dove. Stephen Saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.the Father, which shows they are separate.


Grace vs works: Mormons also believe that it is by Grace of Jesus that people are saved, but only in so much after all they can do, and then Jesus makes up the difference, so in the end it is by Grace. Works without faith is dead, but faith without works is dead. If dig a pit called sin, and put a man in it.. Man has no way out, so Jesus puts a elevator to get man out of pit of sin (grace of Jesus), but man needs to use elevator to get out(works)but in the end if not for the elevator(grace of Jesus) man is stuck in pit of sin forever.

this is different then the orthodox view that it is all by Grace, and that works don't factor in at all.

Heavens are open, miracles do happen, people can see God, and Jesus, and there are scriptures,besides just the Bible.

Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus, in the same way that Stephen in acts saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God.

Orthodoxy says that it isn't possible for a person to see Jesus or God, after Stephen and the apostles died off.

Mormons have the Book of Mormon, which is kind of like the Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocrypha, Etc. Book of Mormon is record of Lehi, and family that left Jerusalem in 600 BC, and went to the America's, established a civilization that started the olmecs, mayans, toltecs,incas, atztecs, American Indians,etc. The people had prophets, who kept a record of the people, then the last prophet moroni buried the record in about 425 AD, and a angel helped Joseph Smith find,  translate the record into the book of Mormon in about 1827 AD

Orthodoxy claims that Mormons break the scripture in revelations, that says woe  be to the person who adds to and takes away from the Bible.

But the Book of Mormon doesn't add to or take away from the Bible, but is yet another testament of Jesus Christ., in the same way that the Dead Sea Scrolls don't add to or take away from the Bible. What that scripture in revelations is saying is: There is a scripture in Deuteronomy 4:2 that says the same thing. So if one was to take that scriptures out of context, 1 could say that the new testament, adds to or takes away because of what Deuteronomy 4:2 says whosoever adds to or takes away from this book.

Of course the new testament doesn't add to or take away from the bible or violate Deuteronomy 4:2 anymore then the Book of Mormon adds to or takes away from the bible because of revelations scripture.

What Deuteronomy and that scripture in revelations really means, is books like the NIV bible which retranslates, and adds to or takes away from the bible

Orthodoxy believes in only using the Bible, and not the apocrypha, dead sea scrolls, book of Mormon etc, because everything else adds to or takes away from the bible

Mormonism believes that miracles are possible today and do happen in these days. "And Jesus said " and greater works than these shall they do that believe in me" meaning that Christ performed great miracles, and said that his followers(Christians), would do greater miracles then the ones He Christ was doing.

Orthodoxy doesn't  believe in miracles.

Because  of the differences between orthodox Christianity and unorthodox Christians like Mormons, many orthodox Christians don't believe or think Mormons are Christians. And because of that, some of that has rubbed off on some Mormons, to the point where some Mormons errantly say that Mormons aren't Christians or are similar.

Mormons are Christians, they do their best to follow what they know or think is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the best of their ability, in both what they think, or know is true doctrine, and behavior. That is why the name of the church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints" and that's why the Mormons use the King James version of the Holy bible,old testament,new testament, the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ.. Mormons believe in the same organization that Christ and his apostles like Peter,James,John,Paul used in Christ church 2000 years ago, with apostles,prophets,patriarchs,Bishops, priest, elders, teachers, deacons,70's, all of which are mentioned in various scriptures in the Bible. Mormons believe in the Godhead of the Father,Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. Mormons believe that we are saved by grace of Jesus,in the end after we do what we can do. Mormons believe in the atonement, death,resurrection, of Christ to overcome physical death and sin, and return to live with God,Christ someday in heaven.

So Mormons are Christians, its just that Mormons are unorthodox Christians.

lol I am sorry for the lengthy answer. I am not trying to bore anybody, and preach to verybody, and to convert anybody here. Its just that answering your question Elara is not easy and a little complicated.

Hopefully this answers your question, and clears up the answer that Darth gave.

If you have any further questions and want further clarification on specific parts, feel free to  ask.

Mike DH

My religion is known as a Methodist...I don't know really how to explain the religion so here is a link to the description of my religion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodism I know Wikipedia isn't the best, but if it isn't good enough, Google it and find a better explanation if you don't trust it.