I have to admit, I've been amused by some summertime antics employed by more than a few critics of the Church. The picture above shows MRM founder Bill McKeever (dark blue shirt) and Matt Slick of CARM (white shirt) challenging attendees of the Manti Pageant to feel how much the plates (if they were made of PURE GOLD) actually weighed, which according to McKeever and Slick, would have weighed around 100 lbs. It seems to be a favorite for the "professional" counter-cultists, who seem to take joy in watching young teenage boys unsuccessfully heave the "dumb" bell. Nevertheless, a great deal has been written on this subject that Latter-day Saints would do well to read. In what can only be described as complete ignorance or deliberate misrepresentation (I suspect it is the latter of the two), McKeever and Slick have only shown how literally desperate they are to find ANYTHING to disprove the Latter-day Saint faith. Want to engage them in your own Hug an anti at Manti* trip? Here's their cheat sheet if you're interested.
*Special thanks to Bob Vukich for coining this phrase.
What do you make of the "God cannot be spatially contained" argument? Curious as to how you might respond to it. It really doesn't say much about him being a spirit that fills space, or having a tabernacle, at least not in the scriptures they give.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, they don't understand the 'after all we can do' since they don't understand grace within a covenant relationship. I would say that both Robinson and the GA's are getting it right, just highlighting different parts of receiving grace.
The 'becoming gods' and theosis section made me chuckle a bit, especially their interpretations. Also, the 'preserving Gods word' scriptures could easily be used to support our belief in continuing revelation and scripture.
I believe God's power and Spirit can be felt everywhere, even if His physical nature would place Him in one location. His priesthood and Spirit transcend all things and are above all things. There's nothing that Robinson has said that is out of harmony with what has been taught in the Church for the last 180 years regarding man's salvation and relation to God. As much as Aaron Schafovaloff has tried to skirt around the issue of theosis, it won't get him anywhere. Daniel McClellan did an interview with Kerry Shirts discussing the corporeality of God that Aaron would do well to respond to. I believe God's Word is preserved by God and Him alone. He will reveal His secrets to His servants the prophets when they have been prepared to receive it. The New Testament is clear about an imminent apostasy. Even Protestants (who are the most adamant about a 'denial' of apostasy must admit that Christianity fell into apostasy for hundreds of years prior to the Reformers, particularly the fundamentalists who argue that "Catholics aren't Christians." The inconsistencies are staggering.
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