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April 9, 2019 7:29 am
Mormonism 101 is research ministries Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson for so many more to understand what separates Mormonism from the Christian faith.
Mormonism 101 is available at your favorite bookstore online@mrm.org .1 examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a perspective view .1 Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism so glad to be with us for this edition viewpoint on Mormonism.
I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson my colleague MRM yesterday we began talking about a film that was released on the weekend of March 29, 2019. It was titled on planned and it dealt with the subject of Planned Parenthood.
Most specifically the subject of abortion and basically the conversion experience from going to what they call pro-choice and Eric, I really hate that term because that is a misnomer. The baby has no choice in what happens to the baby. In many cases the father has no choice as far as the life or death situation of this unborn child so that you can understand folks that there's a lot of organizations out there that like to use words that deflect from what's really going on and you have to be discerning to read through all this camouflage that's going on. So the word pro-choice. I hate that term I think it's misleading, but they did talk about that in the film, and the idea that they would call opponents antiabortionists yes when they are known as pro-life. I mean how does the pro-choice person like it when we say anti-life they they wouldn't like that. It also it's a it's a name game but you know a lot of the points that are being made by those who call themselves pro-choice are using the language and again stressing the emotions of people and saying what about the mother.
It's the mother's right to choose and why would you want to take away rights and as Americans we say of course we want people to have rights but over your own body, not somebody else's.
And I think that again goes into this whole camouflage when they always say they brought that up in the film well is a woman's right to her body, it's not. It's not her body. She's not the one that's going to be killed in that procedure, but again yesterday I because I know you're probably wondering will hey wait a minute.
This is supposed be viewpoint on Mormonism where you dealing with the subject and goes back to something that I was saying yesterday as I'm watching the film I couldn't help but think if a Mormon was watching this film, what would they be thinking because if anybody should see the horrible nature of abortion. It should be a member. You would think of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because they hold to a position that we are all the literal offspring of God. Now the Bible doesn't teach that. But that certainly is a doctrine of Mormonism. I certainly believe that the Bible does give value to the unborn. And certainly, as Christians, we should protect the rights of the unborn and that's one thing I think abortion does not do it does not protect the rights of the unborn, but I couldn't help but wonder what would Latter Day Saints be thinking if they were watching this film and it made me wonder why isn't the Mormon church more vocal about this horrible atrocity that takes place in our country on a daily basis nearly a million unborn babies are killed every year in the United States, not even to mention how many are reported throughout the world.
It's a horrible crime in my opinion. Certainly a horrible sin, but where's the morning church when it comes to this. You don't really hear them on the forefront.
They don't talk about it a lot. It's not to say that they've never talked about it at all. But as I mentioned yesterday, Russell M. Nelson. He seems to be more concerned about what his church is called.
That seems to be a big issue with that.
He seems to be more concerned about whether or not they should have three-hour services or to our services was the last time you heard Russell M. Nelson get on a platform in general conference and speak out on the atrocity of abortion which we know there are members in his church who have certainly had this procedure done to them.
Perhaps not as much on the percentage scale, but certainly it's not something that is not unheard of within Mormon circles. Why is that that's what was running through my head and I know that there are a lot of very strong pro-life Latter Day Saints in Utah. I know that for a fact.
I wonder what they think about their church, not being as vocal as it possibly could be about this. Can you imagine the clout if the Mormon church was to make this a point of contention if you will, and spoke out about this. I guess the point is when does that fetus become a human being and according to the pro-life position. It's at conception and that's when it has its own unique DNA, but in Mormonism we have the idea that as you mentioned before, that's all of us are spirit children and if you believe that at conception, a fetus is a human being and that then has a soul, then that is a spirit child of God that is being destroyed. You would think there would be outrage over this very act of taking something that God has created and that the fetus didn't do anything wrong. In fact obviously did something right because that fetus must've chosen Jesus in the preexistence to be able to even come to this earth to be able to receive a body. The folks did you just catch what Eric said because the fact that we are here right now as human beings.
According to Mormonism means that we made correct choices in the spirit world before we came here but you brought up when does life begin. That's a controversy in Mormonism, which boggles my mind because you wouldn't think it should be based on what Mormonism teaches regarding the preexistence and the fact that we are all spirit offspring of God the father and a heavenly wife Mormonism. You have certainly a mixed message among its own profits as to when life begins. You had some prophets that said that it begins at conception, here's what's ironic about all this in Mormonism abortion is not murder. Think about that for a minute, what is it, then Mormon leaders have said it's a horrible sin, but they won't go so far as to say it's murder or why not. Because murder is an unforgivable sin in Mormonism. It's in the doctrine and covenants to support what you're saying let's just go to straight to the handbook one stake presidents and bishops from 2010. This is a handbook that is meant for the stake presidents and the bishops, the local leaders of the church and this is page 57 it says this.
As used here, murder refers to the deliberate and unjustified taking of human life. It requires excommunication. It does not include police or military action in the line of duty.
Abortion is not defined as murder for this purpose. Not only is that found in this handbook which you would have to say is an official handbook it's published by the church and it is given specifically to the local leadership within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But if you look back in the encyclopedia of Mormonism and that came out in the in the 1990s in volume 2 reads with respect to related offenses. The church distinguishes abortion from murder but holds it an extremely grave action not to be done except in extremely limited circumstances that might include incest or rape perils to the life or health of the mother, or severe birth defects. As far as has currently been revealed. A person may repent and be forgiven for this set of abortion.
My question is is wait a minute.
If it's not murder. What is it and why would it be considered a sin. You see, this is where I see a huge inconsistency when it comes to the Mormon position on this topic. Why would it be a sin. What are you doing it sounds like the Mormon church is kinda going along with what I would say is a horribly flawed definition that the unborn is just a piece of tissue. It's not a person.
It's not human, it seems like the Mormon church is kind of silently going along with that or at least hoping that that is true, but we know from science that that is not true that we are in fact talking about a person who has human DNA human DNA folks what you do with that. This not this unborn child who has human DNA have a right what is going on with our thinking here and why is the Mormon church holding to a position that distinguishes this from murder will when you look at the guide to the Scriptures, which is published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, you can still find this on LDS.org and you look under the topic of murder. It says the deliberate and unjustified taking of human life. Murder is a sin, condemned from earliest times not only as a reference Genesis chapter 413 12 but also Moses which is in the pearl of great price. Chapter 5 verses 18 through 41 and if you go through this list, it talks about whoever sheds man's blood shall have his blood shed by man. Genesis 96 net also cites the Joseph Smith translation Genesis 912 through 13 Exodus 2112 Elba from the book of Mormon Elma 3412 but I want to go down the list as we have time to go through every single one of them. It says here, it is doctrine and covenants 4218 he that kills shall not have forgiveness. There's your key folks.
This is why the Mormon church will not equate murder with the crime of abortion and icy crime in the eyes of God.
I don't care what the Supreme Court says that they will not equate murder with abortion because if you do, according to doctrine and covenants section 4218. If you kill you will not be forgiven.
Can you imagine what that would mean what the repercussions would be upon all those women in the Mormon church that unfortunately had to of gone through such a horrible procedure. Now they would be considered condemned, according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
According to the church manual trigger the faith. According to that LDS church. When pregnancy as a result of incest or rape. When the Lyford health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. Those are circumstances the church is said would be allowed for abortion. What's your opinion on that. Those are certainly tough circumstances and I don't want anybody to think that I treat that lightly. But usually that is with the will do that just completely forget that we understand these to be tough circumstances but let me ask you something when it comes to the subject of incest or rape, since when do we execute people in the United States for the sins of a third-party weight where we do that we don't do that in our our code of law here in the United States. And that's how I have to look at this child had nothing to do with how the child was conceived and even though it was conceived by way of a sin and or crime. Why should we automatically assume that that means that the results of that sin and crime should be executed and that's how I look at, it's an execution.
Unfortunately, I think it's an unconstitutional execution because the Constitution makes it very clear that you cannot execute anyone in the United States without due process, which means a court trial and yet that's exactly what we're doing with nearly 1 million unborn children every single year. They are being executed without due process, and that seems to be overlooked by a lot of people who were in the pro-abortion camp. They don't care we should care, and I think we should stand up and have a voice against this horrible atrocity that's taken place in our country. Thank you for listening. If you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website at www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you'll join us again as we look at another viewpoint is