The magic "twinkling" of Apostate Christendom

[_Albion]

Well, I suppose the debate is over whether or not many of those teachings were actual teachings at the time of and before Christ. For instance, the whole temple ritual which is clearly taken from masonry rather than anything going on in the temple at Jerusalem when Jesus was alive.

[_Drifting]

fallen away or risen from?

So we can equally state Christianity rose from the Church of Christs day?

[_gdemetz]

Albion, you are way off base as usual! Do the Masons do temple marriages or baptisms for the dead?!?

No, the LDS is the restored church of Jesus Christ, and it has not fallen away from the things Christ taught or the things Christ revealed to Joseph Smith!

[_Albion]

I really don't care what the Masons do, gdemetz, but apparently Joseph Smith did since he was one before he developed Mormon temple rituals.

[_gdemetz]

You just don't get it do you? You are just too brainwashed with evangelical anti Mormon propaganda! Joseph Smith did not get the temple rituals from the Masons! There is very little in common at all! You might as well compare a balloon to an airplane! This reminds me of the silly Spaulding manuscript theory! Anything the anti's can come up with, right?! Where is the beef?!? Where is the true evidence?!?

[_Albion]

gdemetz, you didn't really say there was "very little in common" did you...that it was like comparing a balloon with an airplane? Do virtually identical handshakes have anything in common...how about aprons...how about the now defunct throat slashing and disembowelment motions accompanying oaths that were an integral part of the ritual till 1990. How about that new Masons are required to take an oath and a covenant promise when they are initiated. These are just a few of the things you say Mormon temple ritual does not have in common with Masonry. Smith was definitely a Mason in New York and in the Nauvoo lodge where he was initiated into the highest degree of Masonry a very short time before he came up with the temple ritual. I think you owe it to yourself to do a little research which will clearly demonstrate that there is very much in common.

[_Albion]

Just for fun, gdemetz, google President Bush greets Gordon B. Hinckley.

[_gdemetz]

Yes Albion, and a balloon is also like an airplane, they can both fly! There are some symbols that are similar, but oaths and handshakes are oaths and handshakes, and mean very little if there is no other substance to them such as a baptism or an eternal marriage!

[_gdemetz]

I looked Albion, and I saw the ignorance! If it really was not a photographers trick (which I am not sure since it came from the same article which stated that they all knew Obama was an alien!), then they must have done it in ignorance or stupidity, which I doubt. I think you have been overloaded with such stupid anti Mormon propaganda already!

[_Albion]

Actually it was Tom Monson and not Hickley. Perhaps there are two.