By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them
Fruits of Inspiration from God
Christ gave his followers a method for discerning true prophets from false ones. He said,
“Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:17, 20)
Everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. (Moroni 7:16)
Most people agree that God is the embodiment of all that is wise, good and loving. So one barometer for judging if something is inspired of God is if it helps the quality of people’s lives improve, and helps them to have a more God-like character.
Matthew 17 teaches us that someone claiming to be a prophet of God, must produce good fruits to be a real prophet. Are the fruits of Mormonism good? In the language of Moroni 7, do the principles of Mormonism invite people to do good and believe in Christ? Because if it does, we can know it is inspired of God.
Centrality of Christ
The church is named after Jesus Christ: The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints
Jesus Christ is mentioned 3,925 times in the Book Mormon- a mention on average of once every 1.7 verses.
The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants are additional and independent witnesses of the resurrection for an increasingly sceptical world.
And as we study from Latter-day Scripture and from the Bible, Mormons gain a greater understanding of, and appreciation and love for Jesus Christ:
We know more about the atonement of Jesus Christ in addition to what the Bible teaches due to modern revelation.
For example, modern scripture teaches us that when Christ suffered, his pain was so severe that he shed blood from every pore of his body, giving us more insight into the extent of His suffering for us. (Mosiah 3 and Doctrine and Covenants 19)
We also learn that Christ not only suffered for our sins, but for our sorrows, pains and sicknesses. He did this so he could comfort, heal and strengthen us in addition to cleansing us from sin. (Alma 7)
We also learn that Christ's atonement extends to those who die without having an opportunity of learning about and accepting Him, as the gospel is preached in the post-mortal/pre-resurrection spirit world and vicarious ordinances are offered to them in temples of God.
We also learn that the atonement of Christ has the power to eventually transform us eventually, if we are willing, into a God like our Father, with a fullness of intelligence, love, and happiness.
These doctrines that God revealed through His modern day prophet are unique to the Latter-day Saints, and preach a Christ more loving and powerful than any other religion.
Devotion to the faith
Active Mormons give 10% of their income to help build up the church.
There are no paid positions in the church, which removes any doubt about their service being genuine.
Each person has a specific responsibility to serve and help with the programs and functions of the congregation, whether it be leading the choir, operating the library, or teaching the 4 year-old Sunday School class.
Each member of the congregation is responsible for visiting a few family’s households a month to provide friendship, share uplifting gospel messages, and assure their needs are being met.
Every year, millions of members, young and old embark on missions abroad to help others learn about Christ and His restored gospel and come closer to Him. These missions are not only unpaid, but generally cost $10,000.
There is a recent blog post by a non-member who has recognized the devotion and sacrifice Latter-day Saints exemplify: On patheos.com from David French, a Presbyterian “Six Reasons Why Mormons Are Beating Baptists” (In Church Growth)
One of his six reasons is the following:
“Mormon leaders ask a lot of their members. As our circle of Mormon friends grows and grows, I’m always amazed at the level of their church involvement compared to evangelicals. From giving (tithing), to service, to teaching, to raw number of hours in the church building, Mormons are simply doing more. To some evangelical critics, you’d think we lose members or grow less because we’re so demanding, but compared to the Mormon experience, an evangelical church is a carnival ride of short services, low accountability, and zero church discipline. If you’re a faithful Mormon, you’re not living a 95% secular life like so many evangelicals. A Mormon is truly countercultural.”
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frenchrevolution/2012/07/10/six-reasons-why-mormons-are-beating-baptists-in-church-growth/
Religious Education
Latter-day saint religious education programs are unequaled anywhere else. The following is a typical regimen of religious education an active Mormon receives during their formative years:
Starting at age 3, Mormons attend 3 hours of church services each Sunday.
In addition to Sunday meetings, they attend 1-2 other weekly meetings, where they experience fun activities, skill building, and spiritual nourishment.
They are taught the gospel in a family home evening lesson every Monday night.
During each year of high school, latter-day saint kids attend a free one-hour seminary class early in the morning before each school day. They study the Old Testament one year, the New Testament another, the Book of Mormon another, and the Doctrine and Covenants another.
Soon after graduating high school, millions of Mormons serve as missionaries for a couple of years where they basically 24/7 do nothing but study about and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
During college, the church has hundreds of buildings adjacent to college campuses where free religion classes are offered throughout the week.
Three impressive statistics stem from the above dose of religious education our youth receive:
#1- Mormon youth stick to the church when they’re adults at a higher rate than any other religion
Latter-day Saints keep more of their young people than any other religion. (http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-many-youth-are-we-losing.html)
The recent highly acclaimed book American Grace found that Latter-day Saints as a whole, men and women, have the strongest attachment to their faith of any of the religions studied.
#2- Mormons are rated higher than any other Christian Denomination for knowledge of the Bible and Christianity
In a 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, they found that Mormons scored higher than Catholics or any Protestant denomination when answering questions about the Bible and Christianity.
#3- As Mormons gain more secular education, they are the most likely of any Christian denomination to increase in religious devotion
As seen in Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members, Jame T Duke
http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/latter-day-saint-social-life-social-research-lds-church-and-its-members/9-secularization
Quality of Marriage & Family Life
The church has the largest family history database in the world, and members have a strong desire to learn about and honor their ancestors.
Marriages and families are seen as eternal, and because of that added commitment and beautiful belief, mormon couples and families, although not perfect, more earnestly to keep their commitments to each other.
In modern day temples, marriages and families are sealed for time and all eternity.
Once a week families have a family home evening, where a combination of fun activities, spiritual messages, and family business is carried out.
Many non-members know that families are very important, and that it’s very apparent that Mormons try, although imperfectly to strengthen families
Selfless Service (Christ asked us to take care of the poor and needy, and said that his true disciples show love, one for another)
Welfare program
Church members fast once a month from two meals and donate the money they would have spent on those two meals. That money goes to help needy members with temporary financial set-backs in the way of rent money and food from the Bishop’s storehouse.
And the church uses tithing money to subsidize the following services for members:
-employment service centers
-addiction recovery support groups
-marriage and family counseling centers
Emergency Preparedness/Disaster Relief/Humanitarian aid
The Church and it’s members strive to always have an ample supply of emergency storage items. This has proven helpful when crisis hit around the world.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/humanitarian-services gives the following description of humanitarian aid in the Church:
-We provide relief and development projects in countries all over the world
-This humanitarian service can be emergency response to a natural disaster like a tsunami, or a man-made disaster, such as the effects of war and famine
-”The Church sponsors five ongoing global projects to help people become more self-reliant. Initiatives include neonatal resuscitation training, clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, vision treatment and measles vaccinations.”
Morals
“The scholars who produced the Austin Institute’s newly released Relationships in America interviewed 15,000 people, and by most measures of belief and practice, the winner is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormons).
They found that the LDS church is far more effectively passing on classic Christian cultural beliefs, attitudes, and practices about (chastity and marriage.)
Take casual sex, for example.
Among regular churchgoers (three times a month or more), 57 percent of evangelicals had premarital sex with their future spouse, as did 64 percent of traditional Catholics, and 66 percent of fundamentalist Protestants. Just 14 percent of Mormons did.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/394510/mormon-advantage-maggie-gallagher
Reputation for goodness, kindness & dependability
Many people say that the Mormons they've known throughout their lives are some of the nicest people.
My colleague at the Middle School I used to teach at who has taught for over 25 years, said that time and time again she has noticed throughout the years that the Mormon students she had were on the whole more well-behaved, and a pleasure to have in class than students from other religions.
Many employees hire Mormons because they have a reputation for being trustworthy, responsible and hard-working.
The news reports a Mormon caught doing something dishonorable as surprising.
There is a new study that shows that Mormons and non-Mormons alike can, with a higher degree of accuracy than would be chance, spot a Mormon by just looking at a head shot.
A link to this fascinating study: http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archives/1627
Women are Revered and Empowered in the Church
The recent highly acclaimed book American Grace reported on women in many faiths. It noted that Latter-day Saint women are unique in being overwhelmingly satisfied with their role in Church leadership.
Unlike in the Catholic Church and in most conservative Evangelical churches, women preach from the pulpit regularly in Latter-day Saint services.
Modern prophets have expressed their reverence for women by calling them the crowning creation of God.
In the Book of Mormon, an angel teaches the prophet Nephi about the love of God by showing Him a future event to come in the world pertaining to Mary with her baby Jesus. (1 Nephi 11)
In Mormon doctrine, unlike every other Christian church, Eve is seen as a hero for her decision, because only mortality could offer us the challenges necessary to becoming more like God, as God attested to in Genesis 3:22.
And lastly, Mormon women are empowered because of the restored knowledge of a Mother in heaven in addition to our Father in heaven.
And a bonus statistic...
Mormon women belong to the oldest and largest organization of women in the world!
Health
A 25-year study into the health habits and the longevity of the Mormon lifestyle by non-Mormon UCLA professors James E. Enstrom and Lester Breslow concluded the following: Mormon men live 10 years longer than other U.S. white males. Mormon women live more than five years longer than other U.S. white females.
I think some of the reasons for this are the word of wisdom, God blessing his covenant people, and the other morals and habits that govern Mormon’s lives.
Remember, “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18)
No one fruit of Joseph’s efforts is very compelling by itself, but the combination of fruits lend considerable support to Joseph’s claim that God called him to be a prophet. Mormonism hold up quite well when measured against the Biblical test in Matthew 7 for how to tell a true prophet.
Christ gave his followers a method for discerning true prophets from false ones. He said,
“Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:17, 20)
Everything which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. (Moroni 7:16)
Most people agree that God is the embodiment of all that is wise, good and loving. So one barometer for judging if something is inspired of God is if it helps the quality of people’s lives improve, and helps them to have a more God-like character.
Matthew 17 teaches us that someone claiming to be a prophet of God, must produce good fruits to be a real prophet. Are the fruits of Mormonism good? In the language of Moroni 7, do the principles of Mormonism invite people to do good and believe in Christ? Because if it does, we can know it is inspired of God.
Centrality of Christ
The church is named after Jesus Christ: The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints
Jesus Christ is mentioned 3,925 times in the Book Mormon- a mention on average of once every 1.7 verses.
The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants are additional and independent witnesses of the resurrection for an increasingly sceptical world.
And as we study from Latter-day Scripture and from the Bible, Mormons gain a greater understanding of, and appreciation and love for Jesus Christ:
We know more about the atonement of Jesus Christ in addition to what the Bible teaches due to modern revelation.
For example, modern scripture teaches us that when Christ suffered, his pain was so severe that he shed blood from every pore of his body, giving us more insight into the extent of His suffering for us. (Mosiah 3 and Doctrine and Covenants 19)
We also learn that Christ not only suffered for our sins, but for our sorrows, pains and sicknesses. He did this so he could comfort, heal and strengthen us in addition to cleansing us from sin. (Alma 7)
We also learn that Christ's atonement extends to those who die without having an opportunity of learning about and accepting Him, as the gospel is preached in the post-mortal/pre-resurrection spirit world and vicarious ordinances are offered to them in temples of God.
We also learn that the atonement of Christ has the power to eventually transform us eventually, if we are willing, into a God like our Father, with a fullness of intelligence, love, and happiness.
These doctrines that God revealed through His modern day prophet are unique to the Latter-day Saints, and preach a Christ more loving and powerful than any other religion.
Devotion to the faith
Active Mormons give 10% of their income to help build up the church.
There are no paid positions in the church, which removes any doubt about their service being genuine.
Each person has a specific responsibility to serve and help with the programs and functions of the congregation, whether it be leading the choir, operating the library, or teaching the 4 year-old Sunday School class.
Each member of the congregation is responsible for visiting a few family’s households a month to provide friendship, share uplifting gospel messages, and assure their needs are being met.
Every year, millions of members, young and old embark on missions abroad to help others learn about Christ and His restored gospel and come closer to Him. These missions are not only unpaid, but generally cost $10,000.
There is a recent blog post by a non-member who has recognized the devotion and sacrifice Latter-day Saints exemplify: On patheos.com from David French, a Presbyterian “Six Reasons Why Mormons Are Beating Baptists” (In Church Growth)
One of his six reasons is the following:
“Mormon leaders ask a lot of their members. As our circle of Mormon friends grows and grows, I’m always amazed at the level of their church involvement compared to evangelicals. From giving (tithing), to service, to teaching, to raw number of hours in the church building, Mormons are simply doing more. To some evangelical critics, you’d think we lose members or grow less because we’re so demanding, but compared to the Mormon experience, an evangelical church is a carnival ride of short services, low accountability, and zero church discipline. If you’re a faithful Mormon, you’re not living a 95% secular life like so many evangelicals. A Mormon is truly countercultural.”
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frenchrevolution/2012/07/10/six-reasons-why-mormons-are-beating-baptists-in-church-growth/
Religious Education
Latter-day saint religious education programs are unequaled anywhere else. The following is a typical regimen of religious education an active Mormon receives during their formative years:
Starting at age 3, Mormons attend 3 hours of church services each Sunday.
In addition to Sunday meetings, they attend 1-2 other weekly meetings, where they experience fun activities, skill building, and spiritual nourishment.
They are taught the gospel in a family home evening lesson every Monday night.
During each year of high school, latter-day saint kids attend a free one-hour seminary class early in the morning before each school day. They study the Old Testament one year, the New Testament another, the Book of Mormon another, and the Doctrine and Covenants another.
Soon after graduating high school, millions of Mormons serve as missionaries for a couple of years where they basically 24/7 do nothing but study about and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
During college, the church has hundreds of buildings adjacent to college campuses where free religion classes are offered throughout the week.
Three impressive statistics stem from the above dose of religious education our youth receive:
#1- Mormon youth stick to the church when they’re adults at a higher rate than any other religion
Latter-day Saints keep more of their young people than any other religion. (http://fornspollfira.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-many-youth-are-we-losing.html)
The recent highly acclaimed book American Grace found that Latter-day Saints as a whole, men and women, have the strongest attachment to their faith of any of the religions studied.
#2- Mormons are rated higher than any other Christian Denomination for knowledge of the Bible and Christianity
In a 2010 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, they found that Mormons scored higher than Catholics or any Protestant denomination when answering questions about the Bible and Christianity.
#3- As Mormons gain more secular education, they are the most likely of any Christian denomination to increase in religious devotion
As seen in Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members, Jame T Duke
http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/latter-day-saint-social-life-social-research-lds-church-and-its-members/9-secularization
Quality of Marriage & Family Life
The church has the largest family history database in the world, and members have a strong desire to learn about and honor their ancestors.
Marriages and families are seen as eternal, and because of that added commitment and beautiful belief, mormon couples and families, although not perfect, more earnestly to keep their commitments to each other.
In modern day temples, marriages and families are sealed for time and all eternity.
Once a week families have a family home evening, where a combination of fun activities, spiritual messages, and family business is carried out.
Many non-members know that families are very important, and that it’s very apparent that Mormons try, although imperfectly to strengthen families
Selfless Service (Christ asked us to take care of the poor and needy, and said that his true disciples show love, one for another)
Welfare program
Church members fast once a month from two meals and donate the money they would have spent on those two meals. That money goes to help needy members with temporary financial set-backs in the way of rent money and food from the Bishop’s storehouse.
And the church uses tithing money to subsidize the following services for members:
-employment service centers
-addiction recovery support groups
-marriage and family counseling centers
Emergency Preparedness/Disaster Relief/Humanitarian aid
The Church and it’s members strive to always have an ample supply of emergency storage items. This has proven helpful when crisis hit around the world.
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/topic/humanitarian-services gives the following description of humanitarian aid in the Church:
-We provide relief and development projects in countries all over the world
-This humanitarian service can be emergency response to a natural disaster like a tsunami, or a man-made disaster, such as the effects of war and famine
-”The Church sponsors five ongoing global projects to help people become more self-reliant. Initiatives include neonatal resuscitation training, clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, vision treatment and measles vaccinations.”
Morals
“The scholars who produced the Austin Institute’s newly released Relationships in America interviewed 15,000 people, and by most measures of belief and practice, the winner is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or Mormons).
They found that the LDS church is far more effectively passing on classic Christian cultural beliefs, attitudes, and practices about (chastity and marriage.)
Take casual sex, for example.
Among regular churchgoers (three times a month or more), 57 percent of evangelicals had premarital sex with their future spouse, as did 64 percent of traditional Catholics, and 66 percent of fundamentalist Protestants. Just 14 percent of Mormons did.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/394510/mormon-advantage-maggie-gallagher
Reputation for goodness, kindness & dependability
Many people say that the Mormons they've known throughout their lives are some of the nicest people.
My colleague at the Middle School I used to teach at who has taught for over 25 years, said that time and time again she has noticed throughout the years that the Mormon students she had were on the whole more well-behaved, and a pleasure to have in class than students from other religions.
Many employees hire Mormons because they have a reputation for being trustworthy, responsible and hard-working.
The news reports a Mormon caught doing something dishonorable as surprising.
There is a new study that shows that Mormons and non-Mormons alike can, with a higher degree of accuracy than would be chance, spot a Mormon by just looking at a head shot.
A link to this fascinating study: http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/archives/1627
Women are Revered and Empowered in the Church
The recent highly acclaimed book American Grace reported on women in many faiths. It noted that Latter-day Saint women are unique in being overwhelmingly satisfied with their role in Church leadership.
Unlike in the Catholic Church and in most conservative Evangelical churches, women preach from the pulpit regularly in Latter-day Saint services.
Modern prophets have expressed their reverence for women by calling them the crowning creation of God.
In the Book of Mormon, an angel teaches the prophet Nephi about the love of God by showing Him a future event to come in the world pertaining to Mary with her baby Jesus. (1 Nephi 11)
In Mormon doctrine, unlike every other Christian church, Eve is seen as a hero for her decision, because only mortality could offer us the challenges necessary to becoming more like God, as God attested to in Genesis 3:22.
And lastly, Mormon women are empowered because of the restored knowledge of a Mother in heaven in addition to our Father in heaven.
And a bonus statistic...
Mormon women belong to the oldest and largest organization of women in the world!
Health
A 25-year study into the health habits and the longevity of the Mormon lifestyle by non-Mormon UCLA professors James E. Enstrom and Lester Breslow concluded the following: Mormon men live 10 years longer than other U.S. white males. Mormon women live more than five years longer than other U.S. white females.
I think some of the reasons for this are the word of wisdom, God blessing his covenant people, and the other morals and habits that govern Mormon’s lives.
Remember, “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” (Matthew 7:18)
No one fruit of Joseph’s efforts is very compelling by itself, but the combination of fruits lend considerable support to Joseph’s claim that God called him to be a prophet. Mormonism hold up quite well when measured against the Biblical test in Matthew 7 for how to tell a true prophet.
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