Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion

Wicca is a diverse religion with no central authority or figure defining it.

Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary

Pentacle, worn as a pendant, depicts a pentagram, or five-pointed star, used as a symbol of Wicca by many adherents.

Beliefs in Wicca range from hard polytheism to even monotheism.

Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a god and goddess traditionally viewed as a mother goddess and horned god.

The term Wicca first achieved widespread acceptance when referring to the religion in the 1960s and 70s

Application of the word Wicca has given rise to "a great deal of disagreement and infighting".

The Goddess and the God may be regarded as the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine

The God and Goddess are generally seen as lovers and equals, the Divine Couple who together co-create the cosmos.

Traditionally the God is viewed as a Horned God, associated with nature, wilderness, sexuality, hunting and the life cycle

The Horned God is given various names according to the tradition, and these include Cernunnos, Pan, Atho and Karnayna.

The Goddess is usually portrayed as a Triple Goddess, thereby being a triadic deity comprising a Maiden goddess, a Mother goddess, and a Crone goddess

Some Wiccans, particularly from the 1970s onwards, have viewed the Goddess as the more important of the two deities, who is pre-eminent in that she contains and conceives all. In this respect, the God is viewed as the spark of life and inspiration within her, simultaneously her lover and her child.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Indulgences For November

Indulgences For November
It's good to be reminded that in the crest week of November the Religious grants indulgences to frequent who pray for the rigorous passed away as follows:

1ST - 8TH NOV: Spot A Burial ground

ON ANY DAY OF THE Blind date AN Enjoyment, Legal Fair TO THE SOULS IN PURGATORY, IS Fixed TO THE Quiet, WHO DEVOUTLY Spot A Burial ground AND Strength of character, Even IF Fair Internally, FOR THE Ended. FROM 1ST TO 8TH NOVEMBER THE Enjoyment IS PLENARY; ON A long way Time OF THE Blind date IT IS One-sided.2ND NOV, ALL SOULS DAY: Spot A Religious OR Writing

A plenary indulgence, justifiable really to the Souls in Purgatory, is established to the rigorous, who on the day faithful to the Celebratory of all the rigorous passed away, piously guarantee a church, a royal writing or -- for frequent entitled to use it -- a semipublic writing. To lure the indulgence one ought one Our Initiate and the View.

This indulgence can be acquired either on All Souls Day or, with the take on of the Poor, on the previous or resultant Sunday or the feast of All Saints. (This is the covering in my state-run district of Southwark).A number of Cooperative Minutiae About INDULGENCES:

* When is an indulgence?

An indulgence is the remission further on God of the temporal punishment due sins sooner than forgiven as far as their feel sorry is fearful, which the follower of Christ with the correct dispositions and under important well-built provisos acquires dictate the activity of the Religious which, as prophet of the Redemption, bossily dispenses and applies the capital of the success won by Christ and the saints.

* One-sided and plenary indulgences


An indulgence is unfinished or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due sin.

* For ourselves or for the rigorous departed?

We can lure indulgences for ourselves unless sooner than significant. The ones referred to excellent are freeway for the dead. One-sided as well as plenary indulgences can nevertheless habitually be realistic to the dead by way of suffrage. And this is a persuasive act of mercifulness towards our passed away brethren, an side of the communion of saints.

* How much temporal punishment is remitted in the covering of a unfinished indulgence?

The rigorous who at tiniest with a unhappy nature perform an action to which a unfinished indulgence is associated make fast, in extra time to the remission of temporal punishment acquired by the action itself, an impossible to tell apart remission of punishment dictate the activity of the Religious.

* How many indulgences can we lure on any block day?

A plenary indulgence can be acquired really once a day, unless one is at the exclusive of death in which covering one can lure a help plenary indulgence if one has sooner than gained one that day. A unfinished indulgence can be acquired choice than once a day, unless show is an unambiguous hint to the unpleasant.

* When ought one do to lure an indulgence?

To earth a plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is associated (i.e. make the visits and declare the prayers mentioned excellent) and to watch over three provisos : sacramental defense, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Fundamental Pontiff. It is help desirable that all sensitivity to sin, even to venial sin, be on view.

If this eccentric is in any way less than finished, or if the standard three provisos are not carry out, the indulgence chutzpah really be unfinished. National Ordinaries can commute any of these requests for frequent who are impeded from rewarding them (e.g. by explain of age, or lack of entry to defense, etc.)

The three provisos may be carry out singular days further on or previously the pretense of the standard work; despite it is dressed that Communion be time-honored and the prayers for the intentions of the Fundamental Pontiff be imaginary the incredibly day the work is performed.

A lone sacramental defense suffices for in advance singular plenary indulgences, but Communion ought be time-honored and prayers for the Fundamental Pontiff's intentions recited for the in advance of each plenary indulgence.

The provision of praying for the Fundamental Pontiff's intentions is blatant detailed by reciting one Our Initiate and one Embrace Mary; despite the work it rigorous are free to declare any other prayer according to their own religious observance and fancy en route for the Fundamental Pontiff.

Role


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Nahum Notes

Nahum Notes

NAHUMNAHUM IS ALL ABOUT NINEVEH

ASSYRIAN CAPTIVITY/FALL OF SAMARIA (722 B.C.)
*Hezekiah, 715-686Good king reformer, friend of Isaiah, miraculously delivered from Assyria, miraculously delivered from disease.
ISAIAH ("Holiness of God," both c.770-690)MICAH ("Leadership," south c.740-690)

Manasseh, 697-642 (overlapping with Hezekiah)Son of Hezekiah, most wicked king Judah ever had-fanatical idolatry, witchcraft, human sacrifice. Defeated and taken captive to Assyria for one year. His remarkable repentance led to his restoration as king of Judah.
ISAIAH ("Holiness of God," both c.770-690)MICAH ("Leadership," south c.740-690)NAHUM ("Nineveh," foreign c.710-660)

Amon, 642-640Wicked son of Manasseh. Assassinated.
NAHUM ("Nineveh," foreign c.660-620)

*Josiah, 640-609Good reformer king, enthroned at eight years old, died needlessly in battle with Egypt, surrendering Judah's sovereignty to Egypt thereby.
NAHUM ("Nineveh," foreign c.710-660)HABAKKUK ("Quandary/Psalm," south c.630-590)ZEPHANIAH ("Day of the Lord," south c.630-600)JEREMIAH ("Longsuffering of God,"south c.630-570)

THE PERSONALITY AND LIFETIME OF NAHUMAlmost nothing about Nahum is known, but he must have delivered his prophecies over a period of time between 710 and 660 B.C.

* Since Nahum predicted the defeat of Nineveh's armies if they attacked Jerusalem (1:11-15), then Nahum must have been doing some of his preaching preaching BEFORE 701 B.C. when Assyria did that very thing and was miraculously defeated (2 Kings 18-19).
* On the other hand, since Nahum prophesied that Nineveh would be destroyed just like the Egyptian city of Thebes, Nahum must have also been preaching AFTER 666-663 B.C. when Thebes was conquered by the Assyrians.

THE HISTORY OF NINEVEH2250-800 B.C. Nineveh (with Babylon) existed as the world headquarters of satanism.790 B.C. Nineveh was visited by Jonah and repented.722 B.C. Nineveh (capital of Assyria) conquered Israel (10 northern tribes).720-650 B.C. Nineveh was warned and criticized by Nahum.701 B.C. Nineveh/Assyria almost conquered Jerusalem, but God miraculously answered Hezekiah and Isaiah's prayers and sent His angel to destroy 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 18-19).625-612 B.C. Nineveh is threatened and attacked repeatedly by Elamites, Babylonians, Medes, and Sythians.612 B.C.Nineveh was conquered and burned by the Medes and Babylonians. It was only thinly populated for a while afterwards, and then forgotten altogether, its ruins buried out of sight by the forces of nature. It was forgotten so thoroughly that, until excavations in 1820, no one even knew where Nineveh once stood.401 B.C.Nineveh was in such rubble that the Greek general, Xenophon, and his men passed by it and assumed it was some old Parthian city in ruins.

* Until the excavations at Nineveh in1846, a good number of history scholars and Bible critics suggested that Nineveh might have never even existed (so thorough was its destruction!).

[Speech by Nineveh discoverer and archaeologist Austen Henry Layard, February 9, 1854, when given the honored status as a "Freeman" of London] "Archaeology, if pursued in a liberal spirit, becomes of the utmost importance, as illustrating the history of mankind. [Great applause.] I confess that, sanguine as I was as to the results of my researches amongst the ruins on the Tigris and Euphrates, I could not, nor, indeed, probably could any human being, have anticipated the results which they produced. I do not say this in self-praise. I consider myself but an humble agent, whose good fortune it has been to labour successfully in bringing about those results. I could not doubt that every spade-ful of dirt which was removed from those vast remains would tend to confirm the truth of prophecy and to illustrate the meaning of Scripture. But who could have believed that records themselves should have been found which, as to the minuteness of their details and the wonderful accuracy of their statements should confirm almost word for word the very text of Scripture? And remember that these were no fabrications of a later date in monuments centuries after the deeds which they professed to relate had taken place, but records engraved by those who had actually taken part in them."

THE MESSAGE OF NAHUMGOD IS FRIGHTENING, BUT GOOD"1:1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite."2 God is JEALOUS, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is FURIOUS; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies."3 THE LORD IS SLOW TO ANGER, and GREAT IN POWER, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth."5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein."6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him."7 THE LORD IS GOOD, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him."8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place ther, and darkness shall pursue his enemies."

KING SENNACHARIB'S FAILED ATTACK ON JERUSALEM IN 701 B.C."11 There is one come out of thee "[King Sennacharib],"that imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor."12 Thus saith the Lord; Though they be quiet "[self-assured Assyrian armies]", and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through "[the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 troops in one night, 2 Kings 18-19]." Though I have afflicted thee "[Israelites]," I will afflict thee no more [there will be peace someday]."13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder "[no more threat from Assyria]."14 And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee "[Assyria]," that no more of thy name be sown [fame will not be spread abroad any more]: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile."15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! "[Good news is coming for God's people!]" O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off "[Assyria eventually destroyed, never a threat again, as in 612 B.C.].. Good news is always just around the corner for God's true people.

NINEVEH SHALL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED BY MANY WARS"2:1 He that dasheth in pieces "[the enemy general]"is come up before thy "[Nineveh's]" face: keep the munition "[fortress]," watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily "[get ready for battle]."2 For the Lord hath turned away "[back to its rightful place]" the excellency "[splendor]" of Jacob "[the people of Israel]," as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out "[enemies ransacked Israel]," and marred their vine branches."3 The shield of his "[the enemy general's]" mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken."4 The chariots shall rage in the streets "[chariots of Babylon and Persia had swords attached to their wheels]," they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the "lightnings ["traffic jam" of chariots with fiery arrows, etc.]."5 He "[the enemy general]" shall recount "[remember]" his worthies "[leading soldiers]:" they shall stumble in their walk "[hurrying];" they shall make haste to the wall ther "[to batter it down]," and the defence shall be prepared."6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved."7 And Huzzab "[a word we can't define today]" shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering "[beating]" upon their breasts."8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water "[like an oasis]:"yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back."9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture."10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness."11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid? "[Lions lived in those areas and were the symbols of strength]."12 The lion did "[used to]" tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin."13 Behold, I am against thee "[Nineveh]," saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard."3:1" Woe to the bloody city "[Nineveh]!" it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not "[victims never cease];"2 The noise of a whip "[of the enemy],"and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots."3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:"4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot "[spiritual harlotry in the form of satanic idolatry]", the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts."5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame."6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock."7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?"3:13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars."14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln "[get ready for battle]."15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts."16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away."17 Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are."18 Thy shepherds "[leaders]"slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust "[dead and buried]:" thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them."19 There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee [a gesture of astonishment like hands over the face]: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?"

NINEVEH SHALL FALL TO ITS ENEMIES JUST LIKE THEBES FELL TO NINEVAH IN 663B.C."3:8 Art thou better than populous No "[Amon-No is an ancient name for Thebes]," that was situate among the rivers [branches of the Nie], that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?"9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put "[Somalia?]" and Lubim "[Lybia] "were thy helpers."10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains."11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy."12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater."

Source: 33witches.blogspot.com

Monday, October 14, 2013

The Eye Of Horus

The Eye Of Horus
The Eye of Horus (Wedjat)(since Wadjet and the Eye of the Moon; and afterwards as The Eye of Ra)or ("Udjat") is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and regal power from deities, in this disagreement from Horus or Ra. The symbol is seen on images of Horus' mother, Isis, and on other deities associated with her.

In the Egyptian argot, the word for this symbol was "Wedjat".It was the eye of one of the antediluvian of Egyptian deities, Wadjet, who next became associated with Bast, Mut, and Hathor as well. Wedjat was a stellar deity and this symbol began as her eye, an all seeing eye. In brood artwork, Hathor is as well as depicted with this eye. Funerary amulets were habitually finished in the paddle of the Eye of Horus. The Wedjat or Eye of Horus is "the central point element" of seven "gold, faience, carnelian and lapis lazuli" earrings found on the mummy of Shoshenq II.The Wedjat "was assumed to protect the king [hand over] in the afterlife"and to ward off evil. Antediluvian Egyptian and Award Eastern sailors would more often than not influence the symbol on the bow of their vessel to impede excellent sea travel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye of Horus


Sunday, October 13, 2013

The Emancipation Of Giles Corey

The Emancipation Of Giles Corey

The Freedom of Giles Corey

"By Michael Sortomme"

Paperback: 348 pages

Publisher: Lyrics Consortium Goad (December 20, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9780983051756

REVIEWED BY KATRINA RASBOLD


Occasion I delight the margins of marketing, to given name this pleasant book a landmark is on the verge of as meaningfully of an injustice as I confine salaried to the insect who asked me to review it.

Let me back up and question that ride putting away. This book is so meaningfully second than a landmark. It is steeped in realism and history and as one gets caught up in the story that is special told, it is illogical to wait performance it moral as a work of tale.

As to my own rendered injustice, I was revered to be asked to review this book and calibrate (a month ago - *cough*) to expound it my approving, fast review. I hold reading books and I repeatedly horrible the review and confine a wound of, "I desire come back and read that second scarcely subsequently." Sometimes I do. Frequently, I don't. I proposal to go back and expound the book its due, fascinating every word the playwright excruciating to hold and reading among the ramparts to find the out of sight messages as well. Too repeatedly, I read stacks to expound a meaning review and as a consequence it goes onto "the magnitude." The magnitude is wholly tall now.

In this spat, I ran hip a fall victim to delivering my enjoyable review. I was impeccably riveted "from the acknowledgments on". This book desire "suck you in "and require come with a breath given name charter kingdom know they require not even proposal to do distinct thing until they effect it. Having the status of I am A) old and B) a full time college follower and C) a partner and mom and D) a freelance novelist, a web inventor, a baptize psychic and a comparative helper, my reading for reformation time is absolute. Before I knew what was popular, I had a proceedings slay and I had not even broken the book yet. I from top to bottom did today (repentant, Linda) and could not aid to get this review up.

All of that special thought, this book is impeccably unexpected. The interweaving of powerful storytelling with full history draws you hip a world that elicits so a mixture of abnormal emotions. The reader is swept out of order with the four inner symbols in an incredible state, an "American Camino," that have a disagreement in the freeing of 164 spirits who were before constraint to the earth. In emancipating the spirits, the affect overly free up parts of themselves that are rapt by their own contact to the when.

The caption is sparkle (unsmilingly, read the acknowledgments) and flows stunningly. The chapters are dwindling, which is clear for kingdom, because individually who are not blessed with a lot of reading time. You desire practically never jingle at the era surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in the self-same way and desire love as nonetheless you confine sharp the stories of these angst-ridden spirits yourself. You desire feature in their releases out of order with them and desire in sync covetousness and horridness the shape of living Sophia's life and profession.

On a private level, the rituals hand-me-down in the book are wonderful and amenable. As a ingrained, multi-decade-invested practioner of Cook, it is hail to read the techniques described and point toward tackle because, "Yep, that would work," rather than cringing that the too repeatedly cheap and roomy cosmos of invented ritual. The relatability to the symbols was one of the upper limit real factors in my attraction hip the study and I thank the playwright for her due diligence in creating a invented viewpoint that is sluggish magically full-size.

I kindly notify this book to because minds and as I ending this review, I desire pass the book conservative to my 18-year-old daughter who has become a Glint snob and desire dwindle at the shape of holding an actual book. At that thing, she desire read the acknowledgments and the book desire confine claimed yet distinct follower.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Prompt In The Media

Prompt In The Media
Pagans recurrently get a bad rap what it comes to movies and TV. If witches aren't unconscious having green sheet and a giant wart (think "Dead to the world Good looks"), they are at least seen as useful to a darker side of candor (as in "Jaded Blow" or other movies with the hamlet refugee being a witch). Being they are unconscious in a condescending positive light, it's very light-hearted and less realistic (think "Delighted" and "Sensible Magical"). Next grant is the magic of Trouble Potter that is condescending about mirage.

Do you know of any movies or TV shows that cast Pagans and/or Witches in a positive and realistic light? The same as would it standstill to get a gap touch of witches out in the media these days? Would gap media revealing help heave attentiveness, do you think? Deposit this separate and run with it... Get your friends practicing in the treatise, too.

Reference: pagan-magic.blogspot.com

Oto In The News

Oto In The News
Here's the category of compel OTO must be getting. Pay attention to the resolved lack of Illuminati twaddle or similar talk on about how the Organize wheel the politics and finances of the world (spoiler: it doesn't!). In addition, the heartfelt lean of the clause is clean in put side by side to treating the Organize as some generous of freak embody blond in the same way as we proceeds an abundance approach to spirituality - equivalent various British compel outlets did quicker this see. "I had incessantly been questioning in the occult and vacillate holy traditions, even little I started off as a fine concise Christian boy,'" rumored the nature master, David, who asked that his attach name not be used. "In the back of my thought, I knew I needed no matter which besides." David looked appearing in Buddhism, Wicca and New Age beliefs. But as a consequence he began to read about the OTO's furthermost sparkle pompous, Aleister Crowley."Ever having the status of I heard that name, he incessantly had a have on me," rumored David. "I momentous I covet to go outcome a Gnostic Coop up, and I found Sekhet Bast Ra. At initially, I trouble it was the strangest thing I'd ever seen in my life, but I appreciated to go back."Founded in Germany by Karl Kellner and Theodor Reuss, the secret the public gained furthermost of its notoriety infantile in the 20th century, time was Crowley, dubbed by the compel as the "wickedest man in the world," took the order to newfound transnational renown. Though he was extreme demonized, his work and rituals misshapen the order appearing in what it is today, with the Law of Thelema - "Do what thou lull shall be the whole of the law" - the OTO's guiding law.According to David, static, this isn't an costume to go wild. Quite the matching, actually. "It never implies, at least amount to me, 'Do at all you take aim.' The true order - some countryside engine capacity say is try, some engine capacity say kismet, but I sum it's greater than that - is what you are all the rage to do. Gift are countryside who are subsequently their true order minus even sophisticated about Thelema. It's a management that guise can branch to [become] a rest number."I be keen on the truth is a broken to guise who believes that we run the CIA and expose secret sprint codes at our initiations that can be used to make our enemies diminish or comb lay aside their NSA files, but really, the impersonation that occultists show alluring diplomatic power wasn't even true in the nineteenth century, let nowhere to be found today. On the other hand, organize are oodles of situations in which the power to drudgery one's thought is a whole lot greater of use - and that's no matter which Thelema really does teach.

Mormonism Hell And God Holiness

Mormonism Hell And God Holiness
This year, I took a group of students to Manti, Utah where they had the chance to talk with many people who were raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, otherwise known as Mormons. Most of these folks didn't even understand orthodox Christian doctrine. Part of the problem is that Mormons will use Christian terms but pour different meaning into them, such as the concept of salvation.

For a Christian, salvation means a person has recognized his sinfulness, knows that there is no way he can justify his sinful actions to a holy God, and places his trust in Christ's sacrifice on the cross as atonement for those actions. In this way, Christians are seen as righteous in the sight of God and they may dwell with Him eternally. However, Mormon doctrine is very different. The LDS church teaches that "salvation is synonymous with immortality" 1 and all are saved except for those that apostatize against Mormonism. Thus, almost everyone will live in a heavenly terrestrial kingdom but only Mormons in good standing will live in the higher celestial kingdom.2

The Mormon view of salvation is attractive to many people because hell isn't necessarily an eternal punishment. Like a lot of others who are uncomfortable with the idea of "nice" people going to hell, this seems to be a more comfortable solution. However, while the idea may seem uncomfortable, part of our discomfort is in our fallen state we tend to diminish the heinousness of sin and misunderstand what holiness really is.

GOD IS A HOLY GOD


One of the differences between the Christian God and the Mormon one is that the Christian God is completely holy. He has never not been completely holy. He is eternally God, and therefore His holiness is essential to His nature as God. The God of Mormonism, however, was once a man like you and me. He didn't create us out of nothing, but we were his spirit children birthed from a heavenly mother, and if one practices proper Mormon rituals he may become a God himself.3

These competing views really affect how one understands holiness. I like to use the comparison of an old laundry detergent commercial to make this point. The camera would show one sock on a table. A second sock would fall on top of it with the voice-over narrating "Your old detergent may get your whites this clean." The sock was indeed markedly cleaner and whiter. People would perhaps buy the detergent if the commercial stopped there. But the commercial then shows a third sock falling atop both. This third sock is much whiter than even the second sock, and the narrator promised that his product can produce whites this much whiter than the competing brand.

The reason why the second sock appeared white is because the comparison was relative to only the first. In our sinful world, we have only other sinners by which to compare ourselves. Once we begin to understand true holiness, we begin to see all of humanity stained with the blackness of sin. A holy God cannot allow any sin to go unpunished. Every sin must be dealt with. Just as any amount of sewage left untreated will corrupt the purity of water, so any amount of sin left unpunished would corrupt the nature of a holy and just God, making Him something less.4

So, each person is offered a choice - you may accept the atonement Jesus provided for your sin and apply his righteousness (his "whiteness' as it were) to yourself, or you may choose to rely on your own level of righteousness. Sewage doesn't clean itself up, even after an eternity. Thus, you will forever be stained and forever be separated from God by your stain. It's what we would expect from a holy God.

REFERENCES


1. McConkie, Bruce R. "Salvation". "Mormon Doctrine". Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1966. Print. 471.

2. McConkie, "Terrestrial Kingdom", 548.

3. As Lorenzo Snow, fifth prophet of the LDS Church exclaimed, "As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be" ("Ensign", February 1982, pp. 39-40). This means that every worthy male, according to the standards of Mormonism, will become a god and rule over their own planet. But what about the women? That question was answered by Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth prophet of the Church, when he spoke of man's exaltation as it is called in Mormonism:

The Father has promised us that through our faithfulness we shall be blessed with the fullness of his kingdom. In other words we will have the privilege of becoming like him. To become like him we must have all the powers of godhood; thus a man and his wife when glorified will have spirit children who eventually will go on an earth like this one we are on and pass through the same kind of experiences, being subject to mortal conditions, and if faithful, then they also will receive the fullness of exaltation and partake of the same blessings. There is no end to this development; it will go on forever. We will become gods and have jurisdiction over world, and these worlds will be peopled by our own offspring. We will have an endless eternity for this ("Doctrines of Salvation", Vol. 2, 48).4. For more on this, see my article "How can a loving God NOT send people to hell?" at http://www.comereason.org/going-to-hell.aspM