Niemand wrote: ↑March 25th, 2022, 2:59 am
Robin Hood wrote: ↑March 24th, 2022, 4:58 pm
Niemand wrote: ↑March 24th, 2022, 1:24 pm
Miracle of Forgiveness doesn't merit its title. If you read it, it's a wonder if anyone gets forgiven at all.
Yes, as someone said, it contains such joys as masturbation being next to murder and turning you gay. Considering how many teenage boys do that, you'd think almost all men would grow up to become murderous queens. I think it constitutes a sin, but next to murder? No. Whole different ballgame.
It doesn't say masturbation is next to murder.
Have you read it?
I wish it didn't. A number of sins are equated with adultery and murder in the book. Like this list, where he basically did an "info dump" as they call it in creative writing circles. In fact, it lists some things that most Christians will do repeatedly in everyday life, all put next to the sin against the Holy Ghost which is the one sin which is unforgiveable and
even worse than adultery, fornication and murder.
"Murder, adultery, theft, cursing, unholiness in masters, disobedience in servants, unfaithfulness, improvidence, hatred of God, disobedience to husbands, lack of natural affection, high-mindedness, flattery, lustfulness, infidelity, indiscretion, backbiting, whispering, lack of truth, striking, brawling, quarrelsomeness, unthankfulness, inhospitality, deceitfulness, irreverence, boasting, arrogance, pride,
double-tongued talk, profanity, slander, corruptness, thievery, embezzlement, despoiling, covenant-breaking, incontinence, filthiness, ignobleness, filthy communications, impurity, foolishness, slothfulness, impatience, lack of understanding, unmercifulness, idolatry, blasphemy, denial of the Holy Ghost, Sabbath breaking,
envy, jealousy, malice, maligning, vengefulness, implacability, bitterness, clamor, spite, defiling, reviling, evil speaking, provoking, greediness for filthy lucre, disobedience to parents, anger, hate, covetousness, bearing false witness, inventing evil things, fleshliness, heresy, presumptuousness, abomination, insatiable appetite, instability, ignorance, self-will, speaking evil of dignitaries, becoming a stumbling block; and in our modern language, masturbation, petting, fornication, adultery, homosexuality; and every sex perversion, every hidden and secret sin and all unholy and impure practices." (p. 25)
So in that quote, it lists masturbation next to murder and adultery. It also lists "backbiting", "flattery", "boasting, arrogance, pride, double-tongued talk, profanity" alongside murder. "Lustfulness" too which is a very broad brush.
I'm not saying these things are good necessarily, just that even putting some of these in the same category is ridiculous. If I stub my foot and swear, or gossip, that is being put in the same category as me having sex with someone's wife, or killing her husband. Ditto being angry or hateful (in a minor degree) or being impatient or argumentative ("quarrelsomeness"). If you're "ignorant" of something that is also a sin according to this list, although to be ignorant (in the original sense, i.e. not rudeness), that is lacking knowledge about something. See also "foolishness, slothfulness, impatience, lack of understanding". If you disobey your parents as a child, then you are on this list too. Even though every child does this at some stage (and usually regrets it later).
There are a few of these terms which could be read in more than one way, or might be unclear to readers. "Striking" (industrial action or hitting someone?), "cursing" (four letter words or putting a curse on someone?), "lack of natural affection", "disobedience in servants", "instability" (unreliability?!), "corruptness" (which can mean several things)...
"The "filthy dreamer" of the day or night, or an adulterer who still has desires toward the object of his sin, who still revels in the memories of his sin, has not forsaken it "with all his heart" as required by holy scripture." (p. 333)
This sounds to me that if you get what some people call a "wet dream", which I believe all boys do when they go through puberty (if they're healthy) then you are being equated with an adulterer. Given that every man also has, erm, a certain physioological condition in the early morning, whether they are lustful or not, then I can see this kind of talk being very confusing to teenage boys.
Or this gem. If you commit the same sin again then you have not repented.
"We can hardly be too forceful in reminding people that they cannot sin and be forgiven and then sin again and again and expect repeated forgiveness." (p 360)
I agree that if one does not truly repent, then one will repeat sin, and one shouldn't do it again and again, but there are those who do genuinely repent and manage to repeat the same sin more than once. This is true of addictions which are very hard habits to break. If someone is trying to give up smoking, and relapses two or three times, then we're told here they're not to expect forgiveness.
These repeated sins according to his own list above, would include anger, impatience, hatred, ignorance, foolishness etc. None of which are good, but things that most of us have on a regular basis.
It should be called
It's a Miracle if you get any Forgiveness.
"One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation." (p 206-207)
That isn't Christianity.
Or this:
"That transgressor is not fully repentant who neglects his tithing, misses his meetings, breaks the Sabbath, fails in his family prayers, does not sustain the authorities of the Church, breaks the Word of Wisdom, does not love the Lord nor his fellowmen."
In other words, you're told to attend church and obey its hierarchy, but faith in Christ won't save you (previous quote).
Instead of asking why so many people don't like it, we should maybe ask why so many people do. Personally, I won't miss it if it goes, even if it is being removed for the wrong reasons.
LDS books go through fashions. "Miracle" is out, and Callister's
Infinite Atonement is in.