Glenn Beck: Jesus Is Not God

Don't think this has been discussed here yet. Don't know much about Mormonism but
of course with Islam, they also deny the holy trinity. Surprisingly enough I found this video from an article entitled Glenn Beck converts to Chrislam


I did little research on Mormon's but anyone care to elaborate for me who this Joseph Smith character is and why I should respect Glenn Beck's or any Mormon's decision on why they think Jesus is not God in man form?

I suggest you google Mormanism and read as much you can.

Here this will help you understand a Nontrinitarian belief.

Not defending Mormons or god(s) forbid Beck but Genesis 1:26 is where this kinda starts...

Gee so helpful thanks... I have and it looks like it goes in the same category as JW or Scientology. (Man-made up)

I believe in the Mormon faith they deny the trinity concept. But I thought they believed Jesus is God in their religion. I would need to see how they view Jesus and the concept of God.

Joseph Smith was the Mohammed of the west. This is why Islam and Mormonism have a lot in common.
-both are a works based system where your good works earn you favor with god
-both came late in the game, and we're spin offs of Judaism/Christianity
-both were founded by a human that received "special" revelation from "god"
-both of its followers worship it's founder, although their followers would say otherwise
-both misrepresent the character and nature of Jesus Christ
-both claim to be the "true" faith
-both either endorse, or turn a blind eye to polygamy
-both have an alternative history they adhere to despite the evidence to the contrary
-persons that leave the faith are doomed to hell
-both teach an afterlife full of sex for the men (as for the women, who knows)
-both try to persuade the world that they worship the same God as the Christians
-both are defended by the non religious on ATS (whenever Christians speak against them)

There are many others, I just gave you a few off the top of my head

Originally posted by cass1dy09
Gee so helpful thanks... I have and it looks like it goes in the same category as JW or Scientology. (Man-made up)

edit on 4-7-2013 by cass1dy09 because: @frankenchrist

All religions are made up by man.

Originally posted by kingofmd
Joseph Smith was the Mohammed of the west. This is why Islam and Mormonism have a lot in common.
-both are a works based system where your good works earn you favor with god
-both came late in the game, and we're spin offs of Judaism/Christianity
-both were founded by a human that received "special" revelation from "god"
-both of its followers worship it's founder, although their followers would say otherwise
-both misrepresent the character and nature of Jesus Christ
-both claim to be the "true" faith
-both either endorse, or turn a blind eye to polygamy
-both have an alternative history they adhere to despite the evidence to the contrary
-persons that leave the faith are doomed to hell
-both teach an afterlife full of sex for the men (as for the women, who knows)
-both try to persuade the world that they worship the same God as the Christians
-both are defended by the non religious on ATS (whenever Christians speak against them)

There are many others, I just gave you a few off the top of my head

edit on 4-7-2013 by kingofmd because: Grammar

While I think you've done an excellent job of exposing certain truths that I hold to personally, I'm not sure that this is a sufficient argument for the statement "Jesus is God". That is such a loaded theological statement that volumes and volumes of debate have been written about it for 2000 years. I would argue that it is still up for debate today (and rightly so) amongst Christians. Is He God, or is He the Son of God? The nature of the trinity is not as clear as most would like to claim, and the scriptures can be interpreted in a contradictory fashion depending on which denomination you subscribe to.

This cartoon cracks me up, because it is soooooo over the top, but I know quite a bit about Mormon theology, and it's pretty spot on. After the Enlightenment didn't do so much enlightening on society, at large, there was a big religious revival in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, both within Christianity (such as the original Jonathan Edwards) and beyond it. In the "beyond it" category are religions that attempted to bring modern scientific knowledge into spirituality. Mormonism is an example of that, even though Joseph Smith got a lot of the basics wrong.

Anyway, like I said, the narrator could stand to dial it back a bit, but the cartoon gives you the basics in six minutes.

reply to post by cass1dy09


Well... Beck is right about that at least... Jesus is not God

I have a thread on Mormonism... Questioning Mormonism

I know a few things about the religion... Joeseph smith basically ripped off the KJV bible claiming it was a new revelation... They believe the "nephites" had a visit from Jesus way back in the day, in north America... but unfortunately its clearly a lie... They took the sermon on the mount from the KJV bible verbatim... or word for word... I have a comparison in my thread... Basically... IF they actually did have an encounter with Jesus... He brought his own copy of the KJV bible..

They do not like to debate their beliefs... they love Paul and all his epistles

Honestly I've never met a Mormon I didn't like and I've met a lot of them... they are actually the nicest people you'll ever meet... Which leads me to believe there is probably something to that religion... IF I was in the market to change my beliefs I would look to Mormonism just because of the quality of people that religion produces...

Only through the use of the imagination does god exist, therefore all of religion is based on the imagination.

How people just refuse to accept this is either sheer insanity or utter ignorance.

Without humans, what praises god?

Without imagination, what praises god?

Without EVIDENCE, what praises god?

Originally posted by winofiend
Only through the use of the imagination does god exist, therefore all of religion is based on the imagination.

How people just refuse to accept this is either sheer insanity or utter ignorance.

Without humans, what praises god?

Without imagination, what praises god?

Without EVIDENCE, what praises god?

Consciousness refutes your easy and, so far, baseless assertion. Name calling with no intellectual exegesis. You know, consciousness, that weightless, massless, faster-than-light phenomena responsible for societal existence. Explain "consciousness" or go look in the mirror and call your own self "insane" and "ignorant."

Glenn Beck: Jesus Is Not God

Glenn Beck Is Not God...

End of story.

Joseph Smith probably falls into the category of "talented adept." He probably did have some kind of encounter with that aspect of humanity referred to as the "paranormal." Whether that something be what we might consider "Jungian-esque" or something truly otherworldly is, of course, hard to say.

Joseph Smith and the Magical Autumnal Equinox

A little more opiniated, but nevertheless has some good information:

Joseph Smith's Character?

More scholarly:

Scrying for the Lord: Magic, Mysticism, and the Origins of the Book of Mormon

Don't get me wrong: I love me some Mormons. In this sense at least: I've had many in my home to break bread, I've donated building materials to their causes, and when I was incapacitated by some fairly serious injuries, they helped me move my family. Fine folk and citizens in my experience.

Interesting sidenote: Many writers of the ufological persuasion consider Joseph Smith to be a classic contactee. To be fair; the Mormons respond that Joseph Smith and Mormonism are no more a part of the esoteric/magical realm than Aaron and his "rod."

Well this thread is interesting!

What I often wonder is why God or Jesus or the "holy ghost, doesn't just come and tell us already! (or send one of the angels to set us straight)

It sure would make a more peaceful planet to live on. Why the big secret? Just give us a clue every few hundred years at least.

Originally posted by The GUT
Joseph Smith probably falls into the category of "talented adept."

I don't remember having EVER disagreed with "The GUT"...

In FACT if there were a favorite poster on ATS, The GUT would be it for me.

I will go out on a limb and make an exception here though...

I see Joseph Smith as one of the best con man that ever lived.

Joseph Smith was well known as a practical joker who was famous for elaborate ‘jokes’ on his family and others in his sphere of influence.

The Mormon ‘archangel’ bears the name ‘MORONi’.

Coincidence? I doubt it...

I suspect that the whole Mormon ‘religion’ is Smith's most elaborate practical joke of all time.

Originally posted by Frankenchrist

Originally posted by cass1dy09
Gee so helpful thanks... I have and it looks like it goes in the same category as JW or Scientology. (Man-made up)

edit on 4-7-2013 by cass1dy09 because: @frankenchrist

All religions are made up by man.

edit on 4-7-2013 by Frankenchrist because: (no reason given)

I should say post 19th century and up man made.

Originally posted by winofiend
Only through the use of the imagination does god exist, therefore all of religion is based on the imagination.

Without knowledge, imagination can not be developed. (In an adult's state of mind anyhow)

Originally posted by Murgatroid
I see Joseph Smith as one of the best con man that ever lived.

Joseph Smith was well known as a practical joker who was famous for elaborate ‘jokes’ on his family and others in his sphere of influence.

The Mormon ‘archangel’ bears the name ‘MORONi’.

Coincidence? I doubt it...

I suspect that the whole Mormon ‘religion’ is Smith's most elaborate practical joke of all time.

You are the recipient of many stars from me as well. And con man is, probably, as good as description as any.

Consider this, however: Who is the greatest con in the universe? That ol' debil that's who. Like father, like son comes to mind.

Originally posted by Murgatroid

Originally posted by The GUT
Joseph Smith probably falls into the category of "talented adept."

I don't remember having EVER disagreed with "The GUT"...

In FACT if there were a favorite poster on ATS, The GUT would be it for me.

Agreed

I will go out on a limb and make an exception here though...

I see Joseph Smith as one of the best con man that ever lived.

Also agreed

I considered Mormonism fairly seriously for six months or so about a decade ago. Read The Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, as well as a variety of non-canonical texts. Then I went to look at some of the things that we've learned in the ensuing years and whether they supported, or disputed, Smith's claims. To a one, they disputed them.

With that in mind, I considered the background, actions, motivations and behaviours of Smith, as well as Brigham Young, and came to the conclusion that Smith made it all up, and there is nothing theologically sound about Mormonism. He contradicts himself, he changes theologies mid-stream, and he was guilty of plagiarism.

The only thing that was compelling to me was the claims of the witnesses to the plates, but in the end, I just couldn't put them down to being credible -- either they were lying, or Smith fooled them, and I lean toward the latter.

The subsequent behaviour of Young and the church, everything from the pedophilia to the Mountain Meadows Massacre to the way that they impose a 10% tax on all members and deny them access to the Temple if they aren't current on their payment to a church that refuses to release its financial records even to its own members, told me to put as much space between Mormonism and myself as possible.

How could Jesus be fully God and fully man? Show me one example of something being fully more than it is...