Comparing St. Paul and Joseph Smith

[Gunslinger08]

So I just had this epiphany.. Christians accept Paul's revelations and take his written word as the inspired word of God. His life was changed by a meeting with the resurrected Christ along the road to Damascus. He went on to write a good deal of the New Testament and to evangelize throughout his region of the world. Joseph Smith's life was changed by a meeting with the Father and the Son in a New York forest. God revealed the truth to him, which he wrote down in the Book of Mormon.

How is this different? Is the only real difference the fact that Joseph Smith's chance meeting occurred too recently for modern skeptics to accept as truth?

 

[mugs]

Yes

 

[loup garou]

?

 

[Gunslinger08]

Bump.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
Bump.

When you have to bump your own religion thread in OT, it's a sign that maybe..just maybe, you should let it drop.

 

[Conky]

The difference was that Paul met Christ and Joe Smith was delusional and wanted to start a religion to promote polygamy.

:beer:

 

[AdamMT1618]

Because Mormonism is conflictive towards Christian Theology.

 

[meltdown75]

hmm. maybe because one was one of the apostles? it's been known to carry a bit of weight. *shrugs*

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
hmm. maybe because one was one of the apostles? it's been known to carry a bit of weight. *shrugs*

Paul wasn't one of the original 12 apostles.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75
hmm. maybe because one was one of the apostles? it's been known to carry a bit of weight. *shrugs*

Paul wasn't one of the original 12 apostles.

did they pick him up as a free agent? waivers?

don't mind me, I'm Catholic. I forgot a lot of this stuff about 78 years ago. educate me, o wise one.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

David Koresh bumped into I Am in Waco. What is your point?

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: AdamMT1618
Because Mormonism is conflictive towards Christian Theology.

Or maybe Christian Theology is conflictive towards Mormonism?

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
So I just had this epiphany.. Christians accept Paul's revelations and take his written word as the inspired word of God. His life was changed by a meeting with the resurrected Christ along the road to Damascus. He went on to write a good deal of the New Testament and to evangelize throughout his region of the world. Joseph Smith's life was changed by a meeting with the Father and the Son in a New York forest. God revealed the truth to him, which he wrote down in the Book of Mormon.

How is this different? Is the only real difference the fact that Joseph Smith's chance meeting occurred too recently for modern skeptics to accept as truth?

Did Joseph Smith have any witnesses to his claim? There were men travelling with Paul who heard the voice that spoke to him.

Link

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75
hmm. maybe because one was one of the apostles? it's been known to carry a bit of weight. *shrugs*

Paul wasn't one of the original 12 apostles.

did they pick him up as a free agent? waivers?

don't mind me, I'm Catholic. I forgot a lot of this stuff about 78 years ago. educate me, o wise one.

As Saul (his Jewish name), he sought to destroy the early Church. On his trip from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christians, he met the resurrected Jesus and was converted to a lifelong follower of Christ. He then met some of the 12 apostles and went on to evangelize to gentiles. Peter disliked this, because his idea of Christianity was significantly different from that of Paul. Paul went on to write letters to various nations that he feared he would not have time to visit. These letters became the modern books of the Bible: Corinthians, Romans, etc.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Crazyfool
The difference was that Paul met Christ and Joe Smith was delusional and wanted to start a religion to promote polygamy.

:beer:

Bingo!

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: KLin

Originally posted by: joshsquall
So I just had this epiphany.. Christians accept Paul's revelations and take his written word as the inspired word of God. His life was changed by a meeting with the resurrected Christ along the road to Damascus. He went on to write a good deal of the New Testament and to evangelize throughout his region of the world. Joseph Smith's life was changed by a meeting with the Father and the Son in a New York forest. God revealed the truth to him, which he wrote down in the Book of Mormon.

How is this different? Is the only real difference the fact that Joseph Smith's chance meeting occurred too recently for modern skeptics to accept as truth?

Did Joseph Smith have any witnsesses to his claim? There were men travelling with Paul who heard the voice that spoke to him.

Link

Somehow I have a feeling that it would still be the way it is today if Joseph Smith had followers with him.

 

[AdamMT1618]

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: AdamMT1618
Because Mormonism is conflictive towards Christian Theology.

Or maybe Christian Theology is conflictive towards Mormonism?

No, because Christanity existed before Mormonism.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: AdamMT1618

Originally posted by: darkxshade

Originally posted by: AdamMT1618
Because Mormonism is conflictive towards Christian Theology.

Or maybe Christian Theology is conflictive towards Mormonism?

No, because Christanity existed before Mormonism.

And Mormons believe pretty much everything that Christians do. It's the extra stuff that differentiates the two.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75
hmm. maybe because one was one of the apostles? it's been known to carry a bit of weight. *shrugs*

Paul wasn't one of the original 12 apostles.

did they pick him up as a free agent? waivers?

don't mind me, I'm Catholic. I forgot a lot of this stuff about 78 years ago. educate me, o wise one.

As Saul (his Jewish name), he sought to destroy the early Church. On his trip from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christians, he met the resurrected Jesus and was converted to a lifelong follower of Christ. He then met some of the 12 apostles and went on to evangelize to gentiles. Peter disliked this, because his idea of Christianity was significantly different from that of Paul. Paul went on to write letters to various nations that he feared he would not have time to visit. These letters became the modern books of the Bible: Corinthians, Romans, etc.

interesting stuff. thanks for the reply. so he became an apostle of sorts after his meeting with Jesus? or was he an official apostle after that?

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
interesting stuff. thanks for the reply. so he became an apostle of sorts after his meeting with Jesus? or was he an official apostle after that?

He was basically official after meeting with the original apostles and telling them his story.

Many people argue that Paul made Christianity into something it wasn't meant to be. He was the one who first wrote of the idea that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. He created the idea of redemption and of grace. The original apostles basically wanted an extension of Judaism, which included believing in the Messiah. They even wanted to keep Jewish law, such as kosher food laws. Paul created Christianity to appeal to the masses of gentiles.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75
interesting stuff. thanks for the reply. so he became an apostle of sorts after his meeting with Jesus? or was he an official apostle after that?

He was basically official after meeting with the original apostles and telling them his story.

Many people argue that Paul made Christianity into something it wasn't meant to be. He was the one who first wrote of the idea that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. He created the idea of redemption and of grace. The original apostles basically wanted an extension of Judaism, which included believing in the Messiah. They even wanted to keep Jewish law, such as kosher food laws. Paul created Christianity to appeal to the masses of gentiles.

so basically Paul was trying to make it more accessible, or all-encompassing?

perhaps he wanted as many people as possible to feel what he felt when meeting Jesus.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75
interesting stuff. thanks for the reply. so he became an apostle of sorts after his meeting with Jesus? or was he an official apostle after that?

He was basically official after meeting with the original apostles and telling them his story.

Many people argue that Paul made Christianity into something it wasn't meant to be. He was the one who first wrote of the idea that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. He created the idea of redemption and of grace. The original apostles basically wanted an extension of Judaism, which included believing in the Messiah. They even wanted to keep Jewish law, such as kosher food laws. Paul created Christianity to appeal to the masses of gentiles.

so basically Paul was trying to make it more accessible, or all-encompassing?

perhaps he wanted as many people as possible to feel what he felt when meeting Jesus.

And that takes us back to the Paul vs. Joseph Smith argument. Both refined Christianity based on a vision of God, even though their revisions weren't accepted by the prominent Christians of their time.

 

[Malak]

Joseph Smith met nobody, his religion is an offshoot of an embarrassed cult, and none of their beliefs are even close to that of which God has already decreed. There is reason to believe Paul, no reason to believe Joseph. Any religion offshoot since the disciples are wrong. They are not new prophets or new revelations. Every religion offshoot(starting with catholicism) are simply cult followings and have no basis in christianity.

 

[glenn beck]

http://www.contenderministries.org/mormonism.php

 

[AdamMT1618]

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75

Originally posted by: joshsquall

Originally posted by: meltdown75
interesting stuff. thanks for the reply. so he became an apostle of sorts after his meeting with Jesus? or was he an official apostle after that?

He was basically official after meeting with the original apostles and telling them his story.

Many people argue that Paul made Christianity into something it wasn't meant to be. He was the one who first wrote of the idea that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. He created the idea of redemption and of grace. The original apostles basically wanted an extension of Judaism, which included believing in the Messiah. They even wanted to keep Jewish law, such as kosher food laws. Paul created Christianity to appeal to the masses of gentiles.

so basically Paul was trying to make it more accessible, or all-encompassing?

perhaps he wanted as many people as possible to feel what he felt when meeting Jesus.

And that takes us back to the Paul vs. Joseph Smith argument. Both refined Christianity based on a vision of God, even though their revisions weren't accepted by the prominent Christians of their time.

Christ gave St. Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, to bind and to loose. So it is not up to Joseph Smith to "refine" Christanity.