The Influence of Beliefs on Personal Identity
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism
SALT LAKE CITY UTAH
This is Heart of the Matter
Where we are learning together about walking in the faith in the age of fulfillment and I’m you host Shawn McCraney.
Show 23B Live response show to a Welcomed Break
Let’s have a prayer!
So, last week I offered 50.00 to the person who calls themselves fire in the sky to come forward and reveal their identity. My opinion, based on their attitude and comments, was that they were a follower of Calvin and the 50.00 was to be paid to them IF they were not Reformed.
(beat)
Haven’t heard anything from her or him yet – but the bet still stands. So if you can prove that you are Fire in the Sky, and are NOT a Calvinist, I will pay them 50.00 out of my empty wallet. Why?
Because their email was mean – mean spirited. It was judgmental. It was condemnatory and it was founded on the very same traits and characteristics that most – not all – but most, ardent sold-out Calvinists maintain in their hearts – from my experience.
Isaiah's Point on Worship and Identity
It’s really an interesting phenomena that happens with humans – but we really do become what we believe, embrace, follow and worship. Isaiah made this point when he talked about the idolaters and Pagans of his day taking a stump of wood, carving an idol out of it, and making it their God. Isaiah’s point was- the thing that they created is insensate: it has no ears to hear, no eyes to see – and you worship this thing, becoming blind and deaf too in the end.
True dat.
We had a saying in our house when the girls were young and impressionable – love the music but don’t become the music. We said this because so many kids in Jr high and highschool go to bed listening to Depeche Mode and go to school the next day dressed in black. The advice helped our girls to really enjoy all music styles and types but also allowed them to escape the trappings their peers fell into and to retain their own identity.
Interesting aside, Cassidy in high school one day tried to become the music and painted her little fingernails black. Her flamboyantly gay volleyball coach called her out and said something to the effect of, “Oh no no no no you don’t. That is other girls but that is not you.” I’m eternally grateful for his love and wisdom.
The Impact of Founders and Beliefs
The Mormons are also fantastic example of the fruit becoming exactly like the seed from which they originated as their founder was bent on money, women and power. I used to say this on the show years ago: From the seed comes the tree, from the tree comes the fruit, from the fruit comes more seeds – and on and on and on. And to the point – Calvinists are not one bit different. According to them they worship a God who created a world of people full well knowing He would only choose to save a few – and the rest He would send to an eternal hell. You someone really believes in that kind of God they are typically going to wind up not going to be very kind to others who are different than them. And they will often discover no reason to hold back harsh criticism of all people.
See, they believe that they were predestined to be God’s elect – and so they are often very proud, extremely arrogant – all in God’s name. Just listen to the debates or radio shows of a zealous Calvinist. Jesus said that the light of the body is in the eyes – watch em. Anyway, this “spirit” (which was fully present in their founder) is a spirit of murder – the putting to death of any and all who teach and believe differently than they do. And in the Spirit of Calvin, die hard Calvinists cannot help but become what they believe, striving hard to put to death anyone (reputationally) who disagrees with their dogmatic views of the faith.
They are as easy to identify a teenager sold out of rap or metal, a sold out Mormon, or a dying meth addict – all because you have embodied the traits of a mean, angry, unloving God.
I’ve mentioned it in the past but stay tuned to something that I know is going to take some hits but it is going to eventually reach out into the world of the non-religious which will help
Faith and Interpretation
to expose them to this faith in some very non-traditional ways.
But this will not in anyway effect what we already have in place, which includes
- thousands of videos chocked full of what we believe is some pretty good content.
- Over a thousand verse by verse teaching through the Apostolic Record for anyone to enjoy and use freely.
- Nine books also chock full of information for you to consider
- The Word of God set to music which goes a long way to introducing the words to memory.
- And weekly live shows and verse by verse teaching of the same.
Our request from you our viewers:
To pray for this ministry as you are lead and not by command, and to share the ministry with family, friends, and other seekers around the world. Introduce them to our YouTube Channel and our websites.
God will do the rest. And thank you all so much for your support.
Viewer Correspondence
We had a couple emails I couldn’t get to last week and I said I would open the show up tonight by reading them.
So first, in response to our show on Spirits, WingedInfinity wrote a heartfelt email that is important for us to address. She said relative to our show on Spirits in the world:
“Sorry, but this is not biblical whatsoever.”
And here we go – what is biblical and what is not. I probably read and study the Bible as much as winged infinity, or James White, or as most anyone out there does, and yet we continue to say to each other, “sorry, but that is not biblical . . . and winged infinity adds, “whatsoever.”
What I present is biblical sister, it’s the varied interpretations that are not the same. So, who’s right?
YOU? Tradition? Which tradition – Catholic, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormon, Protestant – which one?
Amidst all the views, winged, it really doesn’t matter who is right – because we really can’t tell.
What matters is who loves. Can you see this? I am trying to make this clear- points of view will always vary – and I think God knew this. That’s why he made so many ways to see things – but who will love along the way?
She continues and says:
Jesus Christ is part of the Godhead, and as such is PURE and Holy. He is God incarnate. He is able to have complete compassion for us by experiencing all our pain, but he was sinless because he was in fact God on earth. The Holy Spirit is also pure and sinless. When fully in the Kingdom of God we will be able to manifest as complete Spirit or Human/Spirit as well.
Sure. Why not? Love it. But most importantly, love YOU. See the difference? She adds:
Right now, we remain human in the flesh with a Soul and a Spirit. Our Spirit is holy and pure as God, but our Soul also exists and is connected to the flesh and therefore is corruptible. More importantly, JESUS was, is, and always will be a part of the Godhead and is not comparable to Adam.
I differ with you – but so what? We all see through a glass darkly. Can I love you, Winged? Can you love me? Accept me and my opinions? She adds
As for these theories in the video, there is not a "mixture" of spirits. All of God's children have the spirit of God.
I’m not so sure on that. It’s easy to say this, that the Spirit is the Spirit is the Spirit and there is no difference in them, but Jesus did say that He had to leave to send the comforter, and he said this while the Holy Spirit was working on people on earth – so . . .
Souls and Spirits
And then she adds:
“What I implore you to do research on are the EVIL spirits whom exist and we DO allow into our souls if we are aligning with Satan instead of God, which is actually quite common because we live in such a fallen world that uses much deceit and manipulation. Our souls are damaged on many levels by aligning with the enemy and unclean spirits use these soul wounds as portals. When we reconcile with God and start to truly walk with him, those soul wounds get healed and we are much less vulnerable. We tend to move WITH God's spirit / aka The Holy Spirit …. binding with our Creator instead
Understanding Biblical Perspectives
of binding with Satan. This is when we become a new creature / born again and can now receive the Keys to the Kingdom / Heavenly realm (on earth as it is in Heaven). If you diligently read the bible and ask God for the truth He WILL LEAD YOU RIGHT INTO IT. You go girl. Awesome. And she adds:
Recommendation on Faith Interpretations
If your theory or anyone else's does not TOTALLY line up with scripture, dump it…..it is useless and can be dangerous. Now remember this dogmatic stance, which she is entitled to, as she now adds:
JESUS ALWAYS WINS !!! HALLELUJAH TO THE LAMB OF GOD COMING BACK AS A LION !!! (beat) If your theory or anyone else's does not TOTALLY line up with scripture, dump it…..it is useless and can be dangerous. THE LAMB OF GOD COMING BACK AS A LION !!! (beat)
To offset her views, Aaron sent me an email which I thought was really insightful. He said: “Hey Shawn, Watched your shows on the Spirits of God and Christ. Could it simply be, that the Spirit of God leads people to be fair and just, and the Spirit of Christ leads people to be merciful?
Old and New Covenants
Doesn’t it make sense that the Old Covenant of law operated under the direction of God’s Spirit of fairness and justice? And, that the New Covenant of love, operates under the direction of Christ’s Spirit of mercy?” I realize that the God of the Old Testament was merciful and that Jesus was fair and just, but I think Aaron is really onto something important here. Perhaps God’s mercy was not fully available until Christ’s sacrifice – something like that – but the insight from Aaron was really good – they always are.
Finally, on a couple of emails from ____________ about Christians and LGBT we read: (read the papers Seth gave me)
New Testament Perspective
Okay. This is a super common issue many Christians have – in large part because they are seeing and understanding the world through what we might call “New Testament” eyes, which was a time when sin and Satan and death and hell were still operational. The question then becomes, CAN we love as Christ commanded if we are still living under the tenets of the apostles' written word?
We cannot. Because to operate by most of these tenets we have to believe that Jesus Church/Bride is still on earth, that she must be pure and without spot, that He is coming to take her in the future, and that all who are His must be pure and without spot.
Somehow and simultaneously, you must also believe that most of the Christians on earth qualify under these standards and that it is our purity and righteousness that sets us apart from the rest of the corrupt world.
I get this opinion because this view is frankly presented to them/then living in the apostolic age – and the apostles and Jesus (in Revelation 2-3) let them know (repeatedly) there is zero wiggle-room allowed for those seeking to be saved by His promised coming destruction.
However, however, the Bible reveals much . . . much . . . more. It tells us that THAT age will end, once Jesus takes his bride (which he promised he would and that the gates of hell would not prevail against her) and that once he did the world would enter into a time when material religion would end (because its shakable) and that God would then write his laws on our hearts and minds of those who are his, that this world – all of it – has been reconciled to the Father who longs to reconciled all people everywhere to himself.
In this position now, we look at all people as having been blessed by the victorious life and death of Jesus, and that the ball is now in their court as to whether they receive him by faith or not.
We also see that because God writes his laws on the hearts and minds of individuals, and that each individual is responsible for the lives that they choose to live – this includes people who are L G B or T.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, in the age of fulfillment, where the lingua franca is love, humility, and the fruit of the Spirit, it is truly incumbent on believers to look at others as better than themselves.
We have no idea what’s in the heart of others – gay, straight, or whatever. And knowing what is in our own hearts, the Christian ought to be the
Understanding Christianity and Inclusivity
Last person to ever throw stones – the last.
If Jesus has paid for the mountain of sin of one, and the teaspoon of sin of another, the debt has in fact, been paid. Try and see all people through this lens, let agape love for all endlessly flow, and perhaps IN this approach more people will come to see the value of receiving him by faith no matter their orientation.
Christian Reflections
Jean Paul Sartre once said that he has never met a man more evil than himself. I think Paul said something similar. In the question about LGBTQ and Christianity, I honestly think – truly – every Christian should wonder how ANYONE can truly be part of the faith.
Okay, let’s hit your emails from last week's live show:
Stephanie Smith
You are loving and kind, and hard when you need to be Shawn. Lots of great insight and as I always say, lots of food for thought. I am very thankful for this ministry. And were thankful for you.
Bobby Johnson
Yes!!!
Jack Dawson
Wow… Such great insight. The 2 calls from Brother Charley and Brandon were amazing. Brandon’s call really made me reflect that I’ve never seen 2 Individuals agree on every subject in the world. And if 2 people agree on everything then one of them isn’t thinking. I left the religion where “The thinking has been done.” In Christianity, I think God allows and even sometimes hopes we see things different so it doesn’t look like Christianity is just some fake conspiracy. Which is why the accounts in the Gospels of Jesus are so amazing. It shows the Bible isn’t just being made up by the apostles to create religion and control people/The Masses. The fact that Brandon accepts you as a brother even tho there’s disagreement is what Christian Fellowship should be about. Shawn you mentioned Ravi Zacharias (God rest his soul) and one of the best things I ever heard him say was, it’s ok to disagree, but try not to be disagreeable. What a great lesson for Christians today in the age of fulfillment. Thank you, Love you, God bless you my (without any qualifiers) brother.
Christi Roberts
Fire in the Sky…Shawn reaches out to people, with pure love and intention, who are searching to know God and Christ. Surely God, who knows Shawn's seeking heart, will work through him as He sees fit. Spread your own word, as guided by God, and let Shawn spread his. In the end, God will shore things up and reveal to all what we do not comprehend in full.
3 Itty Bitty Piggies Story Time
Loved it! "Challenge everything." "Trinity is trash," man-made and pushed by bullying, threats, abuse. That's not from Jesus. The early centuries of Christian evolution saw church members coming to blows and killing each other and genocide over which evolving version of Christ was right and must be followed, or else!
Definitions of Christianity
Madison Coon
28:35… man has been the only ones in creation whose entire ideology comes at the expense of all of creation, every being of light in a vessel which matters more than a book is beneath man… what happens when man is placed beneath all of them? Blueprints to destroy, you said it yourself, after 1900+ years only recently has slavery, murder, hypocrisy not been associated with the path of the bible blueprint. I think God lives, but man is a shameful creation. Not man like me, but man who knows the truth and uses those like me as fuel… maybe God is dead and heaven has been over run. My soul has been attacked since birth for nothing more than 1. not recalling my own name 2. not accepting the reality of slavery presented to me 3. surrounded by the aftermath of a 2000-year-old war in Heaven. Welcome to heaven folks. The tall whites are coming.
Gene Robbins
Going off question from last week on whether Mormons are Christian. From what I can gather, “Christian” is never defined in the Bible, but it is mentioned simply as an identity. And the name “Christian” was originally created and given by DETRACTORS of Christ-followers just as the name “Mormon” was by detractors of the restoration movement. And both names were then coined by the respective groups as identifiers. With that in mind, would it follow that no one today can specify what it takes to be a Christian (based on the “essentials” or whatever other devised lists)? Or determine who does/doesn’t qualify as
The Nature of Christian Identity
a Christian? But rather can’t only those ancient detractors—since they made the classification and created the name “Christian” based on THEIR rubric in the first place—definitively say who TRULY IS a Christian?
Great insights.
Madison Coon In this world where color is used as a weapon among those many forces protecting and disintegrating man, who is it that one should trust? when you wake to a world that IS nothing that it seems… alien warfare is what it seems like to me. They are all around us and "they" might look like us but they are not… its why we get the tattoos we do, wear the clothes int he order that we do and is it red or is it blue, you no doubt will say Jesus (purple), another one renamed without any remorse for so doing or care, IT does bother me his name was changed, he was disgraced, kingdoms have been built in his name that have enslaved mankind in his (new) name, no doubt my destiny shall be beneath even that… meaning, I am meaningless. Who cares what pure soul I have when the purest souls get torn apart after being tripped up by all knowing watchers who walk all around us! I wonder how many lives you have lived… what good is my presence when I am used as a resource. Mormon-Gold/black/white; Catholic-silver/black/white; Muslim-Green/black/white; Mormon-blue in white in black (sun?); Catholic-red in white in black; in the middle of an all out red vs blue spiritual war where brown and black are at top and bottom, yellow is constantly under threat, and what of the gray? Shawn, ITS ALL A LIE! to enslave man, why? because we are in hell. You say, where is the shred of proof of Mormon ideology, OK… Deganawida. Same land, same story, same history. There is one. Yellow/White/Black will never be accepted in this world.
Messages of Faith and Challenge
Gospel Messages For Latter-Day Saints I really love what you said about the Holy Spirit.
Bobby Johnson Oh man that story from Charlie just breaks my heart.
Gospel Messages For Latter-Day Saints Hello to the "Mecca of Mormonism" from Springfield, MO.
Old Religion Dystopia: Knowing Vs. Belief Sorry to say brother but, "shape shifting" is real. I wish it was just my opinion or belief. You know what they say about assumptions. Anyways I do appreciate your hard work concerning the word.
Expressions of Faith and Doubt
design core its true, the good news overcomes all, it has no rules because all have overcome all. what ordinance was worth pinning to yourself when your over the finish line. punch punch.
And then from last nights recorded show on Satan.
MyMagicman21 Question shawn is the LORD god in old T really evil just a thought I had beside on a passage in ot where hes said is there evil n god hasn't done it?
MyMagicman21 I love god but I just need to know
Bobby Johnson Oh man, that's just what I needed thank you.
Brandon Davidson I love Shawn and have for a long time, while our views on the second coming may be different, Shawn is a brother that I would happily serve beside till my work on earth is done. Many have abandoned him instead of prayer, many have disagreed behind his back instead of calling his show and dialoguing. If you don’t like a persons view, give them an alternative! The impact of shawns ministry is seen worldwide, the hammering of truth in his voice has broken the hearts and shattered the marred perspectives of countless LDS and pseudo-Christian alike.
Captrowdy49 Thank you Shawn.
