That Belongs In A Museum!

The article I will be reviewing is about Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of the Crystal Skulls

If this link does not work then go to Christianpost.com and type in the article title "Indiana Jones and the Origin of Life"

Alright, for those of you who are familiar with Indiana Jones you know that he is an obtainer of rare antiquities and adventure seeker.  Dr. Jones is a professor of archaeology at Marshal College, a fictional university in Connecticut.  He has searched for such artifacts as the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred stones of Shiva, and of course the Holy Grail.  The battle cry of Indy (as he is called by his acquaintances) is "That belongs in a museum!"  Truly Dr. Jones is one who cares for the preservation of important antiquities.

But as his newest film is now smashing through the wallets of people all across America (I don't particularly know how anyone can afford $10 for a ticket, $8 for a popcorn, and $6 for a drink) I am not quite certain that what Dr. Jones is searching for in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls belongs in a museum.  In fact, I would argue that it belongs in a sideshow exhibit.  You know, the kind where you know that what you will see is ridiculously fake.

Now for those of you not familiar with the "myth" of the crystal skulls let me bring you up to speed.  The crystal skulls are basically quartz crystal rocks that have been carved to look like skulls.  Legend suggests that these skulls were not crafted by any tool we are aware of (although modern science believes they were probably carved by diamonds), and that they are either relics of the city of Atlantis or advanced technology left behind by visitors from another galaxy (yeah, that means aliens).  Such legends have even begun to become more mystical as there are said to be 13 stones which contain enormous power.  Many who own these stones attribute to them psychic power and even the ability to heal.  The most common legends say that these stones are evidence of extra-terrestrial life.

Now you may balk at the idea of aliens (having seen enough movies to realize the foolishness of such beings), but the idea of extraterrestrial life is now beginning to infiltrate many religions.  Just recently I read an article written by the Associated Press where Jose Gabriele Funes, the director of the Vatican Observatory and Chief Astronomer, said that "the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside the Earth, even intelligent ones."  He even goes on to say that if they exist then they are also "God's creatures."

Throughout the month I will add some thoughts about aliens and extraterrestrial phenomenon, but for now let me simply provide a basic rejection of these beliefs.  The search for extraterrestrial life is the search to prove evolution.  It is a search which has at its very core a denial of God and of Creation.  Obviously being from Orlando Florida I am quite familiar with Kennedy Space Center and the space shuttles taking off and touching down.  The primary focus of each of those space shuttles is an attempt to prove that there is something else in the universe that can explain our existence other than the Bible.  If you are familiar with the SETI satellite then you know that it stands for "Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence."  That means, if you follow the trail, that our tax dollars are being used to fund research to disprove the Bible.  However, Scripture mentions nothing about any other intelligent beings outside of what God created on earth (excluding angels who were created to serve Him as agents to earth).  We must conclude therefore that if there were other intelligent life-forms in the universe that God would have mentioned something about them in His Word, and yet we find nothing.  But more on this later.

America's Next Top Mormon

The article I am going to comment on can be found at http://www.newsweek.com/id/135758

Suppose you were sitting at home, reading a good book, when all of the sudden a knock came at your door. You went to answer the door and there stood two men wearing black pants, white shirts, and black ties. On their shirt pockets they had name tags identifying them as "elders." They greeted you politely and told you that they were from the local Mormon tabernacle.

Now the question I want to ask you is not "How would you respond?" but "Would you know what separates them from you?" Would you know what they believe as well as what you believe? Let's face the facts, Mormonism is spreading all over the United States. Whether it is Mitt Romney running for the Republican Presidential nomination, and now possibly the Republican VP nomination, or David Archuleta and Brook White singing on American Idol, we are seeing an advance of Mormonism in our culture. And my fear is that we will begin to see Mormons as "alright people" even though they radically object to fundamental biblical beliefs. Many people might be inclined to look at our battle as more political or scientific and see Mormons as "religious people" saying that "the enemy of my enemy (in this case liberalism, evolution, abortion, homosexual rights - all of which Mormons oppose) is my friend." However, the Bible pictures the world much differently. Jesus made a contrast in John 3 using light and dark, and He said that all who are not a part of His light are a part of the darkness. In many senses that would then make Mormons as much our enemies as abortionists, liberals, homosexuals, and evolutionist because they are all in darkness and lost. It doesn't matter that they have some semblance of religion, only that they have no relationship with Christ.

That said, let me now turn my attention to some fundamental beliefs of Mormonism that are opposed to what the Bible teaches.

First, Mormons do not believe that Jesus is God. They see Him as a Prophet, and as God's Son, but not as God Himself. By the way, when Mormons say that they believe Jesus is God's Son they mean that God came down in a physical body, had a sexual encounter with Mary, and as a result Jesus was born. Therefore they see Jesus as half God and half man, while we see Jesus as fully God and fully man. If you tell a Mormon that Jesus is God they will object and try to point out John 14:28 where Jesus says that the Father is greater than the Son (even though this verse refers to the heirarchy of the trinity rather than the nature of the trinity). A good response to this verse is to quote Jesus' opponents in John 10:33 or to show them John's statement about the the beliefs of His opposition in John 5:18.

Second, Mormons do not believe in salvation by faith. An essential Mormon belief is that good works are necessary to obtain heaven. Ironically, Mormons believe that the only way to get into the highest heaven (for them there are three levels of heaven: celestial - the highest, telestial - the middle, and terrestrial - the lowest) that they must be married in a Mormon tabernacle. So you can tell the Mormon missionaries (who are single) at your door that they can't even get into the highest heaven according to their own system. A good passage of Scripture to point out to them is Ephesians 2:8-9.

Third, Mormons reject the Bible as authoritative. They believe in the book of Mormon and they will accept the Bible so far as it has been "translated accurately," and so far as it agrees with the book of Mormon. The phrase "translated accurately" for them is subjective, so any time that you quote a verse that does not match what they believe they will attribute that to an error in translation. Interestingly enough, they are willing to accept the book of Mormon as correct, which has no verifable history (no names, dates, or places can be proven as real) while they reject the Bible, which has been proven time and time again historically, scientifically, medically, and archaeologically. One question I always ask Mormon witnesses is, "Can you prove that any of the events, places, names, or dates in the book of Mormon were real?" If they are honest they must answer no. My response to them is then, "Well seeing that to be the case it seems that the Bible makes a much better case for it's accuracy and authority than does the book of Mormon."

While there are many other views that Mormonism has that are diametrically opposed to biblical teachings these should give you a basis on which to address Mormon witnesses the next time they show up at your door step. It is my hope that these comments will help you to better understand the culture that you live in and that you will be ready to be a witness to Mormons the next time you should meet.

Introduction & Outline

Hey, and thanks for taking the time to read this blog. My hope is that this blog will be helpful to those of you are interested in growing in your faith and better understanding the world around you in light of the Scriptures. Therefore I have named this blog "Where Culture Meets Christ." The inspiration for this title came from a book entitled "Christ And Culture" by Richard Niebuhr. In his book Niebuhr outlines the possible relationships between Christ and the culture. Everywhere we turn articles are being written, books published, idea proliferated, and news reports presented. Behind each of these is an ideology, and unless we are trained by the Scriptures to discern and discriminate against these ideologies we could easily be swayed by unsound doctrine. As a result, this blog will help us work through what is happening in the culture around us and be able to understand these things in light of the Word of God.
Now allow me to take just a moment to outline how this blog will be presented and maintained. Each month I will select an article that I believe needs to be addressed and hopefully link that article to this website for you to read. My main post, each month, will be on the contents of that article. Throughout the month, once every week or so, I will post comments on the selected article and my blog article that provoke further thought, consideration, and exploration into the topic. If you have any comments or questions you are welcome to attach those to the topic thread. However, let me remind you that whereas there is room to disagree in the body of Christ we must never be disagreeable, so please keep your comments Christ-like and courteous. I hope this blog serves to edify and equip you to be a more effective witness in an antagonistic world.