Mormon Terminology

22 July

Just something to think about…

Mormon Terminology: Gentile

To the Mormon, a Gentile is anyone who is not a Mormon, this includes the Jews.

“Having in mind the principle that Gentiles are adopted into the lineage of Israel when they accept the gospel, and that those who fail to believe the truths of salvation (no matter what their lineage) lose any preferential status they may have had, it is not inappropriate in our day to speak of members of the Church as Israelites and unbelievers as Gentiles.”  Mormon Doctrine, pg. 311.

 “For Latter-day Saints, “Gentile” generally means “not Latter-day Saint,”.”  Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 541.

 I asked a good friend of mine who is a Messianic Jew how she felt about the statement that she is considered a Gentile by the Mormon Church.  The look on her face said it all as she turned around and walked away without saying a word…

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9 Responses to “Mormon Terminology”

  1. discoveringgrace July 22, 2011 at 4:33 pm #

    I know I’ve probably asked you this question before but what is it with Mormons wanting to be identified with OT Jews and thinking they’re living in a (for the lack of a better term) modern day Israel? – Melissa

    • lifeafterministry July 22, 2011 at 7:27 pm #

      Well we’ve probably talked about this before but refreshers are always good yes?

      Mormons like to think they’re Zionists. They believe they are the one true church, their religion is how you’re going to live with God forever and ever because they’re the true Jews.
      Now the ideology of believing they’re the true Jews came about through none other than Smith himself. D&C 86:8-11; “Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—9 For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—10 Therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.11 Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen.”

      This teaching tricks the Mormon people into believing a lie about the heritage, priesthood and genealogy of the Jews, not to mention Jesus. If they can strip him of his power and place it upon their own shoulders it gives them power.

  2. Camden Coughran July 22, 2011 at 6:25 pm #

    Well, I guess the Muslims have their “Infidels” and the Mormons have their “Gentiles”. Now I am not saying Muslims and Mormons are the same, just that they both have a particular name for people that don’t believe in their “only true religion”. All those that call on the Name of Jesus as their Lord, will become sons and daughters of God. See, many Mormons believe they are descended from Jewish lineage. They are told they are either from the tribe of Ephraim or Mannessah. You know, Joseph (coat of many colors) married the Egyptian woman Asenath and they had two sons.
    I think the whole deal with the OT Jew correlation is that the OT Jews were bound under the Law. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law and all the feasts and sacrifices performed in the temple, were just a shadow of things to come. The Holy One of Israel came and atoned once and for all for all of mankind. He also laid down the 2 most important commandments we should live by; Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself

  3. Camden Coughran July 22, 2011 at 6:37 pm #

    Do you remember the parable of the wedding guests? The master sent the servant to invite the guests for the wedding and they refused to come. So the master sent the servant out to the streets and told him to invite anybody that wanted to come. Salvation had always been promised for the Jews, the Messiah was coming to redeem Israel. Read Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. When the Jews rejected their Messiah, Jesus, salvation was opened up for all who would believe and put their trust in Him.
    Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

  4. shematwater July 25, 2011 at 7:17 pm #

    Going from a more pure LDS perspective, I think it funny how people like to twist things around.

    First, the most common definition of the term gentile within the scriptures and other LDS writing is non-Israelite. Yes it is used at times to refer to non-members, but it has not been used in that way for a while, and that form was never common.

    Second, we do not seek to identify with the OT Jews, but with the faithful of all ages, whether it be at the time of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, or the apostles. To be counted among the faithful is the desire. As such we do not seek to distance ourselves from anyone who was faithful to God, no matter what age or dispensation they may have lived in.

    Third, we do not teach we are descended from the Jews. We are descended from Israel, yes, but then so is almost every person now alive as the tribes of Israel have been scattered throughout the world. I myself am of the tribe of Ephraim, but there are others from every tribe.
    Yes, we make a distinction between each tribe, not calling the entire nation after just one.

    As to Camden’s interpretations, I think he should learn more before he tries to explain others doctrine.
    Before the time of Moses they had the same gospel that Christ taught (Galatians 3: 8), and at the time of Moses it was offered, but the Israelites rejected it (Hebrews 4: 2). This same gospel was a covenant made by law with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

    It is always amusing to see what people who have no understanding will say about LDS doctrine and tradition.

  5. CamdenC July 25, 2011 at 10:29 pm #

    Wow. I thought you and I were having a discussion. Why do you refer to me as if you are talking to someone else? I never said I was a scholar of the Bible or Mormonism. Just trying to have a discussion and get to the root of it all.
    The promise given to Abraham was in direct reference to Jesus. The descendants of Abraham (Hebrew) were to be the line of the Messiah. They are God’s chosen people. Salvation was offered first to the Jew, then the Gentile (non-Jew). The OT Jews knew that there was going to be a Savior, they rejected Jesus in 33 A.D. cause He wasn’t the “conquering King” that is also prophesied in the OT. Gal. 3:8 is revealing prophecy that eventually all nations would be blessed by a descendant of Abraham, Jesus the Christ, from the House of David. The OT Jews had the “good news” in that if they were faithful to believe that God would provide them a sacrifice to end all sacrifices, they would be justified and saved.
    While we are on the subject of tribes… Wasn’t Ephraim (and Manessah) born to Joseph and Asenath in Egypt? That would make him 1/2 Hebrew and 1/2 Egyptian. The curse or “Black skin” was carried through the flood by Ham’s wife, Egyptus. (wasn’t she the mother of all the Egyptians? Seriously, I don’t have my copy of the P of GP in front of me) So if that is correct, descendants of that tribe have “negro blood” in them. B.Young said that even one drop of negro blood would prohibit a man from holding the priesthood. How did ya’ll get around that before 1978? How did J.S. get the priesthood, wasn’t he from Ephraim too? Or was the blood diluted enough by then? And no, I am not trying to be facetious, I really want to know…

  6. shematwater July 26, 2011 at 4:42 pm #

    CAMDEN

    I apologize for any insult. I have been having a few rough weeks lately and it seems to be affecting my comments.

    As to the promise to Abraham, and the gospel he received, I know we have a different understanding of this.
    First, to most Christians I speak to the gospel refers only to the Atonement of Christ, that last sacrifice. To the LDS it encompasses everything he taught as well. The promises, the commandments, the sacrifice, all were revealed to Abraham and he was given the promise that, not only would the messiah be of his lineage, but that the promises of the gospel would be offered to his descendants before they were offered to the rest of the world (Jew then Gentile). Along with this promise he also received all the promises of the gospel, which were confirmed as a law to him (meaning that he to was under a law, just not the law of Moses; 1 Chronicles 16: 15-17).

    As to the Ephraimites being descended from an Egyptian, there is no problem in this. History tells us that the Hyksos people concurred Egypt, but retained the name. As the Hyksos were white, being descendants of Shem, when Abraham took Hagar (an Egyptian) and Joseph took Asenath to wife, the ruling class was no longer descendants of Ham, but of Shem, and so there is none of the black race within the tribe of Ephraim.

  7. CamdenC July 26, 2011 at 9:09 pm #

    It’s all good… we will be praying for you that the Lord will bring peace to your life and take away the “rough stuff” or at least lessen some of the burdens you may have.
    I too have been having a tough time lately… it is so HOT here! I have to leave my family temporarily for a job assignmnet and I have been a little irritated by that. But hey, in today’s economy I thank God all the time that I still have a job.
    Grace and peace be with you…

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