A Moral Resurgence (MT, Open)

[Empire of Donner land]

-Removed-

[Shazbotdom]

A Formal declaration of war on the Scandinavian Empire by the Empire of Donner Land.

Your human rights abuses end here. You have angered our populace and our government from the very start. We Condemn all actions by your nation and declare war. Your barbaric actions such as burning by the stake will be met with force. As we speak we are Mobilizing troops. We will give you until tommorow to discuss peace terms. If you deny you will be destroyed.

Head of Goverment Harolds Veraski to The Scandinavian Empire
"You dispicable filth."

Tag....

[Kahanistan]

From the desk of Tobias Al Hakim, President of the Central New Masada Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Mr. Patriarch Thomas III,

The brutal oppression of the Scandinvan Empire is so notorious that it rarely even receives a condemnation from the Free Republic of Kahanistan, whose people and government expect no better. This new set of legislation, however, threatens to drive the faithful from God, convincing them that He is evil and tyrannical, and will lead to not just the occasional harmless homosexual but active resistance against the Church. It is thus that as a man of Christ I am forced to condemn the actions of the Scandinvan Church.

Attached is a file detailing the numerous theological and moral errors in the new law.

1. All individuals are given a 24 hour grace period following publication of this message to turn themselves over to a Inquisitorial Processing Facility where they shall receive reeducation and immunity for previous crimes.

Forgiveness, then, to those who go and sin no more. This is perhaps the only section with which most Christians in this country will agree, assuming the conditions of the Inquisitorial Processing Facility are humane. The term has a very negative connotation in Kahanistanian English, however.

2. All persons failing to turn themselves over shall be subject to any and all statutes of this decree.

Given the cruelty of the statutes in question, this is a bad thing.

3. All people found guilty of proselytizing false faiths shall be burned at the stake.

Alma 43:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires. Not only no burning at the stake, no penalty seems found for those who worship the One God according to their understanding of Him.

4. All folk found to be preaching socialist ideologies shall be declared heretics and subject to execution.

Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Might want to start declaring the author of the Book of Acts a heretic then.

5. Any man who is convicted of sodomy shall be burned as an apostate.

Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

While God may have given people over to sin, these were idolaters who only later became sodomites when God degraded them as punishment for their sin. They were apostates first, sodomites second. While sodomy may be a sin, it is not the same as apostasy, it is not a renunciation of the faith.

6. All members of organizations promoting vile doctrines are hereby declared blasphemers who are to be gibbeted upon capture.

Where should we begin? The racists or the religious fundamentalists?

7. Any person proclaiming the benefits of miscegenation are to cast upon the pyre as befits their vile heresies.

I've yet to find a passage in the Bible or Book of Mormon that suggests race mixing is a sin, and I have been studying both books for over 60 years.

8. People who dare speak against the institutions of slavery are found to be in defiance of divine law. They shall be executed upon confirmation of their spread of lies in opposition to divine truths.

Mosiah 2:12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you; 13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you— 14 And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. 15 Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day. 16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?

Unequivocally opposed to slavery and the last verse looks pretty socialist to me. Also see my replies to sections 3 and 6.

9. Promotion of democracy shall be considered to be a grievous insult to the Church and Empire. As such, any individual advancing it shall be subject to Inquisitorial reeducation and punishment if needed.

Alma 46:11 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah. 12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. 13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land— 14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.

10. All persons practicing the falsehoods and vagaries of magic are to be drawn and quartered.

Witchcraft is mentioned as a sin punishable by death in the Old Testament, but nowhere is such a cruel method of execution prescribed. If there is sufficient evidence of black magic, why not hang them like in the late 17th century?

11. Only persons born to pure and true Scandinvan lines are to be considered proper Scandinvan Catholics.

The word "catholic," from Greek katholikismos, universal doctrine, is perhaps then not the proper word to describe your racist church.

12. Defying the will of the heir of Erid is hereby declared to be heresy.

So you put your Emperor as an equal to God? Heresy is not the First Commandment. Idolatry is.

13. Contention of the legitimacy of canon laws is thus proclaimed to be apostasy at best and complete heresy at worst.

One, it should be "heresy at best and complete apostasy at worst." A heretic shares most of your beliefs. An apostate completely rejects the faith. The legitimacy of canon law is tied to the legitimacy of the legislator, and given the cruelty of the canon law and its open rejection of many key Christian tenets, it is difficult to accept it as legitimate.

14. Aiding and abetting the escape of persons proscribed by these dictates and slaves in general shall be condemned to hard labor for life in the deep mines.

Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

[The Scandinvans]

Snip.

Mazhrit of the Velsturman people,

We must deny your request. We do not have the capacity to grant leniency to any of the people we are punishment for their severe transgressions against both the Glorious Empire of the Scandinvans and the will of the Almighty whose will is revealed to us in the Bible. Any attempts to to compromise our positions would only dilute the integrity of our people. All existing dogma of the Scandinvan Church further demands that we apply a unerring set of punishments to those who would violate the conventions that are between man and the divine.

“My brothers and sisters, our faith is founded upon a single moral. A strict interpretation of the Bible. We understand, unlike so many others, that it is not our place to interpret the holy words written by the Prophets and Apostles. We know that the only true method to understand and follow the Bible is to rely on Scripture in our daily lives. By our understanding of the Bible do we find strength. The strength that we need to live our lives, the strength we need to defend the Faith, and the strength we need to save the world.” (Patriarch Daniel III anu Gerald ap Erida)

Whilst your mercy is an admirable quality. We, as leaders, cannot defer from the actions that are demanded of us by holy proscriptions and properly devised precedents. Though my heart is in pain whenever I must condemn someone to the pyre I understand that I merely performing my duty. When the world is at last brought into the second kingdom such harsh brands of justice might be suppressed and replaced by a more humane system control the deviance innate in many people. Until that great day, we must continue down the path.

Signed,
Thomas III,
Patriarch of the True Church,
Servant of Erid,
Voice of the Faithful,
Defender of the Word,
Holy Peter's Appointed Successor

[The Scandinvans]

Tobias Al Hakim,

I must state that I am quite surprised that a follower of the heretic Joseph Smith has any command of the revealed word of God. However, I must emphasize that the books of Smith are not divinely inspired documents. Nor should your ilk be allowed to access the testaments. I have answered your baseless claims below.

Given the cruelty of the statutes in question, this is a bad thing.

“There is no mercy in this world, or the next, for those who turn away from God.” (Saint Gregory, Redeemer of Vismer)

We must be cruel to the heathen and the heretic so that we might correct them. Without intervention we condemn the people of this world to an existence of sadness in this world and damnation in the next.

Alma 43:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires. Not only no burning at the stake, no penalty seems found for those who worship the One God according to their understanding of Him.

"And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds." (2 Corinthians 11:12-16)

It is the duty of our people to stamp out the incorrect interpretations of divine doctrine and to suppress those who would preach in error. We cannot in good conciseness allow them to further degrade themselves or potentially spread their corruption to others.

Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Might want to start declaring the author of the Book of Acts a heretic then.

"“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents,to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents." (Matthew 25:14-28)

"Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thessalonians 4 9-12)

We ban socialism due to the fact that it advocates the abolition of private property and demands the control of economic activities by a single entity, the government. This is in clear contrast to the ancient traditions of all Biblical practices and all peoples. Whilst communal land has existed in villages, it was never held in control by the government of a nation. Men must be allowed to command their property and to benefit from it. Socialism would seem them stripped of their righteously earned property.

Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

While God may have given people over to sin, these were idolaters who only later became sodomites when God degraded them as punishment for their sin. They were apostates first, sodomites second. While sodomy may be a sin, it is not the same as apostasy, it is not a renunciation of the faith.

"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." (Romans 1:26-28)

"Those who forsake their natural roles becomes animals in spirit. They forfeit their connection to God by their selfishness." (The Book of Erid)

By turning to homosexuality men forsake their divinely ordained role. They are in turn apostates worthy of only the pyre.

Where should we begin? The racists or the religious fundamentalists?

There are countless delusions inspired by the incorrect and fundamentally tainted ideologies of those who would seek to make the word of God serve their ends. The truths which the Scandinvan Church is founded cannot be altered.

I've yet to find a passage in the Bible or Book of Mormon that suggests race mixing is a sin, and I have been studying both books for over 60 years.

"No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation. 4For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaimb to pronounce a curse on you. 5However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live." (Deuteronomy 23:3-6)

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your own. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you." (Deuteronomy: 7 1-4)

"We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons." (Nehemiah 10:30)

Whilst it is difficult to completely rule out that a man may lay with his concubines regardless of origins, it becomes abundantly clear to those who truly understand the revealed word that the Almighty has elevated his selected folk to be superior to all others. We are not to marry outside of the chosen peoples and we cannot raise any children of mongrel blood into our ranks. If we were to allow the children from mixed unions to become equal we welcome corruption into our ranks and lower ourselves to the level of the degenerate heathen. It is only by preventing the rise of the inferior peoples as our equals that we remain capable of providing the world with the blood needed to bring about the establishment of second kingdom.

"So to you my people do I make a new Covenant. You shall be my wardens against the filth spread after the triumph of my son over sin and death. You shall be elevated as the Israelites once were as my protected and precious people. You shall be the heralds of the pure faith when it has become sullied by the lies of those seeking to raise man up to the level of the divine. You shall follow all the laws truly as my annoited people. You alone can be the priests of the faith so long as your blood remains true." (The Book of Erid)

Mosiah 2:12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you; 13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you— 14 And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. 15 Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day. 16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?

Unequivocally opposed to slavery and the last verse looks pretty socialist to me. Also see my replies to sections 3 and 6.

Once more do you throw your heretical swill around as if it is worthy of overriding the Bible.

"Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them." (1 Timothy 6:1-2)

"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ." (Ephesians 6:5)

The Bible quite clearly allows the enslavement of the heathen and relegates all people held in thrall to eternal servitude.

"However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way."
(Leviticus 25:44-46)

Alma 46:11 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah. 12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. 13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land— 14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.

"In a world which extols the benefits of mob rule and demagogies we stand against the tide. We realize that the individual is the ultimate decider of their own fate and any links he has to others are forged solely from blood, common morals, and honor. Democracies inherently deny that principle, suggesting the falsehood that everyone is responsible for everyone by denying you self hood. In lieu of this we must realize that a monarchy is the only type of government advocated by the Almighty Lord. Through apostolic succession and the example of King David do we learn that God intended for his chosen peoples to be governed by a ruler. Indeed God does elevate certain bloodlines over others, such as seen by the fact Jesus was born to the blessed line of David." (Patriarch Simon III)

Witchcraft is mentioned as a sin punishable by death in the Old Testament, but nowhere is such a cruel method of execution prescribed. If there is sufficient evidence of black magic, why not hang them like in the late 17th century?

Fire is the punishment awaiting all those who would accept such evil in their hearts and rest assured we have proper methods of ensuring an equitable justice system is in place.

The word "catholic," from Greek katholikismos, universal doctrine, is perhaps then not the proper word to describe your racist church.

I have little regard for the words of someone whose prophet gained his 'insight' from reading from a series of metal plates who dug up in a forest and read from a hat. Though I must profess that such a person sounds akin to a mentally deranged person who would benefit from being committed to a proper hospital.

So you put your Emperor as an equal to God? Heresy is not the First Commandment. Idolatry is.

"Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience." (Romans 13:1-5)

"The chosen heirs of Erid are the appointed guardians of the Faith on Earth. Their will is that of God when grounded in forbearance to the Almighty." (The Book Erid)

You once more speak in defiance of the scripture and rational Biblical conclusions.

One, it should be "heresy at best and complete apostasy at worst." A heretic shares most of your beliefs. An apostate completely rejects the faith. The legitimacy of canon law is tied to the legitimacy of the legislator, and given the cruelty of the canon law and its open rejection of many key Christian tenets, it is difficult to accept it as legitimate.

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (Peter 2:1-22)

It is our obligation so snuff out deceit wherever we might find it. The harshness of these laws are born from necessity and Biblical principles. Canon law has been established by the Saints through proper insight into the divine plan and by centuries of careful deliberation on the part of the clergy. Your own conclusions are mostly born form the faith born from the mind of a demented fool and by the innate evil which lurks in the nation form which you hail. Your people would assuredly benefit from the instructions into the faith that only slavery can give unto you.

Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Can a farmer who knowingly hides a diseased fruit in a bushel be held guileless? The needs of the faith demand harshness and uncompromising dedication as the law of the Bible commands. We cannot allow compassion to rule us when the enemy threatens to tear asunder our religion. I do not find joy in much of my work, but I understand that I am bound by duty to do it. Any man who feels joy when signing a death warrant does not deserve to pass judgement on them. I do what the Almighty requires me to do so as to ensure that humanity might one day be saved as a whole.

Signed,
Thomas III,
Patriarch of the True Church,
Servant of Erid,
Voice of the Faithful,
Defender of the Word,
Holy Peter's Appointed Successor

[Kahanistan]

Tobias Al Hakim,

I must state that I am quite surprised that a follower of the heretic Joseph Smith has any command of the revealed word of God. However, I must emphasize that the books of Smith are not divinely inspired documents. Nor should your ilk be allowed to access the testaments. I have answered your baseless claims below.

Given the cruelty of the statutes in question, this is a bad thing.

“There is no mercy in this world, or the next, for those who turn away from God.” (Saint Gregory, Redeemer of Vismer)

We must be cruel to the heathen and the heretic so that we might correct them. Without intervention we condemn the people of this world to an existence of sadness in this world and damnation in the next.

Alma 43:9 And now the design of the Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies; and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, yea, and also their liberty, that they might worship God according to their desires. Not only no burning at the stake, no penalty seems found for those who worship the One God according to their understanding of Him.

"And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds." (2 Corinthians 11:12-16)

It is the duty of our people to stamp out the incorrect interpretations of divine doctrine and to suppress those who would preach in error. We cannot in good conscience allow them to further degrade themselves or potentially spread their corruption to others.

Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Might want to start declaring the author of the Book of Acts a heretic then.

"“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents,to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents." (Matthew 25:14-28)

"Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thessalonians 4 9-12)

We ban socialism due to the fact that it advocates the abolition of private property and demands the control of economic activities by a single entity, the government. This is in clear contrast to the ancient traditions of all Biblical practices and all peoples. Whilst communal land has existed in villages, it was never held in control by the government of a nation. Men must be allowed to command their property and to benefit from it. Socialism would seem them stripped of their righteously earned property.

Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

While God may have given people over to sin, these were idolaters who only later became sodomites when God degraded them as punishment for their sin. They were apostates first, sodomites second. While sodomy may be a sin, it is not the same as apostasy, it is not a renunciation of the faith.

"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." (Romans 1:26-28)

"Those who forsake their natural roles becomes animals in spirit. They forfeit their connection to God by their selfishness." (The Book of Erid)

By turning to homosexuality men forsake their divinely ordained role. They are in turn apostates worthy of only the pyre.

Where should we begin? The racists or the religious fundamentalists?

There are countless delusions inspired by the incorrect and fundamentally tainted ideologies of those who would seek to make the word of God serve their ends. The truths which the Scandinvan Church is founded cannot be altered.

I've yet to find a passage in the Bible or Book of Mormon that suggests race mixing is a sin, and I have been studying both books for over 60 years.

"No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation. 4For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaimb to pronounce a curse on you. 5However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live." (Deuteronomy 23:3-6)

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your own. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you." (Deuteronomy: 7 1-4)

"We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons." (Nehemiah 10:30)

Whilst it is difficult to completely rule out that a man may lay with his concubines regardless of origins, it becomes abundantly clear to those who truly understand the revealed word that the Almighty has elevated his selected folk to be superior to all others. We are not to marry outside of the chosen peoples and we cannot raise any children of mongrel blood into our ranks. If we were to allow the children from mixed unions to become equal we welcome corruption into our ranks and lower ourselves to the level of the degenerate heathen. It is only by preventing the rise of the inferior peoples as our equals that we remain capable of providing the world with the blood needed to bring about the establishment of second kingdom.

"So to you my people do I make a new Covenant. You shall be my wardens against the filth spread after the triumph of my son over sin and death. You shall be elevated as the Israelites once were as my protected and precious people. You shall be the heralds of the pure faith when it has become sullied by the lies of those seeking to raise man up to the level of the divine. You shall follow all the laws truly as my annoited people. You alone can be the priests of the faith so long as your blood remains true." (The Book of Erid)

Mosiah 2:12 I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you; 13 Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you— 14 And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day. 15 Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day. 16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God. 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. 18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?

Unequivocally opposed to slavery and the last verse looks pretty socialist to me. Also see my replies to sections 3 and 6.

Once more do you throw your heretical swill around as if it is worthy of overriding the Bible.

"Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them." (1 Timothy 6:1-2)

"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ." (Ephesians 6:5)

The Bible quite clearly allows the enslavement of the heathen and relegates all people held in thrall to eternal servitude.

"However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way."
(Leviticus 25:44-46)

Alma 46:11 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was angry with Amalickiah. 12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole. 13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land— 14 For thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church.

"In a world which extols the benefits of mob rule and demagogies we stand against the tide. We realize that the individual is the ultimate decider of their own fate and any links he has to others are forged solely from blood, common morals, and honor. Democracies inherently deny that principle, suggesting the falsehood that everyone is responsible for everyone by denying you self hood. In lieu of this we must realize that a monarchy is the only type of government advocated by the Almighty Lord. Through apostolic succession and the example of King David do we learn that God intended for his chosen peoples to be governed by a ruler. Indeed God does elevate certain bloodlines over others, such as seen by the fact Jesus was born to the blessed line of David." (Patriarch Simon III)

Witchcraft is mentioned as a sin punishable by death in the Old Testament, but nowhere is such a cruel method of execution prescribed. If there is sufficient evidence of black magic, why not hang them like in the late 17th century?

Fire is the punishment awaiting all those who would accept such evil in their hearts and rest assured we have proper methods of ensuring an equitable justice system is in place.

The word "catholic," from Greek katholikismos, universal doctrine, is perhaps then not the proper word to describe your racist church.

I have little regard for the words of someone whose prophet gained his 'insight' from reading from a series of metal plates who dug up in a forest and read from a hat. Though I must profess that such a person sounds akin to a mentally deranged person who would benefit from being committed to a proper hospital.

So you put your Emperor as an equal to God? Heresy is not the First Commandment. Idolatry is.

"Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience." (Romans 13:1-5)

"The chosen heirs of Erid are the appointed guardians of the Faith on Earth. Their will is that of God when grounded in forbearance to the Almighty." (The Book Erid)

You once more speak in defiance of the scripture and rational Biblical conclusions.

One, it should be "heresy at best and complete apostasy at worst." A heretic shares most of your beliefs. An apostate completely rejects the faith. The legitimacy of canon law is tied to the legitimacy of the legislator, and given the cruelty of the canon law and its open rejection of many key Christian tenets, it is difficult to accept it as legitimate.

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." (Peter 2:1-22)

It is our obligation so snuff out deceit wherever we might find it. The harshness of these laws are born from necessity and Biblical principles. Canon law has been established by the Saints through proper insight into the divine plan and by centuries of careful deliberation on the part of the clergy. Your own conclusions are mostly born form the faith born from the mind of a demented fool and by the innate evil which lurks in the nation form which you hail. Your people would assuredly benefit from the instructions into the faith that only slavery can give unto you.

Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" John 15:13 "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Can a farmer who knowingly hides a diseased fruit in a bushel be held guileless? The needs of the faith demand harshness and uncompromising dedication as the law of the Bible commands. We cannot allow compassion to rule us when the enemy threatens to tear asunder our religion. I do not find joy in much of my work, but I understand that I am bound by duty to do it. Any man who feels joy when signing a death warrant does not deserve to pass judgement on them. I do what the Almighty requires me to do so as to ensure that humanity might one day be saved as a whole.

Signed,
Thomas III,
Patriarch of the True Church,
Servant of Erid,
Voice of the Faithful,
Defender of the Word,
Holy Peter's Appointed Successor

Mr. Patriarch, I am pleased to receive your reply. The LDS Church, for those who are uninitiated, believes in human agency, that is, we believe that humans were endowed with free will. To choose the right path, the wrong path must be open. Therefore we oppose the use of force to back our religious beliefs.

On the parable of the talents, I receive many questions in my stake from investigators, new converts, and even missionaries about it. They ask me if it is an endorsement of capitalism. On the contrary it shows exactly what is wrong with unrestrained capitalism. The servant of least ability was given but one talent. Since his ability was not on par with those of the men given two or five talents, rather than invest and lose, he instead kept watch over the talent until his master returned, and gave back to his master what was his. For this he was punished.

The Church opposes communism, the handing over of economic power to the state. Socialism, however, takes many forms, of which communism is among the most radical. Though many even in my own stake would disagree with me, I am not opposed to workers taking control of the means of production and reaping the profits of their own work without a corporation taking most of the reward. The problem is when the government steps in and forces people to contribute, undermining human agency.

As for the passage about Ammonites, Moabites, etc. being denied entry into the congregation, and their descendants up to the tenth generation, somewhere along the line someone forgot to inform King David, who had a Moabite great grandmother, Ruth. Perhaps by then God had seen fit to end the racist incitement against the Moabites when it would have threatened King David's legitimacy as monarch, long after it had served its purpose of allowing the Israelites to wax strong.

As Moses once permitted divorce simply because the hearts of the people were hard, the early Church fathers tolerated slavery because the hearts of the people were hard, and openly opposing slavery at a time when the Church was already under heavy persecution would have seen the faith wiped out. Early Christians had enough problems without being accused of fomenting slave revolts and other resistance to governmental authorities. Slaves are told to obey earthly rulers because it is the cross they bear in service to Christ, not because it is right for another to treat them as chattel.

Further, slavery in the Old Testament is restricted to those one buys from resident foreigners or neighbouring states. Kidnapping someone in order to sell them as a slave is punishable by death. (Exodus 21:16)

God did not desire monarchy. The Israelites, after the rule of the judges, desired a king from their own to rule them. While even in the LDS Articles of Faith we believe in being subject to kings, presidents, magistrates, etc., both the Bible and Book of Mormon are rife with tales of truly vile monarchs.

Yours in Christ,
Tobias Al Hakim