Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Matthew Paulson Citing Two Randomers against "Mormonism"

According to some people whose IQs are less than 70, I am guilty of referencing "randomers" in my books (see I have a New Fan! (and one who thinks a leading Evangelical Protestant Apologist is a Randomer on the Internet)). As an example of an Evangelical critic of doing this, consider the following:

 

In my research, a friend recommended Friar Father Stephen Soot of St. Anne Orthodox Church (Corvalis, Oregon) to review this section on Orthodox theology and LDS deification. Friar Soot commented, “I read the article on deification you sent me and it is mostly on track. The author rightly explains that there is a huge difference between the Mormon teaching of a man becoming a God of his own planet (like Jesus is the God of Earth) and the Orthodox understanding of theosis, or becoming ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:4” (e-mail, April 3, 2006). Of course, Friar Stephen only confirms that Mormon scholarship is twisting Orthodox theology to interpret Palamas’ theology to be inclusive or similar to LDS deification. (Matthew A. Paulson, Breaking the Mormon Code: A Critique of Mormon Scholarship Regarding Classical Christian Theology and the Book of Mormon [Livermore, Calif.: WingSpan Press, 2006], 65)

 

It is my contention that “Comparing LDS Beliefs” was the beginning of whitewashing LDS theology to get Mormonism under the umbrella of Christianity. There are others who agree. John Hatch stated, “After reading the reviews myself, it appears to me, and is my opinion, that FARMS is interested in making Mormonism’s past appear as normal as possible to readers by attacking history books that discuss complex or difficult aspects of the church’s past.” (Ibid., 31 n. 102)