In their latest update #4, the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Governing Body has announced that toasting and ‘ clinking glasses’ is now allowed at the individual Jehovah’s Witness’s ‘ bible trained conscience’ . This, Governing Body member Stephen Lett tells us, is due to ‘ prayerful consideration’ by the Governing Body. This doesn’t sound unreasonable; who could possibly object to toasting, it’s such an innocuous custom? The answer to that is the Governing Body itself, until now. Ever since 1952, and possibly earlier, the Watchtower has roundly condemned this practice due to its ‘ pagan roots’ in ‘ false religion’ . The 15 May 1952 Watchtower (page 319), has this to say on the matter Jehovah God and Christ Jesus are not honored by having pagan customs of toasting switched to them, or to human s In 1968, in an answer to Questions from Readers, the 1 Jan Watchtower states If a Christian is going to make a request f...
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You write that "Mormon Christians" (an oxymorn itself) display the highest virtues you describe but consider the following:
“All their (the Christian churches) creeds were an abomination in [God’s] sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof’” Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founding prophet
“If the Catholic religion is a false, religion how can any true religion come out of it? If the Catholic Church is bad how can any good thing come out of it? The character of the old churches have always been slandered by all apostates since the world began" Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founding prophet
“We talk about Christianity but it is a perfect pack of nonsense...Myself and hundreds of the Elders around me have seen its pomp, parade and glory; and what is it? It is a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century” John Taylor, Mormon prophet
If you wish to see for yourself a fine example of this charitable and uncritical approach you advocate you could do no better than read the words of John Taylor, the late 19th century Mormon prophet, in an address entitled, "On the Incompetency of the Means Made Use Of by Man to Regenerate the World".
It is a splendid address and more to be admired than the mealy-mouthed words of more recent prophets, notably Gordon B Hinckley. You can read it here:
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3be0945bd384b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1
It seems that these virtuous and noble Mormons consider my church apostate and abominable, my leaders corrupt, and the lot of us the best engine to do the work of the devil. Frankly, I don't find this particularly insulting, indeed it seems inevitable given that Mormonism "restores" what we have allegedly lost. What does cause insult is the sanctimonious way Mormons insist that it is otherwise and we can all be chums for the kindgdom.
This blog, as well as its partner web site, www.reachouttrust.org, is dedicated, as Mormonism once was, to telling the truth about these differences and encouraging folk to consider the implications of these differences. It seems to me that this is more honest and "Christian" than pretending those differences don't exist or signify.