November 2006
December 1, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
The big news to report is that I'm getting married to a gorgeous ex-Mormon Christian gal named Tara Nelsen! She has a 10-year-old daughter named Madison, so I'm also going to be a step-dad. I popped the question Thanksgiving morning overlooking the harbor and Pacific Ocean in Dana Point, CA. We plan on getting married June 2, 2007 in Dana Point, so I ask for your prayers in God's leading in our relationship. If you'd like more info, pictures, and video concerning our engagement, please visit our site by clicking here.
Tara just recently heard from her LDS bishop while she was in CA. Back in May or June, she sent in her resignation letter to the Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. She should have sent one also to her local bishop in Dallas, but the headquarters finally got around to sending her request to him anyway. Both letters tried to frighten Tara with "eternal consequences." Tara sent a great letter to this bishop warning him of the eternal consequences of his actions in remaining in the LDS Church. The bishop seems to be rather accommodating, but please keep this matter in prayer so that she will in fact be off the membership roles by the end of the month. The bishop read Tara's testimony on MormonInfo.org, and he said, "I would like to compliment the website mormoninfo.org. In trying to distinguish between the beliefs of traditional protestant churches and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it has tried to use quotes from Church authorities with no apparent attempt to distort the message. I did not review all pages but from what I read, it appears for the most part to be fair in its presentation of what we believe. Considering the attempt by many to distort the views of the Church, this was refreshing." So please pray that God would use our info to reach this bishop as well.
I also ask that you pray for a daughter of some of my folks' friends. She was raised in a Christian home, but recently met a Mormon guy who just went on his mission. She became interested in him, and now she's considering joining the LDS Church.
Sadly, I have heard this story way too many times before. Our youth are not being educated on why Christianity is true, and why other options are false. We prefer to keep our youth entertained and meet their felt needs, but stories like this are good reminders why education is important. The apostle Paul told Timothy to watch his life as well as his doctrine closely (1 Timothy 4:16).
Last month I asked for prayer for Beth, who was meeting with the LDS missionaries. Thank you for praying for her. She wrote, "Hey Rob! Well, as for the missionaries, I read and prayed. I prayed for God to give me a sense of comfort if the LDS religion was for me. And I only got a feeling of anxiety every time I was to meet with them, or go to church. So, I told them about it last week and that I just didn't feel it was for me. So, today I'm going to go to Capitol Church in The City. ...Hey thanks for the help."
As for some important additions to MormonInfo.org, I added a couple sections to the chart on the Home page: "Who is the Holy Ghost?" and "What is divine salvation?" I also was able to have my "Seven Differences between Mormonism and Christianity" translated into Portuguese by Emerson de Oliveira of Central Mormon. I also edited and added the testimony of Stacy Ritter. Finally, there's a whole discussion thread on "Does God Condone Polygamy?"
If you would like a financial part in supporting this ministry, there are basically five means:
1. Become a monthly financial partner. Our primary need is for people who will come alongside this ministry and support our work financially on a consistent basis. You can make your tax deductible check out to "Courageous Christians United" and mail it to:
359 Molokai Dr.
Placentia, CA 92870.
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| At the San Diego temple |
3. Help get Courageous Christians United on its feet with a significant one time financial gift through either of the means above.
4. You may purchase ministry shirts to advertise various web sites on Mormonism. Purchasing these shirts may be found on our "Support" page at MormonInfo.org. In addition to advertising for this ministry with MormonInfo.org and QuestionMormonism.com shirts, all proceeds will go to support this ministry, but there will be no tax deduction given for this means of support.
5. Help me get into your church to share about the cults. This allows increased growth to our financial support base in introducing new potential contributors to this ministry.
Thank you so much for your concern and prayers for this ministry, and for those trapped by false religions and philosophies.
Merry Christmas!
Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
Rob@MormonInfo.org
www.QuestionMormonism.com
****MORE PRAYER REQUESTS****
1. For Tara's LDS family, and Jehovah's Witness friends Michelle and Jolee
2. For guidance in developing CCU's web site and JWinfo.org
3. For Rob's continued doctoral studies at the University of Utah
4. For more speaking engagements for Rob
5. For more salvations through this ministry
****MAILBAG****
If you are going to qoute scriptures then qoute them just as they are written and not in your words. You are not a Christian if you believe in putting down those of other faiths. Did Christ condemn those who were of other faiths? No he Loved them. We do not believe in Church bashing and the scriptures do not teach that either. If you truely read the scriptures prayerfully then you would get your answers. Christianity is true charity for all man kind. There is no other religion that teaches true family values, true Christianity, Charity, service unto others, has no paid preachers, like Christ, living the laws of the land, word of wisdom, etc. I have search all the other Churches and attended them and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the most true church upon this planet. Do your homework right! I would never put down your Religion. So you have no right to put down my religion. ~Proud Mormon Gal
You People are Crazy
I have always found it so suspicious that so-called Christians find it necessary to brow beat Mormons at the doorways to their chapels. You won't find Mormons doing same. Mormons proselytize in very different ways. Anyone who says otherwise had a "rogue" experience with a Mormon.
Reading these posts I am filled with the same suspicions. Your hatred and fear of Mormon doctrine feels like someone threatened. You fear that Mormons and Joseph Smith have discovered a truth that threatens your world view therefore you must destroy it by any means necessary. I think you should worry more about your own salvation and leave the Mormons alone.
I have some Christian friends who believe that the death penalty and fighting in war are wrong and unbiblical according to the new testament. What would you say is the biblical reason for supporting the death penalty and war?
[I responded:] The 2 best verses in the N.T. are Lk. 22:36 and Rom. 13:1-7. The former seems to convey more of the principle of self-defense. The latter deals specifically with government's role in executing punishment. If God calls us into government, then we must honor God in the way that He expects it to be run. Just as self-defense is biblical for the individual, so it is for groups of individuals.
I wanted to thank you for creating a page of this nature on myspace. I have tried to convince a minister who is also running a ministry of this kind on the internet, but I am afraid he has not yet, perhaps as a result of a generation gap, understood or appreciate the impact myspace has already have as far as one obtaining information.
I do wish, if you don't mind, that you would consider your wording with regard to the book of mormon being a "fairy tale". Although I appreciate the humor in it as a former Mormon, I am concerned that those who are still engulfed in this religious system, who may be searching for the true gospel, may be turned off by your wording. Nevertheless, my hope is that such wording would not stop anyone from viewing your site (Which I enjoyed perusing, by the way, especially the differences between Christianity and Mormonism - it is just as I have explained it to members of my new "family")
May God bless you and your ministry.
hey, rob i don't no if u remember who i am but i had told u about one of my friends who was mormon and i had been encouraging him to really pray to god just that he would lead him to who he really is and direct him down the straight and narrow path where he would like him to be, and on the side of coarse i was deep in prayer for him, that god would reveal himself to him, and touch his life with a relationship with him, not religion. well, praise god!!! the lord is faithful and good, my friend who was previously mormon is now christian in a relationship with jesus christ and is on fire for god!!! god totally touched his life with his glorious presence and he said he has never felt this sort of happiness ever in his life!!! he is so on fire for god and both him and i are now believing and confident that the lord is going to change his family also!! its not even a concern that his family is going to see the truth. its like i can see it already done in the supernatural!!! but i just wanted to thank you for having your websites where you have revealed knowledge of scripture from the book of mormon, and the bible so that everyone can see the comparison between the two, and see that they are very different. it was because of your websites and god that made me get a book of mormon for myself and look up the scriptures that u had pointed out on your website, and show my friend the hidden scriptures within the book, and reveal to him all the decieving lies mormons really are believing. the funny thing is, is he was in such awe that thats what they were believing. he had no idea! because he had never been hungry for the book of mormon, simply because it's not real food, and if its not real food u certainly won't hunger for more. but i just want to let u no that what your doing really is contributing to lives being changed, and continue to pray that, thats what it will continue to do, and i will also pray that many will be revealed the truth through your websites, and the truth of jesus christ!!! thanks so much, and god bless you!! happy holidays, and merry christmas!!