3 paths, 1 choice

I have a friend who was raised LDS by a very good family- Very Good! She always had trouble staying on the straight and narrow path. She wasn't much worried about it, she just wanted to have fun. She tried drugs in high school, went to Ricks College, to BYU. She lives in England now doing good things for the world (but good things are not enough) and is a vegetarian and a Buddhist. She recently got married and I was invited to her cocktail attire reception at a hotel, where no gifts were being excepted, just money for her organization. I didn't go. I couldn't go and pretend to be happy for her. She has denied the Savior, completely kicked him to the curb, left him with empty outstretched arms.

Moroni 10:6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

The following quotes are from a talk called The First Vision and Religious Tolerance by Joseph Fielding McConkie. You can read the entire article here:
http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/witness-restoration-essays-honor-robert-j-matthews/9-first-vision-and-religious-tolerance

It is philosophically impossible to reject truth without accepting error, to shut out the light without being immersed in darkness, to reject true teachers without cleaving to false ones, to reject the true Christ and his prophets with out giving allegiance to those who follow another Master.

Good conduct without the ordinances of the gospel will neither redeem nor exalt mankind; covenants and the ordinances are essential. We are required to teach doctrines, even the unpopular ones.

Yield on this doctrine, and you cannot justify the Restoration. The doctrine is true; it is logical. The opposite it not.... I find it so interesting that those who condemn us, reject the parallel path philosophy themselves when it comes to non-Christ religions. For if they do not, they have no reason to accept the Lord as our Redeemer or regard the Atonement as essential.. (mark 16:16) While the converging path idea is very appealing, it really is not reasonable.

Do you realize that the notion that all churches are equal presupposes that the true church of Jesus Christ actually does not exist anywhere?

.......It is to liken the plan of salvation to a lottery.

If any man or woman professes a belief in Christ we say, "so much to the good" they are at least on the road leading to gospel enlightenment. As my father noted, "It is better to be a partial Christian than a non-Christian. It is better to believe some of the doctrines of Christ rather than none at all. One truth paves the way for another, and we all need to advance in knowledge and understanding."

The 3 paths are:
1. The true church of Jesus Christ is the only chuurch that can give salvation.
2. Any Christian church is OK as long as it preaches Christ.
3. You don't need a savior at all. Thus Buddhist, Muslims, etc are except able because they preach living a good life.

Karen has chosen the non-christian path. Often I have heard it said - 'you can leave the church, but you can't leave the church alone'. That would apply to those who then persecute the church.

Joseph Smith told his story at the peril of his life. We tell it at the peril of social acceptance; surely we can stand that tall.

Many in the Christian world are anxious to draw a circle and exclude us, we choose to draw a very large and inclusive circle. We will pray with any man who is willing to do so. Our bookstores do not contain anti-anybody literature, we do not attack those of other faiths in our missionary lesson plans, nor do we do so in our church services or in any class sponsored by the church. We do not give out warnings against those of other faiths nor do we ever forbid our membership from listening to or talking to anyone they desire.

As to our enemies, we did not choose them, they have chosen us. We have always had them and we always will. Where we cannot befriend then we choose to live above them.