Mormons and Christianity

With everything in the news lately about Christianity and Mormonism, I thought I’d chime-in in brief. My purpose in writing is neither to prove nor disprove a religion, but just to set the record straight on this issue as objectively as I can. I also have no political agenda, and do not believe a man’s religion should disqualify him for political office, nor would I withhold my vote from someone based only on his religion, and neither should you.

But I’d like to quickly (meaning not exhaustively) examine the claim that Mormonism is just another branch of Christianity, as many claim.

This simply is not true.  Mormon belief and Christian belief are incongruous, as you shall see below.

God the Father:

Mormons believe that God the Father (Elohim) was once a man living on another planet, who, through obedience to Mormon teachings and living a good life, progressed to Godhood. He has a physical body, and many spirit wives. He begat Jesus’ earthly body by coming to earth and impregnating Mary. (‘Christ was begotten by an immortal father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal father."~ Mormon doctrine p.547; see also Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22; McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 471. Mormons also believe that Elohim is one of many, many gods.

This is not what Christian belief teaches. Christian belief teaches that God does not have a physical body (John 4.24, among others). Christianity teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin birth, immaculately conceived. Christians believe that God is eternal, that God is unchanging, that God is the ultimate creator of everything. Christianity teaches that there is only one God, not many gods. In their doctrines of who God is, Christianity and Mormonism are not compatible, or even close.

Jesus the Son:

Mormons belief that Jesus (and Satan, who was Jesus’ brother) were both spirit children of Elohim (God the Father), and that Jesus volunteered to come to earth in an earthly body (which Elohim provided through physical sex with Mary).  They believe he died, but that His death and resurrection (which promoted Him to deity) did not secure salvation, but showed that salvation was a cooperative effort between man and Elohim. In fact, they believe that salvation through grace alone is an abomination of a teaching: "The sectarian dogma of justification by faith alone has exercised an influence for evil," ~ Articles, p. 432. "Hence the justice of the scriptural doctrine that salvation comes to the individual only through obedience." ~ Articles, p. 81.

Mormon literature teaches that Jesus and Satan vied for the right to come to earth in an earthly body to become the redeemer. ~ Book of Moses

Many taught that Jesus was actually crucified for polygamy:

"Celsus was a heathen philosopher; and what does he say upon the subject of Christ and his Apostles, and their belief? He says, the 'grand reason why the Gentiles and philosophers of his school persecuted Jesus Christ, was because He had so many wives; there were Elizabeth, and Mary, and a host of others that followed Him.' After Jesus went from the stage of action, the Apostles followed the example of their master. . . The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, casing his crucifixion, was evidently based on polygamy,. . .a belief in the doctrine of plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus, and his followers. We might almost think they were 'Mormons' " ~ Jedediah M. Grant, Second Counselor to Brigham Young the Second Prophet of the LDS Church; Journal of Discourses, Vol 1. ppl 345-346

"It will be borne in mind that once on a time, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; . . .no less a person than Jesus Christ was married on that occasion. If he was never married, his intimacy with Mary and Martha, and the other Mary also whom Jesus loved, must have been highly unbecoming and improper to say the least of it." ~ Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde

"...it will be seen that the GREAT MESSIAH who was the founder of the Christian religion, WAS A POLYGAMIST, . . .the MESSIAH chose. . .by marrying honorable wives himself, show to all future generations that HE approbated the plurality of wives under the Christian dispensation, as well as under the dispensation in which His polygamist ancestors lived. . . .We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives. . ." ~ Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde; The Seer, page 172

Mormons no longer hold to polygamy, but this teaching of Christ as a polygamist was rampant among the founders and early leaders of the LDS organization.

Christianity does not teach that Jesus was married, or that He was a polygamist.

Mormons believe that Jesus was a created being. Christians do not. Mormons believe that Jesus progressed toward godhood. Christians believe Jesus always was God (John 1, etc – note, I realize not all people who claim Christianity believe this, but this has been a central tenet of the Christian faith from the beginning).

Mormons believe Jesus is the separate, literally begotten son of Elohim and the female spirit goddess. Christians believe that Jesus, the Son, is the second “person” of the Trinity.

Mormons believe in Jesus as a redeemer, and love and worship Him, as do Christians. But they view who He is and what His death meant in completely opposite manners. Christianity teaches that we are saved by grace, while Mormonism teaches that we progress to godhood through good deeds (although grace from Jesus’ death gives us resurrection bodies).

Mormon leaders teach not to pray to Jesus:

“…Another peril is that those so involved often begin to pray directly to Christ because of some special friendship they feel has been developed. In this connection a current and unwise book, which advocates gaining a special relationship with Jesus, contains this sentence: Because the Savior is our mediator, our prayers go through Christ to the Father, and the Father answers our prayers through his Son. This is plain sectarian nonsense. Our prayers are addressed to the Father, and to him only….” ~ Elder Bruce McConkie

Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator before the throne, and that He is God, and that it is proper to pray to Him.

Christianity teaches that only Jesus is the way to salvation. Mormon leaders teach that only Joseph Smith is the way to salvation: "No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith...every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are." ~ Brigham Young , Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p.289.

The Trinity:

Mormon doctrine teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate gods, not one in three “persons” as Christianity teaches:

"I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods." ~ Teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith p. 370.

Scripture:

Mormons have several sources for Scripture (including the words of their living prophets), while Christians have only one:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts four books as scripture; the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These books are called the standard works of the Church. The words of our living prophets are also accepted as scripture." ~ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Principles, p. 51 - 52, 1978

Mormons believe that the words of their living prophets are scripture, while Christians believe that the words of no man are to be equated with the authority of God.

Christians consider the Bible to be the Word of God, while Mormon doctrine and leadership consider it to be rife with gross error and unreliable.

In theory, Mormons hold the authority of the Bible, but in practice and in teaching, they reject it:  "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." ~ Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 461. Christianity believes that the Bible is the keystone of its religion, and that no other book holds Scriptural authority.

Mormons hold that Joseph Smith translated alone the Book of Mormon from golden plates, which were then taken back by an angel. The language from which they were translated was “reformed Egyptian,” and he translated them via seer stones and a hat.

Mormons believe that the Bible is good for teaching, so long as it agrees with the Book of Mormon. They believe that the Bible has been corrupted in many, many places, and where it disagrees with the Book of Mormon, it is unreliable. Christians believe that the Bible alone is the Word of God, and while translations do not count in the doctrine of inerrancy, the Bible we have today is a reliable copy of the Scriptures as they were written in the ancient world.

“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." ~ Article 8 of the Articles of Faith of the Mormon Church. This phrase, “So far as it is correctly translated,” cast Scripture in a light that Christians do not accept – that it can be judged by men and parts cast aside where people believe differently. Christianity does not teach this, although many Christians actively practice this thinking.

Mormons believe in continuing revelation, which essentially means that Scripture can still be written (I was told by an LDS elder that I could write Scripture, myself!). Christians believe that the canon of Scripture is closed.

Mormons believe that truth is arbitrated by personal experience and the teachings of the church. Christians believe that God’s inspired Word is the measure of truth, and that no human or church may contradict that (understanding here that Roman Catholics hold a slightly different view of the authority of the church).

All Mormons with whom I’ve personally spoken (although I freely confess this not to be assumed as a universal) stressed the subjectivity of belief. “If it tastes good to me,” was a common phrase I heard from them. They indicated to me that many facets of religious truth were predicated only on whether or not the individual approved of them. Christianity teaches that there is one truth, and it exists authoritatively whether we like it or not.

Church:

Mormons have a very strong and enviable church life, which many Christians should study and emulate. The major difference, however, is that Mormonism is a religion of secret rituals, while Christianity is an open religion – once the curtain in the temple was torn in two, there were no more secret spaces for Christians.

Mormons place high emphasis on the priesthood. There are two orders, only open to males. The lower order is the Aaronic Priesthood, which is open to males at age 12, and the higher order is the Melchizedek priesthood, which is open to males at age 18. Until the 1970s, this was only open to white males. Christianity teaches a priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2.5-9), irrespective of gender, race, and nationality.

Mormons believe that baptism can be performed for the dead. Since they believe that no one can be saved who isn’t baptized as a Mormon, they have gathered millions of names of deceased people, and when a Mormon is baptized in the temple, several dead people are baptized by proxy at the same time, whether they were Mormon or not. The Mormon church recently got in trouble with several holocaust groups about this, as they had been baptizing Jewish holocaust victims by proxy.  Christianity teaches that there is no baptism for the dead, although the practice is not unknown in the Christian world. Roman Catholics teach prayers for the dead, as well.

Exclusivity:

Mormons teach that no one may be saved who isn’t baptized as a Mormon, meaning that “other Christian” sects are damned. This is similar to a Roman Catholic teaching that has since been abandoned in theory, although the current pope has affirmed it. Christianity teaches that all who believe in faith in Christ may be saved, and that baptism does not confer salvation.

Eternity:

In Mormon belief and practice, marriages can be “sealed” so that they last for eternity, and children are bound to their parents for eternity.  Christianity teaches that there is no marriage in eternity (Matthew 22.30).

Mormon belief is that we, like Elohim, can progress to godhood after death. The Bible teaches that after death we are in God’s presence, but we are not God.

Mormons believe that those who die without hearing the Mormon gospel must be given a chance to hear it in the afterlife (which is part of the baptism of the dead). Mormons are encouraged to do genealogical research to find ancestors, and stand in for them in rituals to confer salvation upon them posthumously. Christianity teaches that the moment of death is the end, and that there is no chance for salvation after death (although Roman Catholicism has a few variations on this).

And what of the differences?

"Should you ask why we differ from other Christians, as they are called, it is simply because they are not Christians as the New Testament defines Christianity." ~ Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 10:230.

So, you can see that in the core areas of belief of Christianity and Mormonism, there is no real common ground. The doctrines of God, Jesus, salvation, and Scripture are incompatible, meaning that these two religions are not different branches of the same tree, but rather are, indeed, two separate religions. 

I did not write this so that people would go out an attack Mormons, so any derogatory comments written about anyone – on either side – will be deleted. But I did write this so that readers will understand that Mormonism and Christianity are most decidedly not the same religion. I make no claims as to one being right or one being wrong in this post; I only wish to present the facts.

Again, this is not written to persuade or dissuade anyone from voting for a candidate because of his or her religion, but I can’t sit by and listen while people make statements comparing two such powerful belief systems and saying that they are the same. There is no real common ground between them – if you are a Christian, than you cannot accept that Mormonism is just another Christian sect in light of what they teach concerning core Christian doctrines. If you are a Mormon, then your own church founders and leaders have warned you that Protestants and Catholics “are nothing less than the 'whore of Babylon' whom the Lord denounces by the mouth of John the Revelator as having corrupted all the earth by their fornications and wickedness. Any person who shall be so corrupt as to receive a holy ordinance of the Gospel from the ministers of any of these apostate churches will be sent down to hell with them, unless they repent." ~ Orson Pratt, The Seer, p. 255.  So, why would you want to be associated with Christianity??

Anyhoo, that’s all I have to say. Please remember to be respectful in your comments. I’m not looking for arguments or to start fights, but the truth of the matter must be laid plainly before all. Again, no disparaging comments about anyone, and no political comments, either. Also, don’t post a bunch of Scripture quotations. If you have thoughts, please do leave them, but be thoughtful.

God bless!

Myric