´¯`•. April 12, 2002

CHRISTIANITY vs. MORMONISM

I have quite a few readers who are not very ‘up’ on their religions, and I’m concerned about their reading what was posted in the comments of my last blog and thinking that Mormonism is another Christian religion. It is not. There has been a lot of confrontation about this. The Christian church did not like the deception, and they quickly put out a book on this very topic. The Mormons took them to court – and lost, because everything said in our book was documented from their texts. They got mad and wrote a counter book… which spurred a correction book from us. The Mormons took us to court again… and lost.

CLaRiFiCaTioN: The Mormon church is also known as ‘Church of the Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints’. They changed their name because China wouldn’t let their missionaries in… ‘Mormon’ in Chinese means “Gates of Hell”.

Word of warning – do NOT confront Mormons unless you are quite well read in their doctrines. They use the same words as we do – salvation, God, Jesus Christ, etc. – but their beliefs are TOTALLY different. They easily twist things up to mean what they don’t, and it can get messy quickly.

Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Mormonism: God the Father has a flesh & bones body. (Doctrine and Covenants, 130.22)
Bible: God the Father is a Spirit. (John 4:24)

Mormonism: God the Father is simply a man who achieved godhood. (History of the Church, V.6, p.305)
Bible: God the Father has always been God. (Psalm 90:2)

Mormonism: God Himself is ever progressing upward in knowledge and power. (Journal of Discourses, V.1, p.93; V.6, p.120)
Bible: God already possesses eternal power and wisdom, and never changes. (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8)

Mormonism: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three distinct gods.
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, P 370, 372)
Bible: There is only one God, but three Persons in the Godhead. (Deut. 6:4, Isaiah 48:12-13, Matthew 3:16-17)

Mormonism: God the Father has Eternal Wives through whom spirit children continue to be born. (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, P.516; The Seer, Orson Pratt, P.37, 158)
Bible: God has no wife and stands alone as God. (Isaiah 46:9)

Mormonism: Christ, before his earthly ministry, was the first spirit child born to the Heavenly Father and Mother. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 278, 589)
Bible: Christ is Eternal God, not the product of a conception. (John 1:1-2)

Mormonism: Satan was originally the spirit brother of Christ. (Gospel through the Ages, p.15)
Bible: Satan was originally a created angel who led a rebellion against God in heaven. Christ is creator, Satan a created being. (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16, Ezek. 28:11-19)

Mormonism: God the father in His glorified physical body had sexual intercourse with the virgin Mary and that resulted in the conception of the physical Christ. (Mormon Doctrine, p.547; Journal of Discourses, V.1, p.51; V.4, p.218.)
Bible: The physical Christ was concieved supernaturally by the Holy Spirit in the body of the virgin Mary. (Matt. 1:18-25)

Mormonism: Each person’s essence has always existed and so was never created. Man is as eternal as God Himself. (Journal of Discourses, X, p.5; VI, p.6; The Plan of Salvation, p.3; Doctrine and Covenants, 93.29)
Bible: All men are creation of God and had no prior existance to their earthly life. (Gen. 2:18-25, Job 38:1-7)

Mormonism: Adam’s fall in the garden was a “fall upward” that was not sinful, but rather neccessary for the propagation of the human race. (Journal of Discourses, V.13, p.145; V.10, p. 312; Pearl of Great Price, Moses 5:10-12; Doctrines of Salvation, V.1, pp. 114-115)
Bible: Adam’s sin in the Garden caused spiritual and phyical death for all persons. (Gen 3:16-24; Romans 5:12-21)

Mormonism: Man has the potential of becoming God, just as Christ did; man is king of kings and lord of lords in embryo. (Times and Seasons, August 1, 1844; Journal of Discourses, V.10, P.223; History of the Church, V.6, p.306; Doctrines and Covenants, 132.20)
Bible: God alone has been and always shall be God. (Isaiah 4310, 44:8, 46:9) Man has been punished because he thought he could make himself God. (Ezek. 28: 1-10)

Mormonism: Christ’s blood shed on the cross only provides for the universal resurrection of all people and does not pay for personal sin. (Third Article of Fath; Journal of Discourses, V.3, p.247; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 62, 669)
Bible: The blood of Christ was shed on the cross for cleansing and forgiveness of sin. (Hebrews 9:14,22; I John 1:7)

Mormonism: Christ’s “blood” shed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44) atones for most personal sin. (Church News, Oct.9, 1982, p.19)
Bible: Christ paid for sin on the cross. (1 Peter 2:24)

Mormonism: The gospel includes “all of the laws, principles, rites, ordinaces, acts, powers, authorities, and keys necessary to exalt men in the highest heaven hereafter. (Mormon Doctrine, p.331)
Bible: The biblical gospel does not include laws (Romans 3:19-24) or ordinances (Col. 2:16-17) or works (Titus 3:5-7)

Mormonism: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) restored the true gospel to the earth through Joseph Smith, and the true gospel is found only in it today. (Mormon Doctrine, p.334; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.119)
Bible: Christ promised the true church would never disappear from the earth (Matt. 16:18) and Paul warned that any gospel apart from the gospel of faith in Jesus Christ which was preached was not true. (Gal. 1:6-9, 3:22-24)

Mormonism: Mormon ‘salvation’ comes through a combination of faith, baptism in the church, and works. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 669-70; Ensign, Nov. 1982, p.61)
Bible: Biblical salvation comes by grace through personal faith in Christ as Savior disregarding all works. (Eph 2:8-9)

Mormonism: Eternal life (the power to attain godhood and have children in heaven) can only be achieved through obedience to the Mormon church and having one’s marriage sealed in a temple ceremony by the Mormon priesthood. (Journal of Discourses, V.11, p.221, 269; Mormon Doctrine, p.441)
Bible: Eternal life is entering into an eternal knowledge of and fellowship with God and is achieved by personal faith in Christ as Savior (John 17:3, Rom. 5:21, 6:23, 1 John 5:11-13)

I know this is long, but I want to give you documentation and comparisons that prove what I’m saying is true. I also want to clarify that I am not attacking anyone by putting these things on my site. I am simply warning my readers of a religion that claims to be a teaching of Christ but is in direct opposition of the major doctrines of Christianity… and that is a tell-tale sign of a cult. I put these things here because I want people to know the truth, and to have the scriptures to prove them with. Fitting that this has come up as a topic of discussion on ‘Faith Friday’. LoL!!