Mormonism vs christianity

[its_everything07]

first off i am strong believer in Christ and attend gateway church which is a non-denominational church...second i have many Mormon friends and had a Mormon missionary over for a small going away party for one of the elders who was going back home... and finally my sister went to the Mormon church and was thinking about attending but eventually didn't, so i do know alot of the Mormon religion but yet i don't understand how they can believe in certain things that they agree with...

the Mormon view: The Church has 4 Standard Works that are authoritative:  The Bible (in so far as it is translated correctly), the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.  Speeches and writings of the current president of the church are also authoritative.  The Bible is far below the other standard Works because it is full of errors (wherever it disagrees with Mormon doctrine).

the christian view: The only authoritative scriptures given by God are the 39 books of the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.  God promised to preserve his word and to suggest that the Bible was mistranslated and corrupted would be to call God a liar.  If God were to give additional revelations they would be consistent with any prior revelations thus eliminating Mormon writings, since they stand in direct opposition to the divine revelation that has already been given in the Bible.

PREMORTAL LIFE

Mormon: Teach that everyone existed in heaven before born on earth. We have existed eternally. (D&C 93:29; PGP:Bk of Abr 3:21-22; Teachings, pp. 352-354)

BIBLE: Only Christ existed before mortality, not man. (John 8:58; Col. 1:17) Our existence started on earth. (Zec. 12:1; 1 Cor. 15:46)

One God

the Mormon: There are many Gods. Brigham Young-Journal of Discourses 7:333 "How many Gods there are, I do not know.  But there never was a time when there were not Gods.  

bible: There is only one God.  (Dt 6:4; 33:26-27; Isa 43:10; 45:5; 46:9; 1Ti 2:5)

The Nature of God

the Mormon: God the Father is an exalted man (a man who has progressed to godhood) with a body of flesh and bones.  
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1973 ed., p. 346 - "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man...I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in a form-like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man." D & C 130:22  "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also."
 
bible: The Bible is most explicit in stating that God is not a man (Nu 23:19; 1Sa 15:29; Hos 11:9).  God the Father, the eternal God is Spirit (Isa 55:8-9; 6:1-5; 57:15; Pss 90:2; 113:5-6; 123:1; Jn 4:24: 8:23)  Jesus said that a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Lk 24:39)

Mormon: God the Father became a God after learning truth, aggressively pursuing godhood, and being obedient to the laws of the gospel.  

bible: God the Father has always existed as such (Dt 33:27; Isa 43:10; 44:6; 45:5, 21; 46:9; Mal 3:6; 1Co 8:4; 1Ti 2:5; Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13).   As Psalms 90:2 and 93:2 state, God has been God "from eternity to eternity."

Mormon: God the Father has a wife, through whom he procreates spirit children.
"Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother.  An exalted and glorified Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57) could not be a Father unless a Woman of like glory, perfection, and holiness was associated with him as a Mother" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 516)

bible:  The Godhead determined to make man in their image, not to procreate spirit children (Ge 1:26).  Nowhere does Scripture even hint at the existence of an Eternal Mother.

Mormon: God is not a uniquely eternal being.  All spirit is self-existent matter and is eternal (without beginning or end).  Such "matter (called intelligences) sometimes becomes organized into a spirit being through birth to celestial parents.  Then that spirit is born through human parents on earth.  Like all people, God took this course and eventually reached Godhood. God would stop being God if intelligences stopped supporting him as God. (D&C 93:29, 33; Abraham 3:18-23; Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed. p. 751)

bible: God is not God unless He is all-powerful, all knowing, absolutely in charge.  If God exists only as God because of support given from other intelligent forms, He is not God at all (Isa 44:6; Ro 3:4; Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13)

Man and Sin

Mormon: Man was also in the beginning with God.  Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be"  (D&C 93:29) Life, intelligence, mind, the 'light of truth' , or whatever name one gives to the center of the personality of man, is an uncreated, eternally existent, indestructible entity...In the first stage, man was an eternally existent being termed an intelligence...The next realm where man dwelt was the spirit world....eternally-existing intelligences were clothed with spirit bodies...numerous sons and daughters were begotten and born of heavenly parents into that eternal family in the spirit world" (The Gospel Through the ages, pp.126-127)

bible: Man is a finite being, not an eternal one.  The first man Adam was created at a specific point in time (Ge 1:26-27; 2:7; 1Co 15:45-49).  Man did not exist in the beginning when God was creating the universe, for if he had, God's question to Job would have made no sense (Job 38:4).  Man was created lower than the angels, so that David wondered why God is even mindful of him (Ps 8:3-5; 144:3).  Not a single verse in the Bible suggests that God has a wife, but Isaiah 44:24 explicitly says that the Lord made all things by Himself.  Moreover, several passages in Isaiah indicate that there is only one God and there is none beside Him (44:8; 45:6) or like Him (46:9). God is unchanging omnipotent, and no purpose of His can be thwarted.  He is not overruled by anyone (Ge 17:1; Job 36:22-23; 42:2; Isa 14:26-27; 40:13-14; Jer 32:27; Mt 19:26; Lk 1:37; Ac 17:24-25; Rev 19:6)

Mormon: Death and sin came through the fall of Adam and Eve.  But their deed was not actually a "sin."  It was really a blessing because it enabled man to continue progressing on toward eternal life.  "They (the Christian world) have been long taught that Adam and Eve were great transgressors...We, the children of Adam....should rejoice with them, that through their fall and the atonement of Jesus Christ, the way of eternal life has been opened up to us" (Articles of Faith, p. 476)  

bible: Rejoicing is hardly the proper response to Adam's sin.  Because of that sin, both Adam and Eve died spiritually and their physical bodies began to deteriorate.  Eve was given pain and sorrow in child-bearing, Adam was required to work and sweat in order to eat, the entire creation was cursed, they were thrown out of the Garden forever, and the entire human race was destined to be born dead in sins and children of god's wrath by nature.  To rejoice in the fall of man is to embrace Satan's lie.  It was Satan who deceived Eve by convincing her that sin was good and would bring her knowledge and reward.  (Ge 3:16-24; Ro 3:23; 5:12-15, 17-19; 8:19-22 Eph 2:1-5; 1Jn 3:4)

The Doctrine of Salvation

Mormon: Christ's death on the cross (the atonement) canceled the penalty of death imposed on ALL men through Adam's sin, thereby ensuring that all men would be redeemed - resurrected and given immortality (the reuniting of spirit with body)-as a gift.
"If there had been no atonement, temporal death would have remained forever, and there never would have remained forever, and there never would have been a resurrection.  The body would have remained forever in the grave" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p.63) "Redemption from death, through the sufferings of Christ, is for all men, both the righteous and the wicked" (Ibid., p. 65) "Immortality is a free gift which comes by grace alone without works on man's part" (Ibid., p. 377)

bible: Not everyone is blessed through Christ's crucifixion.  Only those who accept His sacrifice and surrender themselves to Him (Ro 10:9) will receive the benefit of Jesus' death and resurrection, which is forgiveness of sins (Ac 10:43) and salvation (Ro 3:24).  Eternal life "in Christ," and not just simply eternal existence through resurrection, is the gift offered by God to humanity (Ro 6:23).  This gift is obtainable only by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-10). Jesus' death serves to reconcile all believers to God (Ro 5:10).  In dying, Jesus broke down the wall of separation between us and God that was present through man's disobedience to the Law (Eph 2:11-22)

what Mormons believe:
they believe Jesus Christ is the spirit brother of Satan:
"The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God.  He was called Lucifer, son of the morning.  Haughty, ambitious, and covetous of power and glory, this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind."  (Milton R. Hunter, Gospel Through the Ages, pg.15)
the bible has been corrupted throughout the centuries and cannot be trusted fully by itself.
"I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers.  Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph smith, pg.327)
"But the Bible has been robbed of its plainness; many sacred books having been lost, others rejected by the Romish Church, and what few we have left, were copied and recopied so many times, that it is admitted that almost every verse has been corrupted and mutilated to that degree that any two of them read alike." (Orson Pratt, The Seer, pg.213)
in order to gain entrance into the highest form of Mormon heaven, the Celestial kingdom, you must accept Joseph Smith, Jr. as a prophet of god.  Faith in Jesus alone, Mormonism teaches, will force you to spend eternity in a lower form of heaven.
 
Tenth LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith stated in his book, doctrines of Salvation, that there is "No salvation without accepting Joseph Smith.  The word "salvation," used in this context, must really mean "exaltation" because former Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated in his book Mormon Doctrine that general salvation is given to everyone regardless of belief.  Personal salvation or exaltation to the highest form of Mormon heaven comes only by accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of god and by following the laws of the LDS church.

my best-friend is a Mormon and we have talked alot about her religion and to prove to me why Mormonism exists when it is not mentioned in the bible...though she knows scriptures better than me she would give me scriptures and explain how that means what they believe in...how they take the true meaning behind the scripture and contradict it...her whole life she has been forced to learn about a religion and wake up at 5 to be enforced with their teaching...that doesn't sound like by her free will to accept grace...

i also left out the founder of the Mormon religion Joseph smith and the history with that but i do strongly believe that he is a false prophet the bible has warned us about... and in rev. of the bible it says do not add on or take away from these scriptures but the Mormons believe that it only refers to rev. and that chapter and not the whole bible...

may i also add that the Mormons teachings has always been changing compared to the bible has never changed and is everlasting...i love my friend and don't think Mormons are bad people but i am offended when they call themselves Christians when they go against the bible and its teachings such as the Trinity is the father, the son, and the holy spirit, acting as one but the Mormons believe they are three separate gods relating to each other... today i have still question if my best friend will go to heaven or hell because she has accepted Jesus/ or "grace" but then believing in something so contradicting i do not know...I'm curious on yalls views and how you feel about Mormonism and Christianity...and if you are Mormon I'm sorry if i offended you but you may through your thought in too.

[Gandalf]

may i also add that the Mormons teachings has always been changing compared to the bible has never changed and is everlasting

wrong I'm afraid, as any biblical (non-fundamentalist) scholar will tell you. Christian teaching has developed over time, just as any religion does, it did not emerge complete out of stone with no further room for debate and development.  Indeed christian theology has been in a steady state of development since its inception. Perhaps the core materials have not changed but their interpretation has changed *very much so!!!*


The very tone of the title of your post 'christianity *vs* mormonism' says everything about where you are coming from really: The usual confrontational stance which cannot accept any other interpretation or belief that differs from you own. Who says it has to be 'vs' anything or anyone. be happy with your beliefs and let mormons have theirs.

You are hardly going to convert anyone round here to your point of view with your sectarian rant in anycase.

Doug

PS I also don't think much of your narrow interpretation of your 'loving' god who may or may not condemn people to hell because they have picked the wrong version of christianity or any other belief.... seriously, do you *actually* believe this?  That worries me!

[NickJW]

Gandalf is right in fact, early Christianity believed in reincarnation.
No offense to any Mormons but seriously, how can you believe that stuff...

[Gandalf]

nickjk_

sorry man, seems like you have completely missed the point of my post...


Doug

[Jonathan]

they can call themselves Christians b/c Christianity is not copyrighted.  You can pretty much interpret the bible to mean anything:)

[NickJW]

Srry gandalf, I meant reincarnation as an example of how Christianity has changed. Not that your whole post was about reincarnation lol.