Test All Things
1. "Ensign" Magazine2. "Journal of Discourses", Brigham Young, pub 19013. "Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith", Lucy Mace Smith, 1853
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." [1]
"...God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man..." [2]
"As man is, God once was: as God is, man may become." [3]
1. "The black race is a cursed people." [4]2. "Prophets are above scripture." [5]3. Except for the LDS church, all churches are false. [6]
Polytheistic - "Each of these God's, including Jesus Christ and his Father, being in possession of not merely an organized spirit, but a glorious immortal body of flesh and bones..." [7] God is NOT omnipresent - physically located cannot be "physically" present in more than one place at a time. [8] Father God is a resurrected man with a physical body the father has a body of flesh and bone as tangible as man's. [9]
The spirit brother of Lucifer. [10] Jesus was a polygamist. [11] "Christ's relationship to mankind is defined in terms of his divine roles and three phases of existence - premortal, mortal, postmortal." [12] Premortal - main title Jehovah (OT), firstborn spirit child of God the Father (Elohim), representative of the Father in creation of worlds without number. [13] Mortal - Jehovah becomes Jesus. [14]
There is a some apparent confusion on the theology of the Holy Spirit - This leads to the investigation of that substance called the Holy Spirit or Light of ChristThere is divine substance, fluid, or essence called Spirit, widely diffused among the eternal elements [15] Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen. [16] The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate beings they are three separate, distinct Gods. [17]
Mormons teach that there is both general and individual salvation. General: that which comes by grace alone without obedience to gospel law, [and] consists in the mere fact of being resurrected. In this sense salvation is synonymous with immortality; it is the inseparable connection of body and spirit so that the resurrected personage lives forever. This kind of salvation eventually will come to all mankind, excepting the sons of perdition [18] (the sons of perdition includes mainly apostates as well as, murderers (includes abortions) and homosexuals. Their ultimate destiny is the outer darkness); Individual: that which man merits through his own acts through life and by obedience to the laws and ordinance of the gospel. [19] Mormons also teach that individual salvation can occur after death (eternal progression premortality, mortality and postmortality) the Gospel must be proclaimed in the spirit world; and, that such work is provided for the scriptures abundantly prove. [20] (Among the key verses Mormons cite in support of this idea are 1 Peter 3:18-19 and 1 Peter 4:6. also, to support baptism for the dead, Mormons use 1 Corinthians 15:29). the sectarian dogma of justification by faith alone has exercised an influence for evil. [21] According to Mormon theology there are 3 degrees of glory there are three degrees of glory in the heavens and men will be rewarded according to there actions on earth. [22] One erroneous teaching of many Christian churches is: by faith alone we are saved. This false doctrine....would teach man that no matter how great the sin, a confession of faith in Christ as personal savior would bring him complete forgiveness and salvation. [23] Faith alone will not save men; neither will faith and works save them, unless they are works of the right kind...true faith and righteous works are essential to salvation; and without both of these no man ever was or ever can be saved....... There are some who believe that faith alone, unaccompanied by works, is sufficient for justification, sanctification, and salvation.... They...are without justification-without hope-without everlasting life, and will be damned, the same as unbelievers. [24]
no soul shall be kept in prison or continued in torment beyond the time requisite to work the needed reformation and vindicate justice for which ends alone punishment is imposed. after the debt has been paid the prison doors shall be opened, and the spirits once confined in suffering, the chastened and clean, shall come forth to partake of the glory provided in their class. [25] Hell will have an end. [26] There is contradiction in their view of hell (outer darkness) as described in the section on salvation (above) And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being lead captive by the will of the devil. Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection. [27]
Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten my mortal fathers. God the Father is a perfected, glorified, holy man, an immortal Personage. And Christ was born into the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the personal real, and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father. There is nothing figurative about his paternity; he was begotten, conceived, and born in the normal and natural course of events, for he is the Son of God, and the designation means what it says. [28]
Their [Adam and Eve] part in the Fathers plan was to bring mortality into the worldAdam and Eve were among our Fathers noblest children. [29] Adam fell, but he fell in the right direction. [30] In fact Mormons actually commend Adam and Eve for what they did. [31] The fall brought mortality & physical death, not a sinful nature Adam was given two conflicting commands & was supposed to fall. We ought to consider the fall of our 1st parents as one of the great steps to eternal exaltation and happiness. [32]
No original sin - it is possible to transgress a law without committing a sin as in the case of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. [33]
We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. [34] Prophets are above scripture. [35]
At death, the spirit and body separate and the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life (Alma 40:11; cf. Eccl. 12:7). Alma 2 describes how the spirits of the righteouss are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where thay shall rest from alll their troubles from all care and sorrow (Alma 40:12). In contrast the wicked, who chose evil works rather than good, suffer fear of the wrath of God (Alma 40:13). Both who reside in paradise and those in the spirit prison await the ressurection and the judgement of God. [36]
Mormons do believe in the second advent of Christ, however, there are some distinctive Mormon teachings restoration of the Gospel (the Angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith, Jr,). [37]
Because Mormon theology diverges so far from Christian theology, It is easy to compare the beliefs of Mormonism with the beliefs of Christianity. For anyone to maintain that Mormonism and Christianity teach the same thing is logically, historically, and doctrinally an indefensible position.
| Mormonism | Christianity |
|---|---|
| Bible Unreliable Incomplete as it is Adds new revelations to God's Word Unbiblical theological presuppositions used in interpretation | Bible Reliable Complete as it is Rejects new revelations Accepted historical, grammatical principles utilized in interpretation |
| God Tritheism/polytheistic Physical (evolved man) Finite Morally questionable Organizer of eternal matter Sexual polygamist | God Trinity/monotheistic Spirit Infinite Holy Creator of matter from nothing Nonsexual |
| Jesus A god Created Earned salvation (exaltation to godhood) Not virgin born Polygamist | Jesus God Eternal As eternal God neither salvation nor exaltation was required Virgin born Unmarried (celibate) |
| Salvation By works Denies biblical atonement Possible after death | Salvation By grace Affirms atonement Impossible after death |
| Afterlife "Purgatorial" Three celestial kingdoms Almost universalistic | Afterlife Eternal heaven or hell No purgatory Not universalistic |