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Mormonism Denies the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity. They say there is no Trinity. Jesus said that we’re to go and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, baptize those who believe in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
CBN News Segment on Mormonism
Here are some resources that can give you a better understanding:
LISTEN NOW! Without any doubt it is true that God loves those who are presently practicing Mormonism, yet there is a very important question we as believers need to answer, is Mormonism of God? Since we’re now seeing Mormonism take a front row seat in our nation as we’re seeing a Mormon presidential candidate say that Mormons are Christians and some Christian leaders are saying that Mormons are their Christian brother or sister while other Christian leaders are saying they are not. Greg and Pat begin to look at what Mormons believe, their history from Joseph Smith, their founding prophet, to Brigham Young, temple practices, baptism of the dead and help explain this belief shared by Brigham Young “God is what we will be and we are what He once was.” A former Mormon, who spoke highly of the Mormon people and who was a former missionary for the Mormon Church said, “I don’t think I can delude myself into thinking to making it OK for my children to put their lives on the line for the thing if it’s not what it claims to be. It might be the best thing ever invented, but if it’s invented, it is not worth dying for.”
Courtesy of Peshkova/shutterstock.com
Glenn Beck, Speaking at Liberty University, speaks of his Mormon faith and Liberty’s Christian Faith
We share this because we believe we are called by God to pray for our President (and all who are in authority over us) and for their protection and that “this is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4
Also don’t miss the VFNRadio Segment about Mormonism, Mitt Romney and America called – The Truth about the Mormon Religion
Mormonism Denies the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity. They say there is no Trinity. Jesus said that we’re to go and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, baptize those who believe in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:15-16
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mike Bickle says of the Trinity, “You can lose your mind trying to figure the Trinity out, but you can lose your soul by denying it.”
CBN News Segment on Mormonism
The Brody File: Inside the Mormon Church
CBN News Chief Political Correspondent David Brody analyzes the possibility of America’s first Mormon president. Watch as he talks theology, politics, and family with church leaders and believers in Salt Lake City.
Here are some resources that can give you a better understanding:
2 Corinthians 11
(NIV 1984)
Paul and the False Apostles
11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 FOR IF SOMEONE COMES TO YOU AND PREACHES A JESUS OTHER THAN THE JESUS WE PREACHED, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”[a] 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as AN ANGEL OF LIGHT. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
SPECIFICS:
SPECIFICS:
Mormonism Verses Christianity
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-20
Many false prophets will come proclaiming a wrong answer to this question that is an individual gets it wrong they don’t fail a test, the fail to enter into eternal life with Jesus Christ.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you… At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” Matthew 24:3-4, 23-26
The Mormon church describes itself as the Church of Jesus Christ; why then do most other churches say that Mormonism is not Christian?
When Mormon missionaries come to my door, even they sometimes make the point that the Mormon church is different than all other churches that claim to be Christian. I find that I must agree. Even though Mormonism says many of the same things that other churches say, a more detailed discussion usually reveals that the ideas behind many of the words are totally different than orthodox Christianity. Even though Mormons often display admirable traits in personal and family life, the doctrinal positions of the church itself cannot be harmonized with the teaching of the Bible.
Here are some key differences…
About God
Mormonism says: God is the Supreme Being of the universe, but he has not always held that position. He gradually attained godhood by living a perfectly righteous life.
…We must accept the fact that there was a time when Deity was much less powerful than He is today. Then how did He become glorified and exalted and attain His present status of Godhood? In the first place, aeons ago God undoubtedly took advantage of every opportunity to learn the laws of truth and as He became acquainted with each new verity He righteously obeyed it. From day to day He exerted His will vigorously, and as a result became thoroughly acquainted with the forces lying about Him. As He gained more knowledge through persistent effort and continuous industry, as well as through absolute obedience, His understanding of the universal laws continued to become more complete. Thus He grew in experience and continued to grow until He attained the status of Godhood. In other words, He became God by absolute obedience to all the truth, and thereby became the author of eternal truth. Therefore, the road that the Eternal Father followed to Godhood was one of living at all times a dynamic, industrious, and completely righteous life. There is no other way to exaltation.
—Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages (Salt Lake City: Steven & Wallis, 1945), pp. 114-115 (emphasis added).
Mormonism also teaches that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones.
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also…
—Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22.
The Bible says: God has existed eternally in perfection, and has never had less of His infinite power and wisdom than He has today. Adam was the first created man of flesh.
About Jesus Christ
Mormonism says: Jesus and satan, like the rest of us, were spirit brothers and sons of God before the spirit of Jesus was given a body by Mary in Bethlehem. The Mormon “Book of Moses” presents satan and Jesus as contending for the privilege of taking a body of flesh in order to become the redeemer, with Jesus winning the contest. [See Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4:1-4.]
Mormonism also teaches that Jesus was the physical son of God the Father and Mary, and that there is nothing in His life more than what is attainable by anyone else.
When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus… he was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is his Father? He is the first of the human family. …Jesus our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden.
—Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50-51, as cited in Gordon H. Fraser, Is Mormonism Christian? (Chicago: Moody, 1955), p. 58.
His humanity is to be recognized as real and ordinary …whatever happened to him may happen to any one of us. …The divinity of Jesus, and the divinity of all other noble and stately souls, in so far as they, too, have been influenced by a spark of Deity – can be recognized as manifestations of the Divine.
—Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology (Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1883) (emphasis added).
The Bible says: Jesus Christ has existed eternally as God the second Person of the Trinity, and then took on a human nature at His birth in Bethlehem. Since then He exists eternally as one Person with both divine and human natures.
About Man
Mormonism says: All human beings and spirits, including Jesus and Satan, existed as spirit beings before being born. Physical birth gives bodies to these spirits, and an opportunity to choose right or wrong. Thus the present life is a period of probation. The way a person lives in this life determines their status in the life after the resurrection. If the deeds of this life have been satisfactory and all temple obligations have been fulfilled, the individual becomes a god and is considered eligible to create “spirit children” as God the Father did and populate a world of his own.
The Bible says: There is no pre-existence of human spirits in an earlier life before our earthly existence; the Bible does not teach this in any form. And humanity is permanently on a lower level than God. Though we may become like Him in moral purity in heaven, we never become infinite in regard to time, space or ability. And the Bible says nothing about populating other worlds—simply about the future kingdom of Christ and the New Jerusalem on this world (Revelation 21-22).
Sources of Authority
Mormonism says: The Mormon church uses the Bible and the Book of Mormon as their primary authority, with the addition of the Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.
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. —Articles of Faith, 8.
The LDS “Living Prophet” can speak oracles which actually supercede scripture and any previous prophet’s oracles, including Joseph Smith. The Bible holds the least amount of authority in the Mormon church.
The Bible says: God’s Word (the Bible) alone is authoritative.
About Salvation
Mormonism says that Christ overcame physical death and guaranteed physical resurrection to all mankind. But spiritual death can only be avoided by individual obedience to the commandments of God.
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. …We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
—Articles of Faith, 3 and 4 (emphasis added)
Forgiveness of sins requires baptism by an approved Mormon priest. The practice of baptism for the dead is an extension of this belief, in which Mormons are baptized in proxy for those who have died without proper baptism.
The Bible says: We are unable to live a life righteous enough to meet God’s standard of perfect holiness. Therefore we become right with God by faith in the work of Christ, not by our own works. Baptism and holy living are acts of obedience to God, but not a means of gaining salvation.
The Future
Mormonism says: Although there is some form of punishment (possibly temporary) for those that are most wicked, Christ will usher in a kingdom that will consist of three levels by the end of the millennium: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. It is possible to advance within each of these kingdoms.
The Bible only speaks of two final fates for mankind: heaven or hell. And nothing is said of advancing in status in either location.
For further information
Irvine Robertson, What the Cults Believe (Chicago: Moody, 1966).
Gordon H. Fraser, Is Mormonism Christian? (Chicago: Moody, 1955).
Author: Dr. John Bechtle. Editor: Paul S. Taylor, Eden Communications.
Copyright © 1996, 1998 Eden Communications, All Rights Reserved – except as noted on attached “Usage and Copyright” page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-20
Many false prophets will come proclaiming a wrong answer to this question that is an individual gets it wrong they don’t fail a test, the fail to enter into eternal life with Jesus Christ.
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you… At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” Matthew 24:3-4, 23-26
The Mormon church describes itself as the Church of Jesus Christ; why then do most other churches say that Mormonism is not Christian?
When Mormon missionaries come to my door, even they sometimes make the point that the Mormon church is different than all other churches that claim to be Christian. I find that I must agree. Even though Mormonism says many of the same things that other churches say, a more detailed discussion usually reveals that the ideas behind many of the words are totally different than orthodox Christianity. Even though Mormons often display admirable traits in personal and family life, the doctrinal positions of the church itself cannot be harmonized with the teaching of the Bible.
Here are some key differences…
About God
Mormonism says: God is the Supreme Being of the universe, but he has not always held that position. He gradually attained godhood by living a perfectly righteous life.
…We must accept the fact that there was a time when Deity was much less powerful than He is today. Then how did He become glorified and exalted and attain His present status of Godhood? In the first place, aeons ago God undoubtedly took advantage of every opportunity to learn the laws of truth and as He became acquainted with each new verity He righteously obeyed it. From day to day He exerted His will vigorously, and as a result became thoroughly acquainted with the forces lying about Him. As He gained more knowledge through persistent effort and continuous industry, as well as through absolute obedience, His understanding of the universal laws continued to become more complete. Thus He grew in experience and continued to grow until He attained the status of Godhood. In other words, He became God by absolute obedience to all the truth, and thereby became the author of eternal truth. Therefore, the road that the Eternal Father followed to Godhood was one of living at all times a dynamic, industrious, and completely righteous life. There is no other way to exaltation.
—Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages (Salt Lake City: Steven & Wallis, 1945), pp. 114-115 (emphasis added).
Mormonism also teaches that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones.
The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also…
—Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22.
The Bible says: God has existed eternally in perfection, and has never had less of His infinite power and wisdom than He has today. Adam was the first created man of flesh.
About Jesus Christ
Mormonism says: Jesus and satan, like the rest of us, were spirit brothers and sons of God before the spirit of Jesus was given a body by Mary in Bethlehem. The Mormon “Book of Moses” presents satan and Jesus as contending for the privilege of taking a body of flesh in order to become the redeemer, with Jesus winning the contest. [See Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price, Book of Moses 4:1-4.]
Mormonism also teaches that Jesus was the physical son of God the Father and Mary, and that there is nothing in His life more than what is attainable by anyone else.
When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus… he was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is his Father? He is the first of the human family. …Jesus our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden.
—Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50-51, as cited in Gordon H. Fraser, Is Mormonism Christian? (Chicago: Moody, 1955), p. 58.
His humanity is to be recognized as real and ordinary …whatever happened to him may happen to any one of us. …The divinity of Jesus, and the divinity of all other noble and stately souls, in so far as they, too, have been influenced by a spark of Deity – can be recognized as manifestations of the Divine.
—Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology (Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1883) (emphasis added).
The Bible says: Jesus Christ has existed eternally as God the second Person of the Trinity, and then took on a human nature at His birth in Bethlehem. Since then He exists eternally as one Person with both divine and human natures.
About Man
Mormonism says: All human beings and spirits, including Jesus and Satan, existed as spirit beings before being born. Physical birth gives bodies to these spirits, and an opportunity to choose right or wrong. Thus the present life is a period of probation. The way a person lives in this life determines their status in the life after the resurrection. If the deeds of this life have been satisfactory and all temple obligations have been fulfilled, the individual becomes a god and is considered eligible to create “spirit children” as God the Father did and populate a world of his own.
The Bible says: There is no pre-existence of human spirits in an earlier life before our earthly existence; the Bible does not teach this in any form. And humanity is permanently on a lower level than God. Though we may become like Him in moral purity in heaven, we never become infinite in regard to time, space or ability. And the Bible says nothing about populating other worlds—simply about the future kingdom of Christ and the New Jerusalem on this world (Revelation 21-22).
Sources of Authority
Mormonism says: The Mormon church uses the Bible and the Book of Mormon as their primary authority, with the addition of the Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price.
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. —Articles of Faith, 8.
The LDS “Living Prophet” can speak oracles which actually supercede scripture and any previous prophet’s oracles, including Joseph Smith. The Bible holds the least amount of authority in the Mormon church.
The Bible says: God’s Word (the Bible) alone is authoritative.
About Salvation
Mormonism says that Christ overcame physical death and guaranteed physical resurrection to all mankind. But spiritual death can only be avoided by individual obedience to the commandments of God.
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. …We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
—Articles of Faith, 3 and 4 (emphasis added)
Forgiveness of sins requires baptism by an approved Mormon priest. The practice of baptism for the dead is an extension of this belief, in which Mormons are baptized in proxy for those who have died without proper baptism.
The Bible says: We are unable to live a life righteous enough to meet God’s standard of perfect holiness. Therefore we become right with God by faith in the work of Christ, not by our own works. Baptism and holy living are acts of obedience to God, but not a means of gaining salvation.
The Future
Mormonism says: Although there is some form of punishment (possibly temporary) for those that are most wicked, Christ will usher in a kingdom that will consist of three levels by the end of the millennium: the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom. It is possible to advance within each of these kingdoms.
The Bible only speaks of two final fates for mankind: heaven or hell. And nothing is said of advancing in status in either location.
For further information
Irvine Robertson, What the Cults Believe (Chicago: Moody, 1966).
Gordon H. Fraser, Is Mormonism Christian? (Chicago: Moody, 1955).
Author: Dr. John Bechtle. Editor: Paul S. Taylor, Eden Communications.
Copyright © 1996, 1998 Eden Communications, All Rights Reserved – except as noted on attached “Usage and Copyright” page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools.
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