Mormonism and Christianity
Rev. Chuck Taber
Contents
Revelation, Discernment and Authority
Differences Between the OT and NT
The Bible vis a vis the Book of Mormon
Advancing Spiritual Children into Gods
Joseph Smith was given multiple revelations, along with golden plates written in "Reformed Egyptian" and the means to supernaturally translate them. Thereby Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, which tells the story of Jews who migrated to and settle the Americas. The first wave of settlers came after the destruction of the Tower of Babel around 2,250 B.C. and a second wave before the destruction of Jerusalem around 600 B.C. After Jesus was crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem, he went to these "lost tribes of Jews" and proclaimed to them the true gospel, which they received and believed. But eventually the Jewish-American-Indian tribes fought one another to extinction, but the last prophet, Moroni, wrote down their history on golden plates and buried them before dying. It was these plates that Joseph Smith translated much later.
Because Mormons believe in continuing special revelation from God, they now have four authoritative books: the first is the Book of Mormon; the second and third are theological statements and lessons, The Pearl of Great Price and The Doctrine and Covenants; fourth, and the least authoritative is the Bible itself. But note carefully Mormons believe that our Bibles have been corrupted as well as been mistranslated and misinterpreted. According to them, the Bible can only be properly understood through the other authorities. The latest revelation judges the earlier ones. According to The Book of Mormon, God says to the fools who think they only need the Bible, ". . . because I have spoken one word ye not need suppose that I cannot speak another . . . Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words: neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written."3 Even though Mormons claim these four books as authoritative to their beliefs and practices, it must also be noted that any living prophet of God, that is, the current living president of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, can speak forth new revelation, which could supersede any other previous pronouncement, for example, their change in practicing polygamy and restrictions placed on black people.
If you answer that question by saying, "You just know" or "The Holy Spirit will confirm it or not," then the Mormons would agree with you. But they would say it is a "burning in the bosom" — a deep, inner conviction and an experience of the divine, that they have had while reading and studying the Mormon scriptures. Personal feelings are nice, but can be misleading. How do we know the feeling wasn't caused by heartburn or a bad mushroom? When trying to discern if prophecy or a revelation is from God, we need some objective criteria.
Classic Christianity says that we must "test the spirits." 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good." 1 John 4:1 says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (NASB).4 The "test" has been to judge the new against the old. Make sure the new revelation is consistent with and in agreement with what has already been accepted and trusted and confirmed as true.
Moses taught that if anyone tried to lead the people away from the truth of what he had revealed to them, that is, go after other gods, even if they had visions and gave miraculous signs and wonders, they were not to be listened to, but rather be put to death (Deuteronomy 13:1–5). Similarly, Moses said whatever prophecy was given by a true prophet of God would come about. God’s prophecy would always be fulfilled (Deuteronomy 18:21–22). Jesus condemned the Pharisees and scribes because they followed "traditions of the elders" in such as way as to "invalidated the word of God" (Matthew 15:1–9). When Paul preached to the Bereans, they not only eagerly listened, but also examined the scriptures, that is, the Old Testament, daily to test whether Paul and Silas' teachings were true (Acts 17:10ff). Likewise, we have the expressed teaching of Paul himself to test the new with the old. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" (Gals 1:8f). Likewise, in Colosians2:18, Paul exhorts us, "Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind . . ."
So we test the new against the old by seeing if the new agrees with the old. We look to see if they are consistent with the teaching of Scripture and the known character of God and Jesus. In other words, everything must be accord to sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3–6; 4:6–16; 2 Timothy 1:13f; and Titus 2:1). If the new revelation or a new prophecy contradicts the old, then we cannot accept them.
This criteria is based upon the idea that God is unchanging and self-consistent. God always speaks the truth, is not arbitrary, does not change His mind, shift his position or repent. God can never mislead or lie to us. He is so wise, sovereign, and knowledgeable that nothing takes him by surprise and whatever he says stands (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17; James 1:17).
It is true that there are radical differences between the Old and New Testaments, but is wrong to see the differences as contradictions. Differences can be accounted for by three principles: (1) a progression in relationship; (2) the fulfillment of types; and (3) the universal scope of the people of God, which no longer is restricted to a theocracy in a specific location, land and race.
1. Progression in Relationships
There is progression in revelation, and a difference in how God relates to his people then and now, just like there is a progression in relationships between parents and their children. When they are young, parents speak more directly and simply to their children, and accordingly punish them more directly. We don’t lecture, but administer a swift swat to the backside, or forcefully remove them from our presence. As children grow older and gain understanding, we treat them differently. We use less corporal punishment, and more lecture, and eventually just a "look" or a pointing of the finger. Our displeasure eventually becomes sufficient to correct misbehavior. Likewise God treated the Israelites more directly and more quickly interfered and punished his people in the olden times, when they were just learning about God and His ways. Whereas now God treats us more as grown adults.
Previously God was strict, directing and punishing us by the letter of the law. Now, with the arrival of Christ, God gives us freedom within grace. Paul writes in Galatians 3:24–25, "In other words, the law was our guardian leading us to Christ so that we could be made right with God through faith. Now the way of faith has come, and we no longer live under a guardian" (NCV). This means that the Law was supposed to point out the fact that we cannot live up to its standards, and thus are in great need for the grace of God. In the OT, the saints of God would trust, not their own works or sacrifices, but rather the existence of the covenant of God, that God himself instituted and which came before the Law, along with trusting in the promise of God of the coming Messiah, who would bring about a new covenant and give a new heart to God’s people. In other words, the Law would have forced them to trust in grace, and it continues to serve us in the same way. As we come face to face with the demands of the law, we realize we are exceedingly sinful and need the justification and the righteousness that doesn’t come from us, but from Jesus Christ. The law demonstrates our own need for grace and this leads us to trust in the life, work, death and resurrection of Jesus.
This doesn’t mean there is no role for the law to play in our lives. The standards of the law still guide us. They direct our paths in serving God; not as a means to become pleasing to God, but rather, as a means to demonstrate our love for and to God. If we are children of God, then we will obey his moral law and strive to please him with good works, love and faith. We will love and serve him according to his revelation, not according to our whims and fancies. Thus there is no contradiction. God still hates sin and will eventually punish them, but he is being much more patient with us, and the Law remains a valid standard for us, telling us how to please God. Nevertheless, our relationship with God has changed: we are no longer immature children or slaves, but rather committed adult friends of God. The relationship God has established with His people has changed, but God has not and his laws have not be made void and invalidated.
The second way we should understand the differences between the Old and New Testaments is to recognize that much of the Old Testament was presenting types, that is veiled pictures of spiritual truths to come, or physical realities that portrayed the character and work of the coming Messiah. Any type that was fulfilled by Jesus, therefore, no longer has binding force upon us today. For example, although the OT says circumcision was supposed to be the everlasting sign of an everlasting covenant of God (Genesis 17:9–14), it was also a type for the circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel 18:31 and 36:26) which we have in Christ Jesus (Romans 2:29). Since we have a new heart in Christ, since our hearts have been circumcised by the Holy Spirit, we don’t need the physical sign. The reality is already here among us. The type has been fulfilled and thus the commandment to circumcise men no longer has to be enforced, and to insist that the commandment is still binding means that we are not recognizing the all-encompassing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in our lives and thereby reject the gospel and despise grace (Galatians 5:1ff)!
Other examples of the fulfillment of types in Christ are keeping the Sabbath (Galatians 4:8–11; Colossians 2:16f; Hebrews 4:1ff; Romans 14:5–9), building and maintaining a tabernacle or temple, and all the ensuing rituals and laws of holiness and sacrifices. Jesus is the sacrifice that makes us holy and acceptable to God for all time, and thus there is no other sacrifice required of us (Hebrews 10:11–18). Jesus became the new temple (John 2:19ff), the location where we see, worship and experience the forgiveness of God and the presence of God. Similarly, since Jesus has been resurrected and reigns in heaven with God, he has given us the Holy Spirit and has made us a spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 3:17ff; Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 3:12; 21:22ff), and all believers, male and female, young and old, are priests of God (1 Peter 2:5–10; Revelation 1:6). Christ Jesus has made us his holy priests and his ambassadors, empowering us with the Holy Spirit, commissioning us with the good news of salvation by grace through faith, and filling us with the love of God. In other words, all the cultic holiness rules in the OT pointed to the coming fact that the people of God would be marked out by God by the Holy Spirit, and since we have the Spirit, the physical laws of separation and cleanliness are no longer binding upon us. The OT types have been fulfilled, but not abrogated. There is both distinction and continuity between them, not contradiction.
3. Universal Scope of God’s People
Finally, we also must recognize that in the Old Testament, God singled out one unique group of people, connected to a specific land and race, in order to make that land and that people, a place of great blessing and abundance, and through those blessings attract others to God. But now that Jesus Christ has come as the Messiah for the whole world, God has expanded his reign and his blessings to include everybody in Christ, regardless of their sexuality, nationality, education, culture or their civic and political structures (Galatians 3:28f). Previously God localized his presence and gave special blessings to a particular spot of land in the world, in order to influence and draw all the peoples of the world to him. Now in Christ, all the peoples of the world can have direct access and blessings from God through the Holy Spirit. The hope that the people of God would influence and bring salvation throughout the world ahs been realized. God's presence, love and blessings have been universalized. All who love, follow and trust Jesus as their forgiver and master, no matter where they are in the world, has the presence of God within them through the Holy Spirit.
Thus we do not have to set up a theocracy and do not have to follow the OT civic laws of government. Such OT laws give us good principles to follow, such as justice, righteousness, equity, and stability; but we are free to use those principles and precepts to set up a different kind of civic, national and political system. There is no longer just one single godly way to set up a government and maintain civic life.
These three principles of interpretation demonstrate the Old and New Testaments are both unified and distinct, different but coherent, without any inherent contradictions. Changes have come about because of a progression in revelation, because of the fulfillment of types, and because of the universal nature of the people of God after the resurrection of Jesus. There are changes, and apparent contradictions, but not actual contradictions.
The question still remains whether or not the teachings of Mormonism contradict the Bible. That we will do below.
Hank Hanegraaff, the host of "The Bible Answer Man" radio broadcast, delineates four reasons that substantiates our claim of scriptural authority. These are given based on an acronym: MAPS.5 Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy and Statistics support the Bible, but not The Book of Mormon.
Although we do not have the original manuscripts of the Bible, we do
have many ancient copies, or fragment of copies, that go back to the
second generation after Christ. There is one fragment of the
Gospel of John (which is one of the last parts of the Bible
to be written) that can be dated between 98 – 110 A.D. In the Book of
Acts, Luke
gives summary
statements of what the early church believed, and Paul quoted creedal statements from the early church’s teachings. These
would have had to be created and started circulating around AD 42. That’s
within 10 years of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Much too
short of time for mythology about Jesus to rise up. We also have
translations of the original writings of the New Testament in other languages that go back to the first
three centuries, and we have the early Church fathers, who wrote between
A.D. 110 – 200. The early church fathers quoted the New Testament so
much that we can practically recreate the whole New Testament just on
their citations alone. Currently, we have over 25,000 hand-written copies of
the New Testament, of which approximately 10% can be traced back to the first century.
This wealth of manuscript evidence within one or two centuries from the original is exceedingly remarkable, when we compare the New Testament to other ancient Greek and Roman works. They have a gap between 500 – 1000 years between the original and an extant copy. For example, Tacitus’ sixteen volume Annals of Imperial Rome was written about A.D. 116. We now have the first six books in only one manuscript dating from about A.D. 850; books 7–10 are completely lost; and books 11–16 are in another manuscript dating from the 11th Century. Josephus’ The Jewish War was written about A.D. 75, and we now have nine Greek manuscripts dating between the 10th through 12th Centuries. The earliest translation we have is in Latin from the Fourth Century. And the most popular Greek work in the ancient world, Homer’s Iliad, which was written in the 8th Century B.C., is supported by 650 manuscripts, with the oldest fragment dating from the 3rd Century B.C., and with the oldest complete copy coming from the 10th Century A.D. So the gap between the oldest extant fragment of the Iliad from the original is 500 years!6
Although there is not as much diversity and as many manuscripts for the Old Testament, modern scholars were very surprised to learn from the Dead Sea Scrolls, that there were very little differences from their texts and the standard Hebraic text.
Nevertheless, at last for the New Testament, we have an extremely high amount of solid textual evidence by which we can reasonably reconstruct the original. There are textual discrepancies and doubt about what the original is for a few minor texts, especially as it deals with spellings and grammatical differences, but there is nothing that affects doctrine or standard Christian practices.
Now when we compare this with the Book of Mormon, we find just the opposite. There is no manuscript evidence. The golden plates were supposedly taken up into heaven after they were translated, and no drawings, copies or photographs were taken of them. Their initial existence has to be taken solely by faith.7
But there is one ancient manuscript that has given embarrassment to the Mormons. It was supposed to be the basis "The Book of Abraham," which is part of The Pearl of Great Price. "The Book of Abraham" is purported to have been written by Abraham while he was in Egypt, recounting his travels and revealing a vision about the universe and creation. Joseph Smith acquired the manuscript from a traveling Egyptian show in 1835 in Kirtland, Ohio, and shortly afterwards produce a translation of it. No one at that time could translate Egyptian hieroglyphics, and so people had to trust Smith’s "supernatural" translation. The manuscript was thought lost in the Chicago fire of 1871, but . . .
To every one’s surprise, in 1966 the papyri were rediscovered in one of the vault rooms of the New York’s metropolitan Museum of Art. The Desert News of Salt Lake City on Nov. 27, 1967 acknowledged the rediscovery of the papyri. On the back of the papyri were "drawings of a temple and maps of the Kirtland, Ohio." There could be no doubt that this was the original document from which Joseph Smith translated the book of Abraham.8
When the papyri was translated by Egyptologists, it was discovered it did not mention Abraham at all and did not correspond to Joseph Smith’s so-called translation. It was rather a first century B.C. funerary text, that is, instruction on embalming and how to meet the gods in the afterlife.9
Thus the one ancient manuscript that the Mormons have that should have supported their translation does not. Mormons may claim that Joseph Smith had "an inspired vision" while studying the Egyptian papyri, but that is not what Smith claimed. He claimed that he had "translated" the document; yet no Egyptologist will support his translation.
Although many historians and archaeologists have purposefully set out to disprove the Bible, none have succeeded. Archaeology and other historical accounts support the Bible, and do not contradict it. This doesn’t mean there are still some questionable areas on how to reconcile other histories with the Bible, but just that there has been no proof that the Bible is in error. Instead of disproving the Bible, archaeology has helped us understand the Scriptures. Instead of discrediting the Bible, it has verified it.
Most of our Bibles have one thing the Book of Mormon does not: maps! Archaeology tells us where all the locations of the cities and towns were located. Again, in a few instances, there is disagreement exactly where some towns are to be located. Yet of all the locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon, there is exactly no archaeological evidence that they ever existed.
But what is even more telling, is that archaeology contradicts the Mormon view of history. According the Mormon version of history, a Jewish group left Jerusalem around 600 BC and made their way to the Americas where they developed a great civilization. According to their view, these so-called Jewish-American-Indians10 had the use of steel, silk, a compass, wheat, barley, oats, millet, rice, cattle, pigs, chickens, horses, donkeys, and elephants. But archaeology notes that although mammoths, mastodons, camels, and horses were in the Americas, they all died off around 10,000 B.C. and such animals were only re-introduced to the Americas with the arrival of Columbus. Similarly, steel and silk also came to the New World only after 1492.11
Not only do archaeologists have problems with the Book of Mormon but so do the anthropologists and geneticists. Mormons claim that the American Indians descended from Jews, but geneticists have demonstrated that is an impossibility, and anthropologists have determined American Indians were descended from Mongoloids, most likely coming across the Bering Land bridge during the ice age, and slowly migrated to the south. This also is contrary to the Book of Mormon that says the founding Jewish settlers were in Central America or Chile.12
So unlike the Bible, there is no evidence of the existence of the civilizations mentioned in the Book of Mormon and much historical and scientific evidence that contradicts it.
The Bible has many explicit prophecies that were fulfilled in history, to the extent that, skeptics believe, against any evidence, that they were placed into the historical documents after the fact. For example, Daniel predicted the rise of four progressive kingdoms, and the abomination of the temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The destruction of Tyre, Sidon and Babylon were also predicted and fulfilled in history. There are also Messianic predictions, many of which, could not be fulfilled on purpose by Jesus, for example, where he was born, how he would be called, how he would die, etc.
Joseph Smith is reported to have prophesied the then coming Civil War. He wrote, ". . . the Southern States will call on other nations . . . war will be poured out upon all nations . . . slaves shall rise up against their masters . . . and the remnants [that is, American Indians,] . . . shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation." Yes, the war between the states did occur shortly after Joseph Smith was murdered, but other nations did not enter into the war, the southern slaves did not rise up in rebellion, and the American Indians did not vex the Gentiles, but rather the Gentiles vexed the Indians. They were reduced to reservations.13
Even if the problems with the above prophecy are unconvincing, the problem of prophecy in Mormonism can be found in the Book of Mormon itself which predicted Jesus would be born in Jerusalem. Alma 7:9–10 says, "But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers . . ."
The fulfillment of prophecies in the Bible point to the improbable statistics of this ever coming about. Some scholars count sixty different Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. The probability of just one person fulfilling just eight of them is staggering, and for all sixty impossible. In this case, the eight prophecies are (1) the Messiah would be born at Bethlehem, (2) be preceded by a messenger, (3) enter into Jerusalem on a donkey, (4) be betrayed by a friend; (5) sold for 30 pieces of silver; (6) of which would later be thrown into God’s house, (7) that he would remain silent before his accusers, and (8) that he would be crucified with thieves. The statistical probability for just these eight prophecies being fulfilled by one person is 1017. To give a mental picture of such a huge number, think of spreading that amount of silver dollars all over the surface of Texas, two feet deep, and then expecting a blind man to wade through all of them and picking up one specific marked silver dollar. That is how improbable eight prophecies are. When we look at fulfilling 48, it odds go up to 10157.14
But also consider the Bible was written over a span of 1600 years, by forty or more authors, in three different languages, yet are remarkably consistent and unified with the common theme of God searching out a rebellious group of people and making them his very own. The scarlet thread, the patience of God, salvation by the grace of God, and the continue rebellion of humankind can be found in all of the books. Although there are differences and distinctions over time, and although we can note differences in personalities within the authors, they do not contradict each other. This unity and many prophecies that have been fulfilled in the Old and New Testaments, makes the Bible statistically improbable to have come about solely by chance and human actions. It demands divine inspiration.
In contrast, as we saw above, the Book of Mormon has a false prophecy, and Joseph Smith falsely prophesied. We also note that the Mormon scriptures contradict one another; for example, Doctrines and Covenants (132:34,32) says one should follow the works of Abraham, that is, have more than one wife, but in the Book of Mormon, in Jacob 2:26–28, men were to have only one wife, and no concubines. The Book of Mormon teaches that baptism confers the remission of sins (3 Nephi 12:2; Moroni 8:11), but Doctrines and Covenants say that baptism is a sign signifying that people have already had their sins forgiven and are members of the church. Similarly, Moses 2:1 says that God is the "Beginning and the End" and that he alone created all things, but in Abraham 4:1, it says "the gods organized and formed the heavens and the earth." On the one hand, The Book of Mormon teaches monotheism, but on the other hand, it teaches polytheism.
Whereas we must look toward divine inspiration for the Bible, the Book of Mormon seems more like the work of a man with a good imagination and the ability to pull quotes from the King James Version of the Bible. We do not need to appeal to God’s inspiration to account for The Book of Mormon.
Mormons
believe in the existence of many different gods, but their gods are not
the supreme powers of the universe. They are not the "First
Cause," because according to their theology, matter cannot be
destroyed or created. The gods can only organize or disorganize matter.15 The only logical conclusion is that a group of gods always existed,
along with matter, or that somehow, perhaps by evolutionary forces, matter
produced a group of gods.
In contrast, Scripture says that there is only one God and there are no others who have the nature of God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 45:22; 1 Corinthians 8:5f). There are those who have the power to command death, like kings and prophets, and they may be described as a god (Psalm 82:6), but their nature is not divine. Because Satan seems to have so much power to act upon the earth, he is described as being "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2), but this does not mean his nature is divine. Likewise, pagans worshiped idols as gods, but they were false gods, and not real (Isaiah 41:23; Galatians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 8:5f). There is one and only one Being whose very nature is divine.
The God of the Bible does not spring forth from matter, but is the creator of matter. God is the Creator of all things.
. . . understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. "I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me. . . . I am God. Even from eternity I am He . . . (Isaiah 43:10–13).
I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. . . . I am the Lord, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these. (Isaiah 45:5–7; cf. Isaiah 45:12 and Ephesians 3:9, "God who created all things.")
Note very carefully that the Trinity is not an expression of three different and distinct gods. Christians are monotheistic. We believe in one and only one God. But that one God exists as three fully formed persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) in relation, conversation, communion and unity with one another from all eternity. The essence or nature of God is one, but the relationships of God are three. In other words, the "what" of God is one, and the "who" of God is three. Clearly understand that the three persons are not three roles or masks that the one God plays through history, but rather are three distinct and separate personal wills and relationships that interact one with one another from all eternity. The trinity teaches one God, not three gods.
According to Mormonism, the gods have a physical material body, with bodily parts and passions.
We affirm that to deny the materiality of God’s person is to deny God; for a thing without parts has no whole, and an immaterial body cannot exist. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints proclaims against the incomprehensible God, devoid of "body, parts, or passions" as a thing impossible of existence, and asserts in and allegiance to the true and living God of Scripture and Revelation.16
Mormons will say that this is exactly how the Bible describes God. God created humans "after his image," and since we are physical entities, God himself must be physical. The Bible also says God stretches out his hand, walks upon the earth, hides his face, etc. They ignore that these are metaphorical descriptions about God (anthropomorphisms), and are not describing the nature of God.17
Scripture explicitly says God is a spirit. John 4:24, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Cf. 1 Kings 8:27 which says, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!"
Although theologians disagree on what exactly it means that humans were created in the likeness and the image of God, there is agreement that a distinction is still being made between the image and the very nature of God. God and humanity are distinct from one another. Humans are like God, but not exactly like him. Most see the image of God as being linked to the plurality of the sexes; it is male and female together that form the image of God. Thus the image of God may refer to that aspect within us that make us compatible and desirous to have intimate and open relationships, not only with one another, but also with God. Others also link the image to that which makes humans unique to rule over the plants and animals.
The whole idea that humans can be like God, in all aspects, come from Satan, the Great Deceiver, not from God. Satan, through the serpent, tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, so that she would "be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). Similarly, since the king of Babylon strove to become like God, he was destroyed (Isaiah 14:12ff). The ideas that God was once like we were, and that we can become like God is now are evil lies from Satan.
Mormon theology makes one glaring exception to their insistence that God must have a material body, and that is with the Holy Spirit. "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit."18 Note the inherent contradiction: first they say that it is impossible to conceive of a being without personal body parts and without material form, but then say that the Holy Spirit is a personal being with perfect attributes, powers and affections, but has no body.
Appointment of the Supreme God
According to Mormon theology, the gods that emerged from matter, got together and appointed one of their own to become the supreme god and leader.19 This supreme god was not distinct in nature from the rest, but more advance in knowledge and experience, and continues to advance in perfection and knowledge, and thus none can reach his status.
Not only are all people the offspring of the marriage between God the Father, that is Elohim, and God the Mother, or Mothers, but so also were Jesus, Satan and all the angels. All beings associated with this earth came from the procreation of our god and his wife or wives. Jesus was the firstborn child, and possibly Satan the second.22 Jesus is therefore not our Lord and Master, the very one who spoke and all things sprung into existence, but rather a creation, the first issue between Elohim and his wife. Jesus did not exist from all eternity. There was a time when he did not exist. He came to be, as did all other humans did, through the procreative act of a god father and a god mother. Thus he is often spoken of by Mormons as "our brother," or "our elder brother." But Satan could just as easily be addressed in the very same way!
According to Mormonism, these spiritual children grew in stature and understanding, each according to their own will, but they cannot gain complete knowledge and experience and then advance to godhood, unless they acquire physical form. They need a physical life on a physical planet to learn, grow and attain godhood. What type of status they would have on the planet would be determined by their pre-existent life as spiritual children. If they pleased their Father in Heaven, they would be born into a better family on earth and live a better life. Those who learn much and were very close to their heavenly parents acquired a physical body on earth and quickly die as infants or children. They did not need to gain much more knowledge, just a physical body. Those who displeased their heavenly parents were destined to be born in poorer circumstances and as a weaker race, that is, not with a white Anglo-Saxon heritage. "Those who were faithful in all things will receive greater blessings here, and those who were not faithful received less."23
According to their beliefs, the spiritual children are stuck in heaven until physical bodies are prepared for them. It is of primary importance, therefore, for human couples to birth as many babies as they possibly can, giving all the spiritual children a chance to become gods.
It is also for this reason that they originally practiced polygamy, having more than one wife, and why splintered fundamentalist Mormon groups continue to practice it today. Even though the current Church of the Latter Day Saints now disavow polygamy, it still remains an essential theological concept, explaining the pre-existing life, as well as a legitimate option in the future life for those who have had more than one wife on earth and have had those marriages sealed in a Mormon Temple. If for example a husband’s first wife dies, and a husband remarriages, and both marriages were consecrated by Temple ceremonies, when the husband attains godhood, he can call forth both wives and all three of them can then procreate spiritual children of their own.
Note carefully, the Bible does not support the idea that we have a pre-existent life before being conceived by our human parents on earth. We come to be at conception, while in our mothers womb (Psalm 139:13; Job 31:15). Because of God’s foreknowledge and sovereignty, he can claim that he knew us before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5), even before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), but we have our start, we come to existence, on earth, not in heaven.
The Bible also clearly and specifically says there is no marriage in heaven (Matthew 22:30 cf. Mark 12:25).
According to Mormonism, the Fall, that is when Adam and Eve ate the prohibited fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, was not a bad thing but rather a necessary thing. It had to happen in order for the spiritual children, and their ensuing physical children, to learn how to become gods themselves. 2 Nephi 2:22–25, in The Book of Mormon, says:
And now, behold, if Adam had not transgress he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things having done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
Again this is clearly contradictory to the Bible. Since Adam and Eve were given the creation ordinance to be fruitful and to multiple (Genesis 1:28) before they were tempted by Satan, there is no need to suppose that they had to sin in order to procreate. Scripture says that sexuality is a gift of God, our bodies and the pleasures we find in and with them are not necessary shameful in and of themselves (Proverbs 5:18; Song of Solomon 5.1; Ecclesiastes 2:24f &3:13). Adam and Eve would have continued to grow in knowledge and understanding apart from eating the forbidden fruit. They could not have carried out the creation ordinances without growth, but they were supposed to do these things according to God's plan, not their own. Their sin was to grasp after knowledge apart from God. They attempted to become their own arbitrator of right and wrong, and to live apart from a relationship with God. Thus what they did was completely wrong and sinful. Not something to be praised. Scripture is clear: disobedience to God is always wrong (2 Kings 18:11; 1 Samuel 15:22; Jeremiah 7:23f; Ephesians 2:2; Colossians 3:6; Hebrews 2:2; Hebrews 4:6).
Grand Scheme's Inherent Contradiction
At this point, I want to point out that according to the Mormon understanding of our pre-existence and status, and the way we become gods involves an infinite loop and thus is inherently contradictory. They teach that a father god and mother god have spiritual children who have a pre-existent life in heaven with them. These spiritual children stay there, apart from perfection, waiting for a physical body on a material world, in order to learn more and to prove their worthiness to become a god themselves. Thus a world is created by the father god for two of his children, who rebel, start procreating physical children, and if they are properly married and perform all the right works, become gods themselves, and they will in turn procreate in a new heaven and bring forth spiritual children, who will then go to a different world, and start the process all over.
They say "God was once as we were, an exalted man," and "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."24 Where, when and how did it start for the first God? This is an unanswered paradox in their theology. Evolving from matter does not give a rebellious experience, nor prove worthiness to any personal being in order to grant godhood. The first being or beings who emerged from matter had no way to become a god — no process to become god. The system has no beginning; no logical consistancy.
Denial of His Eternal Deity
According to Mormonism, Jesus came to earth for the same reasons other spiritual children come: to learn good and evil. But there are some distinctions between Jesus' physical birth and ours. His physical body was brought about by a unique method, by the direct agency of an exalted being using his resurrected physical form to impregnate the non-exalted, non-resurrected, regular human woman Mary. This enabled Jesus to remembered his pre-existence and to use that knowledge to perform miracles and live a sinless life.
There is some discrepancies on exactly who impregnated the then virgin Mary in order to bring forth Jesus. Brigham Young wrote that Adam, who had progressed to godhood, visited the virgin Mary that night,25 whereas others taught Elohim,26 the first primary god, came to Mary. In either case, we do not have an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit causing Jesus’ conception (Luke 1:35), but rather actual physical intercourse between Mary and an exalted being, either Adam or Elohim. In other words, Jesus’ physical body came about through an incestuous relationship: sex with either a brother or a father!
According to Mormonism, Jesus did not attend the wedding at Cana as a guest for another’s wedding, he was attending his very own wedding. He married Lazarus’ sisters, both Mary and Martha, and later he also married Mary Magdalene.
There can be no exaltation to the fullness of the blessings of the celestial kingdom, outside of marriage relation. Couples whose marriages have not been sealed for eternity become angels and not gods in the life to come; only those sealed to each other for eternity become gods.27
There is no indication in the Bible that Jesus was married. Since he knew he was destined to die and have a short life, wisdom and love preclude him from getting married. Also note that when Paul defends his apostleship by demonstrating his dedication at doing everything possible to spread the gospel, he says he himself does not have a spouse. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:5, "Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?" He’s arguing from the lesser to the greater: comparing himself to Peter, the brothers of Jesus, and the rest of the apostles. Surely if Jesus himself was married, Paul would have appealed to him directly and the other examples would have been superfluous. There is only one logical reason why Paul didn’t appeal to Jesus, and that is Jesus wasn’t married.
The most righteous man that ever lived on the earth and the most wicked wretch of the whole human family were both placed under the same curse without any transgressions or agency of their own, and they both alike will be redeemed from that curse without any agency or condition on their part. (Appendix 4.2, pg 477.)
In other words, everyone that was born after Jesus’ death and resurrection were placed in the very same condition that Adam had before the Fall. All are now innocent, morally neutral, and capable of choosing right or wrong.28 This means Jesus’death does not guarantee eternal life. There is no assurance of salvation. Although humans have been saved from Adam’s sin, or from inherited sin, each person will be judged for their own personal sins. Thus Jesus gives us the possibility, but not the promise of salvation. We have the initial start toward exaltation, but not the guarantee of ever arriving. Just as Adam fell in the Garden through disobedience, so also can we.
Many go so far . . . as to pretend and at least to believe that if we confess Christ with our lips and avow that we accept Him as our personal Savior, we are thereby saved. . . . Salvation in the kingdom of God is available because of the atoning blood of Christ. But it is received only on condition of faith, baptism and endurance to the end in keeping the commandments of God.29
In contrast, the Bible teaches that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins, past, present and future (1 John 1:7 & 9; Titus 2:14; Romans 1:17). Jesus gives all believers direct communion, fellowship and love with God the Father for all eternity. We may fall on board, but not overboard. The gift of salvation is eternal life, not the hope for an eternal life.
". . . Saving intercession is to be invoked by individual effort as manifested through faith, repentance and continued works of righteousness" (Articles of Faith, p. 89).
In contrast, Scripture says we are saved by grace through faith, and faith alone, which will lead to good works (Ephesians 2:4–10; 2 Thessalonians 2:16). Works do not keep us in faith or earn us passage into heaven. The only thing we "earn" from God is death (Romans 6:23). God did not even look into the future to see what good works we would do after believing, but saved us solely by his own mercy (Titus 3:5).
Note also Scripture warns us against trusting in our own good works and striving to live up to a legalistic system. James 2:10 warns us, A person who follows all of God’s law but fails to obey even one command is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law (NCV). Similarly, Paul says in Galatians 3:10–12, But those who depend on following the law to make them right are under a curse, because the Scriptures say, "Anyone will be cursed who does not always obey what is written in the Book of the Law." Now it is clear that no one can be made right with God by the law, because the Scriptures say, "Those who are right with God will live by trusting in him." The law is not based on faith (NCV).
One work necessary for salvation, according to Mormonism, is baptism by immersion. Baptism is seen as a means of remitting sins as well as an ordinance of God. So baptism is essential to salvation. But note carefully here, there is some leeway because of three other ideas. First, a person can be baptized by proxy even without their knowledge or consent. Getting baptized is necessary, but not personally getting baptized; it can be done by Mormons standing in the place of others, even in the place of unbelievers.
Second, "salvation" in Mormon theology is thought of reaching the highest heaven and acquiring godhood. If we think of "salvation" as having an eternal after-life, we don’t have to be baptized on earth, and that is the third point. Even the wicked, apart from any baptism, get a second chance to enjoy the lowest heaven (see below).
In contrast, Scripture demonstrates that baptism is not necessary for salvation (Luke 23:42f; Acts 10:44–47; 16:31), but it is expected of all believers. It should be one of the first signs of obedience and a public demonstration of faith whenever one is converted. It is a sign of what God has done for us, not what we do for God. It is a sign that we and our children belong to the people of God.
The middle level is the terrestial, which has the glory like that of the moon. It is for all good honorable men, who did not live up to all the laws, rules and ordinances of the Mormon Church. It includes Christians, Mormons, and other good people from other religions.
The highest level is the celestial, which has the glory like that of the sun, and it is in itself divided upon three levels. The very highest level is reserved for those who have kept all the commandments of the Mormon Church, especially those who have had their marriage(s) sealed in a Mormon Temple ceremony. Godhood, though, is not automatically given. One still has to progress further. Those who are successful will, along with their family, rule and populate a different planet of their very own.
This chart is an adaptation of the chart given by Fritz Ridenour, So What’s the Difference?
(Regal Books, G/L Publications, 1967) page 65, which was "a reproduction of a chart
obtained during a tour of the Mormon temple in Oakland, Calif."
Also carefully note there are not different degrees of closeness to God the Father. The Bible says that through faith in Jesus Christ we have immediate and full communion with God the Creator, now and for all eternity. Salvation for classic Christianity proclaims sweet communion with God for all who believe, not just for a select few. 1 Peter 2:5ff says all Christians are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (NCV). Because of the work of Christ on our behalf, there is nothing that can separate us from God (Romans 8:28).
Hoekema comments that even though we can’t technically call Mormons Universalists, "One could, however, call Mormons virtual Universalists since, according to their teaching, the vast majority of the human race will attain to some kind of salvation."31
Again, Scripture does not support any of this. Instead, Hebrews 9:27 says after death comes judgment. Jesus offers salvation only while he is in heaven. When he comes again, he comes in judgment, and will give salvation only to those who are waiting for him. Thus Paul warns in 2 Thessalonians 1:6, Then he will punish those who do not know God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus Christ. Those people will be punished with a destruction that continues forever. They will be kept away from the Lord and from his great power (NCV). See also Daniel 12:2f.
|
Term |
Christianity |
Mormonism |
|
Creation |
From nothing, at the word of God through Christ |
Gods formed matter into its present shape, but matter pre-existed before the gods and has eternally existed |
|
God |
Immaterial, omnipotent, omniscience, unchanging |
Material, limited, always advancing, and "was once as we were, a man" |
|
|
Monotheistic |
Polytheistic |
|
Trinity |
Father, Son and Spirit |
Father, Mother and Son |
|
The Fall |
Disobedience that led to death |
Necessary disobedience that led to procreation and possibility of a full salvation for the spiritual children |
|
Jesus’ pre-existence |
Always existed; creator of all things |
Firstborn son from the sexual union of the Father and Mother gods |
|
Virgin Birth |
By the miraculous overshadowing of the Holy Spirit |
By the physical sexual joining of Mary with a celestial god |
|
Jesus’ uniqueness |
The God-Man; God incarnate |
The only human who received both his spiritual and physical selves from a celestial god and thus remembered his pre-existence |
|
Jesus' identity |
Lord; Creator of All |
Brother |
|
Jesus’ atonement |
Brought forgiveness and complete acceptance with God the Father |
Got rid of inherited guilt; restored humanity back to the place Adam had |
|
Salvation |
Unity with the Father |
Gaining one of the resurrected states, and having an opportunity to come close to the Father |
|
Grace |
Complete salvation by God’s mercy and love, apart from all merit |
Having the ability to improve one’s salvation status |
|
Works |
A sign of salvation, but not necessary for salvation |
Necessary for salvation |
|
Hell - Eternal Punishment |
For all who do not obey God’s laws completely and wholly, and who are not united with Christ |
For Devil, the demons and those who bring shame upon Christ |
|
|
No escape |
After sufficient punishment, most will be released to the telestial kingdom |
"Either what you say is true, or what Christianity says is true. They both can’t be correct. So let me ask you, ‘If Mormonism is true and Christianity is false, what do Mormon’s gain in the next life?’"
"Some Mormons will become gods, but the majority, including Christians, will gain salvation on one of the three levels of heaven."
"Okay, so let me repeat, by not doing anything differently at all, Christians gain entrance to one of the three levels of heaven?"
"That’s correct."
"Good. Now let me ask, ‘If Christianity is correct and Mormonism is wrong, what will Christians gain and what will Mormons gain in the after life?"
"Christians gain everything, but Mormons will gain nothing. Christians believe even good Mormons will go to hell"
"I agree. Let’s look at the other category here. If Mormonism is false, what will Mormons lose?"
"Everything."
"And Christians will lose?"
"Nothing."
"If Christianity is false, and Mormonism is true, what will Mormons lose?"
"Nothing."
"If Christianity is false, and Mormonism is true, what will Christians lose?"
"Very little."
"So then, after considering what difference our beliefs make in terms of what we will gain or lose in the afterlife, tell me, which position has the most to lose, and which one has the most to gain? Why then would a Christian convert? Do you still think it is the safest thing to remain as a Mormon?"
. . . Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed his mission in the flesh . . . (466). . . He [Christ] is essentially greater than any and all others, by reason . . . of his unique status in the flesh as the offspring of a mortal mother and of an immortal, or resurrected and glorified, Father" (472).
We are therefore not surprised to find the following statements attributed to one of the members of the First Council of Twelve Apostles, Orson Hyde: If at the marriage of Cana of Galilee, Jesus was the bridegroom and took unto him Mary, Martha, and the other Mary, it shocks our nerves. If there was not attachment and familiarity between our Savior and these women highly proper only in the relation of husband and wife, then we have no sense of propriety.
We say it was Jesus who was married whereas He could see His seed before He was crucified. I shall say here that before the Savior died He looked upon His own natural children as we look unto them, "They have taken away my Lord or husband."
Quoted by Gordon H. Fraser’s Is Mormonism Christian? (Moody Press, 1957) p 63; it is also quoted by Hoekema, Mormonism (1963) 60–61.