Why Mormon are NOT Christians

27 May

Why Mormons are not Christians

     Yesterday I received an e-mail from a Mormon asking me why I teach that Mormons are not Christians.  Here’s a copy of his note:

“I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am not here to bash but curious about your website and why ex members leave the LDS faith. One thing that I did read that is false on your website that I would recommend changing is section titled “Mormon Neighbors Witnessing”. It stats that we are not Christians. This is absolutely false. Our Church is the called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”. We believe in God the Eternal Father and in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. We do believe in Prophets, Joseph Smith was a prophet and so was Adam, Noah and Abraham just to name a few from the Bible. The most important aspect is we are Christians and we believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and yours.

He is the Savior and redeemer of the whole world. We are known as Mormons because of the Book of Mormon. We believe the Bible is the word of God. Do you really believe that we are not Christians and that we don’t believe in Jesus Christ?”  Ryan

My heart absolutely breaks for the Mormons who write in asking the things this Mormon did here.  Ryan’s name could be replaced with any other name and the note would say the same thing.  They’re Christians and their proof is the name of Jesus is in the name of their church…if that’s all it takes to prove something I could go around and call myself Mr. Bill Gates and proof that I am is in the title…and for the record…Adam and Noah were not prophets.

     I’ve often said there isn’t one single doctrine in the LDS Church that is biblically correct.  I would want for anyone, Mormon and non-Mormon alike, to please write us if this can be shown otherwise.  In this article I’ve listed some reasons why Mormons are wrong and do not fit the category of biblical Christianity.

     If I thought for one minute that Mormonism was compatible with true Christianity I’d move back to Utah and re-join the Church, alas, that can never be.  Are there times I still miss it?  Sure, in the sense of having herds of family members around all the time and knowing the community is very tight knit.  I really do miss that type of thing.

     However, the longer I am out of the Church, the more grateful I am for what Jesus has done for me and the more aware I am of the scope of His sacrifice.   Just having His presence around me all the time diminishes any homesickness that tries to divert my attention from the Truth.

     Now my little list here could’ve gone on endlessly and there isn’t one doctrinal teaching more important than the other.  The items listed here are just some of the topics we deal with every day here at the ministry when people write in asking for help.

     Also keep in mind that just one of these integral points of Mormonism is enough to call the entire system heretical.  We’re not talking about little differences we might encounter between the various denominations within the body of Christ.  These are huge theological discrepancies!

     Just as it is said in the song Tears of the Saints by Leeland, “This is an emergency”…Many people have said that our complacency in the body of Christ will be taken into account one day just as every other inaction we take.  Even Dr. Walter Martin once said; “The cults are the unpaid bills of the body of Christ”.  And I do agree with all those views.  However, there is one thing I must add.

     It’s been my experience in the last ten or so years that the body of Christ is taking notice.  People are beginning to ask questions and I believe that in large part it has to do with the internet.  The technology age has given birth to an inexhaustible hunger for knowledge.  It’s easier than ever to push a button and retrieve info on anything you want in the blink of an eye.  And so it is with the Mormon Church.  Their lies are being exposed for the whole world to see.

     For those who write in and tell me that I am not promoting a loving atmosphere, but have shown a tendency to incite riotous behavior, I have one thing to say.  If the body of Christ had kept their mouth shut while in my presence for those thirty years, I’d still be practicing Mormonism and would be on my way to hell.  I am forever indebted to those who played an integral part of God’s plan.

     God used people from all over the world to witness to me.  They ranged from being the most outspoken (Ed Decker) to the quietest man I’d ever met in Oklahoma, but they all had one thing in common.

Each loved Jesus more than my feelings and thought I deserved to know the truth.

     Mind you, it’s not to those people I bow my knee, but to the Lord God Almighty. And yes, I too believe my people deserve to know the truth.  After everything He’s given to me, this is the least I can do.

     We ask the Mormon to look at the following reasons of why their doctrine is wrong when compared with what the Bible says.  Believing you can work your way to heaven, become a god or believing Jesus is a created being is nothing short of blasphemy.  The Mormon leaders that have made derogatory comments about the Bible or the Lord Himself are just outright lying to the Mormon people.

These reasons are why Mormons are not Christians.

     The prophets and teachers of the LDS Church are only men; men who obviously hold a great disdain for the God of the Bible while at the same time preying on the hearts of people who sincerely want to know the One True God.

     You’re not breaking any laws by reading the Bible and comparing it to the writings of the LDS Church so we are praying you will take authority of your own life and check the claims out for yourself!

With Love in Christ;

Michelle Grim

1 Cor. 1:18  …

Jude 1:24-25; “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Place and Time of Atonement

     Jesus hanging on the Cross with blood dropping to the ground isn’t enough of a sign for my people to see the fulfillment of the sacrifice of God hanging on the tree He created.  He, who knew no sin, became every sin committed by mankind.  What purpose did it serve for Jesus to die if He had already paid the price in the Garden of Gethsemane?   (Luke 22:44)  They’ve taken one verse from the Bible, mistranslated it and made an entire doctrine out of it.

     Instead of seeing the empty cross as a token of their freedom from the Law, Mormons see it as “repugnant”.

     Think about it…Jesus was in the Garden the day before the Passover, compared to hanging on the cross the day of Passover.  Cursed is he that hangeth on a tree… 2 Cor. 5:21; Deut. 21:22-23, John 18:11, Heb. 13:12, 1 Cor. 1:18-19.

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  EM, pg. 85, Answers to Gospel Questions 4:17.  (1)

Jesus is Not the Perfect Sacrifice

     The Mormons call Him the Lamb of God, but what do they really think this means?  Why would He be called the Lamb if His blood is not enough?  What is wrong with this picture?  Jesus is the sinless and perfect sacrifice required under the Law for guilt sacrifices.  Lev. 5:1-6:7.

     If God required the spotless ram to be sacrificed for their sin and then proclaimed it good after the sacrifice, who is man to say they could do it without Him or do it better?  Exodus 12:11-13, 28:38-42; Isaiah 53:7, 10; John 1:29, 36, 19:30.

     Compare with LDS doctrines: Gospel Doctrine, pg. 449.  (2)

Mormons Believe in Works not Grace

     The Mormon will reach out their arms to pick up their tools and work, but won’t look up to see the outstretched arms of God Almighty paying the price for their sinful ways.  Thine works are but a filthy rag…Isaiah 40:26; 64:6; Eph. 2:8-9.

   Compare with LDS doctrines:  Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pgs. 28-29; 2 Nephi 25:23.  (3)

Jesus’ Conception Was not Divine

     God Incarnate…Mormons add to the phrase Only Begotten Son of God.  They’ve changed the truth of a perfect miracle into a story about a sexual encounter by God and the Virgin Mary by saying “Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh”.  Technically this is incest since Mary was already God’s daughter.  According to Mormon leaders she was spiritually begotten by God in the pre-existence through a sexual union between him and some unnamed heavenly mother.  Romans 1:20-25, 3:13; Ezek. 13:2-9.

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  Promised Messiah, pg. 468; JD 8:115-116.  (4)

Priesthood Authority

     According to the Bible, Jesus never held the Levitical Priesthood and John the Baptist who supposedly conferred the priesthood to Joseph Smith was disqualified from holding it because he worked outside of the temple and ate unholy food.  In addition to all that, Jesus came to fulfill the Law (Matt. 5:17-20), not to re-establish it some 1800 years later!

     Hebrews 7:5, 24-25, 9:6-7, 11-15, 10:1, 10-17.  Also see a great article about this topic by Ed Decker here http://www.saintsalive.com/mormonism/aaronicpriesthood.htm

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  Gospel Ideals, pg. 168.  (5)

The Mormon Jesus is a Created Being

     There are many times during the worship service at my church when I am reminded of the slanderous teachings in Mormonism and this topic is always near the top of my list.  My knees buckle when I think of what they’ve said about the most Holy God of all.

     The Bible has never intimated the ideology that Jesus is a creature.  In fact the Bible is quite clear Jesus is the Creator!  Matthew 1:23; John 1:1, 14; Col. 1:15-18; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:8; Jude 1:24-25; Rev. 1:8; Deut. 6:4; Isaiah 9:6, 44:6.

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  EM, pg. 548; D&C 130:22.  (6)

The Promise of the Holy Ghost is Conditional

     Jesus told His disciples He had to go away in order for them to receive the Comforter.  He reminded them not to fear for He had overcome the world and He would leave them peace.  John 14:16, 23-27, 16:33.

     The promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit and His peace is conditional in the world of Mormonism.  These things can only be obtained through strict obedience to the Laws of God.  The entire theme of the Book of Mormon is based upon this principle.

     Compare with LDS doctrines: 2 Nephi 4:4; Alma 36:30, 38:1, 50:20.  (7)

In Mormonism There are Many gods, Many Earths

     There are numerous passages throughout scripture that proclaim God alone is God; there is no other!  This brings comfort to those who believe in this all powerful one and only God.  God was not created by some other unnamed god and therefore cannot be compared to any future gods on other planets.

     God describes Himself as “I AM THAT I AM”.  The term (hayah or ehyeh) is in the Bible 2 times and it means “existed” or “was”.  It’s not a name but a description of the God and who He is; e.g. Exodus 3:14 and Hosea 11:9.  Now why would He declare this if others could be like Him?

     This description of God tells us He is immutable, He is the cause of what is; He is all in all.  There are at least 265 verses known as the “I AM” verses.  A good study for any Christian is to find all of them and take comfort in all the ways God looks over us through His word in this one simple study.

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  TPJS, pg. 345; EM, pg. 549.  (8)

Godhood is for Everyone

     True and ultimate salvation for every member of the LDS Church is nothing less than becoming a god of their own planet that they will populate through a sexual union with one of their multiple wives.

     Towards the end of my life as a Mormon I began praying God would send me to one of the lesser kingdoms (essentially hell) so I wouldn’t have to be eternally pregnant.  I was willing to forego the opportunity of being in God’s presence eternally as long as I didn’t have to always be pregnant.   The thought of such an existence was nothing less than dismal to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the children the Lord has given to me, but pregnancy wasn’t one of favorite things for me in this life.

     The idea of becoming a god (or like god, they both bring the same result) is exactly what got Adam and Eve kicked out of the Garden of Eden.  Gen. 3:5, 15, 23-24; Ex. 15:11; Is. 43:10-11, 47:8-11; Ezek. 28:2; Mark 12:18-31, 2 Thess. 2:3-4.

    Compare with LDS doctrines:  TPJS, pg. 346; The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, pg. 1(9)

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

    Everything the Mormon is taught about the Bible is a lie.  The average member has no idea the Bible is a closed canon; people use it in modern times to know God; and it can be trusted.  The Church goes to great lengths to discredit and take attention away from the Bible in order to fuel the lies about the “Most correct book on the face of the earth” (the Book of Mormon).

     God has always wanted mankind to know Him and has made sure to supply us with the ways and means to know Him through creation, His word, and the prophets and of course Jesus!

     Why would He supply us with something full of lies if He wants us to be saved?  Heb. 1:1-3, John 12:44, John 14:7, 9, 23, 2 Peter 1:3-4, Prov. 30:5-6.

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  2 Nephi 29:10; Articles of Faith 1:8; JD 2:75; Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 245; Gospel Standards, pg. 22.  (10)

God is Spirit, NOT an Exalted Man

     Again, there are numerous passages to explain what God wants for us to know and this time it’s the fact that He is not an exalted man.  The first scripture that comes to mind is John 4:24 of course, but then there is also Hosea 11:9, Numbers 23:19; “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

     In order for us to worship God properly we must know who He is, what He expects and how to go about doing it.  God spares no words or expense in describing Himself and declaring He is not man.

     I’ve yet to find a scripture that declares God to be a man who had a father and who had lived on an earth like this one to earn his way to godhood.  God alone is God, there is no other and there was no council of gods deciding how to make the earth!

     Exodus 18:11, 34:10; Deut. 6:4, 32:4; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps. 90:2, 102:26-27; Is. 43:10-11, 44:5-6, 24-25; Malachi 3:6; John 1:18; 1Tim. 6:16.

     Compare with LDS doctrines:  Letters Exhibiting the Most Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pg. 87; Gospel Through the Ages, pg. 104; D&C 130:22.  (11)

For more reasons why Mormonism is wrong, see our extensive list at http://lifeafterministry.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/reasons-starting-with-a

1Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 85; “To meet the demands of the Atonement, the sinless Christ went first into the Garden of Gethsemane, there to bear the spiritual agony of soul only he could bear. He “began to be sorrowful and very heavy,” saying to his three chief disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, unto death” (Mark 14:34). Leaving them to keep watch, he went further into the garden, where he would suffer “the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam” (2 Ne. 9:21). There he “struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible” (JC, p. 613).”

Answers to Gospel Questions 4:17;To many, like the writer, such a custom is repugnant and contrary to the true worship of our Redeemer. Why should we bow down before a cross or use it as a symbol? Because our Savior died on the cross, the wearing of crosses is to most Latter-day Saints in very poor taste and inconsistent to our worship.

2Gospel Doctrines, pg. 449; “The Savior did not finish his work when he expired on the cross, when he cried out, “It is finished.” He, in using those words, had no reference to his great mission to the earth, but merely to the agonies which he suffered. The Christian world, I know, say he alluded to the great work of redemption. This, however, is a great mistake, and is indicative of the extent of their knowledge of the plan of life and salvation. I say, he referred merely to the agonies of death, and the sufferings he felt for the wickedness of men who would go so far as to crucify their Redeemer. It was this feeling, and this alone, that prompted him to cry out in the agony of his soul, “It is finished,” and then he expired.”

3Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pg. 28-29; “When all else fails, our Lord is there to help us. He has said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).”

4Promised Messiah, pg. 468; “There is no need to spiritualize away the plain meaning of the scriptures. There is nothing figurative or hidden or beyond comprehension in our Lord’s coming into mortality. He is the Son of God in the same sense and way that we are the sons of mortal fathers. It is just that simple.

Brigham Young, JD 8:115-116;While brother Joseph was referring to the providences of God, I was led to reflect that there is no act, no principle, no power belonging to the Deity that is not purely philosophical. The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood—was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers.

5Gospel Ideals, pg. 168; “Priesthood is power and authority inherent in the Godhead. In man it is always delegated authority—it cannot be assumed with efficacy…Emanating from Deity is the service that leads to the redemption of God’s children. Whenever the priesthood is delegated to man, it is conferred upon him not as a personal distinction, although it becomes such as he honors it, but as authority to represent Deity and an obligation to assist the Lord in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

6EM, pg. 548; “Yet God the Father is not one in substance with the Son or the Holy Spirit, but is a separate being. The Father existed prior to the Son and the Holy Ghost and is the source of their divinity. In classical terms, LDS theology is subordinationist; that is, it views the Son and the Holy Ghost as subordinate to and dependent upon God the Eternal Father. They are his offspring. Thus Joseph Smith referred to the Father as “God the first” to emphasize his priority in the Godhead (TPJS, p. 190).

D&C 130:22; 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. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”

72 Nephi 4:4;For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.”

8TPJS, pg. 345;God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible,—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form…”

EM, pg. 549; “The important points of the doctrine for Latter-day Saints are that Gods and humans are the same species of being, but at different stages of development in a divine continuum, and that the heavenly Father and Mother are the heavenly pattern, model, and example of what mortals can become through obedience to the gospel (see –>Mother in Heaven). Knowing that they are the literal offspring of Heavenly Parents and that they can become like those parents through the gospel of Jesus Christ is a wellspring of religious motivation. With God as the literal Father and with humans having the capacity to become like him, the basic religious questions “Where did I come from?,” “Why am I here?,” and What is my destiny?” are fundamentally answered.”

9TPJS, pg. 346;Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you…”

The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, pg. 1; As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be.

10Articles of Faith 1:8;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.

JD 2:75;The words contained in this Bible are merely a history of what is gone by; it was never given to guide the servant of God in the course he should pursue, any more than the words and commandments of God, given to a generation under one set of circumstances, would serve for another generation under another set of circumstances.”

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 245;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.

Gospel Standards, pg. 22; “We are not dependent upon the testimony of men who lived many hundreds of years ago. We have the testimony that is given to us from the Prophet Joseph Smith, and from Sidney Rigdon that they saw the Son, that they heard the voice declare from the heavens that He was the Only Begotten of the Father, that by Him and of Him the worlds were created, and that He lives, for they saw Him.”

11Letters Exhibiting the Most Prominent Doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, pg. 87;Now, if the Godhead dwelt in the body of Christ, then it is certain that God is not without a body…If one can be so “condensed” as to speak and walk, and feel and act like a man, the other can do the same. If one wearing a body of flesh and bones, in all points like unto his brethren, is capable of holding all power in heaven and earth, and also of displaying the brightness of celestial glory, the other can do the same in a similar body of flesh and bones.”

Matthias F. Cowley, Cowley’s Talks on Doctrine, pg. 73; The Latter-day Saints regard our Heavenly Father as possessing an actual tabernacle of flesh and bones (not blood), and that in His image man is created. Our views respecting this important subject are based upon the revelations of God to man in ancient and modern times, and regarding which there is no contradiction in the testimony of the prophets. “God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

Gospel Through the Ages, pg. 104; The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that God the Eternal Father is an exalted being.”In the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge.”

     Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar to that through which we are now passing. He became God—an exalted being—through obedience to the same eternal Gospel truths that we are given opportunity today to obey.

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2 Responses to “Why Mormon are NOT Christians”

  1. Christina February 25, 2013 at 11:11 pm #

    Thank you for this wbsite!!!! all of your hard work and love truly ARE helping the world. I have left the church, and info I verify here, find here, or find a way to express by reading your expressions here are so valuable. Much love, Christina

    • LifeAfter February 26, 2013 at 12:12 am #

      Thanks for your kind words! We’re praising God you got out of the Church Christina! Thanks for sharing about your news and if/when you can send us your testimony so we can post it and others can be blessed!
      With Love in Christ;
      Michelle Grim
      1 Cor. 1:18

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