Home » Teaching » Mormon Doctrine » Foreword » Mormon Doctrine (Seemingly Christian?)

Teaching

Mormon Doctrine

Foreword

Mormon Doctrine (Seemingly Christian?)


One of the objectives of this presentation of basic Mormon doctrine is to show that Mormonism is not Christian.  It has been argued that the Mormon Church is Christian because it uses the name of Jesus Christ in its name.  However, a person's belief is not based on a title.  This is why we focus on the question "to which eternal destination will belief in Mormon doctrine lead, heaven or Hell?"  The answer, as shall be seen, is eternal suffering in hell.

In the following chapters, as we explain basic Mormon doctrine, we will also identify Christian sounding statements made by Mormon authorities.  We will show how these statements are carefully crafted, using words with meanings unique to Mormonism, so as to sound Christian.  By using official statements of Mormon doctrine, we will decode these statements and present their actual meaning in words that will not mislead Christians.

For example, a Mormon can say, without contradicting the doctrine of Mormonism; "I believe that Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection has saved me".  This is a very Christian sounding statement.  However, let us decode it by exposing the unique meaning of the embedded "Mormonese", specifically the word saved:

In Christianity, this statement can be broken down into the following:

  • I believe that Jesus willingly sacrificed his perfect life on the cross for us.
  • This act paid for my sins, granting me unconditional forgiveness and separating me from my sins.
  • This payment was made once for all sinners; no more payment is due; no more payment can be made.
  • By believing in this work of Jesus I am saved.  I am judged not guilty and I am given, free of charge and undeservedly, eternal life in heaven.
  • God demonstrated his acceptanceof Jesus' sacrifice by raising Jesus from the dead.

Mormonism would make no such claim.  In Mormonism the statement can be restated as:

  • I believe that when Jesus willingly gave his life on the cross, he paid the Father for my sins, becoming my creditor.
  • By becoming my creditor Jesus has saved me from having to pay for my sins immediately, I now have time to pay for my sins.  I must now pay Jesus back.
  • I have no forgiveness for these sins unless I sincerely repent of each sin which requires, in part: completely abandoning the sin and making amends by performing additional works.
  • By believing in this work of Jesus, I am given strength to do what I must do.
  • By Jesus' resurrection, all men have gained physical resurrection, saving them from an eternal life without a body.

The details of these Mormon beliefs will be covered in the following chapters.  What is important to recognize here is that the Christian set of beliefs leads to heaven, while the Mormon set of beliefs leads to hell.  The divide between these beliefs could not be wider!

More and more Mormon literature, both "official" and "unofficial", contain such carefully crafted statements.  One can only assume that since these statements do not clearly state the doctrine of Mormonism in words the world would understand, that they are intentionally crafted to create the illusion of Christianity - an illusion that leads to hell and not heaven!  This is the epitome of the wolf of false doctrine in sheep's clothing.  Jesus warned his disciples:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.   Matthew 7:15

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Matthew 10:16

Such statements not only disguise the non-Christian nature of Mormon doctrine from Christians; they also create a false view of Christianity within the Mormon church.  This second result is even more damaging than the first.  When a Christian approaches Mormons, they will believe the Christian has nothing new to say.  When Mormons are struggling with the oppressive burdens of following the demands of Mormonism, they will have been conditioned to think that Christianity can not offer them anything substantially different.  By studying basic Mormon doctrine, you will become better prepared to not only understand Mormonism, but also, by decoding Christian sounding statements, illustrate to Mormons the dramatic differences between Christianity and Mormonism.  Sowing such seeds can result in Mormons seeking help from their Christian friends when they become overwhelmed.

One last thought... Devout Mormons are sincerely struggling to meet the demands of their religion.  Most Mormons are not attempting to deceive anyone.  They are moral people that are caught in the entangling web of Mormonism.  They would read the Christian sounding statement above and not see it as misleading.  This is because they would be able to understand the Mormonese and would not recognize the difference with Christian doctrine, as bulleted above.  Most Mormons do not understand what Christians believe.  Most have never heard the good news of the true gospel in words they can understand!  Instead they have been fed a counterfeit gospel and are now being led to believe it is not that different from the Christian gospel.