5 Common Mistakes Christians Make When Witnessing to Mormons
VIDEO SERIES
Mistake #1: Viewing Mormons as the enemy.
How we think about people greatly affects how we talk to them. When it comes to Mormons, many Christians consider them the enemy.
This mindset is often mirrored in their interactions with Mormons. When Mormon missionaries knock on their door, Christians try to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
When the topic of Mormonism comes up at their Bible study, they make a disparaging comment or two. When they do engage in conversations with Mormons, they will quickly take the offensive.
Their goal is to win the battle, not win the person.
If any of this hits home, be assured that the first person I thought of was myself. I used to do all the above. But I have learned a better approach. And it all starts before you ever speak with a Mormon. It begins with having the right attitude.
Thinking of Mormons as victims rather than as the enemy makes all the difference in the world!
Now instead of raising a figurative fist to strike them, you will offer them a helping hand.
Instead of trying to win the battle, you will think about winning the person.
When Jesus saw people caught in a false belief, he saw them as victims. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
The more you see Mormons as victims, the more eager and excited you will be to share Jesus with them.
Mistake #2: Christians don't treat Mormons with respect.
One of the best ways to show people respect is to attentively listen to them. Just ask all the wives who wish their husbands would be better listeners!
Just as many husbands struggle with this, many Christians struggle to listen attentively to their Mormon friends and loved ones. Either they see them as the enemy and they don’t want to give them an opportunity to talk, or they are SO eager to talk that the floodgates burst open and the words come tumbling out.
If they do allow them to talk, many don’t really listen to what they say. Rather, they are already thinking about what they want to say next.
It doesn’t take much for people to know when someone isn’t truly listening to them. We have all experienced it. The glazed-over look and the occasional nod of the head. Think of how you feel when this happens. Most of us feel disrespected.
On the other hand, imagine how you feel when somebody shows genuine interest in you and isn’t distracted when you talk. You feel good – both about yourself and about the other person. Instead of trying to escape, you are comfortable extending the conversation.
Now, imagine if you were talking about a serious subject and the person took notes on what you said! You might at first be surprised, but then you would feel quite honored. We encourage people to do this very thing when they get into a spiritual discussion with a Mormon. Many have followed this advice and have taken notes with great results. Most Mormons are more than eager to come back for more conversations.
Mistake #3: Focusing on the things in Mormonism that bother Christians.
This is a huge and very common mistake. Many Christians concentrate on things like Mormonism’s denial of the Trinity, or the skeletons in Joseph Smith’s closet, or the contradictions in LDS scriptures. All of these things are so clear to us. We think that if we only point them out to Mormons, they will also see them and quickly leave Mormonism.
That rarely happens. And once we take a step back and think about it, the reason for this is not difficult to see. Switch the roles for a minute. How effective would it be, for example, if Mormon missionaries came to you and told you there were problems with the Bible? Would you quickly believe them? I doubt if you would even seriously consider their claim. After all, they have no credibility with you.
The same applies in reverse. Christians talking about problems with the Mormon scriptures or in Mormon history don’t have any credibility with most Mormons. They usually just shrug the remarks off and close their ears.
When, however, we talk about things in Mormonism causing them stress, their ears perk up. Topics like forgiveness, worthiness, and living eternally with Heavenly Father. These are things many Mormons are either unsure of or are worried about.
So, when we tell them we have the solution, they are often eager to continue the conversation. This approach has been used by thousands of Christians over the last 25 years.
By focusing on Mormon stress points, we can turn them into rest points in Christ.
Mistake #4: They aren’t conscious of how Mormonism defines words differently.
Has the following ever happened to you? You tell your friend you are saved solely by Jesus and they agree with you. You know they don’t believe the same as you do. So, what gives? Are they being intentionally deceptive?
Very few are being deceptive. The problem is that Mormonism defines most key theological words in unique ways. Take the words “saved” and “salvation.” Although Mormonism defines it in a number of different ways, their most common definition equates it with resurrection. When many Mormons hear “saved,” they immediately think of being raised from the dead. Since they believe Jesus conquered death for them, they can agree that they are saved solely by Jesus.
This is just one of many examples. Because Mormonism has defined so many words differently, we have created a dictionary of Mormon definitions on our website, along with a more in-depth booklet.
Many Christians don’t realize how differently Mormonism defines words—and even if they know about it, most don’t comprehend the extent of this. They think it applies to only a few words. So, they don’t take the time to define words with the result that they often leave the conversation totally frustrated.
Mistake #5: They debate Mormonism with Mormons.
We have asked hundreds of returned Mormon missionaries how many times Christians shared Christ with them while they were on their mission. Almost all of them gave us the same number—two times!
This is after they have been working day in and day out for two years—talking with countless people and countless Christians. In hundreds, if not thousands of contacts with Christians, only one or two Christians, on average, tried to witness Christ to them.
Many Christians told the missionaries they weren’t interested in talking. Other Christians were eager to talk to them about all the problems in Mormonism.
Very few shared Christ with them.
There are a couple of problems with this. We have already touched on one, namely, that talking about the problems in Mormonism doesn’t faze most Mormons. An even more serious problem is that this approach handcuffs the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly says the Holy Spirit uses the word to bring people to faith (i.e. Romans 10:13-17).
More specifically, Paul wrote that the gospel was the power of God for all who believe (Romans 1:16). The good news of Jesus doing everything for us is dynamite! (The Greek word Paul used for power is one from which we derive our word dynamite.) It is not a power for some people. It is the power for all who believe.
The gospel packs a powerful punch. It is the God-given means to bring people to Jesus. Witnessing Christ, rather than debating Mormonism, is what we need to do. And it is what we are called to do.
What if God's grace depended on you?
The LDS Church teaches that "it is by grace you have been saved after all you can do." (2 Nephi 25:23)
How would you know if you've done enough? Imagine the stress and pressure of never being sure that you're good enough to have eternal life with God in heaven.
Want to learn more about how you can help hurting souls?