Comparing individual beliefs can easily become a minefield. By talking about “my” and “yours” you make it personal and risk putting them on the defensive. Another danger is assuming their personal beliefs align with Mormonism’s official doctrine – something which often is not the case. Finally, it’s difficult to nail down exactly what they believe. Christians often become frustrated, discouraged, and even angry at times when Mormons constantly change what they say they believe. Note: When they do this, most are not being deceptive. Rather, they have never given much thought to clearly articulating their beliefs.

Instead of comparing individual beliefs, it is much more productive to compare the teachings of the Bible and Mormonism. This immediately drains some of the subjectivity from the discussion as you strive to objectively compare the two. This also avoids the twin dangers of you making assumptions and them shifting positions as you can focus on official LDS statements.

In this regard, the official LDS website, churchofjesuschrist.org, is an invaluable resource. Most Mormons view its articles as official. Make it a practice to see what it has to say about the topic you will be discussing. Most won’t be troubled but will be pleasantly surprised you went there for information.

One caution: they might tell you it would be better for you to go to comeuntochrist.org. It is the LDS website for non-Mormons and sounds very Christian. Churchofjesuschrist.org. is for LDS members and gives a truer and fuller picture of LDS teaching.

An easy way to suggest comparing the teachings of Mormonism with the Bible is when they declare they are Christians like us. Instead of becoming frustrated, see it as an opening to take the conversation to the next level. You could say something like this: “The one book all Christians regard as Scripture is the Bible. So, let’s compare the teachings of Mormonism with the Bible and see if they jive with each other.”

Additional Reading: How to Talk About the Completeness of the Bible