Is the Mormon Cult a Christian Cult?

 
 
 
Mormon Church is a Cult, Mormonism is a Cult - and here is the truth and scholarly research that proves Mormons are a cult!
Mormon Church is a Cult, Mormonism is a Cult - and here is the truth and scholarly research that proves Mormons are a cult!


   

So Mormons are a Cult: But Are They a Christian Cult?

Now that we have exposed Mormons as a cult, we can explore the more meaningful issue: are they a Christian cult? Remember, in fairness, all religions are actually "cults" based on an accurate definition of the word. We've got the Mormon Cult, the Baptist Cult, the Lutheran Cult, and the Chicago Cubs Cult, so calling someone a "cult," while trendy, doesn't always help intellectually astute people to fear and despise your target. To do that with good Christian folk, you're better off labeling your target as "non-Christian." But if you want to do that with Mormons, you need to do you're homework. Or rather, you need to find an insider like me who can do your homework for you. Remember, this site is produced by an actual Mormon who isn't afraid to take on these issues and expose the truth about Mormonism. I'm your inside guide, and I'll show you how to avoid the biggest pitfalls that would-be cult-fighters face when taking on the Mormon cult. If you want your attack to have any credibility, take the advice I give below.

So why do most anti-Mormon attacks fall short when trying to allege that Mormons aren't Christian? First of all, they fail to realize that Mormons are absolutely convinced that they are Christian. They are taught to worship Christ, the Christ of the Bible. They look to Him as their Savior, they end every prayer in His name, they make covenants to follow Him, and on and on it goes. Sneak into a Mormon home and you'll find pictures of Jesus on the walls, kids learning songs about Jesus (in between rounds of destruction on the XBox), and regular teachings from parents about following Jesus as their Savior. So you can't just go up to a Mormon and say, "Excuse me, did you know you don't believe in Jesus Christ?" Sorry, that's just stupid and ineffective.

Remember, the trick here is to use the right definition of Christian. "You aren't Christian because you don't believe in Jesus Christ" uses the old-fashioned dictionary definition of Christian: someone who believes in and worships Jesus Christ. That will get you nowhere with my Mormon friends, trust me, or with anyone who actually knows anything about the Mormons. You need a more informed, subtle approach.

Now a lot of you folks have come close by making clever lists of Mormon beliefs versus Christian beliefs (i.e., your particular beliefs), implicitly bringing in your beliefs and interpretations of the Bible as the gold standard definition for Christian. And that's the right approach - but you usually goof everything up in the execution. It's all about execution, baby. And I'll show you how to execute.

The problem is that traditional anti-Mormons don't do their homework. When they compare "Mormon beliefs" to their particular "Christian beliefs," they usually get the Mormon beliefs all wrong or distort them in ways that instantly lose credibility by those who know. It's easy to find crazy Mormon quotes from people's journals or random speeches or obscure publications. Yeah, someone once said that Joseph Smith taught that there were nine-foot tall Quakers living on the moon. Whoa, that sounds pretty bizarre and probably non-Christian, right? But Mormons don't really believe he said that. It comes from someone's journal many decades after Joseph Smith died. It's an outlier. Ditto for a lot of the whacked-out doctrines that are easy pickins' for critics. Adam = God? Boring. We don't believe that. Sorry. If they aren't official doctrines, Mormons aren't going to be swayed by attacking them. And if they sense you are twisting their doctrines to make them sound bad, they aren't going to buy your attack. Look, if you were, say, Muslim, you could mock Mormons and others for "having a weekly cannibalistic ritual in which they pretend to eat their God's body and drink His blood," but they will immediately sense that your caricature of their weekly "sacrament" or communion is a bit on the biased and nasty side. To them, it's an uplifting and positive experience that helps them remember Jesus, and you won't engage them effectively by putting that kind of spin on their teachings.

The ONLY WAY to create a spin-free, objective appearance in evaluating Mormon doctrines is to use THE PRIMARY SOURCE for official Mormon teachings, and that is the Mormon scriptures. Anit-Mormons usually miss this important and critical point. Forget the spin: just quote Mormon scripture, and then compare that to "true Christian" beliefs, and you'll be much more effective.

So we've got our strategy: look to the Mormon scriptures, take verbatim quotes to show doctrines that differ from your views, state that your views are the "normative Christian view," and then, since the two are different, out goes Mormonism! Not that I approve of that, because I am Mormon myself, but I can sympathize with your approach and say if you're going to do it, at least don't make a fool of yourself with all the silly spin. Now if you do this right - there's still a lot of skill needed in the final execution - you can make people think that Latter-day Saints aren't Christian. Well, better to say that "Mormons" aren't Christian. That "Latter-day Saint" name isn't foreign enough and conjures up memories of the official name of the Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church of Who? Better stick with the nickname "Mormon" when making this argument. One more free tip from your friendly insider.

So how about the actual execution of this strategy? Well, I don't mean to be a backstabber because I really like the Church and actually believe a lot of it, but to help my non-LDS minister friends and other anti-Mormons maintain a little accuracy and credibility in their attacks, and to increase the odds of actually doing some good in their ministerial efforts, I've prepared a sample table of Mormon beliefs versus typical mainstream Christian beliefs, and you're free to use it as is. The cool thing about this table is that the Mormon teachings in the left hand column come straight from official Mormon scriptures, exactly as printed in the latest editions of Mormon scriptures straight from Salt Lake City. I've done a load of homework to help you out. Now enjoy - and hopefully you'll be able to touch some soul for good. It's my little gift to you.

Now get out there and start preaching!

Mormonism vs. Acceptable Christianity:
1. Mormon Confusion about the Nature of God
Teachings from LDS ScripturesMainstream Christian Belief
Like Joseph Smith, witnesses in the Mormon scriptures claim to have seen God and Christ as two separate beings: "But he . . . looked up steadfastly unto heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." [1]True Christians know that God and Christ are one (John 10:30), namely one spiritual, indivisible Being of one substance without a visible body and certainly without a "right hand." And no man can see God (John 6:46), so the Mormon scripture is clearly false.
In the Mormon scriptures, Jesus says "My Father is greater than I." [2]Christians believe that the Father and the Son are one Being and are absolutely co-equal.
The Jesus of the Mormons scriptures "learned obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." [3]Christians understand that Christ did not need to progress or learn or be made perfect, but was complete and perfect eternally. And true Christians know that salvation, of course, is not a function of obedience!
The glorified Mormon Jesus after ascending to heaven is not spirit, but has flesh and bones. To alleged witnesses in the Mormon scriptures, he said, "Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." [4]The Christian God, whether the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost, is spirit, without body, parts, or passions. He does not have flesh and bones!
Spirit children of God?? "We are the offspring of God" [5] and God is "the Father of [our] spirits" [6] and "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." [7]The reality is much more humble for mankind. We are created by God, but he is completely different. We are not "offspring" of God!
Mormonism vs. Acceptable Christianity:
2. Arrogant Aspirations: Becoming Like God?
The Mormon scriptures say God "hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, . . . that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature." [8] Also "now are we the sons of God, and . . . when he shall appear, we shall be like him." [9]Christians are appalled at this blasphemy. God and Christ are infinitely different than us and we cannot become "like them" in the least degree.
Extending the theme of "being like God," Mormon scripture says that God will "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." [10]Please! All true Christians know that God does not have a body. He does not need a body to "subdue all things."
Gods?? "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." [11] And this: "Is it not written. . ., I said, Ye are gods? . . .he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came." [12]Christians are appalled at this. Frankly, this is so blasphemous that the author of these passages probably would have been stoned in the old days - and with good reason!
Joint heirs with Christ?? Glorified with him? "We are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." [13]Christ is the Heir of God and is glorified alone. The exaltation of humans is pernicious Mormon doctrine that true Christians must reject.
Mormonism vs. Acceptable Christianity:
3. Confusion over Salvation
Teachings from LDS ScripturesMainstream Christian Belief
Mormons believe that we must "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." [14]Christians have no need to fear, tremble, or to work out their salvation - Christ did it all for us, and gives us assurance now that we are saved.
The Mormon scriptures proclaim this heresy: "By works a man is justified, and not by faith only." [15]Absolute perversion of Christianity! Christians believe that they are saved by faith alone, by faith only, and that our works play no role in our justification through grace.
When asked "What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?," the Jesus of the Mormon scriptures said, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." [16]

(We're not making this up - that's exactly what the Mormon scriptures say - in several places, actually!)

This departs from the most basic principles of Christianity. One does not have to do anything to be saved, but to believe and have faith in Christ. Christians believe that commandment keeping has nothing to do with salvation, though those whom Christ saves naturally tend to do good. But the answer, "Keep the commandments," is sure evidence that Mormons are not authentic Christians based on our objective understanding of Christian theology and historic tradition.
On judgment: "the Father . . . judgeth according to every man's work" [17] and God "will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, [God gives] eternal life." [18] Also consider this blooper: "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." [19]Only the wicked are judged by their works. The righteous are saved by grace, not by patient continuance in well doing or enduring to the end. Plus, seeking for "glory and honor" is a sin inspired by Satan, not God!
On works and "overcoming" through obedience: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things." [20]Christians believe that it was Christ who did all the overcoming and that it is Christ who inherits all things from God - not Mormons!
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." [21]Aargh! Christians reject this blasphemy and recognize that the throne is for Christ alone.
Mormons believe progression and diligence is needed to make their salvation sure: "giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; . . .But he that lacketh these things . . . hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." [22]We rely on the diligence of Christ, not our own. Once we accept Christ, our calling and election is sure, and there is no risk of falling from grace.
Perfection: Mormons believe they must strive to be "perfect . . . even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." [23]Only Christ is perfect. Perfections is a futile and non-Christian goal.
Mormonism vs. Acceptable Christianity:
4. The False Mormon Temple
Teachings from LDS ScripturesMainstream Christian Belief
Mormons believe the Temple or "Lord's House" is still important, and that even after Christ returns, true believers will "serve him day and night in his temple" [24]. They also believe that the Second Coming, the Lord "shall suddenly come to his temple." [25] They also believe "in the last days, that . . . the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, . . . and all nations shall flow unto it." [26]Christians believe that there was no need for the temple after Christ came. And it certainly won't be needed in the "last days" or after Christ returns.
Mormonism vs. Acceptable Christianity:
5. Scientific Errors in Mormon Beliefs
Teachings from LDS ScripturesMainstream Christian Belief
Mormon scriptures teach that the bat, a mammal, is actually a bird: "among the birds . . . not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, . . . the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk, . . . and the stork, the heron . . . and the bat." [27]A blatant error in Mormonism and their so-called scriptures. The Christian scriptures, on the other hand, are perfect, complete, and inerrant.

List of cited references from the official Mormon scriptures, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1979 edition:


1. Acts 7:55-56
2. John 14:28
3. Hebrews 5:8,9
4. Luke 24: 39
5. Acts 17:28-29
6. Hebrews 12:9
7. Romans 8:16 - 17
8. 2 Peter 1:3 - 4
9. 1 John 3:2
10. Philippians 3:21
11. Psalms 82:6
12. John 10:34 - 35
13. Romans 8:17
14. Philippians 2:12
15. James 2:24
16. Matthew 19: 16-17; see also Luke 18:18-22; Luke 10: 25-28; Mark 10: 17-22.
17. 1 Peter 1:17
18. Romans 2:6 - 8
19. Matthew 24:13
20. Revelation 21:7
21. Revelation 3:21
22. 2 Peter 1:5 - 10
23. Matthew 5:48
24. Revelation 7:15
25. Malachi 3:1-2
26. Isaiah 2:2
27. Leviticus 11:19



















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