QUESTIONS FOR LDS ON THE IMPOSSIBLE GOSPEL OF MORMONISM — A Verse-by-Verse Presentation from LDS Scripture
Christians who believe in the sufficiency of faith alone in Christ for salvation are often frustrated when they quote Ephesians 2:8-9 (“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” **) to a Mormon only to find him agreeing that “general salvation” (resurrection to eternal life) is a free gift given to everyone without works. They may wonder, “Is there much difference between the Mormon Gospel and the Christian Gospel?” While Mormons believe that faith in Christ grants the first level of salvation (i.e., resurrection), they believe that good works (such as marriage for eternity in an LDS temple) are required to earn the highest level of Heaven. Quoting James 2:20: “...faith without works is dead” and other passages that speak of rewards granted in Heaven, many Mormons feel that the Christian Gospel is “too easy.” They believe that while Christians have “some truth,” the LDS religion is the only one that contains the fullness of the everlasting Gospel.
Is the Christian Gospel too simple? Is faith in Christ all that matters, or does one need to perform righteous deeds to earn a higher position in Heaven? What is the LDS Gospel Plan? Can mankind be exalted to the highest level of Heaven by obedience to its requirements? You be the judge as we examine the Impossible Gospel of Mormonism using only official LDS Scripture books (The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and the King James Bible):
1.) 2 NEPHI 25:23: “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
Have you done “all” you can do for salvation? Isn’t there something else you can think of that you haven’t done for salvation? At what point have you done enough to be sure that you will be saved?
2.) ALMA 5:27-31: “Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless. And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!”
Have you walked blameless before God? Are you sufficiently humble, stripped of pride and envy? Would it be honest to admit that you have not done “all” you can do for salvation and that you are “not prepared to meet God”? If you were to die tonight, would you have “eternal life”?
Note: Trying is not sufficient. Either you are “prepared to meet God” or you are not prepared. Either you are “stripped” of envy and pride, have repented of all of your sins and are thus walking “blameless before God” (without sin), or you are not blameless. There is no middle ground. Spencer W. Kimball (former LDS Apostle and 12th Prophet of the LDS Church) explained it this way: “There is one crucial test of repentance. This is abandonment of the sin. …The saving power does not extend to him who merely wants to change his life. …Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin. ...To ‘try’ is weak. To ‘do the best I can’ is not strong. We must always do better than we can.” —The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 163-165
3.) MORONI 10:32: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”
Have you denied yourself of “all ungodliness”? Since Jesus’ grace is not sufficient for you until you have cleared “all ungodliness” out of your life, how can you be “perfect in Christ”? How can you receive His “grace” for salvation, if you haven’t stopped sinning and are not walking “blameless before God,” being sufficiently humble, stripped of pride and envy? Can you honestly say you have done “all” you can do for salvation?
4.) 1 NEPHI 3:7: “…for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”
Do you believe that God does not give you a commandment that you can’t keep? Have you kept ALL of the commandments? What about the 10 Commandments listed in Exodus 20?
Have no other Gods before the one true God.
Is serving and worshipping God your first thought each day? Do you put Him first with daily Scripture reading and prayer?
Make no graven images.
Do you love God over any person or thing in your life?
Do not take God’s name in vain.
Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word?
Keep the Sabbath Day Holy.
Have you ever shopped or worked on God’s day of rest?
Honor your parents.
Have you ever disrespected your parents in word or deed?
Do not murder.
Jesus said that if you have ever been angry with your brother without a cause or called him a “fool,” you have committed murder in your heart (Matthew 5:21-22). Have you ever been unjustifiably angry with your brother or insulted him with mocking names?
Do not commit adultery.
Jesus said that if you look at a woman with lust, you have already committed adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:27-28). Have you ever looked with lust?
Do not steal.
Have you ever cheated on a test or taken something that belongs to someone else?
Do not bear false witness.
Have you ever told a lie? Revelation 21:8 warns: “…all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Do not covet.
Have you ever wanted something someone else owns or been jealous of a privilege or reward that someone else received?
5.) DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 25:15: “Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come.”
Do you keep God’s commandments “continually?” What part of the word “continually” allows for an occasional act of disobedience to God’s commands? If 1 Nephi 3:7 is true that God doesn’t give you a command that you can’t keep, why don’t you keep the commandments “continually”?
6.) ALMA 45:16: “…for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.”
7.) DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 1:31-32: “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.”
Since the Lord cannot look upon sin with the “least degree of allowance,” what have you done to eradicate sin in your life? If you have not fully repented by putting an end to sin and keeping God’s commandments “continually,” how can you claim to be forgiven by the God?
8.) ALMA 34:32: “For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.”
Since “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God,” how can you claim that you have time after death to eradicate sin in your life?
9.) DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 58:43: “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.”
At Sacrament meeting each week, do you renew your covenants to keep God’s commandments? Since you are continually breaking God’s commandments, doesn’t this make you an unrepentant covenant breaker? After all, if you truly did repent the first time by forsaking your sins, you wouldn’t need to continually repent again and again, would you?
Note: Joseph Smith said: “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God.” —Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 148
10.) DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 82:7: “And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any sin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.”
Have you ever repeated a sin after asking for forgiveness? What do your Scriptures say happens to the soul who continually sins? How can you be forgiven if you are held accountable for your former sins? Since you have not stopped sinning, would it be safe to say that you have “procrastinated” the day of your repentance?
11.) ALMA 34:33-35: “And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.”
What does this Book of Mormon Scripture say happens to the person who “procrastinates” the day of his repentance until death? Since “the same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that you go out of this life… will have power to possess your body in the eternal world,” how can you repent (i.e., stop sinning) and be forgiven after you die? If after death, you are “subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his,” can you see why Alma 11:37 says that the Jesus of Mormonism “cannot save” you in your sins?
12.) ALMA 11:37: “And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.”
Since “ye cannot be saved in your sins,” and you have already admitted that you have not repented of ALL of your sins because you have not stopped breaking the commandments, how can the Jesus of Mormonism save you? If Mormonism cannot promise you forgiveness, what does your Church have to offer me?
NOTE: If you are a Latter-day Saint, I am sure you take sin very seriously, but at this point you may be feeling completely overwhelmed by the impossibility of salvation within the LDS Gospel. You may be tempted to excuse away the evidence presented here by saying, “This is just your interpretation of these verses.” If you are thinking this way, you must acknowledge that you are no longer sustaining your Church leadership. You must therefore repent! Because they have all affirmed that a person must abandon sin before he or she can be forgiven. Consider the following quotes from official LDS Church publications and leaders:
“Those who receive forgiveness and then repeat the sin are held accountable for their former sins.” —Gospel Principles, 1995ed., p. 253
“There is one crucial test of repentance. This is abandonment of the sin….The saving power does not extend to him who merely wants to change his life. …Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin. ...To ‘try’ is weak. To ‘do the best I can’ is not strong. We must always do better than we can. ...Discontinuance of the sin must be permanent.... the former transgressor must have reached a ‘point of no return’ to sin wherein there is not merely a renunciation but also a deep abhorrence of the sin — where the sin becomes most distasteful to him and where the desire or urge to sin is cleared out of his life” —The Miracle of Forgiveness, 1969, Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 163-165, 176, 354-355
“Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can receive forgiveness for our sins through sincere and complete repentance. … Abandonment of Sin. Although confession is an essential element of repentance, it is not enough. The Lord has said, ‘By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them’ (D&C 58:43). Maintain an unyielding, permanent resolve that you will never repeat the transgression. When you keep this commitment, you will never experience the pain of that sin again.” —True to the Faith – A Gospel Reference, 2004, pp. 70, 134-135
13.) ROMANS 11:6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
Is Jesus sufficient or is He just a necessary step for salvation? If Jesus is sufficient, why do we need to add works to His saving grace? Can you see how believing that you must do “all you can do” for salvation is a disgrace to God because you are saying that His “gift” (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9) of Jesus Christ is “insufficient” to save you to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25)?
14.) JAMES 2:10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
Since we cannot keep the “whole law,” can you see why salvation has to be granted by grace alone apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28; 4:4-5), and why God cannot accept your filthy rags of pride to merit Celestial glory (Isaiah 64:6; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:9)?
15.) JAMES 2:17-18: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
The context of James 2 is contrasting the difference between a dead faith that cannot save and a living faith that is evidenced (i.e., shown) by works. Just as a fruit tree is proved alive by its fruit, so true living faith will be proved alive by the fruit of Christian works (John 13:34-35). These works will indeed “shew” that the true living faith that justifies a person is alive within the heart. Rewards given in Heaven are not done to merit a higher level of eternal life. Rather, these rewards are given to be thrown down at the feet of Jesus in gratitude and worship because He is the only One who is worthy (Luke 17:9-10; Revelation 4:10-11).
http://www.4witness.org/ldsquestions/qlds-gospel.php
WHAT MORMON.ORG DOES NOT TELL YOU ABOUT GOD THE FATHER:
Mormon “Gods” Existed Before Heavenly Father:
Mormon.org does not tell you that Mormons DO NOT believe that God the Father is the first God who has ever existed. Many outside the LDS Church do not know that when Mormons speak of “Heavenly Father,” they are not speaking of the Biblical God who says: “I am he: before me there was no God formed…” (Isaiah 43:10) Rather, on the contrary, Mormonism teaches that God the Father had a Father “God” before Him and that “God” had a Father “God” before Him and so forth on backward into eternity. Thus, Mormon Prophets and Apostles have claimed:
“I will preach on the plurality of Gods… Our text says, ‘And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.’ The Apostles have discovered that there were Gods above… My object was to preach the scriptures, and preach the doctrine they contain, there being a God above, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 370
“Our Father in heaven, according to the Prophet, had a Father, and since there has been a condition of this kind through all eternity, each Father had a Father, until we come to a stop where we cannot go further, because of our limited capacity to understand.” —LDS Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith (who became Mormonism’s 10th Prophet) Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 47
Thus, the Mormon version of “Heavenly Father” is not the God of the Bible who claims to be the “first” and only God:
“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. … Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”—Isaiah 44:6, 8 2.
LDS “Heavenly Father” Did Not Exist From Eternity.
Mormon.org does not tell you that Mormons believe that God has not always been as God. While Mormon.org admits that Mormonism teaches that God has a human body “that looks like yours,” it fails to explain that the Mormon Church does not agree with the Biblical teaching that God is not a man (Hosea 11:9). Rather, Mormonism teaches that God is literally an exalted Man who once lived on an earth like ours and progressed to Godhood. Joseph Smith taught:
“God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!… I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man.…I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea.…he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did.…”—Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, pp. 345-346
“Through Obedience to Law We Can Become Like Our Father in Heaven... If God became God by obedience to all of the gospel law with the crowning point being the celestial law of marriage, then that’s the only way I can become a god.”—Achieving A Celestial Marriage, Student Manual, p. 4
God Has a “Wife” in Heaven.
Mormon.org does not tell you that Mormons believe God the Father has a wife in Heaven. When Mormons say that “God is the Father of our spirits,” they do not believe as the Bible teaches, that God created our spirits within our human bodies at conception (Zechariah 12:1), but rather they teach that God procreated our spirits with his wife in a Heavenly spirit-world. On page 129 of the Mormon Church publication, Achieving A Celestial Marriage Student Manual, the Church states:
“By definition, exaltation includes the ability to procreate the family unit throughout eternity. This our Father in heaven has power to do. His marriage partner is our mother in heaven. We are their spirit children, born to them in the bonds of celestial marriage… For as we have a Father in heaven, so also we have a Mother there, a glorified, exalted, ennobled Mother.”
http://www.4mormon.org/mormon-org.php#s1
Is Mormonism Christian? This may seem like a puzzling question to many Mormons as well as to some Christians. Mormons will note that they include the Bible among the four books which they recognize as Scripture, and that belief in Jesus Christ is central to their faith, as evidenced by their official name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Furthermore, many Christians have heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing Christian hymns and are favorably impressed with the Mormon commitment to high moral standards and strong families. Doesn’t it follow that Mormonism is Christian?
“To fairly and accurately resolve this question we need to carefully compare the basic doctrines of the Mormon religion with the basic doctrines of historic, biblical Christianity.”
To fairly and accurately resolve this question we need to carefully compare the basic doctrines of the Mormon religion with the basic doctrines of historic, biblical Christianity. To represent the Mormon position we have relied on the following well-known Mormon doctrinal books, the first three of which are published by the Mormon Church: Gospel Principles (1997), Achieving a Celestial Marriage (1976), and A Study of the Articles of Faith (1979) by Mormon Apostle James E. Talmage, as well as Doctrines of Salvation (3 vols.) by the tenth Mormon President and prophet Joseph Fielding Smith, Mormon Doctrine (2nd ed., 1979) by Mormon apostle Bruce R. McConkie and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
1. Is There More Than One True God?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that there is only one True and Living God and apart from Him there are no other Gods (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; 44:6,8; 45:21,22; 46:9; Mark 12:29-34).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that there are many Gods (Book of Abraham 4:3ff), and that we can become gods and goddesses in the celestial kingdom (Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-20; Gospel Principles, p. 245; Achieving a Celestial Marriage, p. 130). It also teaches that those who achieve godhood will have spirit children who will worship and pray to them, just as we worship and pray to God the Father (Gospel Principles, p. 302).
2. Was God Once a Man Like Us?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that God is Spirit (John 4:24; 1 Timothy 6:15,16), He is not a man (Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9; Romans 1:22, 23), and has always (eternally) existed as God — all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere present (Psalm 90:2; 139:7-10; Isaiah 40:28; Luke 1:37).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that God the Father was once a man like us who progressed to become a God and has a body of flesh and bone (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22; “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!” from Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-347; Gospel Principles, p. 9; Articles of Faith, p. 430; Mormon Doctrine, p. 321). Indeed, the Mormon Church teaches that God himself has a father, and a grandfather, ad infinitum (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 373; Mormon Doctrine, p. 577).
3. Are Jesus and Satan Spirit Brothers?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that Jesus is the unique Son of God; he has always existed as God, and is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 14:9; Colossians 2:9). While never less than God, at the appointed time He laid aside the glory He shared with the Father (John 17:4, 5; Philippians 2:6-11) and was made flesh for our salvation; His incarnation was accomplished through being conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:34-35).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Jesus Christ is our elder brother who progressed to godhood, having first been procreated as a spirit child by Heavenly Father and a heavenly mother; He was later conceived physically through intercourse between Heavenly Father and the virgin Mary (D&C 93:21; Journal of Discourses, 1:50-51; Gospel Principles, p. 11-13; Achieving a Celestial Marriage, p. 129; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546-547; 742; Ezra Taft Benson, Come unto Christ, p. 4; Robert L. Millet, The Mormon Faith: Understanding Restored Christianity, p. 31). Mormon doctrine affirms that Jesus, all angels, Lucifer, all demons, and all human beings are originally spirit brothers and sisters (Abraham 3:22-27; Moses 4:1-2; Gospel Principles, pp. 17-18; Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).
4. Is God a Trinity?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost are not separate Gods or separate beings, but are distinct Persons within the one Triune Godhead. Throughout the New Testament the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father are separately identified as and act as God (Son: Mark 2:5-12; John 20:28; Philippians 2:10,11; Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3,4; 2 Corinthians 3:17,18; 13:14); yet at the same time the Bible teaches that these three are only one God (see point 1).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate Gods (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 370; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 576-577), and that the Son and Holy Ghost are the literal offspring of Heavenly Father and a celestial wife (Joseph Fielding McConkie, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 2, p. 649).
5. Was The Sin Of Adam and Eve a Great Evil Or a Great Blessing?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the disobedience of our first parents Adam and Eve was a great evil. Through their fall sin entered the world, bringing all human beings under condemnation and death. Thus we are born with a sinful nature, and will be judged for the sins we commit as individuals. (Ezekiel 18:1-20; Romans 5:12-21).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Adam’s sin was “a necessary step in the plan of life and a great blessing to all of us” (Gospel Principles, p. 33; Book of Mormon — 2 Nephi 2:25; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 114-115).
6. Can We Make Ourselves Worthy Before God?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross we are spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1,5) and are powerless to save ourselves. By grace alone, apart from self-righteous works, God forgives our sins and makes us worthy to live in His presence (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6). Our part is only to cling to Christ in heartfelt faith. (However, it is certainly true that without the evidence of changed conduct, a person’s testimony of faith in Christ must be questioned; salvation by grace alone through faith, does not mean we can live as we please — Romans 6:1-4).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that eternal life in the presence of God (which it terms “exaltation in the celestial kingdom”) must be earned through obedience to all the commands of the Mormon Church, including exclusive Mormon temple rituals. Works are a requirement for salvation (entrance into the “celestial kingdom”) — Gospel Principles, p. 303-304; Pearl of Great Price — Third Article of Faith; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 339, 671; Book of Mormon — 2 Nephi 25:23).
7. Does Christ’s Atoning Death Benefit Those Who Reject Him?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the purpose of the atoning work of Christ on the cross was to provide the complete solution for humankind’s sin problem. However, those who reject God’s grace in this life will have no part in this salvation but are under the judgment of God for eternity (John 3:36; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 5:11-12).
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that the purpose of the atonement was to bring resurrection and immortality to all people, regardless of whether they receive Christ by faith. Christ’s atonement is only a partial basis for worthiness and eternal life, which also requires obedience to all the commands of the Mormon church, including exclusive Mormon temple rituals (Gospel Principles, pp. 74-75; Mormon Doctrine, p. 669).
8. Is The Bible The Unique and Final Word of God?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the Bible is the unique, final and infallible Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1,2; 2 Peter 1:21) and that it will stand forever (1 Peter 1:23-25). God’s providential preservation of the text of the Bible was marvelously illustrated in the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that the Bible has been corrupted, is missing many “plain and precious parts” and does not contain the fullness of the Gospel (Book of Mormon — 1 Nephi 13:26-29; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 190-191).
9. Did The Early Church Fall Into Total Apostasy?
The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the true Church was divinely established by Jesus and could never and will never disappear from the earth (Matthew 16:18; John 15:16; 17:11). Christians acknowledge that there have been times of corruption and apostasy within the Church, but believe there has always been a remnant that held fast to the biblical essentials.
By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that there was a great and total apostasy of the Church as established by Jesus Christ; this state of apostasy “still prevails except among those who have come to a knowledge of the restored gospel” of the Mormon Church (Gospel Principles, pp. 105-106; Mormon Doctrine, p. 44).
Conclusion: The above points in italics constitute the common gospel believed by all orthodox Christians through the ages regardless of denominational labels. On the other hand, some new religions such as Mormonism claim to be Christian, but accept as Scripture writings outside of the Bible, teach doctrines that contradict the Bible, and hold to beliefs completely foreign to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles.
Mormons share with orthodox Christians some important moral precepts from the Bible. However, the above points are examples of the many fundamental and irreconcilable differences between historic, biblical Christianity and Mormonism. While these differences do not keep us from being friendly with Mormons, we cannot consider them brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible specifically warns of false prophets who will teach “another gospel” centered around “another Jesus,” and witnessed to by “another spirit” (2 Corinthians 11:4,13-15; Galatians 1:6-9). Based on the evidence presented above, we believe Mormonism represents just such a counterfeit gospel.
It has been pointed out that if one claimed to be a Mormon but denied all the basic tenets of Mormonism — that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that the Book of Mormon is true and divinely inspired, that god was once a man who progressed to godhood through keeping the laws and ordinances of the Mormon Church, and that the Mormon Church was divinely established — the Mormon Church would reject such a person’s claim to being a Latter-day Saint. One cannot fairly call oneself a Mormon if one does not believe the fundamental doctrines taught by the Mormon Church. By the same token, if the Mormon Church does not hold to even the basic biblical truths believed by the greater Christian community down through the ages, how can Christians reasonably be expected to accept Mormonism as authentic Christianity?
If the Mormon Church believes it is the only true Christian Church, it should not attempt to publicly present itself as a part of a broader Christian community. Instead it should tell the world openly that those who claim to be orthodox Christians are not really Christians at all, and that the Mormon Church is the only true Christian Church. This in fact is what it teaches privately, but not publicly.
Statements of 5 Christian Denominations on Mormonism
Christian churches teach belief in God as an eternal, self-existent, immortal being, unfettered by corporeal limitations and unchanging in both character and nature. In recent years, several Christian denominations have made studies of Mormon teaching and come to the conclusion that there are irreconcilable differences between LDS doctrine and Christian beliefs based on the Bible.
http://irr.org/mit/is-mormonism-christian.html