What does Mormonism teach?

It's been a long time since I 'studied' Mormon doctrines. But some of them really stand out for being so way-out that you don't forget.

They believe in a plurality of gods, each with his own universe, and the first step toward becoming a new god is for a boy/man to be faithful to the church and its teachings and requirements. So when you see them at your door or pedaling along the street in their white shirts and ties, that's what they are thinking-- if they can convert you,is another big mark toward becoming a god. They believe the god of this universe has already created all the people in it as "spirit children." He has many many wives that would make Solomon look like a monk. His 2 oldest sons-- Jesus and Satan-- argued over which was the next to be promoted to god, after all their promotion in rank in previous universes-- a prophet, angel, archangel, and so on. Jesus won, Satan didn't like it, so as Jesus prepared to be born to a human mother-- after, of course, his father came and physically screwed that mother-to-be*-- he began to 'throw a wrench' into Jesus' final step/universe before he becomes a full god.

Salvation is earned by being baptized in a temple and maintained by being faithful to the church. A person who dies unbaptized goes to a spirit prison, waiting for some descendant or other person (by rules I don't know) to be baptized vicariously for them. This happens for everyone-- except for one who had experienced the wonders of the true religion and turned away by renouncing it or joining another church/religion. This person is bound for the 'second death,' meaning he or she will cease to exist.

Polygamy was officially ended in a legal sense by the church, quite conveniently when Utah applied for statehood and defining marriage legally as one man/one woman was its condition of statehood. But the doctrines holding to it are still valid, pertaining to a man's wives for eternity as he populate his universe as the god thereof-- different levels of wifery, or some such thing. [Marriage is for eternity, not just for this world.] As for their well-known rules-- no tobacco, alcohol, coffee, tea; must wear the 'holy underwear--' these don't hurt anyone, and some are quite good. Finally, it is a requirement to serve a 2-year mission away from home, pushing the church and its doctrines. Young people on their missions are the ones you are most likely to see at your door or bicycling along. They are quite likely to be students from BYU, to which they will be going back. This is why their students and teams are often in in their mid-20's or older..

Perhaps this is more of a rundown than you wanted, but if I'm wrong on any points someone will probably tell us. So in that way it might be a memory test... thanks for arranging it .

* If you listen carefully, as to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, you will notice that when they sing well-known Christian hymns, especially Christmas songs, they change the words that are not the 'true' story. For example in "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," I heard them change "...offspring of a virgin's womb" to "...offspring of a young girl's womb." Yep, they really believe their god came and had sexual relations with a young woman who was engaged to a young man.

 

There's plenty of information out on the internet about Mormonism. Do your own research.

 

they teach you can have plural wives, so divorce is not as much an issue

 

12 Essential Mormon Teachings – and the Bible

1. Mormonism teaches Polytheism (belief in many Gods): “In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it….In all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of the Gods.” - Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 6, pp.308, 474

The Bible says: “Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.” - Isaiah 44:8 (see also Isaiah 43:10, 44:6)

2. Mormonism teaches that God is an exalted man: “God himself was once a man as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!....for 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, and take away the veil, so that you may see….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, pp.345-46

The Bible says: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent….” and, “….even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” - Numbers 23:19; Psalm 90:2 (see also 1 Samuel 15:29)

3. Mormonism teaches that God has a physical body: “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s….” - Doctrine & Covenants 130:22.

The Bible says: “God is a Spirit….”, and, “….for a spirit hath not flesh and bones….” - John 4:24; Luke 24:39

4. Mormonism denies the Virgin Birth: “Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers.” - Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1979, p.547

“The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the father….” - The Seer, January, 1853, Vol. 1, No. 1, p.158, (italics in original)

The Bible says: “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee….”, also, “Joseph….fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” - Luke 1:34, 35; Matthew 1:20

5. Mormonism teaches that Jesus was created: “The first spirit born to our heavenly parents was Jesus Christ….” - Gospel Principles, 1978, p.9

The Bible says: Jesus is not a creation, but the Creator: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made”, and, “For by him were all things created….And he isbefore all things, and by him all things consist.” - John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, 17

6. Mormonism denies the eternal Deity of Jesus: “Jesus became a God and reached His great state of understanding through consistent effort and continuous obedience to all the Gospel truths and universal laws.” - Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, 1945, p.51

The Bible says: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day and for ever”, thus proclaiming Jesus’ immutability, or unchanging nature, as being God. - Hebrews 13:8 (see also Hebrews 1:10-12; Colossians 1:17)

7. Mormonism teaches that men can become Gods: “Here, then is eternal life–to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you….To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a God.” - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp.346-47

“As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be.” (Well-known Mormon phrase) James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, p.430

The Bible says: “”Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD….that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” - Isaiah 43:10 (see also Isaiah 44:6)

8. Mormonism teaches that mankind pre-existed in heaven: “All men and women are….literally the sons and daughters of Deity….Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body.” - Joseph F. Smith, The Origin of Man, Improvement Era, Nov. 1909, pp.78, 80

The Bible Says: Man did not exist until his physical creation on earth: “And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”, also, “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual” - Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:46

9. Mormonism denies salvation by faith apart from works: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” - The Articles of Faith, #3

“….for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” – The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23

The Bible says: “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”, and, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace….” - Ephesians 2:8, 9; 2 Timothy 1:9

10. Mormonism denies the cross of Christ: “Jesus took upon himself the sins of all men when he suffered and sweat great drops of blood from every pore in Gethsemane.” - Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, p.224

"In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ atoned for the sins of all mankind." - Gospel Principles, 1978, p.58, item 7

The Bible says: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree [cross]….”, also, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died [not sweat] for our sins according to the scriptures.” - 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:3 (see also Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20)

11. Mormonism teaches that Christ’s blood is insufficient: “Many may commit certain grievous sins….that will place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of Christ. If then he would be saved, he must make sacrifice of his own life to atone….for that sin, for the blood of Christ alone under certain circumstances will not avail.” - Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1979, p.93

The Bible says: “….the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin….If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:7, 9

12. Mormonism teaches that Hell is not a place of everlasting punishment: "That part of the spirit world inhabited by wicked spirits who are awaiting the eventual day of resurrection is called hell....Hell will have an end" - Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p.165

The Bible says: “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” - Mark 9:47, 48 (see also Matthew 25:41, 46)

Note: Mormonism draws a distinction between hell and outer darkness. While suffering in hell, wicked and unregenerate men will have a second chance to repent and receive salvation by hearing and accepting the Mormon gospel. Outer darkness more closely resembles the Biblical hell and is reserved for the sons of perdition, including those who leave the LDS Church.

The Christian Response

As we can clearly see, the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sharply opposed to biblical Christianity. Because of this, the LDS Church is not just another Christian denomination, but is a non-Christian cult. As sincere as Mormons are, they are sincerely misled and deceived about many essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Mormonism plainly teaches another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel than that of Biblical Christianity and keeps its followers under constant bondage to earn their own salvation and exaltation to Godhood (2 Corinthians 11:4). Looking back, Joseph Smith utterly failed to heed the Apostle Paul’s warning - “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8). Sadly, contrary to Smith and LDS teachings, Mormons are not on the narrow way which leads to everlasting life, but on the broad way which leads to everlasting destruction (Matthew 7:13, 14). How awesome it would be if those of us who know the real Jesus share Him, and His plan of redemption, with the next set of bright-eyed, well-groomed young men who knock on our door eager to talk to us about their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

 

My husband and I have spent the last month talking to some Mormon missionaries, and getting a very systematic theology from them which has been interesting for us to hear directly from the source. Some interesting things that have come up is that Mormon differentiate between transgression and sin, saying that Adam transgressed in the Garden, not sinned. They also say that the fall was absolutely necessary for Adam and Eve to be able to have children and progress with the plan of salvation. In an ironic twist its clear in the Book of Mormon that Adam had no choice but to sin, and in sinning gained free will. They also don't believe in original sin, or total depravity, and believe that children are incapable of sinning until the age of 8.

They have no assurance that they will be "exalted" their word for what we mean by salvation. When they were talking about that today, I was sure that I had misheard so I asked them if I was correct in hearing that they didn't know if they were saved or not and all 4 of them (They keep bringing in more reinforcement each week) just nodded their head like that wasn't shocking thing at all. I knew they believed in a works righteousness but I always assumed they thought as long as they check of their list they were in the clear. Talk about a heavy burden.

They believe in Baptismal Regeneration.
They believe that everyone existed as Spirit Babies, and that after growing up in the spirit world than come here for the probationary period, forgetting everything from the spirit world, to see how they will live and which of the 3 heavens they will end up in.

One thing we have figured out is not to go for the obvious low hanging fruit as they hear that stuff all the time. Take for example they of their own accord brought up Eph 2:8-9 while trying to explain their works righteousness system to us. As soon as they said the reference, I was like you probably get that verse thrown at you a lot don't you, and they were just like yeah, people seem to think it will confuse us, but we love when people bring it up.

Instead I've been listening and than going after their inconsistency within their own presentation to try to make them think. Also quite by accident I stumble on to the fact that they don't believe God transcends time so that caused a interesting moment when I brought up that.

I also make sure to use very specific theological language, such as imputed righteousness and total depravity, as they don't use those words at all, so they don't have a different meaning. I've also asked a lot of why questions that seems to throw them for loops. And of course bringing back everything to the Bible, just not the standard verses that everyone knows.

It has helped to go online and find their lessons ahead of time so that I already know where they are going so I can have time to look for responses to give them. I think I really threw them for a loop today, since I had read the entire Book of Mormon this week, when they asked me what I felt and I told them not a burning the bosom but anxiety and foreboding. They clearly did not know what to do with that answer, since they place so much stalk in the feelings people get while reading that book.