Are Mormons Christian?

When these dapper young men in their white shirts and black ties walk up to your door and ask you to think about joining their “church”, you really need to send them packing. In this post I’ll tell you why.

First, Mormonism is anything BUT Christian. In fact, it’s anti-christian. From its very roots it has been hostile to the Christian Gospel. Hard to believe about an organization that calls itself “Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints”? Well, they can call themselves whatever they want, but their name is one of the biggest lies told around the world. Let’s dissect that name by looking at each word.

Church – This is what Jesus calls His body of believers. It isn’t a building, a place, or a social club, it’s the collective name for those who trust in Jesus for their salvation. I refuse to call Mormons by this name and I don’t refer to their buildings by it either. I call them a cult, and their meeting place a, well, meeting place. Despite their name, they do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible. Their “jesus” is an entity that they have made up in their minds that does not exist. Instead of their “jesus” being the Creator of all that is and the physical representation of the God we call Father, theirs is what they call the spirit brother of Lucifer. In other words, their “jesus” is a created being in their minds. But in reality, he’s just a fictional character that they’ve created. So they are NOT in the Church of the real Jesus Christ.

of – Now you can see that they are not “of” the real Jesus. Even this little word is a lie. If the word were “against”, then there would be some truth to it. As it is, these people come to your door and act as if they are representing the biblical Savior of mankind. They try to make themselves seem legitimate followers of the actual Jesus Christ. In reality, they are not “of” Jesus; they are in a group that exists to counter legitimate Christianity.

Jesus – I debated whether to put this name with “Christ” or not, since they usually go together. But let’s look at the name by itself. This is a legitimate name for our Savior. It’s the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Yeshua (Joshua), which is His given name. Now, many people in the world have carried and still carry this name. But having the name is not the same as being the most famous person with that name. Likewise, this organization carrying this name does not mean that they are affiliated with the most famous person to have the name. As already pointed out, they are not affiliated with the Jesus of the Bible at all. They act like they are, some of them may even truly believe that they are, but when you see who they think that their jesus is, it becomes crystal clear that theirs is not the real one. More on this later.

Christ – Honestly, I think that some people believe that this is Jesus’ last name. Well, it’s His title. It means “anointed one”. But of course, their Christ has not been anointed by God at all. Just the opposite. Their “christ” is an abomination in the eyes of God. It’s anything but anointed by God.

Latter Day – Ok, for these words, I had to discuss them together, since they are meaningless standing alone. The term “latter day” means the same as “last days” or “end times”. They are acknowledging that they are in the period of time that we call the “End Times”. And they would actually be right about that. In their whole name, this part is actually true. We could call this that bit of truth that seasons the rest of the lie. So good job Mormons, you got something right. [clap. clap]

Saints – Just like the word “Church”, “saints” refers to the believers in Jesus. I see this word as being interchangeable with the term “elect”, which means “chosen”. This is another lie from the Mormons. They are not saints of Jesus. In order to be a saint of Jesus you need to believe in Who He is. They do not. At least, their official doctrine completely disagrees with the biblical Jesus. There might be some in the Mormon organization who believe that they are following the real Jesus but this would be because they don’t understand the organization’s actual description of who their “jesus” is.

Ok, so except for “Latter Day”, every word in the title of this organization is a bald-faced, affront-to-real-Christianity lie. It’s offensive to the extreme to those who trust in the real Jesus for their salvation. Nearly everything about it (at least the parts that matter) is an outright lie—a fabrication; fiction; fantasy; not real; completely made up. And since they are attempting to look as if they are a part of the real Church of Jesus Christ, it is REALLY offensive to us who actually are. It’s the worst form of mimicry I’ve ever seen.

For me to provide you with a rebuttal of every crazy, made up “doctrine” that they espouse it would take a pretty large book. In fact, there are a lot of really good books out there written by true Christians that show just how deep this crazy rabbit hole goes. Yeah, that’s it, Mormonism is about as real as the fantastical Alice in Wonderland. Just as Lewis Carroll presented a world that is nothing like reality, Joseph Smith (the founder of this group) presented a fictional theme around which he could craft his cult. And spin it he did.

It’s a documented fact that Joseph Smith was a charlatan and a conman. His book, The Book of Mormon, has been shown to be based (with much stolen detail) on an unpublished fictional work of a retired minister, named Solomon Spaulding (or Spalding). This book, entitled Manuscript Story, lays out all of the main characters, tribes, and plot that Joseph claims to be his “divinely inspired”, “correctly translated” “Word of God”. No doubt, the current state of the book is different from the original, penned by Spaulding. Whether Smith or someone else made the edits may never be known. But someone added things into the original fictional work to make it more “religious” sounding. You can research this yourself by consulting websites and books on the subject. Just remember that anything written by Mormons is going to be highly slanted. Here’s a tidbit to get you started:

• Website: Utah Lighthouse Ministry – Ex-Mormons who reveal all sorts of issues with the LDS organization founded by Jerald and Sandra Tanner. The purpose of this site is to document problems with the claims of Mormonism and compare LDS doctrines with Christianity. (not a secure website)
• Book: The “Manuscript Story” Of Reverend Solomon Spalding, or “Manuscript Found” Someone found a copy of the original manuscript of Solomon Spaulding (Spalding) and reprinted it. You can take this book and compare it to the current Book of Mormon for yourself.

Naturally, the LDS (Latter Day Saints) organization will be pushing back really hard against this evidence that obviously casts severe doubts on the legitimacy of their group. Indeed, it exposes how the very foundation of their organization is anything but pure and legitimate.

As an organization, I have strong contempt for the LDS (can you tell?). But as individuals, I have known many Mormons. My stepfather, now deceased, was one. I have never met a Mormon that I have not liked. I think that they are nice, decent folks.

However “good” they may seem as people, their organization is an affront to the real Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their “gospel” is not good news at all. It relies on human effort, but pays lip service to the cross of Christ. They believe that it is up to them to do the work of being made right with their god. But they will tell you that the cross makes up for their shortcomings. This is not the message of Jesus and His apostles. We must rely totally on His cross to make us right with the Creator.

The god of Mormonism is definitely NOT the God of the Bible. Here are some fundamental differences that need to be noted between the two theologies:

There are many, many more differences between the legitimate, biblical Christianity and the illegitimate, unbiblical Mormonism.

I hope that you don’t see me as being nasty to Mormons. I’m not. It’s their beliefs, which take people away from an eternity of joy and meaning, and replaces it with an eternity of despair, loss, and pain that I have issues with. When I speak to Mormons, I treat them like anyone else as individuals. I actually show love to them personally. However, I try my best to show them how unbiblical their religious system is. It’s the religion that is the enemy; not the adherents to it.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12, NLT

When those fine young men come to your door, be polite and explain to them that their organization is not Christian. It is a fake and phony scam that poses to be the real thing. That usually shuts them up and they go on their merry, delusional way. You don’t have to be rude, just let them know that you don’t buy into their organization’s lies. And don’t give them comfort in your home either. Don’t give them any support whatsoever. If it’s hot outside, let them get their own water.

If anyone comes to your [house] and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

2 John 1:10-11, NLT

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

Ephesians 4:15, NLT

Mormonism, the “Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints” (LDS) is a fake affront to the real thing. Do not support them. When you meet one, be respectful and loving. But be firm in your message that their organization is a counterfeit religion with no (eternally) redeeming qualities whatsoever. Give them no support at all—lest you be counted as a partner in their evil work.

In love,

Gary