erathoniel erathoniel

The differences between Mormonism and Christianity

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The differences between Mormonism and Christianity

http://www.contenderministries.org/mormonism/comparison.php
from JoeUser Forums

    Mormonism and Christianity vary in many ways. It would not be too big a leap to say they're different religions.

  1. Mormonism teaches that God achieved godhood by living a perfect life. Christianity (and Judaism) preaches that God is an infinite being, and always has been. "As Psalms 90:2 and 93:2 state, God has been God 'from eternity to eternity.'"
  2. Mormonism teaches that God is made of flesh and bones. Christianity (and Judaism) preach that God is an infinite, formless (in that he can take any shape or form, and needs not physically exist) being.
  3. Mormonism teaches there are many gods "There are many Gods. Brigham Young-Journal of Discourses 7:333 "How many Gods there are, I do not know.  But there never was a time when there were not Gods." This is directly in contradiction to Judaism and Christianity's teachings that there is only one God, who is, and was, and always will be. "There is only one God.  (Dt 6:4; 33:26-27; Isa 43:10; 45:5; 46:9; 1Ti 2:5)"
  4. Mormonism teaches that God takes a wife. "'Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother.  An exalted and glorified Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57) could not be a Father unless a Woman of like glory, perfection, and holiness was associated with him as a Mother' (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 516)" This is never mentioned in the scripture. "The Godhead determined to make man in their image, not to procreate spirit children (Ge 1:26).  Nowhere does Scripture even hint at the existence of an Eternal Mother."
  5. Mormonism believes the following: "God would stop being God if intelligences stopped supporting him as God.", where as Christianity teaches that God is infinite. "God is not God unless He is all-powerful, all knowing, absolutely in charge.  If God exists only as God because of support given from other intelligent forms, He is not God at all (Isa 44:6; Ro 3:4; Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13) God is unchangingly omnipotent, and no purpose of His can be thwarted.  He is not overruled by anyone (Ge 17:1; Job 36:22-23; 42:2; Isa 14:26-27; 40:13-14; Jer 32:27; Mt 19:26; Lk 1:37; Ac 17:24-25; Rev 19:6)".
  6. Mormonism believes that "Man was also in the beginning with God.  Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be"  (D&C 93:29)" I don't need a reference (Try the first page of Genesis) to disprove this.

 

There you go. Big font. Follow the Article Link for more. Yes, I did take most everything from there, but as a fellow brother in Christ, with attribution to them, I believe that it is a good, rather than a wrong to spread infomation to save the lost sheep in the world.
mormonism christianity jesus christ god religion
20,232 views 135 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top
When I hear somebody say "Mormonism is Christianity!", my response is "No, it's not!"
Lula posts:

Good for you....for telling the truth.
End of quote



Leauki posts: #12
Telling a truth is easy.
There are so many.
End of quote


Actually there is only one truth regarding Christianity...that is God's truth which is found in Sacred Scripture.


We say taht Mormonism is not Christianity....so rephrasing... The Mormon faith is not the Christian faith as outlined in Sacred Scripture.


The truth is in possession.


Reply #27 from Stardock Forums Top

One of the Apostles said that scripture ended with Revelations. All the books contained in the Book of Mormon were written in the Colonial Era or later.

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #28 from JoeUser Forums Top
One of the Apostles said that scripture ended with Revelations.
End of quote


No, he didn't. Show me where you think this is and I'll show you why it's wrong.
Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top
We also know who it is that tempts us to not pray.
End of quote


Jonathon Creek.
Reply #30 from Stardock Forums Top

All the books contained in the Book of Mormon were written in the Colonial Era or later.
End of quote

Nope.  That's when they were translated.  They were written between, let me pull out my copy really quick...600 B.C. and 421 A.D.

 

One of the Apostles said that scripture ended with Revelations.
End of quote

Surely you're not talking about one of the LDS apostles?  Because I, too, would need documentation for that one right there...

Reply #31 from JoeUser Forums Top
I thought Joseph Smith wrote the book of Mormon?
Reply #32 from JoeUser Forums Top

@ Cedarbird: I'm pretty sure that it was a mainstream Christian leader, in the end. Second, no, the books were written in the colonial era. Not translated, written.

@ Jythier: Yes, they were written by Joseph Smith, the "translated" was just his way of trying to tell a convincing story.

I present: A VIDEO!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0d1HbItOo

Copy and paste!

Reply #33 from JoeUser Forums Top
erathoniel:
One of the Apostles said that scripture ended with Revelations. All the books contained in the Book of Mormon were written in the Colonial Era or later.
End of quote


Actually, this is wrong also. John the Revelator did at the end of the Book of Revelation, but he was just talking about his book. He wasn't the one who decided the Book of Revelation should be the last book of the New Testament.

2 Ye shall not aadd unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Using the same logic, should we disregard everything after Deuteronomy?

Reply #34 from JoeUser Forums Top
Jythier:
I thought Joseph Smith wrote the book of Mormon?
End of quote


At the time Joseph Smith would have been writing the Boof of Mormon he was a barely literate farm boy. He could not have read the Book of Mormon, much less wrote it.

erathoniel:
I'm pretty sure that it was a mainstream Christian leader, in the end. Second, no, the books were written in the colonial era. Not translated, written.
End of quote


I'm pretty sure you're wrong. But that's just my opinion (which doesn't count any more or less than yours or whoever happens to be in that video).

Why don't you go to the source instead of other people? Ask Our Heavenly Father if Joseph Smith was a prophet. Ask Him if the Book of Mormon is his word.

"but ask in faith, nothing wavering..." (James 1:6)

What do you have to lose?
Reply #35 from Stardock Forums Top

I did. He said no, a long time ago.

Reply #36 from JoeUser Forums Top
I did. He said no, a long time ago.
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Fair enough, so why keep reading what other mere men have to say about it?

Btw, I'm still waiting for your thoughts on the misrepresentations. If you did and I missed it, let me know. I'm not asking you to defend them or try to explain them away, since they are not your doing. I'm just curious to know what you think.
Reply #37 from Stardock Forums Top

I'm not reading all of this.  At a probability of about 99%, I've already read it in other threads.

 

But I am going to comment on one thing I saw.

ParaTed2k:

That way, you can decide for yourself based on actual facts, not half truths and people who cut quotes short because the rest of the verse doesn't fit their propaganda.
End of quote

 

Bravo, Ted.

Reply #38 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm pretty sure you're wrong.
End of quote


Me too. :D :D :D But you are entitled to your opinion, just like we are. :D


By the way, that is the stupidest, most inaccurate thing I've ever witnessed. It was so ridiculous I couldn't even get more than two minutes into it. There is no credibility to that cartoon at all, and yeah, YouTube? Not the place to go for facts.
Reply #39 from Stardock Forums Top

By the way, that is the stupidest, most inaccurate thing I've ever witnessed. It was so ridiculous I couldn't even get more than two minutes into it. There is no credibility to that cartoon at all, and yeah, YouTube? Not the place to go for facts.
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Hey Cedar....I've seen that cartoon before...could you or Ted or SC tell me the inaccuracies in it?  I'm no Mormon scholar, but when I saw it I wondered...is all of it bogus, or some parts?  Like I said, no Mormon scholar here so I don't know what's real and what's sci-fi, ya know?

It's an interesting take  on the world and gods...and what's up with all the SEX???  Sounds like a teenage boy wrote the script to it!:LOL:

 

Reply #40 from Stardock Forums Top

Sounds like a teenage boy wrote the script to it!
End of quote

Worse, a propaganda artist with nothing better to do.

 

Sorry, I won't be able to tell you about inaccuracies on it.  I won't bother dagging myself through the cesspool.   I don't go to Christians to learn about Muslims, or Mormons to learn about Jews, so why would I go to a cartoon to learn about my own denomination?

Like Ockham said, in all probability, it's information I've read or heard before... besides, why waist my time when I know where to go to find information about the LDS church that is 100% accurate?

Reply #41 from JoeUser Forums Top
I don't go to Christians to learn about Muslims, or Mormons to learn about Jews, so why would I go to a cartoon to learn about my own denomination?
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Um, really surprised to hear you say this Ted. I thought it was a good forum for you to clear up misconceptions.

 :NOTSURE: 
Reply #42 from JoeUser Forums Top
One of the Apostles said that scripture ended with Revelations.
End of quote




Primarily, Revelation is a body of truth that is made known through God's unfolding plan. The nature of God's written Revelation can be seen in both the OT and the NT.

The Judeo-Christian revelation was given progressively in the course of centuries. St.Thomas distinguishes 3 great periods of sacred history ----before the Mosaic law, under the Law and under grace----these he connects with the great revelations made to Abraham, Moses and the Apostles by reason of their immediate contact with the Incarnate Word 1St.John 1:1, and their Pentecostal experience.

Revelation from its inception was public in that it was addressed not to individuals but to a whole people. The Israelite revelation in the OT was directed to a single nation, and Christianity to all mankind. From a Christian pov the OT appears as totally ordered toward Christ and the Church by way of type and prophecy. Through the teaching and life of Christ including His Passion and Resurrection, God communicates His message of pardon and reconciliation towards mankind.

It's true, Revelation was closed when St.John, the last Apostle, died. This by no means has a negative menaing that God decided to say nothing more. No far from it. It has a positive aspect inasmuch as God had so completely expressed Himself in the Christ event that anything else would be superfluous.

Although CHristian revelation was complete in Apostolic times, much remains to be done by way clarification. So long as man remains on earth, he must be content to walk by faith, hope and charity, reverently inclining his mind and will before God.

Reply #43 from JoeUser Forums Top
If I'm correct, the Church of LDS belileve that their prophets, beginning with Joseph Smith, received new revelation from God the Father Himself and Jesus Christ Himself as two separate Beings.

Again, St.Thomas warned that prophetic public revelation insofar as it is ordered to doctrine ceased with the death of the last Apostle but that private revelations insofar as it is a directive of human actions, will always continue.

At the same time, he warned of the dangers of delusion, fraud, exaggeration, etc. of private reports and they should be treated with great caution. As to the proofs of private revelations, they should contain no absurdity or nothing contrary to the Christian faith and morals.
Reply #44 from JoeUser Forums Top
Again, St.Thomas warned that prophetic public revelation insofar as it is ordered to doctrine ceased with the death of the last Apostle but that private revelations insofar as it is a directive of human actions, will always continue.
End of quote


Scriptures, please?

All this about what belongs in the Bible and what does not is ridiculous to me. So much depends on it, and yet, it is very muddled as to what "counts" and what does not.
Reply #45 from JoeUser Forums Top
In John 17:3 we are told that life eternal is to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.

So in whose best interest is it to keep confusion on the earth as to the true nature of God? Who benefits?

Compare the "simplicity" of the Nicene Creed with the description of God in Joseph Smith's first vision.

Some argue that it is not possible for us to "know God". It is too hard for mortals to grasp. We are told that we do not see things the way God sees them, but it would not make sense for us to be told that our eternal life is based on knowledge of God then deny us the faculty to arrive at that knowledge.

One truth we all seem to agree on is that Satan is the bad guy and wants us to be as miserable as he is. So again, who benefits from the confusion? When you look at this with sobriety, putting all preconceived notions aside, the simplest answer just feels right...so which is easier for you to understand?
Reply #46 from Stardock Forums Top

Tova:

Um, really surprised to hear you say this Ted. I thought it was a good forum for you to clear up misconceptions.
End of quote

If you found out your son had been watching porn on the internet, and he asked you to watch it with him, to "clear up misconceptions" he may get about love between a man and a woman, would you?  Or would you explain to him that that isn't a good resource? 

That trash is no more valid a resource for learning about the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints than porn is for learning about love.  (and yes, I would say the same thing if it were written about any other religion).

If you want to learn about our doctrine, one of the best places to go is LDS.org's Gospel Index A-Z.  Look for key words to what you want to know more about and read it.  The best part of this website is it is official doctrine and policy. Even when I answer questions, it's just the doctrine based on my own understanding.  In this website you get it first hand, unfiltered... and without any misconceptions to have to wonder about. 

Reply #47 from JoeUser Forums Top
If you found out your son had been watching porn on the internet, and he asked you to watch it with him, to "clear up misconceptions" he may get about love between a man and a woman, would you? Or would you explain to him that that isn't a good resource?
End of quote



That's not a good comparison, because I have seen porn before and know exactly what it says about sex. So I could discuss the nitty gritty without seeing one particular video.

A better one might be, if a cartoon describing Christianity was out, someone saw it and asked me about it. I would check it out and say what I agreed with and what I didn't. What's the big deal?

Sometimes I even go to anti-Christian sites to see their arguments against it. Know why? Because it usually strengthens my faith.

Why isn't it a good resource? Is it wrong? How do you know if you've never seen it? Is some of it wrong, all of it?

You say its not a good source, to go to the LDS website, but then aren't there some things that can't be "discussed" with non Mormons? Things that won't be on that website?

I'm not picking a fight here, and since you can't hear the tone of my question I feel the need to clarify the not picking a fight part.

So, are you forbidden by anything in your faith from looking at the video?

You equate it with porn but have never seen it?

Is there a general understanding about this video in the LDS church?

I saw a video once of the Baptismal pool in a temple. The pool was sitting on top of several golden bulls...like they were holding it on their backs. Kinda freaked me out with the whole idol worship thing going on in the OT, especially with animals. (But I do see the 12 oxen from Solomon's temple playing in here?)

The film was taken by a contractor who built the temple. He wasn't anti-LDS or anything else, just proud of his work. But youtube has lots of videos of inside the temple made by the LDS church (or so they say).

So, is the video that you won't watch factually wrong?
Reply #48 from JoeUser Forums Top
That's not a good comparison, because I have seen porn before and know exactly what it says about sex. So I could discuss the nitty gritty without seeing one particular video.
End of quote


I've seen the same old trash repackaged over and over for decades now. The quesions that erathonial asked, I was able to answer from the first times I was asked those questions back in 1984. Just because they've taken if from BETAMAX and but in on Youtube, doesn't change a thing.

I used to waste my time reading anti mormon stuff written by people who would rather misrepresent what others believe than share what they believe. It got to the point that I quit reading it because there is no value in it.

When I was in Saudi Arabia a Muslim man gave me some pamphlets about Christianity. I read them and fell over laughing. Change the names and dates and it read exactly like the anti mormon stuff. They challenged the integrity of the Apostles. They said that some of them were adulters and on the take. They said that the books of the New Testament were written by Catholic priests long after Jesus' death.

I showed the lies and misrepresentations in the link erathoniel provided. They cut out what they didn't want from a Bible verse and totally lied about two passages from LDS scripture and a book. I didn't mean any offense to erathoniel by it, but it did show the lengths the people who run that website are willing to go in their "ministry". Actually, it didn't show any lengths at all, since all they were doing was parroting anti mormon books that were written in the 60s.

Of course, the links are there, and you've provided a couple of your own. I can't stop you from it and wouldn't want to try. Just remember, they have an agenda when they write that stuff... For that matter, we all have an agenda and all our words are filtered through our own way of seeing things.

That is why I don't ask anyone to take my word for it, I invite people to pray about what I've said. God is the author of all truth so I'll leave it up to you to decide if what is worth your time and prayers and what isn't.
Reply #49 from JoeUser Forums Top
When I was in Saudi Arabia a Muslim man gave me some pamphlets about Christianity. I read them and fell over laughing. Change the names and dates and it read exactly like the anti mormon stuff. They challenged the integrity of the Apostles. They said that some of them were adulters and on the take. They said that the books of the New Testament were written by Catholic priests long after Jesus' death.
End of quote


LOL

That is why I don't ask anyone to take my word for it, I invite people to pray about what I've said. God is the author of all truth so I'll leave it up to you to decide if what is worth your time and prayers and what isn't
End of quote


Thanks Ted. I guess it must be tiresome to hear the same ol same ol....to some of us though, its new. I don't have a problem doing my own research...but like so many things in life, reading about something, and asking someone who lives it, is the difference between thinking you understand what chocolate tastes like, and letting it melt in your mouth.

Thanks for not getting offended. I was really just curious.
Reply #50 from JoeUser Forums Top
Good job, Ted.