:Periodic Post: FAQ: Mormons and Other Christians
Periodic Post
(Quibbles, clarifications, and words of praise about this article can
be sent to the author, Peggy Rogers: kro...@xmission.com )
Questions sometimes arise, on soc.religion.mormon as elsewhere, about
the relationship of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
to other Christian denominations. Below is an attempt to outline
some of the major similarities between the two groups, and some of
the significant differences.
(It is perhaps useful to note here that the question of _whether_
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is actually a
Christian church is a topic which is not permitted on the newsgroup.
That's because it simply comes down to circular arguments about
definitions of the word "Christian," and tends to lead to unpleasant
argumentation.)
COMMON GROUND
=============
At first glance, a Moslem or a Hindu or a Martian might have trouble
seeing that there were noticeable differences between members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other sorts of
Christians. Nevertheless, there have been strong and sometimes bitter
disagreements over the years between the two groups. It is often the
case that groups with many similarities find more to quarrel about
than those more widely separated. In this case, a lot of the
disagreements come from Latter-day Saints believing things about
Life, the Universe and Everything that are not obvious to other
Christians, often because these things are not specifically
mentioned in the Bible.
I'll be making frequent references in the following explanation to
the LDS "Articles of Faith," which can be read in full at:
http://www.lds.org/en/1_Articles_of_Faith/Articles_of_Faith.html
Let's begin by looking at some areas where Latter-day Saints and
other Christians have a lot in common:
I. Father, Son and Holy Ghost
=============================
The first Article of Faith reads: "We believe in God, the Eternal
Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." Latter-
day Saints claim not to be Trinitarians, generally speaking of the
"Godhead" rather than the Holy Trinity. But in conversations with other
Christians on the *.r.m. newsgroups, a lot of us have realized that
these two concepts--Godhead and Trinity--do not really differ a great
deal. Both assert that there are three Beings, distinct in some ways,
who nevertheless constitute a single God. The concept of "modalism"--
the idea that a single God simply manifests himself in different ways
at different times--was declared a heresy in the early centuries of
Christianity (even though there are numbers of Trinitarian Christians,
even today, who think like modalists.) The main way that the LDS
version of the Godhead differs from the usual Christian view is the
idea that God the Father, as well as Jesus Christ, has a glorified
physical body.
II. Central Importance of Jesus Christ
======================================
"3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may
be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel
are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."
These are the 3rd and 4th of the LDS articles of faith. Faith,
repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost have been a part
of historical Christianity since the beginning. Latter-day Saints
agree that these are things of the utmost importance. And like most
other Christians, Latter-day Saints participate in a Eucharist
ceremony, in modeled on the one instituted by Jesus Christ during
his lifetime. Latter-day Saints understand, as well as other
Christians, that their ultimate return to the presence of God in
the next life is totally dependent upon the merits and intervention
of Jesus Christ.
III. Rituals and Worship
=======================
Latter-day Saints practice a number of rituals that are similar to
those in other Christian groups, among them: baptism, marriage,
priesthood ordination, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which
LDS commonly refer to as simply "the sacrament." Worship services
also have much in common with those of other denominations,
and include prayers, sermons, congregational singing (with occasional
choirs) and a weekly administration of the Lord's Supper. In most
cases, these worship services are conducted on Sunday, the traditional
day for Christian worship.
IV. Ethical Behavior
=====================
The 13th Article of Faith says, in part: "We believe in being honest,
true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men....
If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or
praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Latter-day Saints, like
other Christians, strive to follow the example and the teachings of
Jesus Christ during his earthly ministry by serving others in a variety
of ways, and by behaving in an ethical fashion in family life, in
business dealings, in charitable work, and in all aspects of life.
Of course, not all people who consider themselves Christians would
be in agreement with all the above points, but these are the main
aspects of Mormonism which lead people to think (not unreasonably)
that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Christian
religion.
NOT-SO-COMMON GROUND
====================
I. Pre-Mortal Existence
Latter-day Saints are taught that the spirits which animate their
mortal bodies are the literal offspring of heavenly parents. These
spirits live and progress for vast ages until they are ready to
receive the sort of knowledge they can gain only by living on earth
in a physical body. This pre-earth life is often called "the
pre-existence."
II. Bodies
As mentioned above, LDS believe that God the Father has a physical
body, and that one of the reasons his spirit children come to the earth
is so that they can also obtain a body. Resurrection is seen as the
permanent reunion of body and spirit. Because of this, the attitude of
Latter-day Saints toward their bodies is very positive, and taking
good care of one's body is seen as a religious duty. This is reflected
in the "Word of Wisdom" which teachers people to nourish themselves
with good foods, and to abstain from harmful substances.
III. Families
LDS children sing a song that says, "Families can be together forever/
Through Heavenly Father's plan." Most Christians reasonably assume
that they will be able to associate with beloved family members in the
world to come. (How could it be heaven otherwise?) Latter-day Saints
take this a step further, and perform "sealing" ceremonies in their
temples that bind family members to each other "for time and all
eternity" as we say. These sealings are done not only for living
families, but for ancestors stretching back as far as they can be
traced. This is the basis for the strong LDS interest in genealogy.
IV. Scriptures
Many Christians believe that the Bible is a unique book--the only book
through which God speaks to humanity. Latter-day Saints disagree, not
only believing that God has given scriptures in addition to the Bible,
but that more scriptures will likely be given in the future. (See the
9th article of faith.) In fact, LDS are encouraged to keep journals,
with the suggestion that perhaps in future times these journals may
function as scripture for one's descendants.
V. Apostasy and Restoration
This is one of the most significant differences between Mormonism
and other historical sorts of Christianity. Latter-day Saints believe
that at some time in the early history of Christianity, valid
priesthood
authority was lost from the earth. (If they didn't, they'd probably be
Catholics.) It's also believed that many of the things Jesus taught to
his original disciples were lost or corrupted or misinterpreted--some
of them before the books of the New Testament were written or
collected.
Joseph Smith, as the first prophet of this final "dispensation" is
understood to have restored many of these truths which had been lost,
as well as being given the necessary priesthood powers and keys for
performing ordinances such as baptism, eternal marriage, and priesthood
ordination.
VI. Church Governance
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints professes to hold the
only valid priesthood authority on the earth today. This priesthood
is extended to all worthy male members of the church. The overall
leadership of the church consists of the president (currently Gordon
B. Hinckley) who is the prophet, seer, and revelator of the church,
assisted by two counselors, and twelve other men known as the Quorum
of Twelve Apostles. All these men work full-time in church leadership
and administration, and many receive financial support from the church.
The leaders of local congregations, however, (called "bishops" of
"wards" and "stake presidents" of collections of several wards known
as "stakes") are laymen who work at regular jobs in addition to their
church duties.
VII. Prophets
The Bible records the words and deeds of many prophets up until the
Apostolic period. Latter-day Saints believe that prophets did not
cease to exist at that time. Joseph Smith is regarded as the first
prophet of the Restoration, and his successors in church leadership
are honored as prophets as well: men who communicate the will of God
to people on earth today.
VIII. Covenants
Baptism, marriage, and other ceremonies performed in LDS temples are
regarded as covenants by Latter-day Saints: agreements between God
and human beings, in which people promise to behave in certain ways,
and God promises to pour out blessing on them. Covenants are a very
important part of LDS thinking.
IX. Temples
Soc.religion.mormon has a FAQ about LDS temples and temple worship,
which you can read when it is posted near the beginning of each month.
(Hey, Guy, when are you going to actually put it on the website?)
Sacred ceremonies are performed inside the temples which members of
the church are generally reluctant to speak about on the outside.
All these ceremonies involve entering into covenants, and many of
them are performed on behalf of people already deceased, as well as
for living people who are able to enter into these covenants for
themselves.
X. Afterlife
Instead of the usual heaven/hell scenario, Latter-day Saints envision
the world to come as a complex aggregate of three heavens, into which
people are distributed according to the sorts of lives they lived on
earth. For those who have been virtuous and faithful, there is a
possibility of deification--coming to live the same sort of life that
God does. The only LDS equivalent of an eternal hell is reserved for
an handful of "sons of perdition"--people who have been given a sure
knowledge of Christ and his ministry by the Holy Spirit, and then
turned against that knowledge.
--
Copies of this document are available on the s.r.m homepage
http://soc.religion.com