Mormonism and Nicene Christianity

LDS Standard Works Mormonism and historic Christianity have had an uneasy relationship with each other since shortly after Joseph Smith, Jr. founded the Latter Day Saint movement.

Historic Christianity is defined as the branches of Christianity that accept the Nicene Creed. This includes, but is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and most branches of Protestantism. Those who practice Mormonism, Latter Day Saints, consider themselves to be Christians and believe that the Latter Day Saint movement is the restoration of the original Church of Christ as depicted in the New Testament. Latter Day Saints claim the restored church to be the only divinely authorized form of Christianity. Some Christian denominations consider Mormonism to be a heretical or apostate form of Christianity, a departure from the Christian faith, or more pejoratively, a cult.

Some of the reasons for this uneasy relationship can be ascribed to different definitions of sacred texts, doctrines, and core beliefs, uncommon practices, and proselytization on both sides. To reconcile this, some Latter Day Saint denominations such as the Community of Christ have attempted to include dialogue with mainstream Christianity within their theology and practice. Other denominations, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have adopted a more conservative approach, reexamining the faith's doctrine and practice rarely, while focusing instead on influencing the faith's external public image.

The divergence of Mormonism from historic Christianity

Joseph Smith, Jr. and the early Mormons were by most accounts typical early American Christians. Until the early 1830s, many American Christians, including prominent Protestant ministers and political leaders, practiced or at least accepted a brand of Christian faith that allowed room for a kind of folk spirituality that included visions, heavenly visitations, faith healing, spells, talismans, and divinations with seer stones and dowsing rods. Thus, the beginnings of Mormonism, which incorporated many such supernatural elements (particularly visions, visitations, and seer stones), were not necessarily inconsistent with the folk Christianity of the time. However, some Christians of the time viewed all visions and other supernatural occurrences as satanic, especially if they did not confirm accepted orthodoxy, including a local Methodist minister who warned Smith that his First Vision was of the devil.

The Book of Mormon

In March 1830 the Book of Mormon was published. The production of this new volume of scripture, which Smith claimed to have translated by divine power from buried golden plates marked the first departure of Mormonism from historic Christianity. It purported to recount a history of Christianity in the Western Hemisphere, including a description of civilizations and appearances by Jesus. Latter Day Saints declared it as a companion and complement to the Bible. Traditional Christian denominations disagreed and attempted to discount Smith's credibility, in some cases citing his alleged skills with divination. They also attacked the doctrines as expounded by Smith.

Passages in the Book of Mormon castigate modern churches for their "incorrect" teaching of doctrines. This appears to echo the view held by many contemporary frontier Restorationists in that there had been a Great Apostasy after the death of Jesus Christ and His apostles.

Smith expressed what he saw as important flaws in the Christian denominations of his day. He once said:

We may look at the Christian world and see the apostasy there has been from the apostolic platform; and who can look at this and not exclaim, in the language of Isaiah, "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant"?

In another instance, Smith said:

"The teachers of the day say that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and they are all in one body and one God. Jesus prayed that those that the Father had given him out of the world might be made one in them, as they were one [one in spirit, in mind, in purpose]. If I were to testify that the Christian world were wrong on this point, my testimony would be true."

Regarding Catholicism and Protestantism, Smith had these words:

"Here is a principle of logic...I will illustrate by an old apple tree. Here jumps off a branch and says, I am the true tree, and you are corrupt. If the whole tree is corrupt, are not its branches corrupt? If the Catholic religion is a false religion, how can any true religion come out of it?"

Need for a "Restoration" of the original Christian church

Smith began to organize a church that would embody the new insights he found in the Book of Mormon and later in his own revelations. He deemed this necessary as he alleged that the Christian churches had lost their authority centuries before which could not be recovered without a restoration. Therefore, on April 6, 1830, Smith formed the Church of Christ, which purported to be the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and a continuation of "true" original Christianity.

A need for a church restoration was a departure from traditional Christian thought. Although most traditional Christians acknowledged corruption and mistakes within Christianity, only the restorationists viewed Christianity as so fundamentally broken that a restoration was required, rather than a mere reformation such as the Protestant Reformation. To non-Restorationist Christians, departures from the truth were seen as continuously being overcome, through councils and decrees. Hence, to these Christians, the fundamental "apostolic succession" made by Catholic and Orthodox branches, or the broader "apostolic tradition" claimed by most Protestant denominations, remained intact. For more information on the restoration movement, see Restorationism.

Differences in doctrines and core beliefs

After the death of Joseph Smith, the Latter Day Saint movement experienced some schisms. In 1846 most Latter Day Saints followed Brigham Young, moved to Utah, and formed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). They are the largest denomination and count 12 million as members today. A remnant stayed in the midwestern US and eventually some grouped together and formed the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) under Joseph Smith III. In April 2001 this church renamed itself as the Community of Christ. They are the second largest denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement and number 250000 members. There are also many smaller denominations. The comparisons of the doctrines in this section are between the LDS Church and historic Christianity.

Accepted canon

Traditional Christians believe that the canon of scripture is closed, making the Bible the only sacred text for Christians, although the precise number of books in the Bible is disputed among different Christian denominations. Many Protestants consider it the only infallible authority, a doctrine called Sola scriptura (the Bible alone). Although Catholics give equal weight to Sacred Tradition, they subscribe, de facto, to Prima scriptura (the Bible above all). This difference results in the differences seen between the churches. However, the clear primacy of the Bible has resulted in basic beliefs that are largely shared between the churches.

Latter Day Saints believe that the Book of Mormon is another sacred text in addition to the Bible. Each denomination adds their own versions of the Doctrine and Covenants as scripture. Some denominations add the Pearl of Great Price, which contain additional important Latter-day Saint scriptures such as the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham. These additional scriptures provide the basis for the foundational doctrines found solely among the churches of the Latter Day Saint movement. The LDS church has also had General Authorities announce at General Conference (c. 1973) that all General Conference talks by General Authorities and their written transcriptions if "… they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture…". Hence, the belief in these additional scriptures and their derived doctrines is what defines the Latter Day Saint movement to be uniquely different from historic Christianity.

Nature of man

In the 1840s, Joseph Smith made significant and unusual assertions concerning the nature of humanity and its relationship with God. Smith argued that the human soul was in the beginning with God. Thus, Latter-day Saints believe in a pre-mortal existence, in which humans are literally the spirit children of God, and that some element of the human spirit, called intelligence, has existed eternally in the same sense that God existed eternally, but in a less progressed form of energy or matter, and this existence was even before God organized them as spirit children. This may explain the Church's teaching that man and God are co-eternal (carefully distinguishing "co-eternal" from "equal"). Historic Christianity is generally silent on anything prior to birth or beyond the resurrection of the dead, and has always taught that man is made or created.

Regarding the afterlife, Latter-day Saints teach of a potential deification or exaltation of all of humanity who are worthy of it. The oft-quoted saying (by Lorenzo Snow, a Latter-day Saint Apostle) that captures this idea is, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be." They consider this tenet to correspond with Biblical teachings and note that the doctrine of theosis of the Orthodox Church is evidence that this doctrine is based on early Christian teaching.

For historic Christianity this form of deification is heretical. It is believed that man would be in the presence of God, but would not become a god. The Orthodox Church does not accept that exaltation and theosis are similar. Bishop Timothy Ware, Spaulding Lecturer in Orthodox Studies at Oxford University wrote in referring to the differences of the views between Mormonism and the Orthodox Church:

"Deification," on the Orthodox understanding, is to be interpreted in terms of the distinction between the divine essence and the divine energies. Human beings share by God's mercy in His energies but not in his essence, either in the present age or in the age to come. That is to say, in theosis the saints participate in the grace, power, and glory of God, but they never become God by essence.

Nature of God

The nature of God or the Godhead is defined by Latter-day Saints as three distinct personages, the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Father and the Son have glorified physical bodies, while the Holy Ghost is a spirit. As the first part of Lorenzo Snow’s quote indicates ("As man is, God once was…"), the Latter-day Saints apply the concept of exaltation to God the Father. Hence, it is believed that God the Father was once mortal, as Christ was. A possible implication of this teaching is the existence of other divine beings, a form of henotheism. Nevertheless, God the Father (of the New Testament) is the only God worshipped by Mormons; Christ, as the mediator between mortals and the Father, is worshipped as Lord and Savior. The Holy Ghost, as third member of the Godhead, is sought after and given veneration as well. Since Mormons speak of these three as separate beings rather than the same person, traditional Christian groups critical of Latter Day Saints sometimes insist that this is polytheism.

This theology significantly disagrees with the Trinitarian doctrine of historic Christianity. In trinitarianism, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit exist as one God in three persons or in the Greek hypostasis. The three are said to be co-equal and co-eternal and they share a single Divine essence, being, or nature.

Though there is no incontrovertible evidence that Joseph Smith taught this, Latter-day Saints believe that God the Father is married to an exalted woman, whom they speculatively call a Heavenly Mother. Her existence is referred to briefly in the LDS Church hymn titled "O My Father" (Hymn number 292), and it is alluded to in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, which says that each person is "a spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents." Her existence is acknowledged by LDS Church members and leadership, but she is not worshipped explicitly and rarely mentioned. Members are taught that she is held too sacred by God to be mentionable by mortals. Detractors argue that her (albeit slight) presence in Latter-day Saint theology is further proof of polytheistic beliefs.

Nature of Jesus and salvation

Differences can be seen when reflecting on the need for salvation. Historic Christianity, in a reaction to Pelagianism, teaches the concept of original sin in which the Fall of Man resulted in all humans entering into an inherently sinful state which could not be redeemed without the help of God’s grace. Although Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus was without sin and that through his atoning sacifice little children and mentally unaccountable people are saved, the LDS church rejects the concept of inherited original sin. They believe that humans are only punished for their own individual sins and not Adam's transgression. The transgression of Adam and Eve is seen as a necessary step in God's plan to bring about the human race. Within the Garden Adam and Eve were and would have remained completely innocent. Their partaking of the tree of good and evil allowed carnal knowledge to enter into the world and thus the brith of children. In this perspective, Adam fell that we, his children, might be. The tenth president of the LDS church, Joseph Fielding Smith, explains this:

"Adam did only what he had to do. He partook of that fruit for one good reason, and that was to open the door to bring you and me and everyone else into this world, for Adam and Eve could have remained in the Garden of Eden; they could have been there to this day, if Eve hadn’t done something. One of these days, if I ever get to where I can speak to Mother Eve, I want to thank her for tempting Adam to partake of the fruit. He accepted the temptation, with the result that children came into this world."

Concerning the doctrine of salvation, the LDS church emphasizes that "faith without works is dead" (James 1:17) and believes the disciples of Christ should obey Jesus's commandments to the best of their ability. This emphasis does not overshadow that the Grace won by Christ is ever earned or merited; it is the free gift offered through the shed blood of Jesus. The LDS church’s Bible Dictionary states that:

…grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25: 23)

Historic Christianity stresses grace as a freely offered gift that is neither earned or deserved and that good works are the fruits and manifestations of the believer's faith.

Church ceremonies

Within historic Christianity, there are special ceremonies or rites called sacraments. The LDS church have equivalent ceremonies called ordinances. Both religious traditions have some of these ceremonies in common, for example, Baptism, Confirmation, and the Lord's Supper (called the Eucharist or Communion within historic Christianity and Sacrament in the LDS church), although they do not recognize each other’s ceremonies. These ceremonies are held in public in the presence of members and non-members.

Latter Day Saint church ceremonies that are held only in the presence of LDS church members include the endowment and sealing ceremonies as well as proxy ceremonies held on behalf of the dead. These special ceremonies are performed in temples and have no equivalent within historic Christianity. The closest equivalent to sealing is marriage, but the ceremony is considered to be quite different due to its ties to unique LDS concepts of the afterlife (exaltation, eternal marriage, etc.).

Proxy ceremonies on behalf of the dead are performed by Latter-day Saints in good standing. These ceremonies include baptism for the dead, confirmation, ordination, washing and anointing, endowment, and sealing. These practices are performed because the LDS church considers some ceremonies to be necessary, although not sufficient, for salvation and exaltation. The church’s goal is to potentially offer the ordinances necessary for the exaltation of persons who were unable to perform these ceremonies within their lifetimes. According to LDS doctrine, in the spirit world, these persons have the choice to either accept or reject the ordinances performed on their behalf.

For historic Christianity, the special LDS ceremonies are not normal practice. Most denominations do not consider these ceremonies as necessary steps toward salvation (exaltation). Due to different views concerning the afterlife, there are no proxy ceremonies held on behalf of the dead within historic Christianity.

As historic Christianity hold all ceremonies openly, the consequent secrecy surrounding the LDS church ceremonies has generated speculation and controversy. The Community of Christ maintains two temples, but their ceremonies are open to the public.

Official positions

Latter Day Saints

Latter-day Saints believe that most traditional Christians have much truth, and strong faith in Christ, which is essential for their salvation. They believe that most of these people will have the opportunity to accept the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ prior to the final judgment, and that all that truly have faith in Christ will be saved or possibly even exalted. Latter-day Saints also believe that differences between the doctrine of the Trinity and the Latter Day Saint conception of the Godhead are relatively minor. However, it remains true that neither the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor the Community of Christ accept the baptisms of other mainstream Christian denominations as valid. However, the latter is engaged in ongoing informal discussions concerning this issue.

Historic Christianity

The Presbyterian Church USA, the largest Presbyterian body in the US, publishes a brochure describing the church as follows:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), declares allegiance to Jesus. Latter-day Saints and Presbyterians share use of the Bible as scripture, and members of both churches use common theological terms. Nevertheless, Mormonism is a new and emerging religious tradition distinct from the historic apostolic tradition of the Christian Church, of which Presbyterians are a part. … It is the practice of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to receive on profession of faith those coming directly from a Mormon background and to administer baptism. … Presbyterian relationships with Latter-day Saints have changed throughout the twentieth century. By God's grace they may change further.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran body in the US, notes that Lutherans have been among those Christians who do not rebaptize other baptized Christians. However, it publishes the following statement on the recognition of Mormon baptisms:

Although Mormons may use water–-and lots of it–-and while they may say "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," their teaching about the nature of God is substantially different from that of orthodox, creedal Christianity. Because the Mormon understanding of the Word of God is not the same as the Christian understanding, it is correct to say that Christian Baptism has not taken place.

In its 2000 General Conference, the United Methodist Church decided not to recognize Latter-day Saint baptisms, stating:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by self-definition, does not fit within the bounds of the historic, apostolic tradition of Christian faith. This conclusion is supported by the fact that the LDS Church itself, while calling itself Christian, explicitly professes a distinction and separateness from the ecumenical community and is intentional about clarifying significant differences in doctrine. As United Methodists we agree with their assessment that the LDS Church is not a part of the historic, apostolic tradition of the Christian faith.

Likewise, in 2001, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith refused to accept Latter-day Saint baptisms. The Catholic Church generally recognizes baptisms from other Christian faiths in the name of the Trinity, provided the baptizer's intent corresponds to that of a Catholic priest. However, because of differences in Mormon and Catholic beliefs concerning the Trinity, the Catholic Church stated that Mormon baptism was "not the baptism that Christ instituted."

The Episcopal Church (USA), part of the 80-million member Anglican Communion, an Anglo-Catholic tradition, does not recognize Mormon baptisms, though it recognizes Christian baptisms that are Trinitarian in nature.

Missionary work and reactions to proselytization

Latter-day Saints’ missionary work

Latter-day Saints include all people in their missionary work, seeking to convert Christians and non-Christians alike.

Traditional Christian denominations’ missionary work

Many traditional Christian denominations have ministries toward Latter-day Saints. They are usually part of larger general missionary work such as the Baptist Mid-Missions. The 1998 convention of the Southern Baptist Convention held in Salt Lake City had the stated aim to "bring Christianity to the Mormons."

There are many independent ministries. Many of these ministies were started by ex-mormons. Some are dedicated purely to missionary work while others are a combination of ministry and apologetics. The latter group may be considered by many Latter-day Saints to be Anti-Mormon.

Traditional Christian denominations’ reaction to proselytization

Because Mormon missionaries proselytize other Christians indiscriminately, some Christian organizations have published tracts or brochures designed to counter Mormon missionary efforts. Conciliar Press, a department of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, has published a brochure designed to protect Orthodox Christians from the proselytizing efforts of what it describes as "cultists" (Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses). The following excerpt exemplifies the strong partisan feelings involved:

Although there are important differences between ancient Gnosticism and Mormonism, the similarities are striking. They both replace biblical Christianity with a very elaborate set of legends and esoteric teachings found, for Mormons, in the fanciful tales of The Book of Mormon and the teachings of Joseph Smith.... Firstly, one might ask why God would have allowed His people to dwell in darkness for almost two thousand years after Christ, until the coming of Smith...to lead them to the truth. One might also ask why any intelligent person would become a part of a religious movement founded by [a man] whose dishonesty is so apparent. Finally, what good reason could there be for believing self-proclaimed prophets whose teachings contradict the clear doctrines of the Holy Scriptures, instead of holding to the truth proclaimed by the Church founded by Christ and led by His Apostles and their successors?

The text of this excerpt, in its style, tone, and quality, and the title and source of the document demonstrate the efforts and doctrinal stance of a number of Christian denominations towards the Latter-day Saint faith.

Ecumenism and interfaith activities

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made sustained efforts to provide welfare or humanitarian aid to people throughout the world. Some of these efforts are in conjunction with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Catholic Relief Services, CARE and many others.[1] The church has also made a concerted effort to demonstrate the prominent role of Jesus Christ in the church. These efforts include adding the subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" to The Book of Mormon and emphasizing the name of Jesus Christ in the Church's official logo.

The Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has made dramatic efforts to reconcile its doctrines with historic Christianity and to reach out to other Christians.

The Community of Christ notes that

• it has never sanctioned polygamy
• it has always ordained persons of any race
• it has no required creedal statement, asking only faith in Christ for baptism
• it has accepted Trinitarian doctrine
• it has been in dialogue with National Council of Churches (NCC), World Council of Churches (WCC), and Christian Churches Together
• it has since 1982 accepted homosexual members fully, homosexual priesthood if celibate
• it has since 1984 ordained women
• it has since 1994 practiced open communion

In its World Conference in 2002, a committee on "Ecumenical/Interfaith Relations" was established to explore the possibility of entering into the membership of the WCC. In its report for the 2004 World Conference, the committee concluded that while there was an openness to further meetings and discussions, there were concerns about several issues including new entrance criteria based on theology and the Community of Christ's acceptance of extra-biblical scriptures. The report states that this warrants caution in their approach, but the dialogue would continue.

References

• D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power; Signature Books; ISBN 1-56085-056-6 (1994)
• Stephen E. Robinson; Are Mormons Christians?; Bookcraft, Inc.; ISBN 0-88494-784-X (Hardcover 1991)
• Jan Shipps, Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition; University of Illinois Press; ISBN 0-25201-159-7 (Hardcover 1985)
• Joseph Fielding Smith; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith; Deseret Book Company; ISBN 0-87747-655-9 (Softcover 1976)
• John A. Widstoe; Discourses of Brigham Young; Deseret Book Company; ISBN 0-87747-664-0 (Softcover 1954)
• Craig L. Blomberg & Stephen E. Robinson; How Wide the Divide?: A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation; InterVarsity Press; ISBN 0830819916; (Softcover April 1997)

External links

• Are Mormons Christians? FAQ - Extensive apologetic information from a Mormon perspective, written by Jeff Lindsay
• Assertion that Mormons are Christian A compilation of quotes from Mormon authors and Church leaders, from All About Mormons
• Christian criticism of LDS teachings - From Berean Christian Ministries, also includes techniques on "witnessing" to Mormons
• lds.org - Official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (geared towards LDS members)
• mormon.org - Official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (geared towards non-Mormons)
• Journal of Discourses - Various talks from early LDS Church Leaders
• Official website of Community of Christ - Official website
• "Survey: USA's Protestant majority might soon be no more " - Article from USA Today concerning the question on whether to consider Mormons as Protestants in surveys