The Scriptures teach that we ought to expect and be familiar with false teaching as it arises:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1st John 4:1)

BEGINNINGS

This movement, known popularly as “Mormonism,” has grown rapidly. It is one of the fastest growing religious movements within the past one hundred years. With 17,000,000 followers worldwide this is a mission field we dare not ignore. In learning about this movement we become equipped in reaching these deluded souls.

FOUNDING

The movement was founded by Joseph Smith at Fayette, New York in 1830. He was a dreamer who claimed to have been given golden plates by the angel Moroni detailing the history of the ancient North American people. Smith copied the writing, translated into English and he acquired financial backing to publish The Book of Mormon. Shortly afterwards the first gathering of The Church of Jesus of Latter Day Saints took place in Fayette.

EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Smith and many of his followers moved out west to Missouri. The movement grew rapidly from the beginning. They eventually settled in the city of Independence. As a prophet Smith had special revelations from God that this was to be the land of promise. Owing to opposition from locals the Mormons moved on, establishing a town in Missouri called Far West.

As a result of battles between settlers and Mormons the state militia intervened and imprisoned Mormons. When they escaped this group of Mormons joined up with another settlement in Illinois. Joseph Smith chose a site on the Mississippi, named it Nauvoo, which in the Hebrew means beautiful place.

DEATH OF JOSEPH SMITH

The Mormons at Nauvoo faced trouble due to constant criticism that they suffered in the local paper, the Nauvoo Expositor. After Smith ordered his men to burn down the printing press he was arrested along with his brother Hyrum. In 1839 he was killed by an angry mob of two hundred men who stormed the prison. Therefore Joseph Smith was hailed as a martyr by the movement that he formed.

EARLY MORMON PRACTICES

Amid all of this controversy and violence the movement was growing. Mormons were missionary minded from the outset as they constantly laboured to entice others into the movement. The Book of Mormon focuses on the origins of the North American indigenous peoples. Thus, there was particular interest in reaching out to the Indians. Within a few years the movement was in the tens of thousands. This no doubt drew the interest, curiosity but also the suspicion of the local population who were largely non Mormon. One aspect of Mormon behaviour in these early years which made them radically different from others was polygamy. Joseph Smith for example was reputed to have forty-eight wives by the time he died! This being said, nothing justified his murder. His murder was the catalyst for propelling the movement onto greater growth.

BRIGHAM YOUNG

Smith’s role as leader was taken by Brigham Young. In order to escape the attention of the critics and the mobs he took his community of Mormons west on an epic wagon trail. On reaching Salt Lake in Utah Young was satisfied and Salt Lake City was established in 1847. Thousands of Mormons followed him on this trip in subsequent years. By Brigham Young’s death in 1877 there were 140,000 Mormons. Salt Lake City is the key centre for the Mormon faith worldwide to the present day.

KEY MORMON ERRORS

1: LACK OF HISTORICAL BASIS

The Mormons believe that every Christian Church is in error and has been since the early days of the New Testament. They alone are the true Church.

Scripture teaches that God has never left Himself without a witness (Acts 14:17). The true Church has continuity. We can trace truth through every generation, even in the darkest and most apostate of days. It would be inexplicable for God to hide precious truth only for it to appear with the advent of Joseph Smith.

2: ATTTITUDE TO SCRIPTURE

The Mormons recognise four sacred texts; the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price and the King James Version. As Joseph Smith never had an opportunity to revise fully the King James Version, it cannot be absolutely relied upon. Therefore they undermine Scripture.

The Book of Mormon falls within the remit of Revelation 22:18-19:

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The Book of Mormon, as a volume claiming to tell the ancient story of the first peoples of North America, has little archaeological or literary credibility. Dr Alan Cairns’ Dictionary of Theological Terms highlights evidence to suggest that the Book of Mormon was in reality a pelagiarism of Solomon Spaulding’s stolen and unpublished novel, “The Manuscript Found'”.

3: FATHERHOOD OF GOD

The Mormons believe that man is a god in the making and that the gods were once men. Therefore the God is our Father, has a physical body and that we were made like him. Brigham Young indicated that Adam, our Father, was God and that Eve was one of his wives and the human race resulted. This is rejected by Scripture which teaches that “God is spirit” (John 4:24) and that He created Adam (Genesis 1).

4: PLURALITY OF GODS

Therefore Mormons believe in many gods. The ultimate purpose of man is to become a god.

The Scriptures teach that God is singular and unique.

I am the LORD: that is my name:
and my glory will I not give to another,
neither my praise to graven images. (Isaiah 42:8)

5: ELEVATION OF JOSEPH SMITH

Joseph Smith as the recipient of the Book of Mormon became not only the founder of the Church of Latter Saints but its chief prophet. Not only was a he a prophet but also a priest after the Order of Melchizedek. At the very least he is on a par with Christ, and perhaps even elevated above Him by Morman theologians.

The Book of Hebrews teaches that He alone is our great High Priest (Hebrews 4) and is of the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:20).

6: DENIAL OF THE TRINITY

The doctrine of the Trinity is a key Bible doctrine. The Mormons by their view of deity, a belief in a plurality of Gods, that Christ as another one of God’s children – absolutely denies the revelation of God in His three fold essence of Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

By contrast the Scriptures bring the Father, Son and Holy Ghost together as three unique persons:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)

7: DENIAL OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH

Mormons teach that Jesus was not conceived by the Holy Ghost, nor was Mary a virgin. They blasphemously and shockingly claim that Mary conceived after God came to her (remembering Mormons believe that God has a human form and is a sexual creature).

Scripture sees the matter entirely differently:

“The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

8: DENIAL OF JUSTIFICATION

Mormon theology denies Original Sin. Indeed Mormons do not characterise the Fall of Man as sin but as a means whereby man could become a god. Adam, therefore, is recognised in the same manner that Christ is recognised in the role he played in attaining salvation for mankind. Mormons teach that every child is born holy and that we have the power to choose good over evil at any time.

It is hardly surprising that such a flawed system will create a flawed way of salvation.

Confusingly Mormons teach that despite the fall having a good outcome it did bring death to the world. Therefore Christ came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us, to deliver us from death. He came to provide two types of salvation: A General Salvation for everyone through their ultimate resurrection and an Individual Salvation, only for those who obey, which grants access to one of the three Mormon heavens.

Therefore the idea of God justifying, giving us His righteousness on the basis of Christ’s atonement is anthema to Mormons. For them salvation is something that we work out, it is not a gift of grace. To understand the Gospel correctly – grace is paramount and at the heart of grace is the God who justifies the ungodly.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-26)

9: BAPTISMAL REGENERATION

Mormons believe that Baptism is an absolutely necessary for the remission of sins. They oppose Infant Baptism as children have not yet sinned but it is completely essential for the saints. This follows on from their concept of a works based salvation erected upon the fallacy of human merit.

The Bible instructs that while Baptism is a sign of salvation and a symbol of our faith it does not form part of the way of salvation. The person baptised has already been converted by the Holy Spirit.

“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.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

10: BAPTISING THE DEAD

The most bizarre and unique aspect of Mormon practice is their belief in baptising dead relatives. The Mormon has a duty to their ancestors. Therefore they take an avid interest in researching family lineage in order that they may save them by baptising them by proxy in an underground baptismal within a Mormon temple.

The Scriptures, however, teach that once death comes our eternity is sealed as was the case for the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16).

11: POLYGAMY

The early Mormons practised Polygamy. The practise was banned officially within the movement in 1890, probably because it was illegal and receiving much attention. Nevertheless, there are some Mormon splinter groups who practice it still.

Mormons believe that celestial marriage can only be performed within a Mormon Temple and that only those who are celestially married will be able to become a god. Some think, within the movement that god status can only be attained through a plural marriage. They even teach, contrary to Scripture, that Christ had multiple wives.

The Scriptures teach one man for one woman, Christ nowhere indicated that polygamous relationship was proper:

“Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Matthew 19:4-6)

AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION

Understanding the Growth of the Movement

Mormonism with its strong emphasis upon human goodness, a universal salvation of some form for everyone, giving man the hope of becoming god and reducing God to human flesh will always be attractive. Man will prefer a hope that is palatable rather than truth which is difficult and humiliating to grasp.

In Mormonism we can see certain similarities with Hinduism and its plethora of gods and even secular humanism with its elevation of humanity. Satan has ever so many ways of snaring and blinding people to take their eyes away from the Gospel.

While Mormonism is a growing movement we should appreciate that Christianity has grown much more substantially. Many of the world’s one billion Christian may be nominal or caught up in a false variant of Christianity. Nevertheless every system of Christianity absolutely repudiates the falseness of the Mormon narrative. Truth is more powerful than the lie.

Reaching Mormon Hearts

As we have opportunity, and it may only be with a Mormon missionary who visits our locality, let us share the Gospel with these sincere and dear souls. Share your own testimony, talk about what Christ as your unique Saviour means to you. Point out some of the errors and contradictions of the Mormon belief system lovingly and graciously and pray that God will be pleased to open up the heart to the true Christ.