Why mormonism isnt christianity

The Book of Mormon is the most controversial addition to the canon. It is a supposed record of ancient groups in the Americas, and begins with a family moving from Jerusalem, shortly before its destruction, to the New World. The climax of the record is a visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ in the Americas. Although the records, inscribed on gold plates, were lost shortly after this in the fourth century, the burier of the book, Moroni, is said to have returned in the early 19 th century as an angel in a revelation to Joseph Smith and led him to the plates.

Smith then translated these into English as the Book of Mormon. The lack of evidence about these golden plates and a message reflective of the times led many critics to believe that the book is a fanciful fabrication. As shown by the acceptance of the extra-biblical works, Mormons maintain a canon open to further revelation from God. Mormons believe that the death of the apostles led to the death of apostolic succession and that the traditional church perpetuated a false line of apostolic succession.

Christian critics argue that the canon is closed because the last two verses of the Book of Revelation say that if you add or subtract from the New Testament you will be accursed, but Mormons hold this warning to be only true of the Book of Revelation and not the entire Bible. Robinson states that it is unbiblical to believe that the Bible is a closed canon as there is no biblical statement within it that prohibits additional revelation and that the Book of Revelation was written prior to the formation of the Bible; therefore, the warning can only speak to its own book.

Another point of divergence between traditional Christian doctrine and Mormon doctrine is the belief in human deification and thus the nature of God. According to a recent study, over three-quarters of Mormons surveyed stated belief in pre-mortal existence of humans as spirits, human deification during mortal life, and eternal marriage after death.

Mormons also present the fact that orthodox Christian groups have a similar view toward human deification. However, Bill McKeever, an American author and well-known critic of Mormonism, asserts that the divide is just too wide for Mormonism to be considered Christian. The attempt to trivialize important theological issues, and make them a mere dispute about words is frankly an insult to the earliest Christians, many of whom died for their monotheistic and Trinitarian beliefs.

Yes indeed, it does matter what the content is of your religious belief. Yes and no. Zeal that is not according to knowledge does not honor the real God, and is misguided. Sincerity is not the same thing as true faith. A person can be sincerely wrong, indeed badly wrong however convinced they are of what they believe. So, yes some of these traits are commendable, if they are properly directed and guided and serving the God of the Bible and the good of humankind.

Get newsletters and updates Close. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter and special offers. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. Toggle navigation. Home About Ben Witherington Dr. Why Mormonism is not Christianity— the Issue of Christology August 27, Ben Witherington Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality!

Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Tagged with: Uncategorized. Previous Post. Next Post. Browse Our Archives. Select a Category Uncategorized. Yet nearly a quarter of Americans remain unconvinced, according to a recent poll conducted by The Salt Lake Tribune. The Vatican and several Protestant churches do not accept Mormon baptisms as legitimate neither do Mormons recognize theirs , and some conservative evangelicals call Mormonism a "cult.

The theological debate might have remained relegated to Sunday school discussions and interfaith summits were it not for the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney, a devout Mormon and onetime LDS bishop.

While the former Massachusetts governor and current GOP frontrunner has muted religious talk during this campaign, he indirectly addressed the Mormon-Christian issue during his previous White House bid.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind. Stressing the similarities between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity makes political sense. During the speech, Romney acknowledged that "my church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths.

It amounts to a religious test for office, which the Constitution forbids. Still, the debate lingers around Romney's campaign: Are he and fellow Mormons Christians? The question seems simple enough, but the answer is quite complicated.

No definition of Christianity could encompass their doctrinal diversity, said Martin Marty, an emeritus professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School. No one can speak for all of Christianity in all its nuances. Latter-day Saints do not believe scripture consists of the Holy Bible alone but have an expanded canon of scripture that includes the Book of Mormon , the Doctrine and Covenants , and the Pearl of Great Price.

Scholars have long acknowledged that the view of God held by the earliest Christians changed dramatically over the course of centuries. Early Christian views of God were more personal, more anthropomorphic, and less abstract than those that emerged later from the creeds written over the next several hundred years. The key ideological shift that began in the second century A. Latter-day Saints believe the melding of early Christian theology with Greek philosophy was a grave error.

Chief among the doctrines lost in this process was the nature of the Godhead. As a consequence, Latter-day Saints hold that God the Father is an embodied being, a belief consistent with the attributes ascribed to God by many early Christians. Whatever the doctrinal differences that exist between the Latter-day Saints and members of other Christian religions, the roles Latter-day Saints ascribe to members of the Godhead largely correspond with the views of others in the Christian world.

Latter-day Saints believe that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and all-loving, and they pray to Him in the name of Jesus Christ.