Mormonism is not a Christian religion

Contention 1: the Mormon Scriptures are not the Word of God As always, I begin by examining the foundation of Mormon doctrine: their Scriptures. Gospel Principles, the official Mormon Sunday school book, states, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts four books as scripture: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. " The inspired words of our living prophets are also accepted as scripture." Yet, though the Bible is in that list, it does not have any bearing on Mormon doctrine. This can be seen in a statement in The Pearl of Great Price, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." Latter-day Saints whole-heartedly agree with Christians that the Bible is inerrant " that is until it disagrees with Mormon teachings. At this point, they claim that the discrepancy is the result of faulty translation on the part of the Bible. Thus, they test the authenticity of the Bible by whether it agrees with their other Scriptures. But how do we determine the authenticity of these? The easiest way would be to determine the historical accuracy of these books. Yet, twenty years of searching for evidence to support the Mormon Scriptures, has left archaeologists empty-handed. But, for the Mormons, this is really of little consequence, for to them, the ultimate test for their Scriptures is found elsewhere. We read in Moroni 10:4 of the Book of Mormon, "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God " if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent " he will manifest the truth of it unto you." The Mormons claim that if with a sincere heart we seek to know the authenticity of their scriptures, it will be revealed from God through a "burning in the bosom." If this confirmation is not forthcoming, then (obviously) you must not have been sincere. The Bible, however, teaches to the contrary, setting before us the example of the Bereans, "were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11). The way we ought to test the authenticity of a work is by testing it to the Scriptures. Yet the Mormons have gone about this task backwards. Rather than testing their teachings to the Scriptures, they test all things to the words of their prophets, which are considered to be of even greater authority than the Scriptures. So much so, that Brigham Young, second president of the Mormon Church once said, "There is the written word of God to us. " And now, when compared with the living oracles those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books." This is the teaching of the Mormon Church. Yet, rather than accepting the words of a mere man above the Word of God, we are commanded in the Scriptures to "test the spirits, whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1). Contention 2: The Mormons believe in false "gods" With this in mind, let test the teachings of Mormonism to that of the Scriptures. We now move on to examine the Mormons" beliefs on the nature of God, for, as A.W. Tozer, the great Christian Theologian once said, "What we believe about God is the most important thing about us." What then do the Mormons believe about God? Well, if the truth be told, the Mormons (despite all claims to the contrary) hold to a polytheistic religion. James E. Talmage, a prominent Mormon leader, wrote concerning their beliefs on God, "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are as distinct in their persons and individualities as are any three personages in mortality." Likewise, Joseph Smith, first president of the Mormon Church stated, "I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods." They do not worship the one God in three persons, but rather three Gods in one purpose. Indeed, the Mormons take this belief even further, claiming that there are in fact innumerable Gods. Apostle Orson Pratt of the LDS church once wrote, "If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are more Gods than there are particles of matter in those worlds." According to Joseph Smith, such beliefs are from Scripture, for he says, "Search the scriptures, for they testify of things that these apostates would gravely pronounce blasphemy." Yet, God has declared, and with no uncertainty, "I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me" (Isaiah 45:5). Likewise, the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 8:4-5 writes, "we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one." Can there be any ambiguity in such claims? The verdict is clear! As Dr. Wayne Grudem writes, "Scripture is abundantly clear that there is one and only one God." And yet the LDS church claims that all scripture supports a plurality of Gods! Contention 3: The Mormons deny their depravity The Mormons claim also that man is inherently good. James Talmage makes this view quite clear, stating, "The individual has as full a measure of capability to violate " the commandments of God in matters both temporal and spiritual, as he has to obey all such." Gerald N. Lund, a prominent Mormon leader, also claims that man is born in a state of innocence, and then "begins to sin and loses his perfect worthiness." This teaching runs entirely against the Scriptures. There is no vagueness in the Psalmist"s statement, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." David acknowledges his utter sinfulness before God, even from birth. And clearly he did not intend this to apply to himself alone among the human race. He claims for all men a wickedness from birth, such that every act is tainted by our sinful nature. How then can any goodness be claimed for man? Despite this, the Mormons continue to believe in man"s goodness. Contention 4: The Mormons hold to a false gospel The Mormons teach that our salvation is dependent on the works of the law, and in so teaching return to the heresy of the Judaizers of Paul"s day. Elder Theodore M. Burton of the Mormon Church writes, "Only through obedience to the laws of God can I claim my inheritance " as a son within his family. I cannot be exalted in my sins, but must work until I overcome them." The Mormons have departed from the true Gospel of the grace of God, believing foolishly that they, by their own works can merit God"s favor! Even in acknowledging God"s grace, they come short. For in 2 Nephilim 25:23 we are told, "it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." They claim that we must merit God"s favor by our rectitude! But what can miserable, depraved man do that any deed of ours appear meritorious in the eyes of God? The Scriptures claim that even our righteous acts are like filthy rags! Thus, it is only in God"s grace that sinful man can find hope. Indeed, Paul writes in Romans 4:5, that "to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." Paul could not make it any clearer than when he states, "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). God"s grace is a gift, not to be bought by any righteous deed. For, if we must work for grace, then how can grace be grace any longer? Yet, the Scriptures are abundantly clear: we are saved by grace alone, not, as the Mormons claim, by grace after all we can do. Thus, I hold that the Mormon Church is not a Christian Church.