America's Next Top Mormon

The article I am going to comment on can be found at http://www.newsweek.com/id/135758

Suppose you were sitting at home, reading a good book, when all of the sudden a knock came at your door. You went to answer the door and there stood two men wearing black pants, white shirts, and black ties. On their shirt pockets they had name tags identifying them as "elders." They greeted you politely and told you that they were from the local Mormon tabernacle.

Now the question I want to ask you is not "How would you respond?" but "Would you know what separates them from you?" Would you know what they believe as well as what you believe? Let's face the facts, Mormonism is spreading all over the United States. Whether it is Mitt Romney running for the Republican Presidential nomination, and now possibly the Republican VP nomination, or David Archuleta and Brook White singing on American Idol, we are seeing an advance of Mormonism in our culture. And my fear is that we will begin to see Mormons as "alright people" even though they radically object to fundamental biblical beliefs. Many people might be inclined to look at our battle as more political or scientific and see Mormons as "religious people" saying that "the enemy of my enemy (in this case liberalism, evolution, abortion, homosexual rights - all of which Mormons oppose) is my friend." However, the Bible pictures the world much differently. Jesus made a contrast in John 3 using light and dark, and He said that all who are not a part of His light are a part of the darkness. In many senses that would then make Mormons as much our enemies as abortionists, liberals, homosexuals, and evolutionist because they are all in darkness and lost. It doesn't matter that they have some semblance of religion, only that they have no relationship with Christ.

That said, let me now turn my attention to some fundamental beliefs of Mormonism that are opposed to what the Bible teaches.

First, Mormons do not believe that Jesus is God. They see Him as a Prophet, and as God's Son, but not as God Himself. By the way, when Mormons say that they believe Jesus is God's Son they mean that God came down in a physical body, had a sexual encounter with Mary, and as a result Jesus was born. Therefore they see Jesus as half God and half man, while we see Jesus as fully God and fully man. If you tell a Mormon that Jesus is God they will object and try to point out John 14:28 where Jesus says that the Father is greater than the Son (even though this verse refers to the heirarchy of the trinity rather than the nature of the trinity). A good response to this verse is to quote Jesus' opponents in John 10:33 or to show them John's statement about the the beliefs of His opposition in John 5:18.

Second, Mormons do not believe in salvation by faith. An essential Mormon belief is that good works are necessary to obtain heaven. Ironically, Mormons believe that the only way to get into the highest heaven (for them there are three levels of heaven: celestial - the highest, telestial - the middle, and terrestrial - the lowest) that they must be married in a Mormon tabernacle. So you can tell the Mormon missionaries (who are single) at your door that they can't even get into the highest heaven according to their own system. A good passage of Scripture to point out to them is Ephesians 2:8-9.

Third, Mormons reject the Bible as authoritative. They believe in the book of Mormon and they will accept the Bible so far as it has been "translated accurately," and so far as it agrees with the book of Mormon. The phrase "translated accurately" for them is subjective, so any time that you quote a verse that does not match what they believe they will attribute that to an error in translation. Interestingly enough, they are willing to accept the book of Mormon as correct, which has no verifable history (no names, dates, or places can be proven as real) while they reject the Bible, which has been proven time and time again historically, scientifically, medically, and archaeologically. One question I always ask Mormon witnesses is, "Can you prove that any of the events, places, names, or dates in the book of Mormon were real?" If they are honest they must answer no. My response to them is then, "Well seeing that to be the case it seems that the Bible makes a much better case for it's accuracy and authority than does the book of Mormon."

While there are many other views that Mormonism has that are diametrically opposed to biblical teachings these should give you a basis on which to address Mormon witnesses the next time they show up at your door step. It is my hope that these comments will help you to better understand the culture that you live in and that you will be ready to be a witness to Mormons the next time you should meet.