Mormonism
Origins
The Mormon faith originated in the 1820s. The founder was Joseph Smith.
In 1823, he said he was visited by an angel named Moroni, and that the angel revealed to him the location of a collection of golden tablets, which were inscribed with a mysterious message that Smith has to translate. The translation became known as The Book of Mormon, and the first church was founded by Smith in 1830.
The churches became known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church).
Scripture
The differences between Mormonism and Christianity are extensive.
To start, they believe in four inspired texts of scripture, while Christianity only has one. Those texts are The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and finally, the Bible.
But, they believe the Bible is full of errors. The errors are wherever it disagrees with their beliefs.
God(s)
While Christianity only believes in one God (1 Timothy 2:5), Mormons believe in several gods. In fact, Mormons don't know exactly how many gods there are.
The Mormon leader Bringham Young wrote in his personal journal, "How many gods there are, I don't know. But there never was a time when there were not gods."
Mormons say they believe in the God of the Bible, but the Bible makes it explicitly clear that there is no god but One.
Nature of God
Another belief of Mormonism that Christianity does not share is the issue of the nature of God. Mormons believe that God is simply a man. However, the Bible tells us in several passages that God is not a man (1 Samuel 15:29, Hosea 11:9, Psalm 113:5-6, John 4:24, Luke 24:39).
To say that God is simply a mere human would also suggest that God has a sin nature, which is impossible since God is perfect. To be perfect, God would have to be more than a human. He would have to be divine.
History of God
Mormons also believe that God was not always God.
They believe that as a human on Earth, He came to know the truth, resulting in Him eventually escalating Himself to Heaven, where He dwells today.
However, when we look to the Bible, we see that God not only is, but always has been God (Isaiah 44:6, Malachi 3:6, Revelation 1:8).
Also, John 1:1 tells us that God was around since the very beginning, before time began.
If this is the case, there's no possible way that God could have been a human on Earth, since He'd be roaming an Earth that didn't exist.
Nature of Man
Like Christianity, Mormons believe in the Fall of Man.
They affirm the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and falling into sin.
The difference comes in how they interpret it. They believe that eating of the tree was not a sinful act, but God's way of moving His creation forward to eternal life and enlightenment.
A quick read of Genesis 3 shows that God had very severe punishments for Adam and Eve, and that these punishments carry on to today. One cannot read Genesis 3 and honestly think that God was pleased with their actions.
Salvation & Heaven
Finally, Mormons believe that Salvation is something that everyone receives, and not just believers as the Bible teaches (John 3:16, Romans 10:9).
Mormons believe that there are different levels of Heaven, with the final level allowing the individual to become a god. The newly-born god will then be given his own universe to rule.
The Bible tells us that not everyone will enter into Heaven (Matthew 7:13). It also tells us that there is no other gods besides the one true God.
Conclusion
Christians need to be careful when talking with Mormons. Because the Bible is one of their texts, they know it very well. They also know how to make it say what they want it to.
If a believer intends to witness to a Mormon, they should approach it with a strong knowledge of the Scriptures that address the beliefs of the Mormons
Bible Answer From: The Holypop Team
The Mormon faith originated in the 1820s. The founder was Joseph Smith.
In 1823, he said he was visited by an angel named Moroni, and that the angel revealed to him the location of a collection of golden tablets, which were inscribed with a mysterious message that Smith has to translate. The translation became known as The Book of Mormon, and the first church was founded by Smith in 1830.
The churches became known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church).
Scripture
The differences between Mormonism and Christianity are extensive.
To start, they believe in four inspired texts of scripture, while Christianity only has one. Those texts are The Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and finally, the Bible.
But, they believe the Bible is full of errors. The errors are wherever it disagrees with their beliefs.
God(s)
While Christianity only believes in one God (1 Timothy 2:5), Mormons believe in several gods. In fact, Mormons don't know exactly how many gods there are.
The Mormon leader Bringham Young wrote in his personal journal, "How many gods there are, I don't know. But there never was a time when there were not gods."
Mormons say they believe in the God of the Bible, but the Bible makes it explicitly clear that there is no god but One.
Nature of God
Another belief of Mormonism that Christianity does not share is the issue of the nature of God. Mormons believe that God is simply a man. However, the Bible tells us in several passages that God is not a man (1 Samuel 15:29, Hosea 11:9, Psalm 113:5-6, John 4:24, Luke 24:39).
To say that God is simply a mere human would also suggest that God has a sin nature, which is impossible since God is perfect. To be perfect, God would have to be more than a human. He would have to be divine.
History of God
Mormons also believe that God was not always God.
They believe that as a human on Earth, He came to know the truth, resulting in Him eventually escalating Himself to Heaven, where He dwells today.
However, when we look to the Bible, we see that God not only is, but always has been God (Isaiah 44:6, Malachi 3:6, Revelation 1:8).
Also, John 1:1 tells us that God was around since the very beginning, before time began.
If this is the case, there's no possible way that God could have been a human on Earth, since He'd be roaming an Earth that didn't exist.
Nature of Man
Like Christianity, Mormons believe in the Fall of Man.
They affirm the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and falling into sin.
The difference comes in how they interpret it. They believe that eating of the tree was not a sinful act, but God's way of moving His creation forward to eternal life and enlightenment.
A quick read of Genesis 3 shows that God had very severe punishments for Adam and Eve, and that these punishments carry on to today. One cannot read Genesis 3 and honestly think that God was pleased with their actions.
Salvation & Heaven
Finally, Mormons believe that Salvation is something that everyone receives, and not just believers as the Bible teaches (John 3:16, Romans 10:9).
Mormons believe that there are different levels of Heaven, with the final level allowing the individual to become a god. The newly-born god will then be given his own universe to rule.
The Bible tells us that not everyone will enter into Heaven (Matthew 7:13). It also tells us that there is no other gods besides the one true God.
Conclusion
Christians need to be careful when talking with Mormons. Because the Bible is one of their texts, they know it very well. They also know how to make it say what they want it to.
If a believer intends to witness to a Mormon, they should approach it with a strong knowledge of the Scriptures that address the beliefs of the Mormons