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FAQ #4

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I am a Mormon and I believe in Jesus Christ, so why do Christians tell me that I am not a Chrisitan?

The answer to your question begins with the subject of your question, the person of Jesus Christ.

Traditional Christianity accepts the revelation of Jesus Christ as presented in the Holy Bible. The Mormon church considers the Bible to have been changed by corrupt Catholic priests, is missing many parts that were originally included and additions have been made that were not originally included. This denigration of the Bible was first advanced by the founder of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, Jr. Therefore, the claim by the Mormon church that the Bible is one of their sources of scripture, and is authoritative, is false.

The Mormon church believes in the Jesus Christ that is presented in the Book of Mormon and various other sources such as the Doctrine and Covenants, Journal of Discourses and the Pearl of Great Price.

As a result, there is a difference between what is taught in the Bible about Jesus Christ and what is presented in the Mormon sources. Even a cursory comparison of the Biblical Jesus Christ and the Mormon Jesus Christ will reveal that, although the names are the same, the two persons are not the same, and their identity, accomplishments and reason for being are completely different in the two systems of belief.

A few of these differences are as follows:

ORIGIN
The Biblical Jesus Christ exists as co-equal with the Father from eternity past.
The Mormon Jesus Christ is a spirit child of the heavenly father and one of his wives and his physical body was a result of a sexual union of the heavenly father and Mary who is one of the spirit children of the heavenly father. So the heavenly father had an incestuous relationship with one of his own daughters in order to produce the temporal (physical) body of Jesus Christ into which his spirit entered.

NATURE
The Biblical Jesus Christ is part of the trinity of the Godhead, co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, three persons in one Godhead.
The Mormon Jesus Christ is a god, separate from the father.

MISSION
The Biblical Jesus Christ came to earth to die on a Cross to save sinners, because Salvation as revealed in the New Testament of the Bible, is the rescue from judgment by God for sins committed and involves a reconciliation to God by means of faith, confession of sin, repentance, and accepting the work of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only means of becoming right with God.
The Mormon Jesus Christ died to provide a guarantee of resurrection after death, but He cannot save sinners, because Mormons save themselves by their good works.

These are core doctrinal differences and define only a few of the reasons why the Mormon church is not "Christian" from a Biblical standpoint. Mormons may call themselves Christians, but it is important to note that the term used is "Christian" by the Mormon definition and not by means of identifying with the Jesus Christ revealed in the Bible.

END OF ARTICLE
by Gary A. Hand
On Doctrine

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
There are several articles on the ON DOCTRINE web site that detail many differences between traditional Biblical belief and Mormon belief. They can be found by clicking HERE.

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