Actually, no. There is nothing better we can do than to share the biblical gospel with others. Why do dedicated young LDS men and women, as well as committed older couples, serve as missionaries for the LDS Church? Is it because they have nothing better to do? Is it because they hate people of other faiths? If a Baptist converts to Mormonism and then tries to get his friends and family out of the Baptist Church and into the LDS Church, does that mean he has "an axe to grind" against Baptists? Does that mean he is now persecuting the Baptist faith? Of course not! So why do many Mormons hold people of other faiths---especially ex-Mormons, to a different standard, accusing us of malcontent at best and gross wickedness at worst?
LDS people generally serve missions because they really believe they have the true gospel and they want to share it with others. Hopefully they have love in their hearts for the Gentiles (non-Mormons) and want them to receive the "fullness of the gospel." Likewise, many Christians and ex-Mormons believe they have the truth. Because of their love for others and for the Lord, they want to share that truth with their Mormon family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
Let's use this analogy; imagine you had bought passage for the Titanic on her maiden voyage. On the fateful night the Titanic went down, you were on deck when the ship hit the iceberg. You could see where a big gash had been torn in the hull. Immediately you ran to warn others of the impending danger. Many of the people you tried telling ignored you or accused you of lying or of being a party-pooper. "This ship is unsinkable! It's impossible for the Titanic to sink. This is the safest ship in the world."
In the above scenario, you keep trying to warn your fellow passengers of the impending danger. A few people heed your warning and get in a life-boat, but sadly, most of those staying on the sinking ship say things like this;
"Look, if you want to believe this ship is sinking, you go right ahead, but leave the rest of us alone."
"If you really think you are right, then just go jump in a life-boat; but why try to make the rest of us miserable? Do you have some axe to grind?"
"What's the matter, eh? Just can't hack it in First Class? What'd ya do something wrong? You're just seeing icebergs because of some sin your life."
"Why are you persecuting us? You're just jealous because we're having a good time!"
Eventually, you realize you have to just board the lifeboat yourself, but even as you row to safety, you continue to call out over the bullhorn, lifting up a plea for others to get off the sinking ship before they lose their very lives.
Were you being "hateful" in your actions? No, if you hated your fellow shipmates you would have just gotten in a lifeboat, rowed away as fast as you could, and not told a single soul. In fact, if you were really hateful, you would have encouraged them to not look at the hole in the side of the Titanic and just keep right on celebrating, all the while knowing that they would die.
This might seem overly dramatic, but it really is not when you think about it. If Mormonism is true, then people like me will still receive "a kingdom of glory," even if it is the Telestial Kingdom. But if Mormonism is false and Biblical Christianity is true, then people who give their allegiance to false gospels will be lost forever. The Bible explains this as being eternally separated from God. Isn't it worth at least an investigation? Truth can withstand scrutiny. Truth holds up under investigation. Truth has nothing to fear.
We are thankful that God is in control and only He is able to judge an individual’s eternal destiny. Only God sees into the heart and knows if someone has genuinely repented and turned to Him. So, we are certainly not in a position to say this person or that is going to heaven or hell. However, we can look to the Bible for answers regarding the criteria for salvation. God has revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is His chosen people through which all nations of the earth will be blessed. Jesus is ‘Immanu El (Emmanuel), “God with us.” His given name, Yeshua (variant of Y’hoshua) means “Y-H-V-H saves.” He is God incarnate.
Scripture tell us that we are saved by grace through faith, “not by works, so no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). The Apostle Paul defines the gospel as the message that Messiah died for our sins, was buried, and raised to life on the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-4).
We must ask ourselves if we believe God’s established word concerning Himself and the righteousness imparted to us by Jesus, or if we have imagined a god of our own making (or another person’s making), adding our own ideas of what it takes to be accepted by God. Therefore, if we trust in and believe God and the gospel according to His revealed and established word—the Tanakh (Old Testament) and Messianic Writings (New Testament), we have the assurance of salvation. On the contrary, if we redefine God, add new revelations and requirements to His word, and begin following non-biblical prophets whose teachings contradict or vary from the foundation laid by the original Apostles, we are guilty of idolatry. If we reject the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, reject His word, reject His people (the Jews), and reject the provision God made to redeem us from our sins (His sacrificial Lamb, Jesus), we cannot expect to be a part of His kingdom.
Likewise, if a person rejects the Mormon Heavenly Father, rejects the belief that Jesus is our older spirit-brother, doesn’t believe in LDS temple work or in the gospel as presented by Mormonism, could he or she reasonably expect to go to the Celestial Kingdom if Mormonism were true? It seems that would be an unreasonable expectation.
When we say Mormons are not Christians, we do not mean that in an insulting or derogatory way. As a whole, Mormons are a very industrious, kind, hard-working people with integrity and good moral values. They are good neighbors, honest citizens, and exemplify many virtues. But from a theological perspective, Judaic-Christianity is based on the doctrinal foundation of the Holy Word of God; the Bible. Authentic Christianity, in the purest sense, is comprised of core doctrines and beliefs such as; sola scriptura (scripture alone), sola fide (faith alone; justification by faith), a Triune God, Messiah’s complete (finished) work on the cross, the inerrancy of the Bible, believer’s baptism, priesthood of all believers, and the recognition that Jesus is the reigning Son of David who will one day rule the earth from Jerusalem, among other unique doctrines.
If a person does not subscribe to those beliefs, he cannot be considered a genuine Christian. The same holds true on the side of Mormonism. For example, if a person rejects Joseph Smith as a prophet, the Book of Mormon and other uniquely LDS scripture, temple-work, eternal progression, and baptism by those holding the Mormon priesthood, he cannot really be considered a true Mormon. It is not an insult, it is just fact.
The Mormon gospel and the biblical gospel believe teach about and advocate the worship of different gods. The god of Mormonism is an exalted man who started out eons ago as “an intelligence,” progressed to become a spirit son of his father-god and one of his father-god’s wives, was born as a mortal on a distant earth, tried to live a righteous life and eventually succeeded in becoming worthy enough to gain godhood and start making worlds of his own. He has a resurrected body. He is one of billions of gods in existence.
The Jesus of Mormonism began in the same way. He is the oldest spirit child of billions of spirits born to this world’s heavenly father and mother. According to Mormon doctrine, he worked out his own salvation (Bruce R. McKonkie, BYU Devotional, March 2, 1982). His atonement does not cover all sins. He was not born of a virgin through the power of the Holy Ghost, but rather, was conceived through the physical union of “heavenly father” and Mary. According to early teachings of the Mormon Church, he was a polygamist and had children (Family Home Evening Manual, 1972, p. 126; Journal of Discourses, vol. 1, p. 345-346; vol. 2, p. 82; 4, p. 259; Seer, p. 172; Joseph Fielding Smith's letter, March 17, 1963).
Grace in Mormonism is given after all a person can do on their own. Salvation in Mormonism is divided into two categories; general, unconditional salvation, and conditional, individual salvation. The free gift of salvation, according to LDS doctrine, is nothing more than a resurrected body, regardless of where the person ends up. However, to live forever in the presence of God requires obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Mormon gospel. In fact, Mormonism teaches that only those who get Joseph Smith’s approval will be saved! Brigham Young said,
“How are you going to get your resurrection? You will get it by the President of resurrection, and that is Joseph Smith, Jun. Hear it all ye ends of the earth; if you ever enter into the kingdom of God it is because Joseph Smith let you go there. This will apply to Jews and Gentiles, to the bond, and the free; to friends and foes; no man or woman in this generation will get a resurrection and be crowned without Joseph Smith saying so. The man who was martyred in Carthage Jail, State of Illinois, holds the keys of life and death to this dispensation…” (Quoted from “The Essential Brigham Young,” Eugene E. Campbell, p. 99, emphasis added).
As we can see from Mormon Doctrine, Joseph Smith is claimed by the LDS church to be absolutely necessary for everyone’s salvation.
“From the day that the priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding up of things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are - I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 289. This teaching is also repeated in the LDS Church’s 1984 manual, “Search These Commandments,” p. 133)
The Bible does not teach that salvation comes through Joseph Smith, but through Jesus Christ! It also teaches many other things that Mormonism has later contradicted. For example, God the Father is spirit (John 4:24). He does not have a body of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39). He is the ONLY God in existence, period. He has always existed as God and was never anything less than God. Consider the following scripture:
Isaiah 40:28 The LORD is the everlasting God.
Isaiah 43:10 Before me there was no god formed, nor will there be one after me.
Isaiah 44:6 I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
Isaiah 44:8 Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.
Isaiah 45:18 I am the LORD and there is no other.
Isaiah 45:21 And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.
Isaiah 45:22 For I am God and there is no other.
Isaiah 46:9 I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me.
The Bible says that God is NOT a man. God the Father is not a man; exalted or otherwise. Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent…” And Hosea 11:9, “…I AM God, and not a man…” Job 9:32, “For He is not a man…” 1 Sam. 15:29, ”…The Strength of Israel [God] will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man…’
Jesus of the Bible is God incarnate, born of a virgin---meaning a young woman who had not had any sexual relations with either mortal man or “exalted man.” “Emmanuel” means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word and the Word IS GOD! He is Creator of all things, including Lucifer and all the angels. He is not Lucifer’s or our spirit brother, because He created us! “By Him [Jesus, God] were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him.” (Col. 1:16) Jesus created Lucifer (a.k.a. Satan), therefore He could not be his brother, as Mormonism teaches. Lucifer (Satan) is a created being, the “anointed cherub that covers.” Ezekiel 28:15 laments, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”
As for salvation by grace alone, the Bible is clear: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made curse for us.” (Gal. 3:10-13).
Jesus came to save sinners, not turn people into gods and goddesses. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). The Bible teaches we are saved by grace through faith alone, and even our faith is the gift of God so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-9). There are no laws or ordinances in the gospel of God. The Gospel is a message. The Gospel is declared in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, where Paul said, “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you…For I also delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” That is the gospel! It is the good news that changes lives (Eph. 2:10).
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). The GIFT is eternal life, not a resurrected body! Romans 1:16 tells us that "the gospel [is] the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." If "salvation" is only a resurrected body, as Mormon teachings instruct, then by that logic only believers will be resurrected. In 2 Cor. 11:4, 13-15, Paul warns us about those who bring “another gospel." He warned that changing the gospel in any way makes it “another gospel” that brings God’s curse on those who preach it or accept it (Gal. 1:6-9). He wrote, “But though we, or an angel from heaven (like "Moroni" appearing to Joseph Smith or the angel Gabriel appearing to Muhammad), preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8-9).
Paul taught us, “A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified…I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:16, 20-21).
Salvation (living eternally with God in heaven) is the gift of God to anyone who asks and puts their faith and trust in Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). If eternal life (salvation) was based on our works, it would no longer be a gift; it would become wages, and God does not indebt Himself to anyone. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If thou shalt confess with thou mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
As you can see, Christians and Mormons believe very different things about God, Jesus, and salvation. Mormon leaders have stated as much. In April 1977 General Conference, Bernard P. Brockbank (an LDS General Authority) said, “It is true that many of the Christian churches worship a different Jesus Christ than is worshipped by the Mormons …For example, from the Church of England’s Articles of Religion, article one, I quote: ‘There is but one living God, everlasting, without body, parts or passions.’ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worships a God and a Jesus Christ with bodies, with parts, and with passions… These two concepts are …completely different.” (Ensign, May 1977, p. 26-2).
Speaking in Paris, France on June 4th, Frankfurt, Germany on June 5th, and in Geneva, Switzerland June 6th, 1998, LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of the Jesus of Mormonism;
“In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside of the Church who say that Latter-day Saints ‘do not believe in the traditional Christ. No, I don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak. For the Christ of whom I speak has been revealed in this Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. He, together with His Father, appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the year 1820, and when Joseph left the grove that day, he knew more of the nature of God than all the learned ministers of the gospel of the ages‘” (The Church News, June 20th, 1998, p. 7)
During April, 2002, General Conference, President Hinckley said again, “As a Church we have critics, many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say.” (Ensign, May, 2002, p. 90).
For years the LDS Church distributed a pamphlet from the Visitors' Center on the Temple Square in Salt Lake City, which states,
"Christians often speak of the blood of Christ and its cleansing power. Much that is believed and taught on this subject, however, is such utter nonsense and so palpably false that to believe it is to lose one‘s salvation. For instance, many believe or pretend to believe that if we confess Christ with our lips and avow that we accept him as our personal Savior, we are thereby saved. They say that his blood, without any other act than mere belief, makes us clean” (excerpt by LDS apostle Bruce R. McKonkie in a devotional address at BYU, March 1982, entitled, "Our Relationship With the Lord).
In contrast to the “Jesus Christ revealed by Joseph Smith" (another Jesus), “the Christ of traditional Christianity" was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets and further revealed by the New Testament writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, Jude, and James, most of whom knew Him personally. They had walked with Him, talked with Him, lived with Him, seen Him crucified, buried, resurrected and ascend to heaven. That is the Christ of authentic Christianity! Their testimonies and the events of those times are recorded in the books of the Bible, of which God, the Word, is author. “ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Tim. 3:16). “The grass withered, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (1 Pet. 1:24-25).
Even if we do not agree in our beliefs, we hope we have been able to demonstrate that the differences are great enough to prevent Mormons from being saved according to biblical doctrines, and to prevent Christians from going to the Celestial Kingdom according to Mormon doctrines. Mormonism and biblical Christianity simply do not espouse the same God, the same Jesus, or the same salvation.
Anyone who has been taught something all their lives will naturally believe it to be true until they study to know for themselves. Our task then is to examine the evidence and determine from facts, rather than feelings, what the truth is.
