But what about Mormons? Are they saved?
This is a significant question for several reasons. Mitt Romney is going to be running for the white house as the Republican candidate. Like it or not, this legitimizes Mormonism in some people's eyes. Additionally, some high profile pastors such as Joel Osteen believe that Mormons are saved. Osteen has much influence even though his theology is bankrupt and vapid.
So what about it? Are Mormons saved?
If they hold to stated Mormon beliefs, then then answer is a sad but resounding "No." They deviate too far from core doctrines of the faith to be in Christ. This has been written about by many people in many places; therefore, I have no desire to get into many details. Let me just mention that for Mormons the primary goal in life is to eventually reach godhood status. This violates multiple aspects of orthodox Christianity (to read more about why Mormons are not Christians, click here).
A related question is whether or not an individual Mormon is saved. I'm referring here to someone who attends a Mormon church. My answer is that it is possible but not likely. We've all had Mormon missionaries knock on our doors. The nice young men never start out by speaking about the wacked-out Mormon beliefs. Instead, they try to make it sound palatable to Christians. They describe it something like just another denomination that has further revelations about Christ (The Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Doctrines and Covenants). It is possible that someone who is a Christian could be duped by Mormons into thinking that Mormonism is valid. This would have to be a fairly ignorant Christian, but I can see how it could happen.
That said, I do not know how a true Christian could attend a Mormon church for any length of time and not smell a rat. Eventually it would become apparent that biblical Christianity and Mormonism are significantly different. In particular, the teachings on the person of Jesus Christ deviate a great deal from what we read in scripture.
To sum up, I believe that an ignorant Christian could be deceived into attending a Mormon church for a relatively short period of time. However, if that person is truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit, he will discover that Mormons are in fact not saved.
To read a comparison chart between Christianity and Mormonism, click here.
To read more about Mormonism from someone who has both lived and escaped it, check out Arthur Sido's blog entitled The Fo-Mo Chronicles.
We should remember that Mormons are outside of Christ and therefore need him. They are not our enemies. Rather, they are people lost apart from Christ. Let's share the true gospel with them.
5 comments:
Well said. I would anticipate a few apologists for mormonism to stop by, they seem to search blogger for any posts with keywords like Are Mormons Saved.
In trying to decide whether Mormons in general or individual Mormons are saved, it might be best to look at what they actually believe and are taught. The scripture, lesson manuals, magazines and all that Mormons use to learn about God and Salvation are readily available at their internal website, http://lds.org.
Most of the non-Christian beliefs ascribed to Mormons are not found on that site so, although those beliefs may have been taught many years ago, they have not been taught within the lifetimes of current Mormons.
Arthur,
I wondered about that. None so far. I may have to refer them to you if any respond with details from their books.
David,
Thanks for your comment. I agree that the key in all this is getting to know people personally and finding out what they actually believe.
That said, all religious groups have writings that are the basis of their beliefs. Regardless of what a website says, the beliefs stem from the books. The teachings within the Book of Mormon, etc. are too aberrant to be considered the same belief system as biblical Christianity. If teachers within the Mormon church are not teaching what their books say, then I'd say there is a whole lot of confusion within the Mormon church itself. I think the reality is that many Mormons find some of their weirder beliefs unpalatable.
There are two issues going on here. One is what an individual Mormon believes. That's really what this post was about. The other is the stated doctrine of the Mormon church. Like any religious group, these two don't always line up.
Thanks again.
David,
Most of the non-Christian beliefs ascribed to Mormons are not found on that site so, although those beliefs may have been taught many years ago, they have not been taught within the lifetimes of current Mormons.
That is not actually true at all. The lds.org webpage is a marketing tool more than a source of information but it does include links to the book of Abraham. I still own my Gospel Principles manual that was given to me as recently as ten years ago and it definitely contains many of the heretical beliefs of mormonism like Jesus and Satan being brothers and God the Father being a created being. Most public proclamations of mormon leaders, alleged prophets, studiously avoid saying anything controversial but at the local ward level the aberrant teachings of mormonism are alive in well. Of course the temple ceremony teaches many of these things, which is why it is forbidden to speak of them, and the teachings of past "prophets" have never been challenged.
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