View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 10

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|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 10
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 10: The 'Christian' Question"
|S=
|L1=
|T=[[../../|Becoming Gods: A Closer Look at 21st-Century Mormonism]]
|A=Richard Abanes
|<=[[../Chapter 9|Chapter 9]]
|>=
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{{ChartBecomingGodsCh10}}
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{{H2
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Becoming Gods/Chapter 10
|H=Response to claims made in Becoming Gods, "Chapter 10: The 'Christian' Question"
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: 255, 434n15 - LDS leaders spent decades denouncing mainstream Christianity
|L2=Response to claim: 256 - The Book of Mormon teaches that there are only two churches: 1) the false church of the devil and 2) the true church of the Lamb
|L3=Response to claim: 257 - The "ongoing condemnation of Christianity" is "built into the very core of Mormonism as a central tenet"
|L4=Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" is one of three gods overseeing this planet
|L5=Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" is the literal brother of Lucifer
|L6=Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" atoned only for Adam's transgression, providing us with the opportunity to obtain "eternal life" by our own efforts
|L7=Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" provides no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God
|L8=Response to claim: 268 - The Bible does not mention a total apostasy
|L9=Response to claim: 273 - Baptism for the dead is unbiblical
|L10=Response to claim: 274-276 - The need for the Aaronic priesthood ceased and was replaced by a new one that is held by all believers
|L11=Response to claim: 276-279 - The Melchizedek priesthood was never a literal order of priests. It belonged only to Melchizedek and Christ
}}
</onlyinclude>

==Response to claim: 255, 434n15 - LDS leaders spent decades denouncing mainstream Christianity==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
LDS leaders spent decades denouncing mainstream Christianity.
|authorsources=<br>
*Joseph Smith, ''EJ", vol. 1, no. 4, p. 60 <nowiki>www.solomonspalding.com/docs/eldjur04.htm </nowiki>
*Joseph Smith, ''History of the Church'' 5:218.
*Orson Pratt, "Baptism for the Remission of Sins," ''The Seer'', p. 255.
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Wilford Woodruff|disc=33|vol=2|start=196}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=17|vol=5|start=73}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Heber C. Kimball|disc=20|vol=5|start=89|end=90}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=37|vol=5|start=229}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=John Taylor|disc=3|vol=6|start=25}} (Note: the author's endnote erroneously lists this as JoD 2:25)
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=44|vol=8|start=171}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=50|vol=8|start=199}}
*{{JDfairwiki|author=John Taylor|disc=25|vol=13|start=225}}
*Andrew Jenson, ''Collected Discourses'' 2:150.
*B.H. Roberts, ''The Mormon Doctrine of Deity'', p. 116.
*Bruce R. McConkie, ''Mormon Doctrine'', pp. 132, 246, 269, 314-315.
}}
{{information|Those who persecuted Latter-day Saints professed to be Christians.
}}
{{:Question: Did Latter-day Saints wish to avoid being classified as Christians?}}

==Response to claim: 256 - The Book of Mormon teaches that there are only two churches: 1) the false church of the devil and 2) the true church of the Lamb==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Book of Mormon teaches that there are only two churches: 1) the false church of the devil and 2) the true church of the Lamb.
|authorsources=<br>
*{{s|1|Nephi|13|4-9}}
*{{s|1|Nephi|13|24-29}}
*{{s|1|Nephi|14|10-13}}
*D&C 19-21
}}
{{information|This is correct. The "great and abominable church" is defined to by anything that takes people away from Christ's church.
}}
{{:Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe that the scriptural terms "church of the devil," the "great and abominable church," and the "whore of all the earth" refer to a specific religion?}}

==Response to claim: 257 - The "ongoing condemnation of Christianity" is "built into the very core of Mormonism as a central tenet"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The "ongoing condemnation of Christianity" is "built into the very core of Mormonism as a central tenet."
|authorsources=<br>
#Author's opinion
}}
{{propaganda|Early Latter-day Saint leaders clearly considered themselves Christians, but condemned the hypocrisy of other Christians who persecuted the Saints.
}}
{{:Question: Did early Mormon leaders consider themselves Christians?}}
{{:Question: Did LDS leaders claim that Christians were no longer present on the earth after the apostasy?}}
{{:Question: What did early Mormon leaders think of Christians?}}

==Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" is one of three gods overseeing this planet==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The "Mormon Jesus" is one of three gods overseeing this planet.
|authorsources=<br>
#Source not specified.
}}
{{propaganda|This is simply propaganda on the part of the author. Any Latter-day Saint would not recognize this statement as being anything close to reality.
}}

==Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" is the literal brother of Lucifer==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The "Mormon Jesus" is the literal brother of Lucifer.
|authorsources=<br>
#
}}
|authorsources=<br>
#No source specified.
}}
{{propaganda|Latter-day Saints believe that we are ''all'' spirit brothers and sisters. Christian critics of the Church use this statement for "shock value."
}}
{{:Question: Do Latter-day Saints consider Jesus to be the brother of Satan?}}

==Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" atoned only for Adam's transgression, providing us with the opportunity to obtain "eternal life" by our own efforts==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The "Mormon Jesus" atoned only for Adam's transgression, providing us with the opportunity to obtain "eternal life" by our own efforts.
|authorsources=<br>
#Source not specified.
}}
{{disinformation|Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ atoned for the sins all mankind. The author has borne false witness.
}}
{{:Question: How do Mormons see the relationship between works and grace?}}

==Response to claim: 262, 440n46 - The "Mormon Jesus" provides no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The "Mormon Jesus" provides no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God.
|authorsources=<br>
#Source not specified.
}}
{{disinformation|Latter-day Saints believe that salvation and resurrection is a gift to all humanity provided by Jesus Christ. The belief that Joseph Smith was a prophet of god is required only to accept that the words of Jesus Christ through a prophet revealed the ordinances that lead one to eventually achieve to exaltation.
}}
{{:Question: Do Mormons believe that Joseph Smith must approve whether or not they get into heaven?}}

==Response to claim: 268 - The Bible does not mention a ''total'' apostasy==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Bible does not mention a ''total'' apostasy.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s|2|Peter|2|1-2}}
*{{s||Acts|20|29-30}}
*{{s|2|Timothy|4|3-5}}
*{{s|2|Timothy|1|15}}
*{{s|2|Thessalonians|2|3}}
*{{s|2|Thessalonians|2|7}}
}}
{{misinformation|Latter-day Saints believe that the Bible does talk of a total apostasy.
}}
{{:Question: Was the apostasy after Christ complete?}}
{{:Question: What is the Catholic view of the apostasy?}}
{{:Question: What is the reformation view of the apostasy?}}

==Response to claim: 273 - Baptism for the dead is unbiblical==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
Baptism for the dead is unbiblical.
|authorsources=<br>
#No source given.
}}
{{misinformation|There is considerable evidence that some early Christians and some Jewish groups performed proxy ordinance work for the salvation of the dead
}}
{{:Question: Does the practice of baptism for the dead have ancient roots?}}

==Response to claim: 274-276 - The need for the Aaronic priesthood ceased and was replaced by a new one that is held by all believers==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The need for the Aaronic priesthood ceased and was replaced by a new one that is held by all believers.
|authorsources=<br>
#Hebrews 7-10
}}
{{misinformation|Peter's reference to the priesthood was drawn from the ancient Israelite views of the priesthood, a view in which only a select group hold the priesthood. Neither the Bible nor other early Christian writings support the idea that all Christians hold priesthood authority to govern the Church or administer its ordinances. Instead, this doctrine is a novelty necessitated by the protestant break with Rome.
}}
{{:Question: Is there a "Priesthood of All Believers" which eliminates the need for unbroken lines of priesthood authority?}}

==Response to claim: 276-279 - The Melchizedek priesthood was never a literal order of priests. It belonged only to Melchizedek and Christ==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Becoming Gods
|claim=
The Melchizedek priesthood was never a literal order of priests. It belonged only to Melchizedek and Christ.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||Hebrews|7|24}}
*D. Guthrie and J.A. Motyer, eds., ''The Eerdman's Bible Commentary'', p. 1241.
}}
{{misinformation|This is incorrect. The claim that priesthood is non-transferrable fails on linguistic, scriptural, scholarly, and logical grounds.
}}
{{:Question: Was the priesthood held by Jesus priesthood not 'transferable' to members of the Church?}}

{{endnotes sources}}



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