A Bold Statement of Purpose
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"This video has been produced out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ and love for our Mormon and Christian friends. We pray that it will touch the hearts of all who watch through the grace and truth of Christ Jesus."
These words, silently displayed on-screen, serve as the initial introduction to a video supposedly designed to contrast the beliefs of Mormonism and the beliefs of Christianity. We have no doubt that the video was produced out of love and, as fellow Christians, we appreciate that love and the expression of that love, however misguided it may be.
What is much more difficult to appreciate, however, are the numerous mischaracterizations, misrepresentations, errors, and outright falsehoods in this video. It perpetuates these elements, which have been asked and answered time and again over the years, under the guise of truth. We agree with the unnamed producers of Search for the Truth that only when the truth is known can reasonable decisions be reached. Unfortunately, those who view only this video will never know the whole truth because those who created the video do their best to hide the truth.
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Do Mormons Equate Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ?
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Patrick Powell, one of the video's hosts, proclaims at the very beginning that "Today we're going to investigate two of the world's most prominent and influential men to determine once and for all which one holds the truth."
There are two immediate problems with such a statement, and these problems form a sandy foundation on which to build everything else presented in the video.
First, Patrick sets up a false dichotomy--he proposes to compare Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. As any practicing Mormon knows, there is no comparison between the two. One is a prophet of God and the other is the Son of God. To compare the two of them is to compare apples and oranges, and to imply that Mormons equate Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ is to imply a falsehood. Mormons don't make the comparison; only our critics attempt to assert that we do.
The second faulty premise is to state that "men" are being compared. It seems disingenuous for Patrick to state that Jesus was a man while later commentators in the video state that He was not a man.
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Are "Christianity" and "Mormonism" compatible?
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The video begins by begging the question—it assumes the answer it wishes its viewers to draw. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints insist that they are devout Christians, who worship Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God, and the only way to salvation. Asking if "Christianity" and "Mormonism" are compatible is like asking if one can be from Utah or Texas and also be an American.
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Are there "significant differences" between "Christianity" and "Mormonism"?
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Once again, the video makes a false distinction. Are there differences between LDS Christians and some other Christian denominations? Of course! There are differences between every Christian denomination: otherwise, there would be only one church. The video's producers wish to force those who do not share their views on some issues completely out of the category of "Christian." This is self-serving, and does not help in a search for truth. (A letter to distributors of the DVD characterizes the LDS Church as "powerful cult," which demonstrates their attitude toward the Church.)
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What about the Holy Bible?
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The video contrasts "Joseph Smith's teachings" in the Book of Mormon, and then mentions "Jesus' teachings" in the Holy Bible. This creates the false impression that Latter-day Saints do not believe the Bible. The LDS consider both the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon to be holy scripture which contains the teachings of Christ. The producers wish to make the "Mormons" appear different from Christianity, instead of a part of it.
Said Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a modern apostle of Jesus Christ:
- So when we read and turn the pages of the precious New Testament, there is a barely audible rustling like the quiet stirrings of the Spirit, something to be 'spiritually discerned.' (1 Corinthians 2꞉14). The witnessing words came to us—not slowly, laboriously, or equivocally through the corridors of the centuries, but rather, swiftly, deftly, and clearly. Upon the wings of the Spirit these words proclaim, again and anew, “JESUS LIVED. JESUS LIVES!”
- —Neal Maxwell, "The New Testament—A Matchless Portrait of the Savior," Ensign (December 1986): 20., italics in original. off-site
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