Criticism of Mormonism/Video/Search for the Truth DVD/Intro
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 characterize 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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