Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Chapter 17

1. REDIRECTTemplate:Test3

Response to claims made in "Chapter 17: Is Mormonism Christian"

Claims made in "Chapter 16: Mormon Racism: Black Is Not Beautiful"

A FAIR Analysis of: One Nation Under Gods A work by author: Richard Abanes

Claims made in "Chapter 18: Cover-Ups, Conspiracies, and Controversies"

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

Gordon B. Hinckley is listed as "President, Mormon Church"

FAIR's Response

• There is no church called the "Mormon Church."
• Perhaps in this epigraph to a chapter entitled "Is Mormonism Christian?", the author wished to avoid stating the true name of the Church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

The author presents his second significant reason that people join the Church as "the long-held Mormon notion that Latter-day Saints are innately better than non-Mormons."

Author's sources: Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, 236.

FAIR's Response

•  The author's claim is false
• This claim actually originated with the Tanners. The author also quotes the Tanner's primary source. See: Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Moody Press, 1979), 27.( Index of claims ).
• Unsurprisingly, there is no mention of gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon mentioned among the many reasons the author presents for joining the Church—the reason most Latter-day Saints themselves would give.

Question: Are Latter-day Saints ("Mormons") taught to look down upon or reject those who are not of their faith?

Mormons have always been taught that a dismissive attitude toward the beliefs or faith of others is sinful

The attitude that one ought to look down upon or reject those who are not of their faith is an abhorrent one. Members of the Church, of course, do not always live up to these high standards. But, there can be no doubt as to what the standards are:

What does the Lord expect of us as Latter-day Saints? What does He expect of me as a member of this Church...There is no room in the heart of a Latter-day Saint for bitterness, for unkindness, for animosity to any other of the sons and daughters of God. They may not be of our faith, but we owe them an obligation to treat them as sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven.

Mormons have always been taught that a dismissive attitude toward the beliefs or faith of others is sinful. (Indeed, the Book of Mormon condemns in the strongest terms those who adopt such an attitude: Alma 31:16-19, Alma 31:27-35).

Joseph Smith: "We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true 'Mormons'"

Said Joseph Smith:

Have the Presbyterians any truth? Yes. Have the Baptists, Methodists, etc., any truth? Yes. They all have a little truth mixed with error. We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out true "Mormons."

Gordon B. Hinckley: "There is no room for arrogance in our lives. There is no room for conceit in our lives. There is no room for egotism in our lives"

Warned President Gordon B. Hinckley:

There is no room for arrogance in our lives. There is no room for conceit in our lives. There is no room for egotism in our lives. We must be humble before the Lord. He has so declared, and if we will do it, He will hear our prayers and answer them with a blessing upon our heads.

Of the specific conceit which some claim they are taught, President Hinckley said:

Be respectful of the opinions and feelings of other people. Recognize their virtues; don't look for their faults. Look for their strengths and their virtues, and you will find strength and virtues that will be helpful in your own life.

It's hard to see how looking for "strengths and...virtues" in non-members to help an LDS member's own life constitutes ignoring or deprecating all non-believers.

President Hinckley further said:

There is no need in any land for conflict between diverse groups of any kind. Let there be taught in the homes of people that we are all children of God, our Eternal Father, and that as surely as there is fatherhood, there can and must be brotherhood.

He denounced bad feelings and behavior toward non-Mormons:

Why do any of us have to be so mean and unkind to others? Why can't all of us reach out in friendship to everyone about us? Why is there so much bitterness and animosity? It is not a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We all stumble occasionally. We all make mistakes. I paraphrase the words of Jesus in the Lord's Prayer: "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

∗       ∗       ∗

There is no end to the good we can do, to the influence we can have with others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to assist others. Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the Spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us.

Members and non-members have the same status before God. This does not support the idea that members are to "hold themselves aloof."

Ezra Taft Benson: "God, the Father of us all uses the men of the earth, especially good men, to accomplish his purposes"

God, the Father of us all uses the men of the earth, especially good men, to accomplish his purposes. It has been true in the past, it is true today, it will be true in the future.

President Benson then quoted Elder Orson F. Whitney from 1928:

Perhaps the Lord needs such men on the outside of His Church to help it along. They are among its auxiliaries, and can do more good for the cause where the Lord has placed them, than anywhere else…God is using more than one people for the accomplishment of His great and marvelous work. The Latter-day Saints cannot do it all. It is too vast, too arduous for any one people…They [other churches] are our partners in a certain sense.

Joseph Fielding Smith: "the Lord would pour out his blessings and his Spirit upon all people and use them to accomplish his purposes"

Joseph Fielding Smith discussed the prophecy in Joel that God would pour out his spirit "upon all flesh":

Now, my brethren and sisters, I am not going to confine this prophecy [Joel 2:28-29] to the members of the Church. The Lord said he would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. That does not mean that upon all flesh the Holy Ghost should be sent, and that they should be participants in the blessings which those are privileged to receive who have been baptized and endowed and become members of the Church; but the Lord would pour out his blessings and his Spirit upon all people and use them to accomplish his purposes....

There has never been a step taken..., in discovery or invention, where the Spirit of the Lord (that is, the Spirit of which Joel spoke, the Light of Christ, not the Holy Ghost!) was not the prevailing force, resting upon the individual, which caused him to make the discovery or the invention. The world does not understand that, but it is perfectly clear to me; nor did the Lord always use those who have faith, nor does he always do so today. He uses such minds as are pliable and can be turned in certain directions to accomplish his work, whether they believe in him or not.

M. Russell Ballard: "I encourage you to build personal, meaningful relationships with your nonmember friends and acquaintances"

I encourage you to build personal, meaningful relationships with your nonmember friends and acquaintances...If they are not interested in the gospel, we should show unconditional love through acts of service and kindness, and never imply that we see an acquaintance only as a potential convert...We must not reserve our kindness and affection only for our fellow members. We must be sensitive and not oblivious to the feelings of those whose views may differ from ours. Considering the early history of the Church in these latter days, unkindness or indifference toward others should be abhorrent to members of the Church. I bear my testimony that "God is no respecter of persons"; we should follow his example in all of our associations with our fellowmen.

David B. Haight: "we are commanded to do what to many is a more difficult commandment—to love all, even enemies, and to go beyond the barriers of race or class or family relationships"

Besides loving God, we are commanded to do what to many is a more difficult commandment—to love all, even enemies, and to go beyond the barriers of race or class or family relationships. It is easier, of course, to be kind to those who are kind to us— the usual standard of friendly reciprocity.

Then are we not commanded to cultivate genuine fellowship and even a kinship with every human being on earth? Whom would you bar from your circle? We might deny ourselves a nearness to our Savior because of our prejudices of neighborhood or possessions or race—attitudes that Christ would surely condemn. Love has no boundary, no limitation of good will.

Jeffrey R. Holland: "I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another"

Brothers and sisters, I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us—insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other. I know that if we will be faithful, there is a perfectly tailored robe of righteousness ready and waiting for everyone...

Neal A. Maxwell: "Love is the only answer"

Love is the only answer, as Thomas Merton points out, to the searching question asked by Gandhi when he said: "How can he who thinks he possesses absolute truth be fraternal?"

Russell M. Nelson: "Learn to listen, and listen to learn from neighbors"

Learn to listen, and listen to learn from neighbors. Repeatedly the Lord has said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour." (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 19:19.) Opportunities to listen to those of diverse religious or political persuasion can promote tolerance and learning. And a good listener will listen to a person's sentiments as well...The wise listen to learn from neighbours.

Brigham H. Roberts: "God raises up wise men and prophets here and there among all the children of men"

While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is established for the instruction of men; and it is one of God's instrumentalities for making known the truth yet he is not limited to that institution for such purposes, neither in time nor place. God raises up wise men and prophets here and there among all the children of men, of their own tongue and nationality, speaking to them through means that they can comprehend. ... All the great teachers are servants of God; among all nations and in all ages. They are inspired men, appointed to instruct God's children according to the conditions in the midst of which he finds them.

Question: Do Latter-day Saints claim to be the only ones that can experience the fullness of happiness on this earth?

Introduction to Question

Many former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and even active members of the Church become troubled from time to time by the reality that many people outside of the Church and even those that go against the Church appear to be happy people and sometimes happier than members of the Church.

A pithy mantra of former members of the Church is that "what's unique about the Church isn't good and what's good isn't unique."

This confusion seems to stem from a notion that only active, believing, fully-practicing members of the Church can experience the fullest measure of happiness in this life. There appears to be an assumption that leaders of the Church or the Church’s official scriptures make this claim. That assumption is true, but there needs to be some context added to it and an answer to this criticism fleshed out. This article attempts to answer these concerns and criticisms.

Response to Question

Claims from Church Leaders

There are claims from Church leaders that are roughly the same as the one made above. For instance, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland made the following claim in the April 2009 General Conference of the Church:

I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies.

Perhaps the most direct scripture on this issue is found in Doctrine & Covenants 101:36:

36 Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.

This revelation was "given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 16 and 17, 1833. At this time the Saints who had gathered in Missouri were suffering great persecution. Mobs had driven them from their homes in Jackson County; and some of the Saints had tried to establish themselves in Van Buren, Lafayette, and Ray Counties, but persecution followed them. The main body of the Saints was at that time in Clay County, Missouri. Threats of death against individuals of the Church were many. The Saints in Jackson County had lost household furniture, clothing, livestock, and other personal property; and many of their crops had been destroyed" (chapter heading for Section 101).

So the Savior may be saying that the fulness of joy is found as we are saved and go to heaven, but it seems more likely (at least to this author) that he is saying that the world will not give us the fulness of joy that is found only in a covenant relationship with the Savior and the fulness of light and knowledge about him provided solely by his Restored Church.

What perhaps gets misunderstood, however, is that the claim is not just that one can experience a fullness of joy in this life by following the teachings of the Savior, but that one can experience the fullest measure of peace and happiness in this life and the next life when we reach the eternities. Doctrine & Covenants 59:23 claims that “he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.” The scriptures consistently describe eternal life as never-ending or everlasting happiness.

But still, you might ask, why are people happy and sometimes happier outside of the Church?

He Maketh His Sun to Rise on the Just and the Unjust

Basically all human beings cooperate with one another to mutually achieve pleasure and happiness. It’s a basic tendency of human nature to prefer life and happiness over death and/or pain. That means that most people will follow Jesus’ injunction in Matthew 7:12 quite naturally: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets”. A large amount of happiness will be reaped by people as they do this. We believe that this is a manifestation of the truth that people have the law of God written on their hearts as taught in Romans. It is also a manifestation of the truth that "the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil".

But Jesus tells us this:

Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

It’s interesting to notice where this observation about happiness and unhappiness comes. Jesus is in the middle of telling his disciples to love their enemies. That is something that is not common among the world’s “natural morality”. We tend to hate our enemies. Maybe not murder them or kill them, but we certainly allow ourselves to experience deep feelings of hatred towards those that annoy or injure us. Jesus recognizes that there must be something that sets us apart from other peoples in our practice of love. Jesus wants us to pay very close attention to these finer points of the law. The world will practice the basic law of doing unto others as we would have them do to us, but the covenant people will practice the finer points of the law and achieve the fullest measure of happiness by living by the finer points. It is these that Jesus likely has in mind when he tells people to come unto him and experience a fullness of joy. It is these that bring us the fulness of peace and happiness in this life and in the life to come.

We often think that the wicked are those that do drastic evils such as rape, murder, incest, and other heinous acts. Of course, those people are wicked, but they are not the entire group of people that make up the wicked. Satan rather works most frequently by counterfeits of the finer points of the law to draw people away from it. He works by using the philosophies of men mingled with scripture. It’s those deceptions that we, as Latter-day Saint Christians, have to become especially adept at recognizing and rejecting. We need to use the word of God as our measuring stick to measure all truth. We need to submit ourselves to its claims regarding our behavior and obey with exactness and not deviate from it. That is the only way that we will recognize how God leads us to the fullest measure of peace and happiness in this life and in the life to come.

It's possible that people can keep the basic law and the finer points inadvertently. Perhaps they don't have exposure to specifically The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but perhaps they can work out substantial portions of what it means to live the Law of Love to its fulness rationally. It's unlikely, but possible. If a person could rationally work it out without the repository of the revealed word of God recorded in scripture to guide their decisions, it's possible that they experience much, most, or even all of the happiness and joy that the Gospel offers.

We're Going to Experience Heartache and Pain Just Like the Rest of the World

The Gospel promises that as we live by its moral injunctions that we will be able to experience the fullest measure of peace and happiness in this life and in the life to come. It does not mean that hard things, whether by natural causes or by the sinful choices of others, will not happen to us in this life. Jesus flat out tells us "[i]n the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." The Lord told Brigham Young that "[m]y people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom." The Lord himself will chasten us from time to time because he loves us.

The promises of Jesus mean that he is instructing us in the fullest practice and meaning of love and that, as we follow his instructions that he gives either himself or through his appointed prophets, we'll experience the fullness of joy. It does not mean that that will always be easy or that evils, whether natural or human, will not come upon us. The challenge is to bear our burdens with patience and turn to the Lord continually for help.

The Lord teaches us that the way to find happiness is not to seek happiness and pleasure in and of itself, but to seek to love our neighbor and become virtuous. As a byproduct of that, you'll find happiness.

Addressing the ExMormon Mantra

A final thing that we can address is the above mantra of former members: What's good about the Church isn't unique and what's unique isn't good.

• A person or entity does not have to be sole propagator nor origin of a particular idea in order to be considered unique. They can be one of a few that propagate a certain idea and that can be considered unique and good.
• It is not necessarily the case that unique goodness must be found in even one of the individual ideas that the Church teaches. The Church can have a collection of ideas and the collection be unique (in the sense of not being found anywhere else) and good. People may be staking their pride in the Church in the wrong thing.
• There are things about the Church that are unique that may be considered good. For instance, the Church teaches that it is morally wrong to consume coffee. Part of the reason they teach this is because being coffee marks the Church as the Lord's people. It is a unique identifier that marks us as the Lord's. The last verse of the revelation giving the Word of Wisdom alludes to the Exodus where the Israelites placed Lamb's blood above their doors.

It is a common misconception, among both members and non-members, that the Word of Wisdom exists primarily, or only, to promote the health of the members. Health protection is an important benefit of the Word of Wisdom. This is made clear by verses 18-20 of the revelation. But an equally the most important reason for the Word of Wisdom is the promise given in the last verse of D&C 89, in which the members are told:

And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.(D&C 89꞉21)

This refers to the last curse put on the Egyptians prior to the Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites were to mark their houses with lamb's blood at the first Passover. Houses so marked were protected from the "destroying angel." (See Exodus 12:1-30.)

Is lamb's blood "magic?" Does it repel angels like garlic does vampires? Hardly. The Word of Wisdom marks us as people under covenant to God. Consumption of coffee and tea is a common practice in many cultures—when others notice a member of the Church abstaining, it sets them apart as willing to forgo something that is culturally popular. When they notice such unique things, they may be drawn to learning more about the Church and what it teaches. As they learn the Church's moral standards as founded on Jesus' law of love, they will become better people. Thus, not drinking coffee may have delayed but still beneficial consequences in the realm of teaching people what is morally right and wrong and leading them to the fulness of joy offered to those that keep the commandments with exactness.

Defending the Church's Moral Teaching

It may be wise to include here a link to articles that address some of the rules that people have the most trouble with. That way, one can see the utility that comes from them.

The Lifelong Human Vacillation Between Freedom and Purpose

As human beings, we have a suite of fundamental psychological needs. Among these are the need for variety and the need for self-improvement. We vacillate, as humans, between wanting more freedom in our lives and wanting more purpose.

People who want more purpose in their lives want to find some way to structure them. The way to structure their life would be allow to someone or something to give them guidelines and rules to live by to help them squeeze out every ounce of happiness they can get from life. People who want more purpose generally feel a degree of aimlessness or confusion. They wonder whether life is just about being slaves to our currently strongest passions and they want someone to give them direction in virtue and self-restraint.

People who want more freedom in their lives want to throw off the expectations others have of them. You can see this in human beings: when people say they want more "freedom" they're saying that they just don't want to live by the expectations that they have allowed others to place on them when they wanted more purpose. These people tend to feel suffocated by too many expectations.

The way to get purpose is to allow others to place expectations on us. The way to get more freedom is to throw off those expectations.

All of us swing from one pendulum end to the other. But the fallacy in our thinking should be clear at this point: just because those who leave the Church say they have more freedom and are happy, does not mean that that happiness is going to last. There may be times, even though they don't say it, where they will want to have more structure given to their lives: they'll want a religion to be true.

We should allow people to experience these pendulum swings for themselves and then, when they are ready to hear it and when we are prompted by the Spirit, we should be prepared to give a defense of the Church's moral teachings and the doctrines that uphold those moral teachings to provide more structure to people. We should also educate them in this common human psychological pendulum swing so that, when they are tempted to seek more "freedom", they'll recognize the errors in their thinking. We should teach them that the Church's teaching allows them to feel freedom from aimlessness, purposelessness, and being a slave to their passions and that the scriptures and other commandments as taught by the Church are the way that they can find the fullest measure of peace and joy.

Conclusion

While confusions like this are common and forgivable, it should also remind us that we need to do more at reading scripture and the words of living prophets and apostles both contextually as well as holistically. Another article on the FAIR wiki instructs in how to do that.

Hopefully this article will allow all of us to more fully understand how we can become more of one heart and one mind.

Salvation of non-members

Summary: Since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims to be "the only true Church," does this mean that the LDS believe that everyone else will be damned? And, since the Church teaches that the dead will have the opportunity to hear the gospel preached to them, doesn't this imply that the witness given to those "after death" will be so compelling that virtually everyone will become "a Mormon"?

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

Did early LDS leaders take a "staunchly anti-Christian stance"?

Author's sources: No source provided.

The attitude of early Mormon leaders toward Christianity

Jump to details:

• 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: Did Latter-day Saints wish to avoid being classified as Christians?
• Question: What did early Mormon leaders think of Christians?
• Question: Did Mormons only recently claim to be Christian?
• Question: If Mormon are "really" Christians, why do they insist on preaching to other Christians?

Claim

• Did Joseph actually say that all the churches of Christendom "were all wrong" and that Christian ministers "were all corrupt?"

Author's source(s)

• Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:19

Response

• This claim is also made in Becoming Gods, p. 26
• Apostasy/Individual versus organizational
• First Vision/Contradiction about knowing all churches were wrong

Claim

• Did Joseph claim that all other churches were founded by Satan and part of the "satanic world system?"

Author's source(s)

• 1 Nephi 13꞉6

Response

• Book of Mormon/Great and abominable church
• Loaded and prejudicial language

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

Did LDS leaders spend 150 years calling Christians "derogatory names" and insulting them?

Author's sources:

• Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, 265.
• Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses 5:89.
• Orson Pratt, The Kingdom of God—Part 1, no. 2, October 31, 1848, 3. Reprinted in Orson Pratt, Orson Pratt's Works, vol. 2
• Kent P. Jackson, "Early Signs of the Apostasy," Ensign, December 1984, 9.

The attitude of early Mormon leaders toward Christianity

Jump to details:

• 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: Did Latter-day Saints wish to avoid being classified as Christians?
• Question: What did early Mormon leaders think of Christians?
• Question: Did Mormons only recently claim to be Christian?
• Question: If Mormon are "really" Christians, why do they insist on preaching to other Christians?

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

The book presents a table contrasting "Mormon Beliefs About Jesus" with "Christian Beliefs About Jesus."

Author's sources:

• Joseph Fielding Smith, vol. 1, 130 and Ezra Taft Benson, Teaching of Ezra Taft Benson, 14. Quoted in "Gethsemane Was Site of "Greatest Single Act," Church News, June 1, 1991, 14.
• Joseph Fielding Smith, vol. 1, 188.
• 1 Peter 2:24, Colossians 1:20, Romans 5:8-9, 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, Hebrews 10:12

The "Mormon" and the "Christian" Jesus

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe in a "different" Jesus than "mainstream" Christians?
• Question: How does the Latter-day Saint view of the Atonement compare to the evangelical Christian view?
• Question: Why do Latter-day Saints not pray directly to Jesus Christ?
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: The "sameness of Jesus" and humanity

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

Did President Hinckley actually "confess" that Latter-day Saint do not believe in the same 'Jesus' in which non-LDS Christians believe?

Author's sources: Gordon B. Hinckley. Quoted in "Crown of Gospel is Upon Our Heads," LDS Church News, June 20, 1998, 7.

FAIR's Response

This was no "confession"—President Hinckley was bearing testimony of Christ.

Question: Did Gordon B. Hinckley say that Latter-day Saints do not worship the biblical Jesus?

It is clear that Latter-day Saints believe in the biblical Christ—the Christ that is described in the New Testament

President Gordon B. Hinckley, responding to a question regarding whether Latter-day Saints believe in the “traditional Christ,” stated:

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 the dispensation of the fullness of times.

President Hinckley is referring to the concept of Christ that has developed in the centuries since the Nicene Creed was formed

President Hinckley is referring to the concept of Christ that has developed in the centuries since the Nicene Creed was formed—He is saying that we do not believe in non-Biblical creeds. This statement is quite correct: Latter-day Saints do not have some of the same beliefs about Christ that other Christian churches do. He is not saying that we do not believe in the Biblical Christ. In fact, the reason that Latter-day Saints do not accept these creeds is because they are non-Biblical. President Hinckley continued (with words usually omitted by critics):

Am I Christian? Of course I am. I believe in Christ. I talk of Christ. I pray through Christ. I'm trying to follow Him and live His gospel in my life.

Hinckley: "Believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the greatest figure of time and eternity"

Consider the following words by President Hinckley:

Believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the greatest figure of time and eternity. Believe that His matchless life reached back before the world was formed. Believe that He was the Creator of the earth on which we live. Believe that He was Jehovah of the Old Testament, that He was the Messiah of the New Testament, that He died and was resurrected, that He visited the western continents and taught the people here, that He ushered in this final gospel dispensation, and that He lives, the living Son of the living God, our Savior and our Redeemer.

In the statement above, there is no question that President Hinckley is professing belief in the Jesus Christ of the New Testament. Critics, however, ignore clear statements such as these, and instead look to justify their claims that Latter-day Saints are not Christian by mining the quotes of church leaders for phrases which seem to support their position.

In order to strengthen their claim, critics of the Church sometimes even modify these quotes

Consider the use of President Hinckley’s quote in the critical Search for the Truth DVD. The critics have actually added a phrase to the quote:

No I don't believe in the traditional Christ. 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 the dispensation of the Fullness of Times.

President Hinckley understood how the critics would attempt to portray Latter-day Saints with regard to their belief in Christ:

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. Our faith, our knowledge is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke to him. He spoke with Them. He testified openly, unequivocally, and unabashedly of that great vision. It was a vision of the Almighty and of the Redeemer of the world, glorious beyond our understanding but certain and unequivocating in the knowledge which it brought. It is out of that knowledge, rooted deep in the soil of modern revelation, that we, in the words of Nephi, “talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that [we and] our children may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins” (2 Nephi 25꞉26).

President Hinckley was quite clear in his position regarding Christ:

Are we Christians? Of course we are Christians. We believe in Christ. We worship Christ. We take upon ourselves in solemn covenant His holy name. The Church to which we belong carries His name. He is our Lord, our Savior, our Redeemer through whom came the great Atonement with salvation and eternal life.

Claim

• Did Bruce R. McConkie discourage people from attempting to form a "personal relationship" with Christ?
• McConkie said:

"[Y]ou have never heard one of the First Presidency or the Twelve...advocate this excessive zeal that calls for gaining a so-called special and personal relationship with Christ..."

Author's source(s)

• Bruce R. McConkie, "Our Relationship with the Lord," BYU Speech, March 2 1982.

Response

•  Misrepresentation of source: Use of sources: McConkie on special relationship

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

Is the "LDS teaching" that there exists more than one god refuted by the Bible?

Author's sources:

• Isaiah 43:10
• Isaiah 44:8

FAIR's Response

Isaiah 43-46 have been misinterpreted by the author in this context.

Mormons, polytheism and the Nicene Creed

Summary: Some non-LDS Christian claim that Latter-day Saints are polytheists because we don't believe the Nicene Creed. Others say Mormons are polytheists because they believe humans can become gods. Is this an accurate characterization of LDS belief?

Jump to details:

• Question: Are Mormons polytheists because they don't accept the Nicene Creed?
• Question: Are Christians monotheists?
• Question: What scriptures explain the Mormon view of Jesus' divine Sonship?
• Question: How is Mormon belief compatible with Isaiah's statement that beside the Lord "there is no God?"
• LDS trinitarian views are not polytheistic
• Mormons are not Arians
• Joseph Smith's theology is not pagan—his theology is vast as the multiverse, and eliminates Neo-Platonism and Augustine
• Common misrepresentation: Joseph Smith does not teach polytheism or "supplanting God" with his doctrine of human divination
• Gospel Topics on LDS.org, "Becoming Like God"

Claim

• If the Bible says that "God will share His glory with no one," then how could one hope to become like Him?

Author's source(s)

• Isaiah 42:8
• Isaiah 48:10-11

Response

• These verses say God will not give his glory to another. That is, God will not cease to be God or decline in glory. But, the scriptures are clear that God will share his glory with others: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21).
• Nature of God/Deification of man

Claim

• Paul said in the Bible that "the natural (or physical) comes first, then comes the spiritual." Why then, did Brigham Young say that people are "made first spiritual, and afterwards temporal?"

Author's source(s)

• Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 1:50..
• Zechariah 12:1

Response

• The verse in Paul is speaking of the resurrection, not pre-mortal life. See: Use of sources: Natural before spiritual body?
• Plan of salvation/Premortal existence

Claim

• The author states: "The Christian gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4)."
• The Latter-day Saint gospel, by contrast is represented by a statement by George Q. Cannon, who said to have claimed that LDS believe that "evolution of man until he shall become a god" is "the Gospel of Jesus Christ, believed in by the Latter-day Saints."

Author's source(s)

• George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, vol. 1, 9.

Response

• It is absurd to imply that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not central to Latter-day Saint belief.
• Absurd claims
• Nature of God/Deification of man

Claim

• Do LDS dismiss the Bible's teachings "whenever they contradict official LDS beliefs?"

Author's source(s)

• Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 764.

Response

•  Misrepresentation of source: Elder McConkie wrote simply that "The Church uses the King James Version of the Bible, but acceptance of the Bible is coupled with a reservation that it is true only insofar as translated correctly." Thus, the Bible is scripture, but if the translation or transmission of the text has been corrupted, why ought one to accept it?
• Latter-day Saints may have a different interpretation of the Bible than the author, or his brand of Christianity. What makes his interpretation valid and another invalid? No two Christian denominations believe in all the same biblical readings.
• Mormonism and the Bible/Inerrancy
• Mormonism and the Bible/Textual criticism
• Bible complete and sufficient?/Sola scriptura

Claim

• Did LDS leaders repeatedly condemn the Bible?

Author's source(s)

• Orson Pratt, "The Bible and Tradition, without Further Revelation, an Insufficient Guide," Divine Authenticity fo the Book of Mormon—No. 3," December 1, 1850, 47. Reprinted in Orson Pratt, Orson Pratt's Works, vol. 2.

Response

• Leaders did not "condemn the Bible," but (as the title of Elder Pratt's work shows) argued that the divided state of Christendom was ample testimony that the Bible alone did not seem sufficient to settle all doctrinal arguments and difficulties. It is difficult to question this, with various Christian sects which continue to proliferate.
• Use of sources: Orson Pratt condemns the Bible?
• Bible complete and sufficient? / Sola scriptura

Claim

• Did the Church present itself as a "Christian organization" only by restricing accurate information about LDS beliefs?

Author's source(s)

• Author's opinion

Response

• The irony is thick when this book complains about the "dissemination of incomplete and deceptive information."
• LDS only recently claim to be Christian?
• Loaded and prejudicial language

Claim

• Was a "faithful Mormon" excommunicated for "accurately" explaining "Mormon doctrines and history?"
• Did the Church respond that such information had to be suppressed so that the Church could become more "mainstream" Christian?

Author's source(s)

• T. LaMar Sleight, letter to Michael Barrett. Quoted in Bill McKeever, "Excommunicated for Publicly Discussing Mormon Doctrine?", Mormonism Researched (Summer 1994), 3.

Response

• This claim is absurd—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not "trying to become a mainstream Christian church."
• LDS only recently claim to be Christian?
• Absurd claims
• Loaded and prejudicial language

Claim

• Did Gordon B. Hinckely answer questions about LDS doctrine evasively?

Author's source(s)

• No source provided.

Response

• Downplaying LDS doctrine?
• Loaded and prejudicial language

Claim

• Gordon B. Hinckley said: "None of you need worry because you read something that was incompletely reported. You need not worry that I do not understand some matters of doctrine. I think I understand them thoroughly."

Author's source(s)

• Gordon B. Hinckley, October 1997 General Conference Address.

Response

• Downplaying LDS doctrine?
• Use of sources: Gordon B. Hinckley Understands Doctrine

Claim

•  Author's quote: "The masking of Mormonism has continued unabated...Mormonism's smoke-screen of words has served to greatly confuse observers..."

Response

• Loaded and prejudicial language

Claim

• Have Latter-day Saints attempted to "infiltrate" Christian churches in order to convert entire congregations?

Author's source(s)

• Rick Branch, "Mormon Church Infiltrates Christianity," Watchman Expositor, vol. 9, no. 3, 7.

Response

• How, exactly, do members of the Church 'infiltrate' other denominations? When their deception became known, would the pastor not turn away? How do the members of the Church manage to brainwash these pastors into accepting their theology anyway?
• LDS only recently claim to be Christian?
• Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Absurd claims

The author(s) of One Nation Under Gods make(s) the following claim:

Is the LDS Church really a "cult"?

Author's sources: Various

Question: Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a "cult"?

Modern Definitions

An anti-Mormon protester at Temple Square during the April 2003 LDS General Conference.

Dictionary.com defines cult as:

- a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

- an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the object of such devotion.

- a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

By modern definitions, the term cult encompasses a group of people sharing the same belief, as well as that of worship; or forms of ceremony. In the past, the word cult held a derogatory connotation by common language speakers. Thus, because the Jews revere Moses, Lutherans revere Martin Luther, Seventh-day Adventists are devoted to the teachings of Ellen G. White, and Christians revere Jesus Christ, all these groups could be considered "cults" by this definition. However, it would seem that even historical usage of the word may have been incorrect.

Historical Usage

An anti-Mormon protester at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The word “cult” as some speakers have used the term with reference to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka “Mormons”) may be understood as more of an opinionated label implying a dislike, misunderstanding, or disagreement with particular religious practices or ideas.

For example, when early Christians were unpopular, uncommon, and powerless they too were labeled as a cult. However, when they later came into common practice and acceptance, they in turn began applying the same label in return to religions with whom they disagreed.

The advantage of common speakers or those opposed to a particular religious sect or idea using the term "cult", is that it tends to have a negative connotation. When the general public hears the term "cult," they do not simply think, "religious group devoted to some person or ideal." Nor, usually, do they think, "religion that has deviated from the beliefs of a parent religion." To many, a "cult" implies a fanatical, probably dangerous, religious group—and it is this image which critics seek to exploit. This is primarily because The term cult as it is sometimes used, often suggests extreme beliefs and bizarre behavior.

Conclusion

By definition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a “cult” because it is a specific system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and concepts deity and because it is a sect of Christianity devoted to such a system. The same conclusion can be drawn to any other Christian faith as well as many non-Christian ones. Is the Church a “cult” with regards to extreme beliefs and bizarre behavior? As an organizational whole, no. But extremism tends to exist within many facets of belief.

This new Jewish-Christian party in the eyes of the religious leaders of the time was, at the worst, simply regarded as guilty of minuth (cultism), namely, a variety of Jewish heresy, or rather, Jewish sectarianism...early passages in the Talmud still contain hostile references to the minim (cults), among whom were numbered the Jewish Christians...

Pliny, an early Roman leader also said that Christians were a “superstition, a foreign cult,” and this characterization was re-iterated by two more Roman writers, Tacitus, and Suetonius. Tacitus explained the attacks on Christians as being due to their 'cult' status, and also because “of their hatred toward mankind”. Tacitus also said that they were “an enemy to mankind”, and a “deadly superstition”. Suetonius called the Christians a “mischievous superstition” or, in other words, a cult.

Families sometimes worry when a family member shows an interest in the Church. This worry can stem from fear of indoctrination which could lead to extremism. They can be reassured that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints puts a high value on maintaining and strengthening family relationships. The Church will not baptize children or youth under the age of eighteen without their parents' permission.

Claim

• The author states that LDS leaders will have to "completely sever its ties with Christianity" in order not to be called a "cult" and gain "legitimacy."

Author's source(s)

• Author's opinion.

Response

• The idea that Latter-day Saints will ever disassociate themselves from Christ is an extremely absurd claim.
• LDS only recently claim to be Christian?
• Absurd claims

Notes