Christians vs. Mormons - A False Dichotomy
The following propaganda piece is commonly quoted on the internet:
LDS: God (Elohim) was once a man
Bible: God is omniscient and all powerful and eternal and is Spirit
LDS: The first offspring of Almighty God (Elohim) and his wife was Jehovah, who became Jesus
Bible: God has no wife and has never procreated ‘children’ or other beings
LDS: Jesus was born just as all people are born. He is not the eternal, only a god
Bible: Jesus Christ is eternal and was not created. He was born as a man but not as all people are born – no human father was involved. Jesus is part of the One Being who is God
LDS: The Holy Ghost is a spirit person but does not have the qualities of God
Bible: The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and was not created
LDS: The Bible is accurate only as far as it has been translated properly, but the Book of Mormon, given to Joseph Smith, is more accurate
Bible: The Bible is God’s unchanging inspired word – all of it – and no other written word has been issued by God
LDS: There are three levels of salvation, all dependent on works, or lack of works
Bible: Salvation is a complete and finished work in Christ, a free gift of grace that cannot be earned
LDS: Man’s destiny is to one of three heavens / kingdoms but no-one knows what resurrection they will get
Bible: There is only one destiny for those whom God calls into his kingdom and they are promised a glorified resurrection body
LDS: There is no place of eternal torment (hell)
Bible: Those who are not saved are condemned to a place of eternal torment- Luke 16:19 to end
LDS: Man had a pre-existent life before being born into the world
Bible: Man was not pre-existent before he was born on earth
LDS: The Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods have been restored to LDS, giving them their authority
Bible: Jesus Christ is our great High Priest, like Melchizedek – he is our authority and has done away with temple worship and the priesthood
LDS: Only temple-sealed, married Mormons who remain faithful to all Mormon requirements will attain the celestial kingdom
Bible: All Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit at conversion and become born again into God’s family and will be with Christ in heaven
Let's look at these allegations one by one.
[God is omniscient and all powerful and eternal and is Spirit]
Mormons do believe that God is omniscient, all powerful and eternal, and that he was once a man. The Bible never states, one way or another, if God was once a man. It does state that man was made in the image of God, and is part of the family of God. The only real point of contention is whether God is a spirit, or whether he has a physical body. Many quote the scripture "God is spirit, and must be worshiped in spirit and truth." A better translation would be that "God is spiritual, and must be worshiped in spirit and truth." The author is trying to get us to become spiritual, not kill ourselves so that we can worship God as spirits. On the other hand, God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam, and Adam saw him and talked with him. Then God made clothing for Adam and Eve out of animal skins. Nothing there suggests that God was a spirit. These are things that real physical beings can do, but not spirits.
[God has no wife and has never procreated ‘children’ or other beings]
The Bible never mentions whether or not God has a wife, but there are many references to children, starting with Job, one of the oldest books of the Bible.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. - Job 1:6
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding...
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? - Job 38:4-7
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. - Romans 8:29
These are references to God's spirit children, of which Jesus was the firstborn. All of mankind is also part of the family of God.
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named... - Ephesians 3:14,15
The premortal Jesus is also described by Daniel.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
- Daniel 3:25
Jesus, The Son of God in the flesh, was God's firstborn in the spirit, Jesus Christ.
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
- John 4:15
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. - Mark 5:7
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. - Matthew 3:17
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
[Jesus Christ is eternal and was not created. He was born as a man but not as all people are born – no human father was involved. Jesus is part of the One Being who is God]
We too believe that Jesus was eternal - just not in his present form. Before being born into mortality, we lived as spirits. Before being born as spirits, we lived as intelligences. The Bible neither confirms nor disputes this modern day revelation, that speaks to our pre-mortal states.
What separates one being from another, is whether they have a will of their own. Jesus had a will of his own, and therefore was a separate being from his father. We see this in his prayer to his father.
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. - Luke 22:42
People often respond with the unity verse "I and my Father are one." (John 10:30) The Greek word here translated as "one" is "heis", which also translates to "alike", "alone", "first", "individual", and "united". There is no reason to assume that it means "same person", and every reason to believe that it doesn't. It is actually the Greek "Autos" which is used to indicate that two people are the same, and it is never used to indicate that Jesus and his father are the same being.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. - Romans 10:12
[The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and was not created]
Mormons do believe that the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the third member of the Godhead. Nowhere does the Bible use the word "Trinity", or suggest that the Holy Spirit was never born as a spirit.
[The Bible is God’s unchanging inspired word – all of it – and no other written word has been issued by God]
The word "Bible" is never found in the Bible, and the only scriptures it mentions are those of the Old Testament. The author of this propaganda piece has no Biblical basis for this statement at all. Some people like to quote a warning in the Book of Revelations against adding to the Book of Revelations, but it doesn't address the issue of which books are inspired and belong in a Bible, or whether God at some future date would stop inspiring people.
[Salvation is a complete and finished work in Christ, a free gift of grace that cannot be earned.]
It is precisely because it is a gift of grace, that one must be found worthy of that grace. Jesus will say to many at the last day "I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.". (Mathew 7:23)