Common Ground?

Is it possible for Mormons and Christians to share common ground in anything? You will often here when they come to your door or even here on the internet that "We believe in Jesus". But do they really? Can you change even one small part of a definition and still consider it to be the same? We will look at some common words used between Christians and Mormons to see if there are any. Most of this will not be new to most of you but it is extremely important. If you are talking to the average Mormon on the street they may not see a difference in terms until you tell them. However if you are dealing with an apologist they will be well aware of them and will be made clear from the start. So please, when talking with someone who is LDS don't instantly assume they are lying to you. Ignorance of the truth is not the same as lying. A persons intentions will come out soon enough.

Before getting to that I would like to bring up something most of you may be aware of. For years now the LDS church has been trying desperately to blend in right beside mainstream Christianity. So much so they have started an advertising campaign showing various everyday people in different part of life and they all respond with "And I'm a Mormon". So what could they possible want by trying to blend in with a group of people they have wanted to separate from since their very beginning? I think that all comes down to one very important key. The lust for money and power. Think about it. What has Mormonism done since it began. Joseph demanded that everyone turn over everything they own to the church. He tried starting a bank. Even ran for President of the United States.

Let's go to the very beginning of Mormonism. It claimed that all our professors were corrupt and our teaching(doctrine) was an abomination. Now they will claim that it wasn't Joseph that said that it was God. But how do you test to see if something is of God or not? Remember it isn't by feelings that we know anything and Jesus proved this. Because when he was being tested he always responded with "It is Written." So because it is evident on how we test if something is of God let's look at some big terms that both groups use to see if we have anything in common.

God the Father
Christianity
1 Eternal God (Isa 43:10-11; 44:6,8) in 3 Persons: Father - Phil 2:11, Son - John 1:1, Holy Spirit - Acts 5:3-4 Spirit Essence who fills Heaven and Earth is not a Man - Jn 4:24; 1 Kings 8:27; Hos 11:9

Mormonism
3 Separate Gods - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Joseph Fielding Smith, 1976, p. 370 God has not always been God. He is not a spirit but is an "exalted Man" -Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-346; D&C 130:22; Millennial Messiah, by McConkie, p. 77

Jesus Christ
Christianity
The Eternal God the Son - Jn 1:1-3,18; Phil 2:5-9; John 20:28; Heb 1:8; Heb 7:3; Isa 9:6; Jn 8:58; Col 2:9; 2 Pet 1:1, Tit 2:13; Jn 5:18; 19:7
Creator God of "all things" including the angels and Lucifer - Jn 1:3; Col 1:15-17; Jn 8:23; Heb 1:5,13; 2:5,8; 4:16-17

Worshiped as God - Heb 1:6; Jn 5:23; 14:14; Rev 5:11-14

Resurrected as a man in His glorified physical body - John 2:18-22; Acts 17:31

His blood is sufficient to cover "all" sin including murder - Heb 7:25; 1 Jn 1:7,9; 1 Tim 1:13-15; c.f. Acts 8:1

Mormonism
Jesus earned His godhood and salvation - Mormon Doctrine, McConkie, p. 129; Mortal Messiah, vol. 4, p. 434

Contended with Lucifer His "spirit brother" for the appointment as Savior - Gospel Principles, pp. 17-18

Certain sins for which Jesus' blood cannot atone - including murder - Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 134-135

Gospel
Christianity

Gospel = Death, Burial, Resurrection of Jesus Christ - 1 Cor 15:1-4

Free gift of Eternal Life by faith in Jesus Christ alone (apart from works of personal worthiness) - Rom 4:4-6; 6:23; 10:9; 11:6; Eph 2:8-10; Isa 64:6; Phil 3:9

Eternal Destiny in either Heaven or Hell - No Second Chance - Heb 9:27; Matt 25:46; Rev 20:12-15

Only a "few" will be "saved" - Matt 7:13-14

Spiritual authority for adoption out of Satan's family into God's family is given to "everyone" who believes (trusts) in Jesus Christ - 1 John 5:1; John 1:12

Mormonism

Gospel = Faith in Jesus Christ + Works of obedience to LDS Gospel "laws" - The Miracle of Forgiveness, Spencer W Kimball, p. 6

All people (regardless of religion or lack of it) will be “saved” except for the few who leave Mormonism - Joseph Smith—Seeker After Truth, John A Widtsoe, p. 178; Mormon Doctrine, p. 778, 351

Highest level of Salvation (i.e., Eternal Life) is only for those who do their part in working for their salvation - 2 Nephi 25:23, Book of Mormon; The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 206; Mormon Doctrine, p. 669

Man
Christianity

Man is a creation of God whose "spirit" was formed "within" him - not in a spirit world - 1 Cor 15:46; Jn 8:23; Zech 12:1

Immediately upon death, the conscious soul/spirit of the Christian will dwell with God - 2 Cor 5:6-8; Phil 1:21-23; Rev 6:9-10

Mormonism

Physical offspring of Celestial Parents - Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother - in a spirit world - Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 97; Mormon Doctrine, p. 589

“We are gods in embryo” and “you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves…the same as all Gods have done before you.…” - Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 21; Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-346

Second chance in a "spirit prison" for those who haven't heard the Mormon "gospel" - Gospel Principles, 1992, p. 292

O.K. So since we don't seem to have any big words in common how about some smaller ones? I will even keep these definitions simple and to the point.


Grace
Christianity
The unconditional, undeserved, unfathomable love on God's part that moved him to save us.

Mormonism
The power God gives people to save themselves, which he grants only after they have done everything they can do.

Hell

Christianity

A place of eternal punishment.

Mormonism

The regret the inhabitants of the lower kingdoms of heaven will experience as they see the glories of the celestial kingdom.

Only Begotten Son

Christianity

An expression of Christ divinity.

Mormonism

The only person Heavenly Father physically begat on earth.

Sabbath

Christianity

Saturday

Mormonism

Sunday

Works

Christianity

What comes as a result of our faith in Christ.

Mormonism

It almost exclusively with trying to overcome sin.

So not to beat a dead horse into the ground but this is just a small list that proves there is nothing in common. In fact I don't think there is a definition unturned. There is no possible way for Mormonism to share any common ground with Christianity. Which would make one wonder why Mitt Romney already refuses to talk about Mormonism in his next presidential campaign. Or why the LDS church is trying so hard to blend in with community events, Christian councils, and trying to swing the Christian vote. Me mindful my friends, be mindful.