Does Mormonism Worship the God of the Bible?


Debate with Pastor Jason Wallace and Allen Richardson.

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John J.
Member Christ Prebyterian Church (OPC) Preparing For Eldership
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.christpres.net
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...
Currently reading Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship

Perhaps I am too simplistic but I believe the answer is plain. No, Mormons do not worship the God of the Bible. They deny that the Father is Spirit, the deity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit.

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B.B.
Elder
GBC

Deo volente

Nope.

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J. M. - Baptist - Ontario, Canada - Feileadh Mor

"Nothing is more seductive for man than his freedom of conscience. But nothing is a greater cause of suffering."
The Brothers Karamazov

Bill, your correct in your simplicity. However, many Mormons especially those in Salt Lake have not heard about the God of the Bible. The purpose of these debates is to draw a clear distinction between Mormons and Christians. If you ask a Mormon today they'll no longer deny that their Christians rather they affirm that they are Christians.

This debate took place about 5-6 years ago in SLC.

James White and Gilbert Scharffs. Not much of a debate.

We don't need much more than that. Some major in knowing every jot and tittle about the cults, and I'm thankful for that.

There was a guy named Gerald Tanner who years ago became converted out of Mormonism and started the Modern Microfilm Company that exposed a lot of this cult's frauds, such as Smith's plagiarism of Masonic temple ritual to make it Mormon temple ritual, and Smith's council of 70 were all Masons, so they had to know of the fraud. When Smith was lynched in Navoo City, Ill., his last words on earth were the Masonic high sign of distress, by which he knew fellow Masons in the lynch mob were honor bound to save him. I don't think this was merely a sincerely-misguided man. I think he was a knowing fraud.

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HaigLaw, ruling elder
Grace PCA, Shreveport, LA
http://www.xanga.com/HaigLaw

Many years ago I read a book originally published in the 19th century which was a biography of Smith. (Unfortunately, I don't remember either the title or the author - it was a long time ago.) Being published in the same century, the author was able to interview members of Smith's family and others who had known him personally, even in his early days.

The bottom line was that Smith was a slacker and a con man, from an entire family of slackers and con men. Mormonism is the most successful fraud ever pulled off in the United States.

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Richard T. Zuelch, M.Div
Ruling Elder, OPC (not currently serving)
Westminster Presbyterian Church, CA (OPC)
www.stacksobooks.blogspot.com
www.reiterations.wordpress.com

A perfect autobiography would be an anticipation of the Day of Judgment. - George Saintsbury (1845-1933)

The short answer to your question is: No.
The long answer to your question is: Heck, no.

Here's an interview with Gerald Tanner's widow. Gerald has since gone to glory.

The Ancient Paths: The Ancient Paths - Episode 7: Interview with Sandra Tanner

No, Mormons are polytheists. They are trying to redefine what the word christian means.

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Josh Taylor
Verde Valley Reformed Chapel, OPC
Cottonwood, AZ

That may be true for some, but I think it may be more accurate to error in the generalization that LDS leaders teach a form of henotheism - the belief in many gods but the worship of only one. (I know a lot of people here will want to cite the Journal of Discourses and such to show that LDS theology teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are separate deities, but so many of my friends who are members believe them to be one, and worship them as one).

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Dan Pemberton
Member, First Baptist Church
San Luis Obispo, CA, soon to be in Vacaville, CA

In college studying to be an astronaut.

John, I understand that. But that does not change the reality of the situation. They affirm they are Christians but they are not. Because of their theology regarding the nature of the Father, Son and Spirit, they are not Christians nor do they worship the God of the bible.

A remarkable interview. I listened to parts of it. The sincerity and truth of the Tanners is hard to deny. The audio was bad, but it may be my system. Well worth the time to listen to this lady.

The simple truth of her testimony is -- we studied Mormonism and it is not what it claims to be, and in the process came to faith in Christ.

The host interviewer is an OPC pastor in the Salt Lake area.

NOPE

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Rev. Toby Holland
Director of Evangelism
Wiltsie Community Church (CCCC)

Sounds like the thread on who gets to define "Reformed." Clearly, their saying that they are Christians does not make them so. Unfortunately, too many have effaced the differentiation, either out of evangelical latitudinarianism (e.g., Osteen) or a theological fetish for "dialog" at all costs (e.g., Mouw).

Mouw, pres of Fuller, went to Salt Lake in November 2004 to speak at the Salt Lake Tabernacle in Temple Square, where he opined:

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Dennis E. McFadden
Atherton Baptist Homes, CEO
First Baptist Church of Alhambra, Member, Transformation Ministries (CA)

Does Mormonism worship the God of the Bible?
No!

From the founding heretic's mouth--
Joseph Smith: "God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man...if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form--like yourselves, in all the person, image, and very form as a man...we have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity, I wil refute that idea..." (Journal of Discourses, 6:3--4).

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Sterling Harmon
Coventry, CT
PCA
Deacon
________________

"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk

Actually, the push to get Mormons to be considered Christians began about 10 or 15 years ago when they added the subtitle "Another Testimony to Jesus Christ" to the Book of Mormon (a subtitle it had never had before).

They ain't Christians and never were.

What came of this meeting -- pray tell?

Do you find parallels between Smith's promise of heavenly planets cohabiting with multiple wives to the Islamic promise to their terroristic "martyrs" of 72 virgins?

Similarities perhaps, but Islam does not claim the martyr with his seventy-two virgins become "god."

Mormonism however declares that as you are, so once God was. And as God is, so you will become.

Heresy is heresy, but I find this one a bit more troubling than the Islamic view.

While I agree with what has been said here, it is important for us, as Christians who are trying to reach the lost, to recognize the difference between:

1. LDS theology from the texts (the Standard Works)
2. LDS theology as it is taught in wards on Sundays and in Family Home Evening
& 3. The theology of a member within 'social Mormonism', so to speak. Meaning, the beliefs of an individual that may differ from the texts (Doctrines and Covenants, Journal of Discourses, etc), because God has revealed them to be so to that individual.

My LDS friends do not walk around being consciously motivated to do the will of God by thinking of specific rewards they may receive after they die (planets, wives, etc.). Some of them have told me about how they think about those things, and they appear not dissimilar to how a protestant might think about some specific rewards received in Heaven - acknowledging that God has revealed them to exist, but also accepting the ideas with a large amount of mystery toward them.

I'm not trying to defend any teachings within the LDS church at all. I am merely attempting to represent the ideology of individuals within the LDS community.