A Deeper Look.
Take a deeper look at what defines us as a Christian Church and how our beliefs align with a historical, biblical Christianity.
God.
Based on the Bible, God is a spirit (John 4:24), and a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). God is not and has never been a man (Num. 23:19; Hos. 11:9).
Furthermore, God is eternal (Ps. 90:2; 102:27; Isa. 57:15; 1 Tim. 1:17) and immutable (or unchangeable in his being and perfections (see Ps. 102:25-27; Mal. 3:6). He did not “progress” toward godhood, but has always been God.
The LDS church claims that God the Father was once a man and that he then progressed to godhood (that is, he is a now-exalted, immortal man with a flesh-and-bone body).
“…it is necessary that we should understand the character and being of God, and how he came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God…These are incomprehensible ideas to some; but they are simple. It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did.”
-King Follet Discourse
Jesus.
Biblically, the description of Jesus as the “only begotten” refers to his being the Father’s unique, one-of-a-kind Son for all eternity, with the same divine nature as the Father (see note on John 1:14; cf. John 1:18; 3:16, 18; see also John 5:18; 10:30).
Moreover, he is eternal deity (John 1:1; 8:58) and is immutable (Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8), meaning he did not progress to deity but has always been God.
Furthermore, Mary’s conception of Jesus in his humanity was through a miracle of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20).
The LDS church believes that Jesus Christ was the firstborn spirit-child of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.
Jesus then progressed to deity in the spirit world.
He was later physically conceived in Mary’s womb, as the literal “only begotten” Son of God the Father in the flesh (though many present-day LDS members remain somewhat vague as to how this occurred).
The Bible.
Orthodox Christianity maintains that The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the unique, revealed, and inspired Word of God. It is the sole authority for faith and practice for Christians (see 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21). It is the only standard that we live by and nothing can be added to it (Rev. 22:18-19).
The LDS church recognizes other works as authoritative. These include the Bible “as far as it is translated correctly” (Articles of Faith 1:8). It also includes The Book of Mormon which Joseph Smith declared is “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 194).
They also regard The Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) as Scripture. It “is a collection of modern revelations . . . regarding The Church of Jesus Christ as it has been restored in these last days” (GP, p. 54). The Pearl of the Great Price (PGP) is the fourth book believed to be inspired. “It clarifies doctrines and teachings that were lost from the Bible and gives added information concerning the creation of the earth” (GP, p. 54).
The church’s president is regarded as “a seer, a revelator, a translator, and a prophet” (D&C 107:91-92).
Salvation.
Biblically, salvation by grace must be received through faith in Christ (John 3:15-16; 11:25; 12:46; Acts 16:31; Rom. 3:22-24; Eph. 2:8-9), and all true believers are promised eternal life in God’s presence (Matt. 5:3-8; John 14:1-3; Rev. 21:3-7).
The LDS church believes that God gives to (virtually) everyone a general salvation to immortal life in one of the heavenly kingdoms, which is how they understand salvation by grace. Belief in Christ is necessary only to obtain passage to the highest, celestial kingdom—for which not only faith but participation in LDS temple rituals and obedience to its “laws of the gospel” are also prerequisites.
Sin and Atonement.
Adam’s sin was not a stepping stone to godhood but rather was the cause of sin, misery, and death to mankind (Gen 3:16-19, Rom 5:12-14). Jesus atoned for the sins of all who would trust him for salvation (Isa. 53:6, John 1:29, 2 Cor 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18, 1 John 2:2, 4:10).
The LDS church believes that Adam’s transgression was a noble act that made it possible for humans to become mortal and that Christ’s atonement secures immortality for virtually all people, whether they repentantly believe or not.
Marriage.
We believe that it is God alone who has the ultimate authority to define the marital relationship (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:1-9; Mark 10:1-12). Because of this understanding, we will only recognize marriages that meet the biblical definition: a covenant relationship between one biological man and one biological woman.