Topical Guide/Ancient Christianity and Judaism

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    TOPICS

• Dead Sea Scrolls (Link)
• Early Christianity (Link)

    RESOURCES

Mormonism and Christianity

Jump to Subtopic:

• Are Mormons Christians?
• Mormons worship Jesus Christ
• Criticisms of the Mormon view of Jesus Christ
• Question: How can a Latter-day Saint approach responding to criticism of the Church on biblical grounds?

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Are Latter-day Saints Christians?

Summary: Are Latter-day Saints Christians? Do they worship Jesus Christ? Critics use unnecessarily narrow definitions to deny that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worship and revere Jesus.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Evangelical arguments regarding Mormonism and Christianity
• Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ
• Mormonism and the symbol of the cross

Evangelical arguments regarding Mormonism and Christianity

Jump to details:

• Gospel Topics on LDS.org: "Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unequivocally affirm themselves to be Christians"
• Question: Does the Book of Mormon talk of Jesus Christ?
• Question: Do Latter-day Saints meet the definition of the word "Christian"?
• Question: Do Latter-day Saint beliefs or practices exclude them from being considered Christian?
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: "Mormons are Christians who do not know where to stop"
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: The "sameness of Jesus" and humanity
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Mormonism an exciting mirror for other Christians
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Mormonism's differences try "to do justice to the honor and glory of Jesus Christ"
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Revelation versus "historical guesswork" about Jesus
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians in effect say the LDS make "too much of Jesus Christ"
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Creedal Christians can learn from LDS views about Jesus Christ and creation

Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ

Jump to details:

• Question: Do Latter-day Saints worship a "different Jesus"?
• Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe in a "different" Jesus than "mainstream" Christians?
• Question: Did Latter-day Saints only recently claim to be Christian?

Latter-day Saints and the symbol of the cross

Mormon versus Evangelical beliefs regarding grace and works

Jump to details:

• Mormonism and the relationship between grace and works
• The Mormon perspective on the relationship between baptism and grace
• Mormonism and the "unforgivable sin"
• Evangelicals use quotes from Mormon sources to try and paint a picture of an "impossible gospel"

Mormonism and the relationship between grace and works

Jump to details:

• Question: How do Mormons see the relationship between works and grace?
• Question: Do Mormons believe that salvation is based upon works?
• Question: What can the writings of early Christians tell us about how to receive salvation in Jesus Christ?
• Question: Does the Bible teach that individual works are unnecessary?
• Question: Do Mormons ignore the doctrine of grace at the expense of "works"?
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Joseph Smith does not reject the efficacy or necessity of grace
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Mormons reject the legacy of Augustine: especially of humanity's corruption due to original sin

The Mormon perspective on the relationship between baptism and grace

Jump to details:

• Question: Is there no biblical requirement to receive baptism?

Mormonism and the "unforgivable sin"

Summary: Why did LDS apostle Bruce McConkie write that a man may commit a sin so grievous that it will place him beyond the atoning blood of Christ (Mormon Doctrine, 1979, p. 93) when the Bible says that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7)?

Jump to details:

• Question: Is there an "unforgivable sin" that is beyond the reach of Christ's atonement?
• Question: What must one do in order to become a "Son of Perdition"?

Evangelicals use quotes from Mormon sources to try and paint a picture of an "impossible gospel"

Jump to details:

• Question: Do Mormon scriptures portray an "impossible gospel" in which nobody can be saved?
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: Joseph Smith does not reject the efficacy or necessity of grace
• Question: Is it impossible to receive the grace of Jesus Christ so long as we are sinning?
• Question: Is it impossible to receive salvation because the conditions we must meet are too high for any man to obtain?
• Question: Is it impossible to receive salvation because no one can keep the commandments continually?

Criticisms of the Mormon view of Jesus Christ

The "Mormon" and the "Christian" Jesus

Summary: Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation, and that He died for our sins, yet some Evangelicals claim that Latter-day Saints believe in a "different" Jesus than "mainstream" Christians.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Do Latter-day Saints believe in a "different" Jesus than "mainstream" Christians?
• Question: How does the Mormon view of the Atonement compare to the evangelical Christian view?
• Non-LDS Christian Stephen H. Webb: The "sameness of Jesus" and humanity

The attitude of early Mormon leaders toward Christianity

Summary: Some Evangelicals claim that Latter-day Saints have "admitted" that they are not Christian, since LDS leaders spent decades denouncing mainstream Christianity.

Jump to Subtopic:

• 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 Book of Mormon indicates that Christianity existed in the New World prior to the birth of Christ

Summary: The Book of Mormon refers to "Christians" in Alma 46꞉13-16 and Alma 48꞉10. These texts date to approximately 72 BC.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Is it an anachronism that the Book of Mormon teaches that Christians existed before Christ’s birth?

Martyrdom in Christian history

Summary: Was Joseph Smith not a martyr because, while in jail, he fought back against those who attacked him?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Is the definition of a Christian martyr always understood only as one who does not fight back?

Completeness of the Bible

Summary: Some claim that the Bible contains all necessary or essential knowledge to assure salvation, and that things like modern prophets or additional scripture (such as the Book of Mormon) are unnecessary or even blasphemous.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Does the Bible alone contain all necessary or essential knowledge to assure salvation, thus making the Book of Mormon and modern prophets unnecessary?
• Question: What does the Book of Mormon mean when it says that "plain and precious" things have been taken out of the bible?

Question: How can a Latter-day Saint approach responding to criticism of the Church on biblical grounds?

    CHURCH RESOURCES

• De Lamar Jensen, Seventeen Centuries of Christianity,Ensign, September 1978, 51. How Christianity prepared the way for the Restoration in the Last Days.
• Robert J. Matthews, Was John's baptism a new ordinance or were the people already familiar with it?, Ensign, September 1974, 16.
• Hugh W. Nibley, The Lachish Letters: Documents from Lehi's Day, Ensign, December 1981, 48. These ancient documents give significant support to the historical picture painted at the beginning of the Book of Mormon.
• Robert J. Woodford, How much do we know about baptism before Christ's time?, Ensign, July 1991.