Why don't Christians accept Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon?

In line with the "Why don't Jews accept Jesus as their prophet," why don't Christians accept the teachings of the Church of Latter day Saints?

If it's so crazy that Joseph Smith spoke to the lord and that Jesus Christ had a second coming in America where the original white hebrews migrated, why is it any less crazy that Mosis spoke to God or that Jesus showed up and said he was the king of the jews and that he was going to save them?

Essentially, why do Christians dismiss the Mormon religion? Why are the old and new testaments valid, while the Book of Latter Day Saint's is not?

(This is not a thread on Mormonism, just why Christians don't accept the Mormon religion as part of their faith. ANd I apologize for my lack of knowledge regarding the Mormon faith, everythign I learned about it was from South Park.)

EDIT: Changes made, but come on Kimball, I'm talking about NON-mormon Christians here.

 

First, it's Joseph Smith, Jr, not John Smith. (John Smith was the guy from Pocahontas.) Second, the Church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but the book you are referring to is the Book of Mormon. (It's also prophet, not profit. Two completely different meanings there.)

And I can personally show that some Christians do accept both of those as being true (since Mormons are Christians).

Kimball Kinnison

 

everythign I learned about it was from South Park.)

yeah i dont think that is a sufficent source for an education on Mormonism.

Anywho...

Christians dont except mormons as christians because we have a very different view on who CHrist was and is. We both agree on the events that were recorded in the NT were real and carried out by a real CHrist, but we believe in two totally different natures of that being. Mormons do share a lot of simular beliefs and terms (eventhough the terms have different deffinitions to a mormon than to a christian) with christians, but that doesnt make them a Christian. I share 95% of the same genes as a rat, but he is no more a man than i am an rodent. THat 5% makes a huge difference.
There is however, much more than a mere five percent difference between mormons and christians there are many different views of many different things besides the nature of G-d the father, and of Christ, such as heaven and scriptures that are considered canon.
In the end no one would call a muslim a christian, because they still believe in a version of christ, he was just a prophet to them, and the apostles messed it all up. I would say the same things go for mormonism and in turn Jehovahs Witnesses. They still belive in Christ, just a defferent one than christans, because the church messed it all up. They both believe that an angel had to come to earth to fix the issues of the church and fix the errors created by the apostles and/or the church.

In the End mormons do not follow what is Orthodox Christianity, rather they follow something much differen, which is why christians dont believe mormons are christians.

Here are some links to more info...

Basic Differences

More Differences

Differences in Terms

More differences

There is more info but i am sure that you can read the differences for your self so here are some links.

Comparative sites

CARM.org
Mormon Research Ministeries

 

Every time I hear 'Mormons aren't Christians' I laugh my ass off.

Isn't the basic definition of the word 'Christian' 'somebody who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ'? Mormons have the long name 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' (whew!) ergo, they believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ. Mormons = Christians.

But as for why people think Mormons != Christians, I have no clue.

 

MasterKingsama,

Speaking as a Mormon, I can tell you that those links you gave give a very distorted and false view of my beliefs. I would be wary of what they have to say, if I were you.

First of all, I would be wary of any site that starts by referring to any religion as a cult. All that is is a label used to marginalize the belief system and portray it as incorrect without providing any substance.

If you want to have a better idea of Mormon doctrines, I have been answering questions in the Mormonism thread for over a year and a half. I'd be happy to help you get better information on what I believe.

Kimball Kinnison

 

Well i have spent hours looking into mormonism, from both sides of the fence, aka both at sites like these and on the LDS web sites itself, and i still conclude that we worship to different G-ds.

And the question at hand is "why dont christians accept JS and the BoM? so i provided christian websites with answers. Is some of the info spun a bit, oh yes i agree, but is it still factual that we worship different beings, yes.

First of all, I would be wary of any site that starts by referring to any religion as a cult. All that is is a label used to marginalize the belief system and portray it as incorrect without providing any substance.

well i agree, but i see cult simply meaning a break off of another World Religion. Chrstianity is in a way a cult from judeism, Islam, from Christianity, and the same can be said about mormons and christianity, i dont use it as an obcene word.

i think i will take you up on the mormon thread though.

 

I know there are differences, but my question is WHY don't Christians belief that Joseph Smith was correct or that the Book of Mormon was an addition to their faith as the New Testament was an addition to the Old Testament?

Why did Christians accept the New Testament and Christ when he first appeared, but deny the Book of Mormon or Christ's Appearence in America?

Kimball, maybe you can give a brief history of the mormon faith for reference.

 

Since I'm at work right now, I can't take too much time to give a complete history, however, here is a link to Joseph Smith's own account about his experiences.

Kimball Kinnison

 

I guess I would need to read the Book of Mormon and compare with the Bible. If they agree with one another, then I guess Im a Mormon too. If not, then I won't accept it.

 

Isn't the basic definition of the word 'Christian' 'somebody who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ'

Theren lies the heart of the matter.

Virtually all mainstream Christians believe in the Trinity.

Latter-Day Saints do not believe in the Trinity, and the view of Christ's divinity differs somewhat.

 

I don't want to be Captain Obvious here, but maybe that is why there is not a concrete answer:

Essentially, why do Christians dismiss the Mormon religion? Why are the old and new testaments valid, while the Book of Latter Day Saint's is not?

People's beliefs are personal, so there isn't going to be a set answer..

KW, what exactly is the trinity, and how popular of a belief is it?

 

KW, what exactly is the trinity, and how popular of a belief is it?


The Trinity is essentially the belief that there is one God in three persons (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit).

Enough has been written on the subject to fill entire forests, so I'm not even going to attempt to explain it, because it's hard enough for experienced theologians to do that.

The Trinity is something that virtually all mainstream Christian denominations believe in. Whether you're Catholic or protestant, the Trinity is at the center of the belief system.

 

I don't like parody threads.

 

Wait, but don't Mormon's also believe in the trinity?

And I don't get the difference in divinity either, don't both faiths believe Jesus is God in the Flesh?

Furthermore, I am asking what it is about the Mormon faith that makes it not a part of the Catholic faith or any other. Like, why didn't mainstream Christianity incorporate it into their faith?

Essentially, what is the difference between Jesus' first and second coming?

 

Essentially, what is the difference between Jesus' first and second coming?

His first coming was to die on the Cross for our sins. His second coming will be to take believers to Heaven and establish his Millenial Reign on Earth.

 

Wait, but don't Mormon's also believe in the trinity?

nope traditional mormons don't

And I don't get the difference in divinity either, don't both faiths believe Jesus is God in the Flesh?

different G-d's Christians believe in the trinity G-d, that is un created, mormons believe that god was once a man and his son jesus is a totally different being.

Furthermore, I am asking what it is about the Mormon faith that makes it not a part of the Catholic faith or any other. Like, why didn't mainstream Christianity incorporate it into their faith?

They teach a different view of g0d, and there for it is unexcepted by christianity.

 

It's also prophet, not profit. Two completely different meanings there.

Well ... depending on which denomination you're talking about...


everythign I learned about it was from South Park.)

yeah i dont think that is a sufficent source for an education on Mormonism.

It's funny because it's true!

Okay, actually, I missed this week's episode ( ), and I don't know much about the foundations of Mormonism - but could someone maybe let us know whether there were any factual inaccuracies in what they said about the religion? I mean, I don't know whether they embellished, but my father claimed to have a similar response when he first read about the story of Joseph Smith: "No one believed that, right?"


I know there are differences, but my question is WHY don't Christians belief that Joseph Smith was correct or that the Book of Mormon was an addition to their faith as the New Testament was an addition to the Old Testament?

Well, some claim that one verse in the New Testament basically says there won't be any more revelations, and no more additions the scriptures, if I'm remembering correctly.

 

Wait, but don't Mormon's also believe in the trinity?


No, Mormons do not believe in the Trinity.

Furthermore, I am asking what it is about the Mormon faith that makes it not a part of the Catholic faith or any other. Like, why didn't mainstream Christianity incorporate it into their faith?


I'm not sure if I understand your question.

Various denomations have their differences, and don't "incorporate" each other's views into their own (for the most part).

How could the Latter-Day Saint faith be a part of Catholicism?

On a more housekeeping note, did you think about going through the existing Mormonism thread beforehand, OWM? All of this has been discussed many times before, and with a good bit of detail? Or perhaps researching with Google.

 

I don't have much time right now (at work, waiting for a data run to finish), but I want to correct one thing.

Mormons do not believe that God was once a man. That is not official Church doctrine, although there are some members who believe that as personal speculation.

What the Church teaches is that we have the potential to become like God, our Heavenly Father. We can be co-heirs with Christ in all of His glory. That makes for a very big difference.

And no, we do not believe in the Trinity (as described by the Council of Nicea). However, I think you'd find that our disagreements over the exact form or nature of God have very little impact on any other doctrines.

I will try to answer any other question about doctrines in the Mormonism thread when I get home from work.

Kimball Kinnison

 

I am interested in understanding why a non-Mormon Christian does not believe in what a Mormon believes (e.g., the Trinity, etc.) where Mormon belief differs from Protestant or Catholic beliefs.

 

I'd say reading through the Mormonism could go some way toward answering those questions. However, I think they're both sufficiently complex to require reading some literature on the subject(s), as opposed to anything those of us here could offer (with the possible exception of KK).

 

However, I think you'd find that our disagreements over the exact form or nature of God have very little impact on any other doctrines.

I think some Christians put a very high importance on the doctrine that Jesus is God, so if there is a disagreement on that point it carries into beliefs about Jesus' divinity, purity, etc.


I am interested in understanding why a non-Mormon Christian does not believe in what a Mormon believes (e.g., the Trinity, etc.) where Mormon belief differs from Protestant or Catholic beliefs.

The Mormons have an entire book of beliefs in addition to the Christian Bible, so I presume that explains quite a bit of the difference. Basically, the other Christian denominations don't believe that the Book of Mormon is a sacred scripture, and that's the reason they wouldn't believe any doctrines or Biblical interpretations that are based on it.

 

The Mormons have an entire book of beliefs in addition to the Christian Bible, so I presume that explains quite a bit of the difference

Actually, it's three other books (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price), but the main point is that there is holy scripture for Latter-Day Saints that extends beyond the Bible.

 

Understood. I guess I'm interested in hearing from any non-Mormon Christians as to why they do not adhere to Mormonism. For example, why do non-Mormon Christians not believe and adhere to the Book of Mormon?

I found this concerning the the Mormon conception of Hell: "Hell exists but very few people will stay there very long. If you have not heard Christ's Gospel, you will exist in a spirit prison. This spirit prison is where you wait to hear the Gospel." This appears to be a remarkable divergence from the eternal damnation of many other Christian variants.

But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Mormonism is its polytheistic flavor. If I understand correctly, a faithful Mormon can become God with respect to another universe after his or her death. For example, and perhaps KK can correct this if this is wrong, the Mormon conception of Heaven is as follows: "The highest levels of the Celestial Kingdom are reserved for Mormon couples that have been married in a Mormon temple. The couples can eventually become a God and Goddess; the husband will then be in control of an entire universe. Christians who are non-Mormons and have led exceptional lives will also spend eternity in the Celestial Kingdom."

Now, to KK's point that Mormonism does not assert that God was once a man. KK stated:

Mormons do not believe that God was once a man. That is not official Church doctrine, although there are some members who believe that as personal speculation.

I am not an expert on Mormonism by any means. However, I understand that there is a book called the Book of Discourses which contains the original speech made April 7, 1844 by Joseph Smith announcing to his followers his revelations, referred to as the King Follett Discourse. Perhaps this is not official Church doctrine. However, Smith, in the speech, states:

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...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..." Here is the BYU link to the speech: King Follett Discourse.

Smith was referring to (apparently) Psalm 90:2 and basically stating it was in error where it stated: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God." In fact, my research indicates that Smith did not think much of the Gospels in general.

KK: Are you saying that the Church does not adhere to the points Smith was making in this speech?