In the school program I use, there are quite a few people who adhere to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I, therefore, have had many interesting conversations with LDS people, also called Mormons. I find, peculiarly, that these people say they are Christian. So I decided to write a post on some of the main doctrinal differences between mainstream Christianity and Mormonism.

Now, before I begin, I want to clarify one thing. When I say “Christian,” I am referring to “relating to or professing Christianity or its teachings.” When I say “Mormon,” I am referring to, “a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a religion founded in the US in 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr.” Both of these definitions are fairly concrete and are taken from Dictionary.com. I don’t think anyone will quibble with me over them.

At the core of both of these religions is the worship of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I’ll begin there.

• Christian: Jesus is the eternal God and Creator. He has always been and existed as God. He created the universe and everything else, including Lucifer. He is a member of the Trinity. (John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 7:3)
• Mormon: Jesus is a separate and distinct God from God the father. He is our elder brother and Lucifer’s brother. He is the firstborn spirit child of God.
• Christian: Jesus was miraculously conceived by the agency of the Holy Ghost and born of Mary, a virgin. (Matthew 1:18-24)
• Mormon: Jesus was conceived by a physical act between God the Father and Mary.
• Christian: Jesus is the Savior through the shedding of His blood and his death on the cross. He lived a sinless life and was the payment for the sin of every human being. Everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior will receive everlasting life and be adopted into God’s family. (Colossians 1:13-14)
• Mormon: Jesus is the Savior because His death provides immortality for all people, regardless of their religion or what they believe. Everyone will go to a level of heaven.

This, my friends, is just the start. The two religions are incredibly different in core doctrines.

I’ll do my best to post another “Mormon and Christians” very soon.