LATTER-DAY SAINTS TEACH THAT: | CHRISTIANITY TEACHES THAT: |
1. God the Father (who has flesh and bones) was once a “man” who lived on another planet, and became a god. He took a wife (who became a goddess), created this world, and had spirit children with his wife including Jesus (the firstborn), Satan, and us. (We pre-existed before coming to Earth.) This makes Jesus, as well as us, “spirit” brothers and sisters to Satan. | 1. God the Father is not, nor has ever been a “flesh and bone” man, but is spirit and invisible by nature.
Spirit: (Jn 4:24)(Lk 24:39)
Not man: (Hos 11:9)(Job 9:32)(Num 23:19)(1 Sam 15:29)
Invisible: (Col 1:15)(1 Tim 6:16)(1 Tim 1:17)(Heb 11:27)
**Note: Verses speaking of God having body parts are called an “anthropomorphism.” Go here for a definition.
Jesus has ALWAYS existed:
(Jn 1:1)(Jn 8:57-58)(Jn 17:5)(Col 1:17)(Rev 2:8)
Jesus created ALL things:
(Jn 1:3)(Col 1:16)(Heb 1:10)
Since Jesus has always existed, and was not created, He is NOT the brother of Satan!
The Bible says NOTHING of God having a wife!
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2. All men and women lived with God as His spirit children before the world began, then came to Earth as mortal beings. | 2. We did NOT pre-exist before being born on Earth! God created man from the dust of the Earth, and we had no existence prior to that.
No pre-existence: (Jn 3:31)(Jn 8:23)(Jn 3:13)
Created from the dust of Earth, not in Heaven:
(Gen 2:7)(Gen 3:19)(Job 34:15)(Ps 104:29)(Eccl 3:20)(1 Cor 15:46-47)
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3. (Because of #1. & 2.), all people are God’s children. | 3.. Every single thing is a creation of God, but we only become a “child of God” through faith in Jesus Christ:
(Gal 3:26)(Jn 1:12)(Rom 8:14-17)
(Go here for more on this)
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4. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate Gods. | 4. There is one God (Deut 6:4)(Mk 12:29)(Jas 2:19)(1 Cor 8:4), manifested in 3 distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They have always existed eternally and simultaneously, and all are equal. Christians do NOT believe in 3 separate gods (tritheism), nor do we believe God manifests Himself in 3 different ways (modalism). |
5. There are many gods, and we can all become gods. | 5. Again, there is ONLY ONE God.
Verses in #4. plus these: (Isa 43:10-11)(Isa 44:6,8)(Isa 45:5-6,22)(Isa 46:9)(Deut 4:35.39)
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6. The Bible is incomplete, and hold several writings as equal to the Bible. (The Bible is the word of God “as far as it is correctly translated.”) | 6. The Bible is the ONLY God-inspired book, and we are NEVER to add to it.
(2 Tim 3:16)(2 Pet 1:20-21)(Ps 138:2)(Prov 30:5-6)(Deut 4:2)(Deut 12:32)(Rev 22:18)
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7. All people eventually go to 1 of 3 kingdoms: Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial. (A few REALLY bad people can go to “outer darkness.”) There is no Hell. | 7. All people go to 1 of 2 places: Heaven or Hell.
(See links: Heaven and Hell)
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8. African-Americans came about as a result of God’s curse on Cain. | 8. The color of a person’s skin means nothing to God. God shows no partiality, all men are equal.
(Acts 10:34)(Gal 3:28)(Rom 10:12)(Col 3:11)(Eph 6:9)(1 Cor 12:13)(Gal 2:6)
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9. Mormons are the true church. | 9. All born again believers in Christ are the church.
(Acts 2:38-47)(Eph 5:23-32)(Eph 1:22-23)(Eph 3:10-21)(Heb 12:23)(1 Cor 12:12-27)(Mt 16:18)(1 Cor 15:9)
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10. Adam and Eve bringing sin to mankind was a blessing. If they had not sinned, there could be no chance to attain godhood. | 10. There is no blessing in sin coming to man. Sin brings death and separation from God.
Death: (Rom 5:12-14,17,21)(Rom 6:16,23)(Rom 8:2)(1 Cor 15:21,56)
Separation: (Jn 9:31)(Isa 59:2)(Jer 5:25)(Mic 3:4)(Hab 1:13)
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11. Salvation by works, not by grace alone. | 11. Salvation by grace alone, not by works.
(Eph 2:8-9)(Titus 3:5)(Rom 4:4-5)(Rom 3:27-28)(Gal 2:16)(Rom 11:6)(Rom 9:31-32)
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12. Achieving godhood makes one’s salvation complete. Works needed for this salvation include:
Mormon baptism
Celestial marriage (Therefore, Jesus was married.)
Tithing
Receiving the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands
Secret temple rituals
Morality
Ordinances
| 12. Jesus alone gives us complete salvation.
(Jn 14:6)(1 Jn 2:22-23)(1 Jn 5:12)(Mt 11:27)(Lk 10:22)(Gal 3:26)(Eph 1:5)(Acts 4:12)
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13. Neither God the Father, nor Jesus are omnipresent (even though they are gods…). God the Father is omnipresent only through the Spirit. | 13. God the Father IS omnipresent:
(1 Kin 8:27)(Jer 23:23-24)(Prov 15:3)(Job 34:21-22)(Ps 139:7-8)(2 Chr 16:9)(Heb 4:13)
Jesus also claimed omnipresence in (Mt 18:20).
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14. God resides near a star called Kolob. | 14. This has no Biblical basis… |