In my last post I posted a comment from Mike in which he took issue with my statement that Mormons are not Christian. Mike stated that any group who claims to be and believes themselves to be Christian should be considered as such. I of course respectfully disagree.
Heaven will at the last day be filled with a whole group of folks that Lutherans disagree with. There will be Methodists, Baptists, and maybe even an Episcopalian or two if they haven’t followed for what pass for leadership in that nearly apostate church body. Heck, there might even be nondenominational or two or three if they hadn’t bought what passes for vapid preaching that has members looking to fulfilling their “purpose” by looking to works instead of unmerited grace not unlike the Roman church they all love to criticize even though the two merit based theological systems mirror each other perfectly.
Lutherans, boy howdy, are Lutherans ever in for a surprise at the eschaton or the last day when they bump into people who for some odd reason never liked singing Gerhardt hymns during Lent. Oh the horror! Heaven will not as we would want it and thank God for that as our imaginations, wants, and desires are as sinful and corrupt as they can be.
One thing is certain for all of Christendom concerning heaven; there won’t be a single Mormon at the party. Think I’m being judgmental? Just ask a Mormon if there will be a single Trinitarian believing, ecumenical creed confessing, and historic hymn singing soul in their corner of the afterlife. If they have been properly taught at the ward, stake, and temple then they have no choice but to say that they will be the only ones rewarded properly for what they believe teach and confess. And on this point they are more correct than they know.
As Mike should know, being a former Mormon himself, that Mormons teach that those outside of the Mormon faith believe in a “mythical Christ” as is clearly taught in Mormon Doctrine, 269. In the book Mormonism 101 (one of the finest resources on the largest of the made in America religions) the authors site former president Gordon Hinkley as responding to those who claimed that Latter-day Saints do not believe in the traditional Christ as saying “No, we don’t. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.”
Want more?
The Mormons teach that the conception of Jesus was in a natural manner as every other man. In other words, God the father conceived His son by lying with Mary. Mary didn’t have sexual relations with a mortal man but rather was impregnated by the God the Father the same way any human is conceived. Christians teach that Christ was not created in such a manner but was begotten of the Father by the Holy Spirit.
The Mormon’s teach that Jesus had a brother whereas Christians teach that Jesus has no brother.
The Mormon’s teach that Jesus reached perfection after His resurrection whereas Christians teach the Jesus was always God and was always perfect.
The Jesus of the Mormon’s faith is a very different Jesus than the historical Jesus confessed by the church catholic. That’s why I’m with the Mormons when I say that I agree with them one hundred percent; their Jesus is not our Jesus.
Hmm, who knew it be so easy to come to an agreement with he sons of Kolob?
4 comments:
But where in your doctrine does it say that someone who interprets Christ differently than you do will not go to heaven? If someone accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, what does it matter that they label themselves a Mormon or Episcopalian or Lutheran? After all, even though official church doctrines vary, each individual may have different interpretations or perceptions of Christ depending on their upbringing, their reading of the scriptures, etc. Or do you presume that you personally know everything there is to know about Christ, despite your recognition that our imaginations are "sinful and corrupt"?
Bob,
If you think that I’m saying that the Mormon’s imagination is any more sinful than a Christians’ imagination, or even mine, let me assure you that this is not the case. As fallen creatures we all are sinful and corrupt and that’s why I think we need to look to Scripture for the answers to your questions. We don’t get to make this stuff up as we go.
Here’s the deal, either the Mormons are right or the Christians are but they can’t both be. Mormon doctrine doesn't just “vary” from historic Christianity but departs and contradicts the basics articulated in the Old and New Testament. With that we should both be in agreement.
It really comes down to which Jesus you believe and confess. I’m going with the revealed Jesus from Scripture and not some new testament of a Jesus that magically appears some 1700 years after the apostolic age.
I can assure you that this isn’t a matter of me not wanting Mormons in heaven. This is about which Jesus do you confess. If we chase after the wrong Jesus, we chase after the wrong Father and if we chase after the wrong Father then we should only expect wrath instead of mercy at the eschaton.
Hey Frank, this does show an interesting development in the whole "I'm saved because I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior" issue. Of course, the Bible doesn't say that we're saved by accepting Jesus as our personal Savior, which is just the problem. And this Jesus is so personal (read: private) that as long as I "accept" the Jesus of my imagination, whether or not he's legit or not, whether or not he actually took the punishment my sins deserve and died on the cross for me, whether or not I'm saved by grace through faith... it's thought to be all good. Until you get a peek at God's Word...
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." -Galatians 1:6-9
The Mormons are truly a delusional bunch.
They have a zeal for God but it is not enlightened.
I really do believe that St. Paul speaks about Mormonism when he reminds us that "the devil can come all dressed up as an angel of light." (Moroni)
Galatians could start out, "O you foolish Mormons...who has bewithed you."
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