In case you missed it, here it is:
Now, this blog is in no way political. To be honest, I really don't care about politics. That's not what this is about. I'm just here to clear the smoke. Instead of learning about Mormons from a Baptist preacher, I think it would be better if you learned it from an actual Mormon.
1. Are Mormons Christians?
Jeffress: "A lot of people say they're Christians but they're not... [Mormons] do not embrace historical Christianity...[teaching faith and good works] is contrary to teachings of the New Testament."
Real name of the church: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, our King and Master, our Leader and our Comforter. "Each of these titles points to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way we can return to our Heavenly Father (mormon.org)".
Revelation 20: 13: "...and they were judged every man according to their works."
Matthew 16: 27: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and he shall reward every man according to his works."
...Last time I checked, the books of Revelation and Matthew were in the New Testament.
2. Is Mormonism a cult?
This claim is almost as outlandish as calling Mormons "non-Christian." The definition of cult, as defined by dictionary.com is:
noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. (you mean...ceremonies like baptism? rites like sacrament? Weren't those done in Christ's church?)
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers. (veneration?...like...towards Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Is that supposed to be a bad thing?)
3. the object of such devotion. (devotion to our Father in Heaven and our Savior? Again, is that wrong?)
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the samething, person, ideal, etc. (the Church as a whole, being bound together by our love of Christ? Oh no! We're horrible people!)
5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols. (sacred ideology? That does sound bad...)
Man...this "cult" stuff sure sounds bad! Wait a second...didn't that definition just describe most all religions? It basically said that a cult is: "a group of people bound together by a common set of beliefs." Isn't that what all religion is, basically? Don't Christians as a whole share a common set of beliefs? Pretty sure we do. Unfortunately, the world "cult" has taken on a very negative connotation. When we accuse other religions of being a "cult" we normally imply things like poisonous Kool-Aid or sacrificing people. Well, I've been a member of this Church for almost 18 years, and I haven't seen any of that around.
In short: Mormons are not a "cult" by the world's definition. We are a "cult" if you mean "group of people that share a set of beliefs." But is that really a bad thing?
Jeffress: "Joseph Smith is the founder of Mormonism"
The Gospel that is taught in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the exact same Gospel Christ himself taught when he was here on the earth. After Christ left the earth and his disciples were killed, the fullness of His gospel was lost. Joseph Smith simply restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ here on the earth. Some people believe that we worship Joseph Smith. That is false. We only worship Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Some people believe that our Prophet is the "head of our church." That is also false. "Jesus Christ stands at the head of the Church...The Lord guides His covenant people today through the President of the Church, whom we sustain as prophet, seer, and revelator (lds.org)"
In short: Jesus Christ is the head of our church, the prophet just tells us His will.
I hope y'all found this enlightening. If you have any more questions, just ask me, and I'll be happy to answer you. God be with you 'till we meet again.
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