Are Mormons Christians? Part III
Mormonism Has a History of Polygamy
Allow me to make one thing abundantly clear: just because there are instances of polygamy in the Bible, does NOT--I repeat, DOES NOT--indicate in any way, shape, or form, that God approves of Mormonism. Please don’t get it twisted!
God is a God of patterns. When He wanted to create someone to love and to give Him worship, He used Himself as the prototype. When He wanted Noah to build the ark, He gave Him a pattern. When He wanted Moses to build the tabernacle, He gave Him a pattern. When He wanted Solomon to build the temple, He gave Him a pattern. Marriage and the family unit is no different.
Every time God decided to create a people, He gave us a pattern.
Adam had Eve.
Noah had his wife; his three sons had their respective wives as well.
Abraham had Sarah.
Isaac had Rebekah.
Christ has His Bride.
But Desiree! What about Hagar? What about Jacob and Hannah and David and Solomon?
Good question.
Let’s look at Abraham’s situation for a moment. When God set aside Abraham to be the patriarch of the people who would be the Apple of His eye, He had Sarah in mind. But it was Sarah--not God--who messed up by giving Abraham Hagar. We are still suffering from this mistake in the Middle-East and around the world today. Sarah tried to shortcut her way to the will of God and wound up creating the oldest, most sinister rivalry of the entire existence of the world. Not to mention, she caused herself quite a bit of grief as well.
When we do things God’s way, while there may be trouble, His grace is sufficient and will carry us through. Yet when we step outside of His, out from under His umbrella of protection, and adhere to the societal norms of men instead, we create ourselves irrevocable trouble. David was another example. Allow me to break it down.
- David acquired multiple wives. (Michal, Saul's daughter, should have been his only wife.)
- As a result, David had multiple children who were half-siblings.
- David's eldest son and heir, Amnon, raped his half-sister, Tamar.
- Tamar's full-brother, Absalom, revenged his full-sister by eventually murdering Amnon.
- Absalom (starting with David's poor handling of Tamar's rape) grows embittered and eventually dies in an almost successful attempt to steal the throne from his father.
- Years later, Absalom's full-brother, Adonijah, usurps the throne from his half-brother, Solomon.
- Adonijah attempts this multiple times and eventually winds up getting executed.
Now, while David’s own sins of stealing his friend and servant Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, impregnating her, then having the man killed when he wouldn’t lie with his wife (and thus cover David’s adultery), produced its own punishment of violence in his bloodline, it’s fair to say that there would still have been a fair amount mistrust and drama due to aaaaall the wives and aaaaaaall their children.
Moses even commanded [kings] stating:
“Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away…” (Deuteronomy 17:17)
Solomon proved this, despairingly.
And one need look no further than the stories of Jacob’s wives, Rachel and Leah, as well as Elkanah’s wives, Hannah and Peninnah, to see the emotional and mental aspects of having to share one’s husband with another woman.
And if you’re familiar with stories and histories from the Middle-East and otherwise, you’ll see that more often than not, when an heir arose to the throne--especially if the heir felt insecure in their reign and especially if they had half-siblings--they were inclined to murder all of the other heirs to prevent a coup d'etat. No matter how the cookie crumbles, polygamy is D-R-A-M-A.
And honestly, while in heathen eyes, polygamy is seen as a pat on the back for the man that has many wives and many beds to choose from each night, it is a form of oppression, hatred, of women. It treats women like commodities, chattel, instead of human beings who deserve the FULL love and devotion of their husbands, just as he, undoubtedly, expects from them. And yet, this spirit is becoming closer and closer to being socially acceptable again thanks to the avalanche being set in motion by the legalization of gay marriage (being used as a precedent in legal rulings) as well as the popularity if the show Sister Wives which features a lesser branch of Mormons, more closely resembling the founders of the cult.
God made marriage a holy institution to only ever consist of ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN.
“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
“And Adam said:
“‘This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.’
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:21-24)
This is the only definition of marriage there is. Anything else is a sham and a deception. And God never changed His mind about it. It was so from the beginning. Man changed it because they are sinful.
While mainstream, Modern-Day Mormons do not adhere to polygamy, their founders and other, more obscure branches did/do.
Mormonism is a Religion of Works
While this may not be the most dangerous trait of Mormonism, it certainly is worth mentioning.
Let’s assume for a moment that Mormonism is actually an expression of Christianity. Then we would have to follow Christ’s lead and understand that when He came, He fulfilled the Law. He eradicated rituals to attain redemption. His death on the cross coupled with His resurrection is the finished work.
In the dispensation of Christianity (the Church Age as some call it), we do good works because we are saved, but they do NOT guarantee our salvation. They are simply a byproduct of salvation.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“...knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” (Galatians 2:6)
Again I say, Mormonism is a religion of works.
In Christianity, baptism--while highly recommended--is optional. For Mormonism, it is essential.
Baptism by immersion in water by one having authority is the first saving ordinance of the gospel and is necessary for an individual to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to receive eternal salvation. All who seek eternal life must follow the example of the Savior by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost….
The Savior revealed the true method of baptism to the Prophet Joseph Smith, making clear that the ordinance must be performed by one having priesthood authority and that it must be done by immersion… (LDS.org)
Mormons also have baptisms for the dead which is absolutely pointless to the dead and deceptive to those thinking it works.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)
“And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that...between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’” (Luke 16:23-26)
This first Scripture is pretty self-explanatory. Death is permanent; you can’t go back and change anything like oh say, a baptism you didn’t receive while you were living. And in the story of Lazarus and the Poor Man, Father Abraham (in Abraham’s Bosom) tells Lazarus, “Look dude, you had your chance. You’re in Hell. You can’t change that now. No one can cross the chasm.” And while Father Abe was talking about the chasm between Hell and Abraham’s Bosom, how much more so for the chasm between death and life, Hell and life on earth?
The decision to be baptized must be made by a mentally capable, living individual. Anything else is just pointless rituals. The equivalent of the Catholic Church’s indulgences. Yet the Mormon Church insists in their beliefs.
Some other rituals not found anywhere in the Bible that Mormons believe essential to salvation are:
- Marriage Sealing Ceremony (so couples can be married for all eternity even though Jesus expressly refuted this belief in Matthew 22:23-33).
- Special Garments a.k.a. underwear for adults.
- Mormon Missions (not required of all young men, but it's basically an unspoken rule that it's expected from them; while taking the Gospel into all the world is commanded, being a formal missionary is not.)
The bottom line is Christian or no, whenever we place ritualistic expectations not found or no longer needed in Scripture upon people, we cross over from a relationship with God to man-made religion which is not from God. Works inherently state that the finished work of the cross is not enough and salvation is not free. But works will NEVER save us. Only the grace of God will.
Thomas Monson, current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Mormonism is Wishy-Washy
In this treatise, I’ve listed multiple inconsistencies between Mormonism and Christianity and well as discrepancies within Mormonism itself. But let’s do a quick review:
Mormonism was started by a money-hungry conman. Deceit is prohibited in the Bible.
Mormonism’s founder was also a diviner and divining is expressly forbidden in the Bible.
The Calling of Joseph Smith was a deception to him at best or a lie from him at worst. He either listened to an “angel of light” who came expressly to deceive him or intentionally concocted a lie as a money-making scheme. But either way, Jo Smith propagated a dangerous doctrine of devils that is still deceiving the masses, more and more, today.
Mormonism is steeped in racism which is expressly forbidden in the Bible. How can a man say he loves God, but hate his brother (I John 4:20)?
Mormonism had a “revelation” that black folks were just as good as white folks, conveniently when it became socially acceptable to do so. Even though several black people had prominent roles in Scripture and the Bible is FULL of non-black individuals.
Mormonism concocted a lie that black folks were the cursed descendants of Cain who was cursed by God for killing his (presumably white) brother, Abel.
Mormonism also concocted a contradictory lie that that blacks folks were the less valiant souls in the cosmic battle against Lucifer in the heavenlies.
Neither of these lies have any basis WHATSOEVER in Scripture.
The Founders and certain modern, obscure sects of Mormonism promote polygamy even though God never did.
Mormonism, while behind the times, always adjusts to them. It flip-flops whenever it becomes socially, politically, and probably expedient to do so.
NEWSFLASH: Jesus Christ--and His Gospel (He is the Word made
NEWSFLASH: The Spirit of the Lord will NEVER contradict the written Word of the Lord.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)
NEWSFLASH: No spirit sent from God will contradict the written Word of God (Galatians 1:6-10, I John 4:1-6).
“Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!”
(Psalm 103:20 NASB)
So, I ask this question again: are Mormons Christians? The answer is entirely, emphatically, eternally, NO.
