In “,” I laid out the four marks that distinguish a Christian group or denomination. In Part 2 of this series, I will apply these tests to the doctrine of the Mormon church to answer the question, “Is Mormonism Christian?” The Mormon position will be verified with links to the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As many people have no idea of the origin of the Mormon church, here is a brief history.

The founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith was born in Vermont in 1805. At the age of 14, Smith had his first vision, in which a supernatural personage informed him that all of Christianity current at his time was a false abomination. Three years later, Smith had a second vision, in which a spirit called Moroni told him of a book of gold plates on which was recorded the history of the former inhabitants of the American continent. Smith supposedly translated the gold plates to produce the Book of Mormon in 1829. The gold plates were never seen by anyone other than Smith. The historical records contained in the book of Mormon have been demonstrated to be false by noted Mesoamerican archaeologists and respected archaeological societies. Thomas Finley in the book “The New Mormon Challenge” summarizes the evidence for the origin of the Book of Mormon. “There is no solid evidence that the Book of Mormon was written by Semites in ancient times. Contrary evidence makes it more likely that the book is a product of Joseph Smith’s time with the KJV strongly influencing it.”

The first mark of a Christian group is that it upholds the unique authority of the Bible and does not add or take away from it. The Mormon Church has four authoritative books: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price, all but the Bible penned by Joseph Smith. Mormonism teaches that the Bible is unreliable and has been corrupted. Therefore Smith “translated” a corrected version of the Bible which introduced thousands of changes into the King James Version. One of the changes was the addition of a prophecy in Genesis foretelling the coming of Joseph Smith. Of course, since the Bible is considered unreliable, the writings of Smith take precedence in the formulation of Mormon doctrine. This will be seen as I look at the next three marks. Mormonism fails the test of being based on the unique authority of the Bible.

The second mark of a Christian group is it’s understanding of God. The Mormon church teaches that God the Father is the supreme god, ruling over other gods. Mormonism teaches that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones. It teaches that God the Father was once a man like us and progressed to become God. Therefore, humans may also become gods by following the Mormon doctrine of eternal progression. Mormonism rejects the Christian Trinitarian concept of God and views the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as separate beings. Suffice it to say that the Mormon doctrine of God is radically different from the biblical view accepted by Christendom.

The third mark of a Christian group is it’s teaching about Jesus Christ. The Mormon Church teaches that Jesus did not always exist, but was begotten from the union of the Father and an unnamed wife. Jesus and Lucifer therefore are considered spirit brothers. Although a recent statement of the Mormon church appeared to reject this, it was deceptive, as an in-depth discussion of Mormon theology on this point indicates. Mormon doctrine actually teaches that Jesus, in His mortal state, was born as a result of sexual relations between God the Father and Mary. According to Mormon theology, Jesus is not to be worshipped in the same way as God the Father, nor to be prayed to. Mormonism fails the test of the third mark of Christianity.

The fourth mark of Christianity is a biblical doctrine of salvation. It must be noted that Mormonism uses Christian terminology but deceptively defines the terms completely differently from Christianity. Mormon doctrine teaches that there is no salvation outside of the Mormon Church. Mormonism speaks of salvation by grace, but examination of Mormon doctrine clearly shows that individual salvation comes by what you do (Mormon baptism, church attendance, good works, worthiness and temple works). The atonement of Jesus’ death according to Mormonism provides the opportunity to earn salvation through personal merit, rather than paying the full penalty for our sins. Thus Mormonism fails the test of the fourth mark of Christianity.

My conclusion is that Mormonism is not Christian. Based on the beliefs of Mormonism, biblical scholars identify the Mormon Church as a theological cult. A theological cult is a group that consistently refers to itself as Christian, yet differs from the fundamental beliefs of Christian orthodoxy. In “” of this mini-series, I will explore how believers should respond to Mormons.

The Mormon religion has been in the news a lot lately, as part of the coverage of the Presidential election. Many opinions have been presented by candidates and the news media, some of which do not agree with one another. The most fundamental question that has been raised is whether Mormonism is Christian or not. Is Mormonism just another Christian denomination? A recent poll by the Pew Research center found that 52% of American adults believe that Mormonism is a Christian religion, while 31% disagree. The Mormon church claims to be Christian, yet rejects all non-Mormon churches from the close of the apostolic age until now as being apostate.

If a group claims to be Christian, is that proof that it is? What does it mean to be Christian? This broader question is vital to answer, as many groups claim to be Christian. The first mark of a Christian group is that it upholds the unique authority of the Bible as the Word of God. Jesus said in NIV Matthew 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished validating the Old Testament scripture of his time. At the end of the New Testament, the book of Revelation concludes with the statement, NIV Revelation 22:18-19 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. These verses apply specifically to the book of Revelation and more generally to the New Testament and the whole canon of the Bible. The authority of the Bible has been a mark of the Christian church from it’s foundation.

The second mark of a Christian group is it’s understanding or doctrine of God. God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed as a Trinity, that is, one being existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. NIV Isaiah 44:6 “This is what the LORD says– Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Man is a created being and can never become God.

The third mark of a Christian group is it’s teaching about Jesus Christ. Jesus was fully human and fully God. As part of the Trinity, He has eternally existed, He was never created. He is co-equal with God. Jesus lived a perfect life on earth, died for the sins of mankind, rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven. NIV Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

The fourth mark of a Christian group is the doctrine of salvation. Salvation is obtained by admitting you have sinned, believing that Jesus’ death forgives that sin and committing one’s life to Jesus as Lord. Salvation is having one’s sins forgiven and entering into a relationship with God called eternal life. Salvation is a free gift received by faith alone and cannot be earned by doing good works. NIV Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.

While there are many other important beliefs taught in the Bible, these four marks have historically defined a true Christian church. Deviations from these marks indicate that the group is not Christian or has deviated from a true Christian belief. These four marks can be used to test whether a group is Christian in it’s teaching or not. An individual must grasp these truths in some form and believe them in order to be a Christian. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans claim to be Christian, while many of them are ignorant of what the term means or what the Bible teaches. In Part 2 of this mini-series, I will apply these tests to the doctrine of the Mormon church to answer the question, “Is Mormonism Christian?”