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quote:Mormons openly profess to believe in Jesus Christ. But is their Jesus different from the Jesus of the Bible?
It’s not uncommon for Mormons to argue that they should be regarded as Christians because their faith is centered on Jesus Christ. And while this may appear to be the case from the perspective of the Mormon Church, there can be little doubt that the Jesus preached by Mormonism is not the Jesus of the Bible.
Simply believing in someone named Jesus will not solve the issue for Mormons because — as the apostle Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 11:4 — there are some who preach a different Jesus. For example, while the Bible teaches that Jesus has always existed as God (John 1:1), Mormons see Jesus as someone who worked His way up to godhood. In fact, to Mormons, Jesus is merely one in purpose with God the Father; whereas the Bible declares that the Father and the Son are also one in essence (cf. Phil. 2:6) — that they are both equally God and members of the Holy Trinity.
This leads me to what is perhaps the most problematic matter facing Mormons with regard to their view of Christ. You see, in their attempt to evade charges of polytheism — which, of course, is the belief in or worship of more than one god — Mormons end up prohibiting prayer to Jesus. Mormons confess that they believe in the existence of many gods but pray only to God the Father. Well, in light of the Bible’s explicit command to pray to Jehovah (cf. Deut. 4:7; 2 Chron. 7:14; Pss. 5:2; 32:6; Jer. 27:7, 12), it’s simply incredible that Mormons refuse to pray to Jesus while yet acknowledging Him to be Jehovah! In addition, let me point you to passages like John 14:14 and Romans 10:12 which demonstrate beyond the shadow of a doubt that believers ought to pray to Jesus.
Mormons can claim to believe in Jesus all they want, but it’s apparent from their teachings that the Jesus they profess is definitely not the Jesus of the Bible. The truth is they worship another Jesus, proclaim another gospel, and teach the skin of the truth stuffed with a lie.
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The above exerpt is from Hank Hanegraaff.
I used to think that Mormonism was just a strange form of Christianity, and my error came precisely from what Hank says: the misperception that someone claiming to believe in Jesus Christ makes them a Christian.
It's such a simple concept, that I can't believe I missed it.
I have always said that TRUE Christianity is nothing like the world perceives it (mostly Christianity is defined by the mistakes and atrocities committed by the Catholic Church). It was a bit humbling to recognize that I wasn't applying my own logic to Mormonism.
Anyway, I'm not trying to bash Mormonism. I am just pointing out that it's not a Christian religion, and that
is an important distinction.
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